Veteran Care and Services

The public services and care being provided to our veteran citizens are rapidly changing due to the increasing number of veterans that live in our cities. There are more veteran citizens now living in America than ever before, and the veteran population is becoming ever more diverse. For this reason, cities throughout our nation are expanding their public services in scope and scale, as well as enhancing the quality of existing services. This volume documents these rapid developments in order to help our veteran citizens and supporting communities understand the evolving, dynamic, and innovative services and care that are increasingly available to them.

Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Ph.D., is Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He worked as immigration commissioner for the city of San Francisco and is long-time President and CEO of the Pilipino Senior Resource Center in San Francisco, California.

Mickey P. McGee, DPA, is associate professor of public administration at the Golden Gate University. He developed strategic executive development programs for the U.S. Defense Department and for corporations. He has worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International City/County Management Association.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years and holds International City/County Management Association credentials. He has taught at the University of California, Rutgers University, University of New Haven, University of Connecticut and Golden Gate University.

Edited by Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Mickey P. McGee and Roger L. Kemp
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 319
Bibliographic Info: appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7326-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3857-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Part I: Introduction

A. Governments

 1. The GI Bill of Rights: History and Timeline (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 7

 2. Mission and History of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 10

 3. City Veteran Services (Department of Veterans’ Services, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts) 15

 4. The Local Government Community Supports Veterans (Samantha Wagner) 20

 5. Helping Veterans Helps Communities Jonn Melrose 22

B. Nonprofits

 6. Veterans, Youth, Defense, Americanism, Communities (The American Legion) 25

 7. Want to Support Veterans? Four Tips for Finding Good Charities

(Brian Mittendorf) 30

 8. From Its Counterculture Roots, Haight Ashbury Free Clinic Morphs (Laurie Udesky 33

 9. Sometimes the Best Medicine for a Veteran Is the Company

  of Another Veteran (Elisa Borah 36

10. Collaborating at the Local Level to Serve Veterans and Their Families (Sidney Gardner and Larisa Owen) 39

Part II. Services, Innovations and Challenges

A. Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship

11. Military Transitioning: U.S. Coast Guard Service Member Preparation for Civilian Employment (Glenn J. Galman) 45

12. Military Friendly Universities and Helping Veterans Succeed

  Academically (Silvana Giacalone and Mickey P. McGee) 50

13. From Military Service to Public Service Through GI Bill (Roger L. Kemp) 54

14. Military Lessons Applied to Private Sector Consultancy Work

(Terry Curl) 58

15. The Emotional Challenges of Student Veterans on Campus

(Ann Cheney) 64

16. Veterans Legal Advocacy and Law Schools (Daniel Devoy) 67

17. Veterans Guide to Finding a Job in Local Government: (An Excerpt Members of the ICMA Veterans Task Force) 70

18. Veteran Profile: Clint Holmes (Samantha Wagner) 75

19. Breaking Down Their Own Stereotypes to Give Veterans

  More Career Opportunities (Eileen Trauth) 78

20. The Preferred Class? Veterans in the Workforce (Jeffrey R. Zimmerman) 81

21. U.S. Civil Service’s Preference for Hiring Military Vets Comes at a Hidden Cost (Gregory B. Lewis) 83

B. Health and Wellness

22. Veterans and Medical Care (Willie L. Britt) 86

23. Veterans and Chiropractic Care (Willie L. Britt) 92

24. A VA Hospital You May Not Know (Sanjay Saint) 99

25. Caring for Veterans: A Privilege and a Duty (Sanjay Saint) 101

26. Military Veterans Battling Substance Abuse Helped by Addressing Addictions Together (Katherine Albertson) 104

27. Fix for VA Health Snarls Veterans and Doctors in New Bureaucracy (Quil Lawrence, Eric Whitney and Michael Tomsic) 107

28. Health Care Battle on Hill Has Veterans Defending Obamacare

Benefits (Stephanie ­O’Neill) 110

29. McCain’s Complicated Health Care Legacy: He Hated the ACA. He Also Saved It (Emmarie Huetteman) 112

30. VA Adding Opioid Antidote to Defibrillator Cabinets for Quicker Overdose Response (Martha Bebinger) 115

31. VA Shifts to Clinical Pharmacists to Help Ease Patients’ Long Waits (Phil Galewitz )117

32. Vietnam Veteran Who Died of Hepatitis Added to Memorial Wall

(Michelle Andrews) 120

C. Housing and Homelessness

33. Ensuring All Veterans Have Safe Housing Requires All Hands on Deck (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 122

34. VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans

(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 125

35. Ending Veteran Homelessness (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 128

36. Monterey Programs Focused on Supporting Homeless Veterans and Their Families (Kurt Schake and Mickey P. McGee) 135

37. Veteran Homelessness in Monterey County (William Bare and Mickey P. McGee) 138

38. An Assessment of Homeless Veteran Programs in Sacramento County (Benedict Serafica and Mickey P. McGee) 142

39. A Place to Call Home for U.S. Veterans in Rancho Cordova, CA

(Samantha Wagner) 146

40. Three Ways This State Is Housing All Homeless Veterans (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 149

41. Homeless Vets with Families: An Untold Part of Veterans’ Struggles (Roya ­Ijadi-Maghsoodi) 152

42. “They Deserve It”: In Foster Homes, Veterans Are Cared for Like Family (Patricia Kime) 155

43. At Some Veterans Homes, ­Aid-in-Dying Is Not an Option (JoNel Aleccia) 158

44. Supporting Our Veterans Isn’t Just the Right Thing, It’s the Smart Thing (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 161

D. Women, Minorities and Immigrants

45. Minority Veteran Services and Outreach (Barbara Ward) 164

46. Homeless Women Veterans (Alexandra Logsdon and Kayla M. Williams) 168

47. Veteran, Minority, Woman and Homeless (Ginger Miller) 173

48. After Sexual Trauma, Soldiers Search for Better Care, Peace (Caitlin Cruz and Asha Anchan) 177

49. Years After Silently Combating Sexual Trauma, Female Veterans Seek Help (Anna Casey) 181

50. African American GIs of World War II: Fighting for Democracy Abroad and at Home (Maria Höhn) 184

51. Dallas and Baton Rouge Shooters: A Reminder of the Troubled History of Black Veterans in America (Chad Williams) 187

52. Promises Made and Promises Broken (Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III) 190

53. Advocacy and Actions for World War II Immigrant Veterans

(Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III) 195

54. Veterans Equity Center (Luisa M. Antonio) 199

55. Veterans Day Offers Opportunity to Honor Service of Immigrants in the Military (Grant Rissler) 203

E. PTSD and Marijuana

56. PTSD Basics (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 205

57. Understanding PTSD: A Guide for Family and Friends (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 209

58. PTSD and DSM-5: Provider Version (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 214

59. Military Health System’s Care for PTSD, Depression Falls Short,

  Report Finds (Shefali Luthra) 217

60. Reverberations from War Complicate Vietnam Veterans’ ­End-of-Life Care (April Dembosky ) 220

61. Purple Heart or Scarlet Letter: ­PTSD-Stigmatization of War Veterans (Rachel Robinson) 223

62. A Therapeutic Photography Program to Enhance PTSD Mental Health Services (Jeanne DeLaney and Mickey P. McGee) 225

63. To Treat Pain, PTSD and Other Ills, Tennessee Vets Try (Tai Chi

Blake Farmer) 229

64. Marijuana Use and PTSD Among Veterans (Marcel O. ­Bonn-Miller and Glenna S. Rousseau) 231

65. VA and Marijuana—What Veterans Need to Know (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 235

66. VA Clears the Air on Talking to Patients About Marijuana Use (Michelle Andrews) 239

Part III. The Future

67. Veterans Have Fought in Wars—And Fought Against Them (Michael Messner) 243

68. What Is Moral Injury in Veterans? (Holly Arrow and William M. Schumacher) 245

69. Veteran Teaches Therapists How to Talk About Gun Safety When Suicide’s a Risk (April Dembosky) 248

70. Why Privatizing the VA Or Other Essential Health Services Is a Bad Idea (Sebastian Jilke and Wouter Van Dooren) 251

71. Veterans and the California Courts (Ruth Astle Samas) 254

72. Evaluation Principles for ­Veteran-Serving Agencies and Veterans Treatment Courts (Sidney Gardner and Larisa Owen) 257

73. Preventing Burnout Among Veterans Affairs Social Workers and Mental Health Providers: A Case Study (Kira Serna and Mickey P. McGee) 259

74. World War II in the Philippines in California’s History Curriculum

Cecilia I. Gaerlan 263

Appendices

Appendix A: Glossary of U.S. Veteran Care and Services Terms and Acronyms

Barbara Ward and Alan Roper 269

Appendix B: New York City Veterans Advisory Board ­By-Laws: Draft 283

Appendix C: City of Worcester Veterans’ Services

Veterans’ Services Division, City of Worcester, Massachusetts 288

Appendix D: Nevada State Veteran’s Benefits & Discounts State of Nevada 291

Appendix E: City of Vallejo Proclamation, October 22, 2013, Proclaiming Veterans Day 11/11/13 to 11/11/14 As “Vietnam War Veterans Year of Commemoration” and Welcome 296

About the Contributors 299

Index 303