VIRGINIA WOUNDED WARRIOR PROGRAM Because not all wounds are visible! Update on 2009 Progress Report to the Virginia General Assembly January 2010 Dept.
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VIRGINIA WOUNDED WARRIOR PROGRAM Because not all wounds are visible! Update on 2009 Progress Report to the Virginia General Assembly January 2010 Dept. of Defense 1 Mission To establish an integrated, comprehensive and responsive system of services for veterans, Guardsmen and Reservists with Combat/Operational Stress Conditions or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and their families through a network of public and private partnerships in accordance with the Code of Virginia Sect. 2.2-2001.1 2 Increasing Demand • The veterans population in Virginia will continue to increase for several years. • The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and demands on our military will continue. Army leaders speak of an “era of persistent conflict projected to continue to 2028, if not longer.” • Evidence indicates that the impact of combat stress and traumatic brain injury on veterans and their families will continue to increase. Note: There is a delayed onset of many symptoms of combat stress and brain injury. 3 Virginia’s Response • The Virginia General Assembly established the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) in 2008 within DVS. The VWWP has the full support of our statutory partners – Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and Dept. of Rehabilitative Services. • In its short existence, VWWP has become a model for other states, which are establishing similar programs. 4 Initial Implementation • A senior leadership team was established consisting of the Executive Director, an Executive Strategy Committee and an Advisory Committee. • Regional Directors were hired to coordinate the development of partnerships and programs crafted to meet the unique needs of different areas of the Commonwealth. • Ongoing supplemental funding is received from the Veterans Services Foundation. 5 Initial Implementation (cont.) • A Request for Applications was issued and contracts for services were negotiated with consortia of Community Services Boards, Brain Injury, and other service providers. • As of December 2009, the program is operational in all regions of the Commonwealth. • The VWWP Progress Report for 2008-2009 6 can be found at www.dvs.virginia.gov Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Regional Consortia Catchment Areas Mark Taylor, Reg. Coord. Michelle Wickham, Donna Maglio & Kim Graves Mavis Worsley Region 1 Veterans Population 9/30/09* National Guard Units Military Bases 147,098 21 4 Region 1 Northwestern Loudoun Fairfax Dom Rolle Region 2 188,318 9 3 Region 3 101,594 18 1 Region 2 Northern Clarke Page Arlington Alexandria Fauquier Rappahannock Camilla Schwoebel, Reg. Coord., Claude Boushey & Joyce Fye Rockingham Culpeper Highland Louis Alvey Region 4 124,181 33 Madison Greene 3 Augusta Stafford King George Orange Charlottesville Bath Region 5 258,297 17 Caroline Albemarle 20 Louisa Rockbridge Nelson Alleghany *DVA VetPop 2007 Projection Amherst Botetourt Lisa Robinson Lancaster Henrico Buckingham Powhatan Charles City Co. Richmond Craig Lynchburg Roanoke Giles Buchanan Tazewell Wise Bland Bedford Montgomery Wythe Floyd York Surry Dinwiddie Hampton Sussex Lunenburg Pittsylvania Washington Scott New Kent Chesterfield Nottoway Charlotte Franklin Russell Amelia Prince Edward Campbell Pulaski Smyth Lee Appomattox Carroll Grayson Region 3 Southwest Derek Burton, Reg. Coord., & Teri Herron Middlesex Matthews Isle Of Wight Halifax Patrick Henry Mecklenburg Region 5 Tidewater Portsmouth Norfol k Virginia Beach Chesapeake Greensville Edward McIntosh, Reg. Coord. Region 4 Central Thea Lawton, Reg. Coord. (5 Resource Specialists) 7 Six Components of Action Plan • Outreach to military facilities, veterans, members of the Guard and Reserve and their families • Community Education to improve general awareness of issues faced by veterans and military community • Partnership Development to involve an array of public and private providers in the VWWP network • Resource Development to obtain federal grants and funding from foundations • Service Delivery to provide direct assistance and support • Training to improve awareness of best practices among professionals 8 Outreach • Many veterans, members of the National Guard and Reserve, as well as their families, are unaware of the array of services for which they may be eligible. • During 2009, VWWP attended over 80 events at military bases, National Guard or Reserve unit locations in Virginia. • Presentations were made to about 4620 military personnel and their families • Participated in events organized by the VANG Adjutant General, especially Yellow Ribbon events, as shown on the next slide. 9 Reaching Out in the Deployment Cycle From original of John H Brown, Jr. Director, VHA OEF/OIF Outreach Office Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) PDHRA Screening 3-6 months Combat Veteran Call Initiative Welcome Home Internet Website www.oefoif.va.gov Transition Assistance Advisors YRRP Support (30-60-90day Events) 10 Community Education • In order to inform veterans and their families of the services available to them, 313 presentations were made in 2009 with a total attendance of about 5618. • In addition, 5 media (TV or radio) appearances were made and at least 25 articles regarding VWWP were published in newspapers. 11 Partnership Development • The most significant federal partner is the Department of Veterans Affairs. Significant progress has been made in understanding the numerous VA programs and developing working relationships at the local level. (The following maps demonstrate some of the complexity of the VA which really is comprised of multiple systems and subsystems). • During 2009, VWWP reached out to over 360 organizations to establish a working relationship on behalf of veterans and their families. • VWWP has been approved as a partner in the Defense Center of Excellence “Real Warriors Campaign” www.realwarriors.net 12 U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Facilities Serving Virginia (Jan. 13, 2010) Martinsburg WV VA Medical Center Domiciliary VISN 5 Clarke Loudoun Planned Domiciliary Wash DC Fairfax Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) Page Planned Outpatient Clinic Fauquier Rappahannock Arlington Alexandria TMH Culpeper Rockingham TMH Tele-mental health Madison Stafford Highland Greene Augusta VISN - Veterans Integrated Service Network Charlottesville Bath Albemarle VISN 6 King George Orange Caroline Louisa Rockbridge Nelson Alleghany Amherst Botetourt Powhatan Richmond City Craig Lynchburg Buchanan VISN 9 Tazewell Wise Bland Bedford Montgomery Pulaski Wythe Carroll Grayson Charles City Co. New Kent Chesterfield York Hampton Surry Dinwiddie Lunenburg Sussex Pittsylvania Washington Scott Middlesex Matthews Nottoway Charlotte Floyd Smyth Lee Amelia Prince Edward Campbell Franklin Russell Appomattox Roanoke Giles Lancaster Henrico Buckingham Isle Of Wight Halifax Patrick Henry Portsmouth Norfolk Virginia Beach Mecklenburg Greensville Suffolk Chesapeake Mountain Home TN HUD-VASH Vouchers: Hampton 175, Richmond 70, Salem 35, Alexandria 35, Mountain Home TN 70, 13 Wash DC 280, Martinsburg WV 35, Durham NC 70 U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Vet Centers Serving Virginia (Nov. 2, 2009) Martinsburg, WV Vet Center Morgantown, WV Planned Vet Center Mid-Atlantic Region Towson, MD Clarke Loudoun Mobile Vet Center Base Fairfax Fauquier Page Arlington Alexandria Rappahannock Culpeper Rockingham Madison Stafford Highland Greene Augusta Charlottesville Bath Albemarle Beckley, WV Southwestern Region - Dallas, TX Bedford Montgomery Pulaski Wythe Richmond City Carroll Grayson Charles City Co. New Kent Chesterfield York Hampton Surry Dinwiddie Lunenburg Sussex Pittsylvania Washington Middlesex Matthews Nottoway Charlotte Floyd Smyth Scott Powhatan Amelia Prince Edward Campbell Franklin Russell Appomattox Roanoke Lancaster Henrico Buckingham Craig Buchanan Lee Amherst Botetourt Giles Wise Nelson Lynchburg Bland Caroline Louisa Rockbridge Alleghany Princeton, WV Tazewell King George Orange Isle Of Wight Portsmouth Norfolk Halifax Patrick Henry Virginia Beach Mecklenburg Greensville Suffolk Chesapeake Johnson City, TN Vet Center Services include: individual, group, marital & family, bereavement, employment and sexual trauma counseling; community education; alcohol/drug assessments; info and referral to community resources. 14 Resource Development • Obtaining non-State funds is a major objective of VWWP. • VWWP partnered with the VCU School of Education Partnership for People with Disabilities to obtain a $398,700 three year training grant that will be used to both organize and provide professional training. • VWWP has participated in the submission of several other grants and has developed a system for identifying new opportunities. 15 Service Delivery – Regional Directors Jan. – Dec. 2009 (12 months) • 277 Veterans Served – 48% Iraq or Afghanistan Housing 7% Combat Stress 21% Financial Aid Employment 31% Benefits 20% Other 21% Primary Nature of Requests 16 Service Delivery – Regional Consortia July – Dec. 2009 (6 months) • 295 Veterans Served – 35% Iraq or Afghanistan Housing 11% Combat Stress 42% Benefits 16% Other 16% Financial Aid Employment 15% Primary Nature of Requests 17 Direct Service Provided by VWWP and CSBs - 2009 Provider Jan. – Apr. – March June July – Sept. Oct. – Dec. Total Ex. Dir. & 60 Reg. Dirs. 79 85 53 277 Regional NA Consortia NA 108 187 295 Total 79 193 240 572 60 In Nov. 2009, CSBs reported serving at least 1077 persons with “Military Status.” 18 Training • VCU conducted initial training events in each of the five regions involving about 250 service providers. • DRS Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center provided training for 225 service providers. • Four additional training events were conducted at the local level involving over 40 people at each event. 19 Major Goals for 2010 • Sustain existing capacity by renewing contracts with Regional consortia. • Use Unmet Needs and Gap analysis performed by VT Institute for Policy and Governance to adjust system as needed. • Implement a comprehensive outreach and community education program – especially to family members. • Strengthen partnership with Virginia National Guard and Reserve Units. • Conduct the Virginia is for Heroes conference on Feb. 18th 20 Success Story The USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment referred a Marine who was medically retired to the VWWP. He served two tours in Iraq and received a Purple Heart. He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress and traumatic brain injury. His best friend in the military was recently killed in Afghanistan. He had severe anger issues, was unable to interact with the general public and was unemployed. Although he was being treated by the VA for PTSD and TBI, he needed additional support in his home community. He joined a community support group lead by a VWWP peer specialist. As a result, he has become very engaged in helping fellow veterans in the support group and is now ready to seek employment. He recently participated in a special ceremony to honor veterans from his community – including his friend – who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. 21