Bennet Commissioned Report to Better Serve Veterans and Military Families, Prepare for Troops Returning from Service in Iraq and Afghanistan
Prepared by Participants of Bennet’s Colorado Veterans Forum in Colorado Springs and Denver
A report presented today to Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet calls for the creation of a National Veterans Foundation modeled after work being done in Colorado Springs to fill gaps that exist between public and private agencies, as well as service providers that support America’s veterans.
The Veterans Foundation is a key highlight in the “Better Serving Those Who Have Served,” report, which was prepared for Bennet by experts in the public and private sectors who participated in his Colorado Veterans Forum in Colorado Springs and Denver in August. Bennet today joined leaders of Colorado’s veterans community for the report’s release. Bennet commissioned the report to ensure that Colorado and the United States are ready to support the influx of troops returning from overseas as the country winds down two wars.
“Our troops make up one percent of the nation’s population, but they have 100 percent of the responsibility to fight to defend our freedom. Americans want to keep the promises we’ve made to serve these brave men and women when they return home,” Bennet said. “A National Veterans Foundations can provide direct support to communities to ensure that veterans can find and access the services they need.”
The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other federal and state agencies have programs supporting our nation’s service members and veterans. Gaps in service exist between these agencies because of the limited statutory mandates for each. A growing number of private and non-profit service providers are already filling some of those gaps. However, there is currently no way to tell whether gaps still exist, and the large number of organizations and service providers make it difficult for service members and veterans to successfully identify and obtain the assistance for which they are looking.
In addition, the lack of communication between groups makes it difficult to get the most out of possible public-private partnerships. Such partnerships could stretch resources further and prevent gaps in coverage.
The Foundation would support communities and community-organizing entities attempting better collaboration to serve veterans, like the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG). PPACG has developed a Network of Care website that serves as a centralized, web-based information resource for military families and veterans. The website is one component of a larger strategic planning initiative that attempts to bring community leaders, military installations, local businesses, and non-profit service providers together to provide a community-based system of care. Without this type of collaboration, in some communities, veterans can fall through the cracks in the systems that support them.
The President has announced plans to remove all troops from Iraq by the end of the year and to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Colorado will see about 400 soldiers come home from Iraq in December alone. Bennet wants to ensure that we are prepared to support these military families and veterans, especially as they are return to an economy that is still struggling.
The unemployment rate for veterans climbed from 9.8 percent in August to 12.1 percent in October. Last year, it hit 21.1 percent for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans between the ages of 18-24. In Colorado, the unemployment rate among veterans age 18 to 34 is 10.3 percent, according to latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, 10.8 percent of veterans age 18 to 34 had an income below the federal poverty level in 2010.
Veterans are estimated to represent one quarter of all of the homeless in the U.S., and veterans from previous wars continue to battle long benefits delays due to bureaucratic overload, inefficiency and inaccuracy. Suicide rates among veterans are three times higher than that of the general population, and many veterans face combat related brain injuries that are difficult to treat and often misunderstood by potential employers.
The report outlines several actions on the local, state and federal level to address the challenges facing military families and veterans, including:
- Improving Collaboration between Public and Private Resources
- Putting Our Warriors to Work
- Providing Easy and Efficient Access to Earned Benefits
- Ending Veteran Homelessness and Addressing Veteran Foreclosure
- Improving Awareness and Addressing the Mental Scars from Combat
- Raising Awareness and Educating Communities and Families
In August, Bennet hosted a “Colorado Veterans Forum” in Denver and Colorado Springs that brought together veterans advocates, health experts, service providers and others in the veteran community from across the state to discuss how to make Colorado the best place to live and work for veterans. The forum participants discussed issues including VA Healthcare and Claims; Veterans of Previous Wars/Developing a 30-Year Plan for Tomorrow’s Veteran; Education, Employment, and Economic Opportunity; Transitions for Post-9/11 Veterans; Quality of Life for Families; and Whole-of-Community Collaboration.
To read the full “Better Serving Those Who Have Served” report, please click here.
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