Helping veterans get the services they need, and deserve
As we approach Memorial Day, I’m mindful of how well and good it is that we have holidays to recognize the service of our veterans, and to show our support and gratitude.
But the real measure of our thanks is whether we are genuinely prepared to help veterans reclaim their lives when they come home.
We ask a lot from our veterans when they enlist, and it’s only right that we keep our end of the bargain when they return from active service. As civilians, the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces may need specialized health care, help finding jobs or furthering their educations, or financial assistance to take care of themselves and their families.
Our veterans have earned this support. They are legally entitled to federal and state military service benefits including: disability compensation; non-service-connected pensions; education; burial assistance; survivor’s benefits; Veterans Affairs (VA) health care, and more. But getting these benefits is not always easy.
Frankly, many veterans do not know where to start. The paperwork is time-consuming. Even those who have successfully applied may end up finding out later they were entitled to more. The process to appeal can be complicated and confusing.
In urging the County to do more to help veterans take advantage of available benefits and services, my goal was simple: Serve more veterans more fully and more quickly.
I’m gratified my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors agreed, approving my recent proposal, made together with Supervisor Otto Lee, to increase staffing at our Santa Clara County’s Veterans Service Office (VSO), an agency established in 1944 and co-funded by the state and county.
Our VSO is the primary means for the County to connect with our 64,000-plus local veterans, and the place where our veterans can go when they need help with their benefits.
VSO staff members — Veterans Services Representatives (VSRs) — are certified advocates with full training in and access to the sprawling and often byzantine federal system that is our U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Since the County’s VSO is part of our Social Services Agency, it’s also a one-stop shop for veterans to receive referrals to other County-run programs and services.
Last summer, the VSO organized our County’s inaugural Stand Down Resource Fair to introduce and connect our veterans to local providers offering free services related to housing, employment, food, clothing, health care, benefits counseling, and substance abuse treatment.
The event increased the VSO’s visibility in the County’s veteran community, and that resulted in an increased number of veterans seeking assistance. It’s a good thing all around that more veterans living in our County are asking for help. But we needed to make sure that help is available.
The new VSO positions we’ve just authorized are expected to do just that — serve the growing number of veterans seeking assistance, as well as ease caseload growth experienced by existing staff, which has in some instances limited the speed of service and the number of veterans served.
While adding VSO staff comes at some cost to the County, that cost is offset in part by federal and state revenues. The new positions will also generate more in financial benefits: In fiscal year 2022-2023, VSRs brought in nearly $16 million in benefits to County veterans, helping to ease the burden on County resources. These benefits have the additional value of being spent locally in the communities where our veterans live.
Ultimately, the goal is to help our veterans. Expanding VSO capacity is the obvious first step. These new staff positions and the help they provide can have a life-changing impact on the health and wellbeing of our veterans. And that’s how we honor our veterans in a way that’s real, and tangible and immediate.
Joe Simitian
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors