Veteran Care and Services

Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Ph.D., is vice provost for global affairs as well as chair and Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He founded GGU’s law enforcement and security program and is a San Francisco advocate for the safety and security of Filipino American kids and their families. Mickey P. McGee, DPA, is professor of public administration and director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program at Golden Gate University. He co-developed GGU’s Urban Innovations Program including the course, Inclusion, Diversion, Equity, and Accessibility. He has consulted for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International City/County Management Association. Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Preface

Part I: Introduction

A. Governments

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

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

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

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

 5. Helping Veterans Helps Communities Jonn Melrose

B. Nonprofits

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

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

(Brian Mittendorf)

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

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

deleteof Another Veteran (Elisa Borah

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

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)

12. Military Friendly Universities and Helping Veterans Succeed

deleteAcademically (Silvana Giacalone and Mickey P. McGee)

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

14. Military Lessons Applied to Private Sector Consultancy Work

(Terry Curl)

15. The Emotional Challenges of Student Veterans on Campus

(Ann Cheney)

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

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

18. Veteran Profile: Clint Holmes (Samantha Wagner)

19. Breaking Down Their Own Stereotypes to Give Veterans

deleteMore Career Opportunities (Eileen Trauth)

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

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

B. Health and Wellness

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

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

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

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

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

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

28. Health Care Battle on Hill Has Veterans Defending Obamacare

Benefits (Stephanie ­O’Neill)

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

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

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)

C. Housing and Homelessness

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

34. VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans

(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

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

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

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

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

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

(Samantha Wagner)

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

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

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

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

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

D. Women, Minorities and Immigrants

45. Minority Veteran Services and Outreach (Barbara Ward)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

53. Advocacy and Actions for World War II Immigrant Veterans

(Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III)

54. Veterans Equity Center (Luisa M. Antonio)

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

E. PTSD and Marijuana

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

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

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

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

deleteReport Finds (Shefali Luthra)

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

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

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

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

Blake Farmer)

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

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

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

Part III. The Future

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cecilia I. Gaerlan

Appendices

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

Barbara Ward and Alan Roper

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

Appendix C: City of Worcester Veterans’ Services

Veterans’ Services Division, City of Worcester, Massachusetts

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

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

About the Contributors

Index