The Known Soldiers REALITY is Unknown

 This is the reality to the "Pin a flag on the Collar" wearing politicians and most of the country.  Ceremony is the approach but it doesn't resolve the reality.  Veterans are placed in precarious situations because many are left behind and this is with both the politicians as well as the American people who take comfort in rhetoric and parades.  Whereas politicians and civilians who ran out on the country when the call of duty came upon them, they ran and now they're running away from the ones who actually answered the call of duty on their return home.

Budgets cuts benefit the rich, well off and connected at the expense of veterans.  A veteran who's homeless, suicidal, unemployed or in jail provides income to many segments of society.  An individual veteran down on his luck is a conduit to to economic security to many as he remains economically unstable and treated as a kid.  As a matter of fact, they're treated worst with restrictions that prevent grown men and women to grow beyond their situation and they're situations are many.

Earlier this year, the GOP had a chance to prove that it could fund veterans' health care as eagerly as it borrowed for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Long before the current VA crisis, an event described as "a gift from God" by Dr. Ben Carson, Senate Republicans had a chance to vote on a landmark bill. Before the Senate vote, organizations devoted to the needs of veterans and their families offered widespread support to the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014.

On January 21, 2014 the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) wrote a letter to Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsing the legislation.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: Webinar – Using SOAR to Access Social Security Disability Benefits
Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 2:00 pm EDT

The National Veterans Technical Assistance Center (NVTAC) hosted the webinar “Using SOAR to Access Social Security Disability Benefits” on Thursday, April 21 at 2:00 pm EST. Social Security disability benefits are critical sources of income for Veterans with disabling mental or physical health conditions, and lead to increased housing stability and improved healthcare outcomes. SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR), is a federal program sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to increase access to disability benefits among people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Since 2006, states report 27,226 approvals on initial SSI/SSDI applications, with an approval rate of 65 percent in an average of 81 days using the SOAR model. This presentation described best practices for utilizing SOAR with Veterans who access HVRP services, with special emphasis on employment and housing stability.

Jen Elder from the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center at Policy Research Associates, Inc. led the discussion.

Why so many Vets get Evicted from HUD Housing? | vnsla

Why so many Vets get Evicted from HUD Housing? | vnsla: by Terry Richards

Los Angeles County, CA alone in round numbers has about 11% of the Nation’s estimated 2011 count of 74,000 Homeless Veterans, so designating in round numbers 900 Vouchers (11.4%) is reasonable.

Congress also appropriated funds for Grant Per Diem (About $40 per day per Veteran) for Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing Programs at VA Domiciliaries and non-profit agencies like the Salvation Army’s Haven, New Directions, Vet-To- Vet, U.S. Vets, Cabrillo, and the Ballington Plaza, Weingart, and Rush Hotels/Motels (All three located in “skid-row”), and all which are located in Los Angeles County.

According to William L. Daniels, Chief of the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare system and its Homeless Programs, there are currently about 3,200 Homeless Veterans in these transitional housing programs/Grant Per Diems including the two aforementioned Domiciliaries. Since Veterans in these transitional programs are still technically homeless until they obtain permanent housing, that still leaves 10,000 Veterans who are homeless in Los Angeles, but because of the 3,200 in transitional housing only 6800 are living on the streets of Los Angeles assuming these figures are correct???

The Obama Administration has set its goal for zero (0) homeless Veterans by 2015 but in Los Angeles at least, even if the homeless population remains status quo and Vouchers were increased to 1,000 per fiscal year, it would still take 10-years or until 2022 to obtain Housing for the current homeless Veterans population of Los Angeles.

HUD-VASH Mythbusting, w/ Your Host, KAIT MILLER!

Published on Dec 18, 2013

Are you having HUD-VASH problems? Do you constantly find yourself rejecting veterans from the program who seem like they should be eligible? Myths about HUD-VASH afflict countless people throughout the United States...but you don't have to live with them anymore! In this 7 minute video, former HUD-VASH Housing Program Specialist Kait Miller will walk you through the five biggest myths about HUD-VASH to make sure you're not turning any vets away unnecessarily. It's easy, it's free, and it could change your life!

You've lived with your HUD-VASH problems for too long. Watch this free video today!

Another View -- Roger Wilkins: We can't let our heroes down | New Hampshire

Another View -- Roger Wilkins: We can't let our heroes down | New Hampshire

By ROGER WILKINS

Two years after the secret healthcare wait list scandal within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made national headlines, veterans’ care is still inconsistent and unreliable. It’s an especially important issue for the more than 115,000 New Hampshire veterans, many of whom rely on the VA for their medical needs.
 The first step toward reform is realizing the massive scale of the problem. VA officials first tried to dismiss the excessive and dangerous waits for doctor appointments as isolated in nature. Yet recently published reports by the VA Inspector General’s Office reveal these harmful practices were widespread, including here in New Hampshire.