Swords to Plowshares

Urgent Message From the Disabled American Veterans

Congressional Adjournment Nears
Urge Congress to Act on Vital Veterans’ Measures

Adjournment of the 110th Congress will occur momentarily, probably within the month of September. With elections looming, all of those who hold office want to leave Washington as soon as they can to run for reelection. In a Presidential election year, more time on the campaign trail becomes especially critical. While everyone in Congress seems to be talking about how important veterans are to the nation, and detailing what a debt we owe all of them, they are braced to leave town without enacting numerous health care bills that would actually help veterans who are sick, wounded, and even permanently disabled.

The veterans’ bills that have not been passed cover a wide range of topics, from women’s health to PTSD and homelessness and many others. All these bills have been subjected to Congressional hearings and some of them multiple hearings - but virtually nothing has been passed by both houses and sent to the President for approval. If Congress fails to act, these bills will die. It is unconscionable in an election year that Members of the House and Senate would leap into the campaign season from the darkened halls of Congress to brag about their accomplishments for veterans, their thankfulness to veterans and their loyalty to veterans - while leaving all this legislative work in the dust bin.

Now is the time for Congress to act. Congress should not adjourn before finishing its work on behalf of veterans. All Members of the House and Senate need to know where you stand: you stand with veterans, and you want your Member of Congress and your Senators to act.

A suggested letter has been prepared for your consideration. Please use it or use your own words to urge your Members of the House and Senate to stand up for veterans before they stand for reelection this year.

As always, thank you for your support.

Click here to send your elected officials a letter asking they act on pending veterans legislation.

Current U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs policy, defined in VHA DIRECTIVE 2008-025, blocks nonpartisan groups from holding voter registration drives at VA facilities. “The Veteran Voting Support Act” been introduced in both the House and Senate in order to reverse this blatant affront to the men and women who have worn the uniform to defend such rights.

Committee on House Administration Chairman Robert A. Brady commented in a letter to VA Secretary James Peake:

“It is inconceivable that the Department of Veterans Affairs would restrict non-partisan, non-profit organizations from providing resources and information to assist veterans in registering to vote… The fact that this affects wounded veterans, many of whom risk life and limb defending the freedoms that we all enjoy, is most troubling.”

In the same letter House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Bob Filner commented:

“The right to vote is the foundation for our democracy and this right has been courageously protected by our veterans… A recent bureaucratic ruling by the VA will not only prohibit voter registration drives on the grounds of VA facilities, but may hinder injured and aging veterans from receiving voter registration services altogether.”

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, recently sent the following letter to Senator Diane Feinstein endorsing S. 3308, “The Veteran Voting Support Act.”

July 28, 2008

The Honorable Diane Feinstein
United States Senator
331 Senate Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Feinstein:

Veterans for Common Sense strongly endorses your superb new legislation designed to restore veteran voting rights, S 3308, “The Veteran Voting Support Act,” already co-sponsored by a distinguished list of U.S. Senators, including Barack Obama, Charles Schumer, John Kerry, Patty Murray, Harry Reid, Patrick Leahy, and Ron Wyden.

Your legislation is critical because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is blocking voting rights for veterans in VA hospitals and VA nursing homes as well as among homeless veterans who are provided VA assistance. VA is fighting against allowing our veterans to have access to voter registration and voter assistance. We appreciate how you first tried to work with VA to resolve this crisis without legislation. Unfortunately, VA rejected your reasonable suggestions to lift their ban.

Your bill is timely because the deadlines for voter registration are quickly approaching and because there are less than 100 days before we vote on November 4. Our simple goal as a non-partisan non-profit is clear: Let our veterans vote. We hope to improve voter turnout among our hundreds of thousands of hospitalized and homeless veterans.

Thank you for working hard to make sure that our fellow citizens who stood between enemy bullets and our Constitution have full and equal access to voter registration and voting on Election Day. Our veterans earned no less. Veterans for Common Sense will be asking our members to contact their elected officials soon so that your important legislation becomes law within a few weeks.

Sincerely,
Paul Sullivan
Executive Director

It took an average of 9 years post deployment for Vietnam veterans to fall into homelessness. Today, Swords to Plowshares and our homeless veteran service colleagues throughout the nation are seeing an alarming influx of homeless OIF/OEF veterans, sometimes just months after separating from the military. We prepared the following paper for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans to help decipher why this new generation are becoming homeless so quickly in the hope that, by understanding the issues, we may prevent or at least mitigate the kind of long suffering our older clients have endured. The paper looks at the conditions of deployment, economic and social challenges, and mental health, economic and social issues impacting all of our new veterans. It is up to us, as providers, as neighbors, and as citizens to prevent homelessness and truly support our military and veterans with the services and support they have earned.

The presentation is intended to be an accompaniment to be training performed by the Iraq Veteran Project staff and will be updated regularly. For more information, contact IVP Policy Associate Mai-Ling Garcia 415-252-2787 ext. 350, or mgarcia@stp-sf.org.

Combat to Community: Needs & Resources for Post-911 Veterans and their Families by Sword to Plowshares is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

***For a downloadable PDF version of this presentation click here.

Update: Write your Senator today and ask for their support of S. 1084, the Homes for Heroes Act; legislation that would provide housing assistance for very low-income and formerly homeless veterans. The companion bill, HR 3329, was amended by the House Financial Services Committee recently and then passed the House of Representatives on July 9 by a vote of 412-9. We urge the Senate to take similar action before adjourning later this year.

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Ask your senator to support S. 1084, the Homes for Heroes Act of 2007, legislation that would provide housing assistance for very low-income and formerly homeless veterans. The companion bill, HR 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act of 2008, passed the House of Representatives on July 9, 2008 by a vote of 412-9. Tell your senator you hope the Senate will take similar action and explain why permanent supportive housing will help to reduce, eliminate and prevent homelessness among veterans in your state.

Issue Status

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) developed comprehensive legislation to develop and expand permanent housing opportunities for very low-income veterans to prevent homelessness. The legislation, the “Homes for Heroes Act of 2008,” would establish new programs and activities pertaining to veterans within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Senator Obama (D-IL) introduced S. 1084, the Homes for Heroes Act in the Senate and Rep. Al Green (TX-9) introduced a companion bill, H.R. 3329, in the House.

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSED H.R. 3329 ON JULY 9, 2008. NOW SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO PASS THE BILL IN THE SENATE.

Why this Matters

• According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 1.5 million veterans have incomes that fall below the federal poverty level.

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates between 150,000 and 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night; more than 300,000 veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year.

• Contrary to the perceptions that our nation’s veterans are well-supported, in fact many go without the services they require. This is nowhere more apparent than in their need for safe, affordable, and permanent housing.

• While the federal government makes a sizeable investment in homeownership opportunities for veterans, its commitment to housing for low-income veterans is non-existent.

• Veterans are not well-served through existing housing assistance programs due to their program designs.

• Veterans are not a priority population for federally assisted housing.

• There is no national rental housing assistance program targeted to veterans.

• The HUD-VASH program, which provides rental assistance vouchers for veterans with disabilities, matched with supportive services provided by the VA, is the only permanent housing assistance program targeted to any veteran population. For FY 2008, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 included $75 million for 7,500 new Section 8 vouchers for homeless veterans.

• HUD has no Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of HUD.

Background

The Homes for Heroes Act of 2008 consists of eight sections:

Section 1 establishes the measure’s short title.

Section 2 establishes a position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD.

Section 3 authorizes the HUD Secretary to establish a supportive housing program for very low-income veteran families. HUD would provide housing assistance to such veteran families via planning grants, capital advances, project rental assistance, and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives proposing to develop such housing. VA would provide funding for supportive services to residents.

Section 4 authorizes an increase in budget authority under the project rental assistance component of the Housing Choice Voucher program to finance 20,000 rental assistance vouchers for homeless veterans.

Section 5 requires states and localities to include veterans as a special needs population in their public housing agency plans and their comprehensive housing affordability strategies.

Section 6 exempts from calculation of a family’s rental payment for federally assisted housing the amount of income the family receives from VA compensation.

Section 7 authorizes the HUD Secretary to establish a technical assistance program to assist veteran service providers on federally assisted housing matters.

Section 8 requires HUD to issue an annual report on its programs and activities pertaining to veterans.

Sample Letter

Below is a sample letter you can use to urge your Senator to support our troops when they come home.

August XX, 2008

The Honorable XXX XXX
United States Senate
XXXX Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0505

Dear Senator XXXX,

(Briefly introduce yourself or organization): Swords to Plowshares is community-based organization founded by Vietnam veterans in 1974 that provides supportive services and housing to homeless veterans. We are writing to ask for your support of S. 1084, the Homes for Heroes Act; legislation that would provide housing assistance for very low-income and formerly homeless veterans. The companion Bill, HR 3329, was amended by the House Financial Services Committee and recently passed the House of Representatives on July 9 by a vote of 412-9. We hope the Senate will take similar action before adjourning later this year.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials recently reported on any given night, between 150,000 and 200,000 veterans are homeless. Veterans are at a greater risk of becoming homeless due to health problems (post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse issues, mental health disorders), economic issues (extremely low or no livable income), and a shortage of affordable housing. While most currently homeless veterans served during prior conflicts or in peacetime, the newest generation of combat veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF-OEF), both men and women, are returning home and suffering from war-related conditions that may put them at risk for homelessness. A growing trend in homelessness among these new veterans points to a need to develop a coordinated approach to reduce, eliminate and prevent homelessness among all veterans.

S. 1084 and H.R. 3329 will provide shelter for homeless veteran families and help prevent low-income families from falling into homelessness. Specifically, the legislation would authorize the HUD Secretary to establish a housing program for very low-income veteran families with supportive services provided by the VA; designate a position of Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs within HUD; authorize an increase in budget authority under the project rental assistance component of the Housing Choice Voucher program to finance 20,000 rental assistance vouchers for homeless veterans; and require HUD to issue an annual report on its programs and activities pertaining to veterans.

To meet the current and future needs of our nation’s most vulnerable veterans, please support the Homes for Heroes Act. Supporting this historic veteran homelessness prevention initiative will be a giant step forward towards ending veteran homelessness in America.

Sincerely,
Name
Position or Military Status (if applicable)

Who is your Senator?

To find out who your senator’s contact information log on to www.senate.gov.

Rep. Tom Allen, representing Maine’s 1st district, has introduced The Full Faith in Veterans Act of 2008 (H.R. 5448) which acts on the recommendations put forward by the Veterans Disability Commission and seeks to remove the often absurd hurdles placed in front of veterans trying to established service connection to their PTSD.

The full text of this legislation can be found here (PDF link)

The quote below is from Rep. Tom Allen’s press release

“The goal of my bill is to improve diagnosis, compensation, and treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD,” Representative Allen said. “The largest and most significant change my bill would make is to change the standard of proof for veterans who do not have full military records to verify that the cause of their PTSD occurred during service- known as an in-service stressor. Above all, my bill assures that our nation acknowledges that for our veterans with PTSD their experience in the military forever changed them and left them with scars they will carry throughout their lives.”

Representative Allen noted that under current law, veterans must have both a PTSD diagnosis and military documentation or two “buddy statements” that the stressor occurred during service. This has led to situations where it is clear to mental health professionals that an event during a veteran’s service caused the veteran’s PTSD, but the veteran is not eligible to receive compensation for disability because of incomplete military records.

“This has led to situations where it is clear to mental health professionals that an event during a veteran’s service caused the veteran’s PTSD, but the veteran is not eligible to receive compensation for disability because of incomplete military records,” Representative Allen said. “For these veterans, under my bill, a diagnosis of PTSD by a mental health care professional who establishes a logical relationship between exposure to military stressors and current PTSD symptoms is enough to prove that the PTSD is service connected.”

Representative Allen’s legislation also requires VA employees responsible rating disability compensation claims involving PTSD successfully complete a certification program that incorporates best practices issued by the VA’s National Center on PTSD. It directs the VA to audit the examinations Department of Veterans Affairs mental health professionals conduct for veterans who submit claims for PTSD disability compensation to ensure that such employees take sufficient time necessary to diagnose and accurately rate the severity of the disorder. And, it requires that the documents mental health professionals consider when evaluating for PTSD and raters rating the claims must include the veteran’s records from VA Vet Centers along with written opinions of any medical professional providing mental health care.

Please contact your Representative to ask them support or co-sponsor The Full Faith in Veterans Act of 2008.

Update:

On July 12, 2008 the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a legislative hearing on pending legislation which included H.R. 5448, The Full Faith in Veterans Act of 2008. Below are excerpts from the Congressman’s testimony.

Veterans for Common Sense reviewed VA documents to determine the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with PTSD—about 67,000. The organization also found the VA concluded that only about half of these veterans have a service-connected disability. This raises the question of the status for the other 30,000 or so veterans. Some veterans may not know they can file a claim or may still have a claim pending. But as I have learned from veterans in my district, proving that PTSD is service-connected can be very difficult, particularly for veterans of older conflicts. And denial of service-connection leaves these veterans without access to VA health benefits or disability compensation.

The veteran, not the agency that possesses the records, has the burden of producing documents that prove the trauma occurred. How was Terry Belanger, a disabled veteran in Biddeford, Maine, supposed to find the records that the government said it didn’t have the time or money to look for? His doctors confirmed he had PTSD. His nightmares and flashbacks referred to his time in Vietnam. The Army trusted him when he served his country. Why should we distrust him now, in his time of need?

Indeed, what is remarkable about Terry’s case is that the records were ever uncovered. It happened only because Terry was so persistent and would not let his family down. He kept filing and appealing until finally, after sixteen years, someone in the National Archives found thousands of pages that they had missed before.

Under my common sense bill, if a veteran is diagnosed by a certified medical health professional as suffering from PTSD related to the veteran’s military service, the VA must accept this finding as sufficient proof of service-connection. As with other disability claims, the VA must resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. However, the VA can rebut this finding of service-connection by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Thus, if contrary evidence exists, and the VA produces it, the claim will not be allowed.

Under my bill, veterans like Terry Belanger would not have to wait two decades for the VA to find the relevant records. The law would also help the many veterans whose traumatic experience in the service never made it into official records. The new standards in my bill would apply to all veterans diagnosed with PTSD, not just those from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would also acknowledge the inherent dangers of military service and be applicable to all those who served our nation in uniform, not just those who faced combat. It also accommodates cases of PTSD related to military sexual trauma that may not have happened in a combat zone.

You can read Congressman Allen’s full testimony before the committee here.