The Challenges of Tansitioning Veteans in Nevada

Transcription

1 The Geen Zone Initiative CONNECTING A VETERAN COMMUNITY. State of Nevada GREENZONENETWORK.ORG William Buks Bigadie Geneal NV National Guad Luana Rich Spaks Veteans/Militay Families Coodinato Boone Cutle South Lake Tahoe Veteans Rights Advocate Monique Collie EEO Specialist VA Robet Bake Multi-Media Makete Lou Richadson Business Owne Jim Scott Pahump Pasto Lauen Young SPC-NV Nat Guad Caole Tune Hendeson Retied Noeen Leay VGH-Chief Opeating Office Sonya Dape Noth Retied / DAV Voluntee Shamika Web Noth Las Ve Law Enfoce nteas ucca anage Lee Banes CSN Pofesso mos City sident Jodan Clak NV National Guad Tim Hall Hawthone Retied Gay McCloud Retied Robet Fain Retied Richad Hobbs Spaks Retied Pete Delosa Kayaking/Student Bob Hudson Boulde City NSVH Resident Reti J Jack Logan Retie Juan Ramiez SPC-NV GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 1

2 Table of Contents G-2 Caole Tune Hendeson Retied GOVERNOR S LETTER 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 THE GREEN ZONE INITIATIVE AT WORK IN NEVADA 8 Ou Vision 8 Defining Success 10 Nevada Veteans Inteagency Council Leading the Chage 13 WHY NOW? A NATIONAL FOCUS AFTER A DECADE OF WAR 14 PROJECT/PROBLEM SCOPE 17 Employment Challenges 18 Education Challenges 25 Health and Wellness Challenges 26 Challenges fo the Wounded 27 Key Components of the Geen Zone Initiative 28 A NEVADA RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM 29 Geen Zone Geneal Recommendations 29 Wokfoce Recommendations 30 Highe Education Recommendations 33 Wellness Recommendations 33 ECONOMIC VIABILITY/FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN 34 DEAR COMMUNITY PARTNER 37 GREEN ZONE INITIATIVE PARTNERS 38 CREDITS AND SOURCES 39 2 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 3

3 Bian Sandoval Spaks State Goveno G-3 4 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 5

4 G-4 Executive Summay Deployed Aboad, Thiving at Home Veteans etuning home offe a unique oppotunity fo ou state to build ou communities, advance ou economic development goals, and stengthen families. These men and women ae poven, tained, committed, patiotic, community oiented Ameicans. Thei individual stengths and capabilities must not be allowed to withe in a dead end job; they should not fail to take the next step in thei education because of lack of oppotunity; and they should not suffe the taumas of wa without assistance. Estimates vay, howeve, the numbe of veteans who call the state of Nevada home anges anywhee fom 243,900 to 339,000. i Nealy 9% of Nevada veteans ae females, 2% ae minoities and 26% ae veteans of the Gulf Was. ii Cuent wa ea veteans pose a new challenge to ou taditional means of outeach and engagement, in that they have a diffeent woldview, they communicate diffeently, and they ae often vey busy getting eestablished. The existing vetean community is having significant challenges in outeach to membes of this demogaphic, finding that taditional methods of communicating with these veteans ae not woking, and that the benefits and sevices that ae available to these veteans ae not being communicated effectively eithe. We cannot hope to help this cuent geneation of tansitioning veteans if we ae not coodinating with existing vetean goups and helping to ensue the optimal delivey of benefits to ou existing vetean population. Although the challenges veteans face when etuning home ae well known, and common to many veteans, they ae not insumountable. Ou veteans stuggle with finding employment, gaining access to highe education, and maintaining health and wellness when they etun home to us. and inte-municipality council, a funding mechanism, and outeach components, achieved a 30% eduction in homelessness on the steets even duing a down economy when homelessness itself was up. We will build on the stengths of this model, which at its coe is about maying what we know woks both nationally and locally with local assets, and aligning ou systems of govenment and community to advance the goal of solving a poblem, not just managing it. We have so many assets to deploy in this fight to impove outcomes fo veteans and thei families, including the incedible political, social, and community will to ensue that veteans ae thiving. We have hundeds of voluntees eady to help, elected officials who ae committed to making Nevada home to ou veteans, and community membes who want to help but don t know how. The Geen Zone Initiative will help to tanslate that Sea of Goodwill, as the Pentagon calls it, into impact. We know that if we can may national best pactices with local assets and position these patneships fo investment, we will build the system we need, and we will be successful. We ae a fiecely independent state, and an entepeneuial one as well. We value the individual in Nevada, as well as the collective, and as we pioitize this issue, we will focus on the individual etuning home, as well as veteans as a whole. Veteans thiving, by definition, means evey single vetean thiving. Success cannot be defined as anything less. Nevada has a eal oppotunity to lead the nation with espect to mashalling all of the available esouces fo veteans and family membes. It s an exciting oppotunity, and one that can have a positive impact fo geneations. Caleb S. Cage, Executive Diecto, Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices Thee is an incedible amount of goodwill, political will and community desie to help these men and women and thei families. Countless pogams, sevices, oppotunities, and oganizations ae available to Nevada s veteans, sevice membes, and thei family membes to help assist with the challenges of tansitioning back to civilian life. So why ae we still seeing so many veteans stuggle to make the tansition and lacking access to the suppots they need to thive? What can Nevada do to impact this issue? In esponse, Nevada ceated the Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais in Octobe The Inteagency Council is made up of leadeship fom acoss state depatments and divisions and is govened by executive ode. Nevada is one of the fist states in the county to implement an inteagency coodinating body fo the benefit of veteans, and the fist to ceate a Goveno s Office of Veteans Policy. The Inteagency Council will connect fagmented systems in ode to ensue an integated esponse to the needs of veteans, ceating a stong, adaptive and connected system to seve veteans. Ou model fo change is based on a poven Nevada model that began in 2007 when the Southen Nevada Regional Planning Coalition published the Help Hope Home 10 Yea Plan to End Homelessness. The plan, and the systems achitectue behind it, including an inteagency Luana Rich Spaks Veteans/Militay Families Coodinato Jose Conteas Winnemucca Business Manage Jim Scott Pahump Pasto 6 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 7

5 The Geen Zone Initiative at Wok in Nevada The mission of the Geen Zone Initiative is to ensue that evey vetean at home in ou state, o etuning to ou state, and to ou communities, is thiving. Now that they ae home, now that they ae once again pat of the communities they came fom, o moved to, it is ou collective job to ceate the conditions fo employment, education, and wellness that ou veteans deseve to come home to. Within Nevada s state govenment, the Geen Zone Initiative will povide an inteagency appoach to vetean education, employment, and wellness benefits. Beyond the state govenment, it is intended to mashal and align all available esouces in ode to educe gaps in sevice, educe duplication of sevices, and othewise bette seve the Nevada sevice membes, veteans, thei families and suvivos. G-5 Ou vision We believe that Nevada can be a beacon state in tems of how we invite, engage, suppot and maximize the incedible stengths and talents ou veteans ae binging home. Ou goveno, Bian Sandoval, has put a stake in the gound aound this issue, and has issued a stong call to action fo Nevada to addess the challenges ou etuning veteans ae facing, to not only manage the poblems, but to solve them. In ode to addess complex social issues, like this one, we must build systems that can espond, adapt, evolve, and infom that ae built by local leades and stakeholdes. We believe that the most poweful way to solve these poblems is by connecting and netwoking the existing pogams and oganizations acoss the state that ae aleady seving this population, theeby building something geate than simply the sum of ou pats. The Geen Zone Initiative povides the bluepint fo a systems based achitectue at the state, county, and local levels that will help to integate existing policies, pogams and pactices, as well as netwok the many stong pogams and vetean seving oganizations acoss the state. The Geen Zone is not about ceating new govenment pogams, but athe about aligning activities aound ou shaed vision, ensuing though eseach and development that we ae woking on, and funding the ight things. We ae pioitizing activities that ae poven to dive eal, measuable change, and by connecting and leveaging existing assets and patnes. Ou model will align the financial, political, social and intellectual esouces of ou state to best solve these poblems, and it will povide a famewok fo action and investment that will advance change. Many veteans have chosen to call Nevada thei home and the destination to stat thei businesses. Like the militay, Nevada has a divese population and a vibant sense of community that bodes well fo aspiing entepeneus. Tey Johnson, fome Diecto, Nevada Depatment of Business and Industy Lee Banes CSN Pofesso 8 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 9

6 Defining Success While the Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices pupose is to povide veteans and thei families with claims assistance, buial options though the State Memoial Cemeteies, and long-tem cae at the Nevada State Veteans Home, veteans often find themselves in need of sevices that span multiple systems outside the Office of Veteans Sevices. Aleady we have identified employment, health and wellness, and education as pimay sevices etuning veteans ae stuggling with. As is the case with many populations and many issues, Nevada lacks a clea mechanism to connect these fagmented systems in ode to ensue a seamless, integated esponse to the needs of veteans. The Inteagency Council intends to become that mechanism, ensuing a bette coodinated, connected, and infomed system of sevices. G-6 We know by building the Geen Zone, and making coodinated investments in the ight aeas, the following objectives can be attained. Only when veteans have access to quality education, secue and fulfilling employment, and the ability to access healthcae, wellness pogams, and community sevices can ou nation s sevice membes, thei families, and the families of the fallen tuly eintegate back into the communities they gew up in, and ae now living in again. Geen Zone success is defined as: 1. Sevice membes, veteans, and families of the fallen have access to high quality highe education pogams, and have the financial means to attend college o univesity. Sevice membes, veteans and thei families will also be competitive fo admission to univesities, colleges, tade schools, and othe degee-poducing institutions of highe leaning. 2. Sevice membes, veteans, and families of the fallen ae competitive fo high quality jobs and stable employment afte thei tansition out of sevice. Monique Collie EEO Specialist VA 3. Sevice membes, veteans, thei families, and the families of the fallen have access to healthcae, mental health sevices, pevention sevices, benefit infomation, wellness pogams, and community suppots. The Geen Zone Initiative is aligned with the Pentagon s Sea of Good will Initiative, which is woking acoss the county to mobilize the goodwill of citizens all ove the United States to help sevice membes, veteans and the families of the fallen to eintegate back into the communities they came fom. The Geen Zone Initiative is about investing, stategically, to ceate pemanent and meaningful change. Foundations like ous ae dawn to oppotunities to engage the community aound upsteam poblem solving models that educe the need fo taditional downsteam giving. Maueen Schafe, Chaipeson, Nevada Community Foundation 10 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 11

7 Nevada Veteans Inteagency Council Leading the Chage Nevada s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais was ceated though an executive ode signed by Goveno Sandoval in Octobe of The Inteagency Council is made up of leadeship fom acoss the state s depatments and divisions. Membes of the Council ae appointed by the Goveno and meet on a egula basis to coodinate sevices, develop a common set of outcomes, and collaboatively decide on and implement plans benefiting Nevada veteans. Additionally, the Inteagency Council will wok to coodinate and collaboate aound funding poposals and pojects that will make Nevada moe competitive fo funding while educing duplication of effots. The Council includes epesentatives of the following State agencies: Noeen Leay VGH-Chief Opeating Office Depatment of Business and Industy Depatment of Coections Depatment of Employment, Taining, and Rehabilitation Depatment of Health and Human Sevices Depatment of Public Safety Fedeal Vetean Repesentation Goveno s Office of Economic Development Local Agency Repesentation Nevada Indian Commission Nevada System of Highe Education Office of Militay and National Guad Office of Veteans Sevices Veteans Stakeholde Repesentation G-7 States acoss the county ae using coss-agency coodinating bodies such as this to systemically change the fagmented and ineffective ways states often do business. Nevada is one of the fist states in the county to implement an inteagency coodinating body fo the benefit of veteans, and the fist to ceate a Goveno s Office of Veteans Policy. While Nevada has expeimented with the fomat of collaboative bodies in the past to some degee of success, the fact that Nevada s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais is established in statute, suppoted by the state Goveno, and epesented by agency decision makes sets this initiative apat fom any othe in Nevada histoy. Veteans oganizations including the Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices, wok togethe as a team to ensue ou veteans eceive the benefits and sevices they have eaned. We have one objective: to seve ou veteans. Bill Baumann, Chaiman, Veteans Sevices Commission and fome National Executive Committee Membe fo the Disabled Ameican Veteans 12 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 13

8 G-8 Why Now? A National Focus Afte a Decade of Wa Moe than 2.5 million U.S. toops have been deployed as pat of Opeation Enduing Feedom (OEF), Opeation Iaqi Feedom (OIF) and Opeation New Dawn (OND) since Octobe iii As the was in Iaq and Afghanistan conclude, and the numbe of baby boome veteans ente etiement and encounte aging elated issues, the demand fo veteans sevices both nationally and statewide is set to incease substantially. Militay sevice is difficult, demanding and dangeous. But etuning to civilian life also poses challenges fo the men and women who have seved in the amed foces, accoding to a ecent Pew Reseach Cente suvey. While moe than seven out of ten veteans (72%) epot they had an easy time eadjusting to civilian life, 27% say e-enty was difficult fo them a popotion that swells to 44% among veteans who seved in the ten yeas since the Sept. 11, 2001, teoist attacks. iv Veteans who felt eady to tansition to the civilian wokfoce 56% Ready 44% Not Ready Why veteans don t feel eady fo tansition vi Among veteans not eady to tansition Need to figue out what to do with my life Need to decompess Need moe education o technical taining Need moe tools/suppot fo job seach Mental health issues elated to militay sevice Just was not eady Physical injuy elated to militay sevice Want to vacation/tavel 3% 13% 23% 30% Want unemployment check as long as possible 47% 45% 41% 41% 46% 67% Needed Time Off NET Difficulties ae lagely attibuted to unemployment and health challenges, but also to the need fo time to figue out what s next o decompess afte thei sevice. The next geatest challenge fo veteans is navigating the benefit and suppot system fo veteans (53%), followed closely by the basic tansitional steps of figuing out what s next (50%), and eadjusting to thei social lives outside of the militay (48%). Geatest Challenges in TRANSITIONING to Civilian Life vii Finding a job as a civilian Navigating system of veteans benefits Figuing out what s next Relating to non-vetean civilians Readjusting to social life Othes not cultually competent of veteans Reacclimating to family life Finding suppot to handle health issues Capitalizing on taining and educational oppotunities 14 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 15 36% 36% 35% 45% 50% 49% 48% 53% 69% Not all veteans eceived suppot o taining fo tansitioning to the civilian wokfoce. Two-thids said they eceived tansition suppot. The pimay souce was the Tansition Assistance Pogam, which less than half found effective. viii Veteans deployed six o moe times wee somewhat less eady than thei pees who had fewe deployments (52% vs. 43%). Role in sevice also has some impact with the least eady coming fom combat ams, potective sevices, and tanspotation, and the most eady fom electonics, engineeing, and administative backgounds. ix Though the Geen Zone Initiative, we have stated focusing on existing data in ode to develop pioities, make decisions, and dive change with espect to veteans sevices. The stategies and stuctues developed though this study will complement existing effots povided by the Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices and othe agencies and oganizations by examining the landscape of Nevada s sevices to veteans, and poviding a oadmap fo coodination and collaboation into the futue. Kat Mille, Deputy Executive Diecto, Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices

9 Poject/Poblem Scope The unpecedented length of the was in Iaq and Afghanistan have impacted the United States in significant ways fom the loss of life of amed foces, contactos, and humanitaian aid pesonnel to the physical and emotional injuies countless othes have sustained. While the challenges of e-enty into Ameican society faced by etuning veteans ae not new, veteans etuning fom deployments now face intensified hudles due to the difficult economic climate and the lack of sufficient esouces that span ecovey, counseling, e-integation, taining, and job placement. Ionically, although they have been the beneficiaies of extensive and sometimes highly specialized taining, a lage pecentage of etuning veteans find themselves out of wok and feeling isolated, aimless, and hopeless. The difficulties faced by militay pesonnel and thei families as they tansition to civilian life ae well documented. Retuning veteans need access to employment, education and taining, physical and mental health sevices, housing, and family and geneal suppot. Unfotunately, stoies of the fallout fom veteans unable to e-adjust to family life, college, o a new caee ae inceasingly common. Fa too many veteans and thei families stuggle to find wok, appopiate medical cae, and othe needed sevices; sadly, some veteans end up pemanently unemployed, homeless o incaceated, and even end thei lives due to lack of available cae. G-9 Spectum of Veteans Challenges x These examples show the wide ange of needs that veteans officials addess on a egula basis. Health Employment Education Finances Housing Benefits Need fo geneal medical cae Identify caee oppotunities Integation into education systems Emegency funds Tansitional housing Undestanding benefits entitlements Need fo specialists, e.g., TBI, PTSD Obtain skills taining Access GI funds, gants and othe benefits Obtain loans Affodable housing Lack of claims pocesso taining Long-tem cae fo olde vets Obtain good employment Housing, etc., while in school Financial counseling Homelessness sevices Delayed pocessing of claims Jodan Clak NV National Guad This failue to povide a full-spectum of eintegation sevices to veteans and thei families is not because the boade civilian society does not cae. Quite the contay, today s geneation of veteans ae eligible to an unpecedented level of oppotunities, sevices, and benefits, and today s civilian society has been almost unifomly inteested in seeking ways to assist those who have seved thei nation in unifom. The issues ae fa moe complicated than the social discod and geneal lack of funding expeienced duing some pevious post-wa geneations and ae lagely influenced by the full implementation of the all-voluntee militay foce and the lack of oppotunities fo civilians to contibute significantly to the wa effot. We believe that the Geen Zone Initiative is a geat way to capitalize on the wondeful assets ou veteans bing with them by poviding the leadeship and oppotunity to seve that so many have looked fo and not found. 16 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 17

10 Employment Challenges Retuning veteans name finding a job as the geatest challenge in tansitioning. When asked about thei geatest challenge in finding a job, veteans point to the cuent economic situation in the U.S. as the numbe one obstacle ecognizing that this macoeconomic issue magnifies the unique challenges that they ae aleady facing. Aside fom the difficulties of the cuent job maket, one of the geatest challenges veteans epot in finding a job is explaining how thei militay skills tanslate to the civilian wokfoce. This concen is also epoted by employes, with civilians noting that they often have difficulty undestanding what veteans did in the militay and how those skills and expeiences can benefit a company. G-10 Geatest Challenges in FINDING a job xi Cuent economic situation in the U.S. Explaining how militay skills tanslate Competing with candidates in wokfoce longe Lacking equied education Employes don t undestand o ae insensitive Finding comfot in non-militay envionment Employes think veteans don t have adequate skills Employes avoid hiing veteans 31% 30% 28% 24% 46% 43% 62% 60% Why Companies Might Not Hie Veteans xii Pecent of Companies 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Skill Tanslation Negative Steeotype Skill Mismatch Deployments Acclimation Finding Veteans Robet Bake Multi-Media Makete 18 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 19

11 Although the vast majoity of veteans ae employed, veteans who seved afte Septembe 11, 2001 ae cuently unemployed at a highe ate than veteans fom pio was o thei civilian pees. The unemployment ate fo post-9/11 veteans is typically at least one full pecentage point highe than that fo non-veteans. When ates ae soted by age, the diffeence is stake. The unemployment ates fo 22- to 24-yea-old veteans ae, on aveage, 3% highe than those fo non-veteans of the same age, and unemployment fo veteans in that age goup eached a high of almost 22% in Unemployment Rates of Militay Veteans by Selected Chaacteistics, 2011 Annual Aveages xiii 20% 15% Pecent 10% G-11 5% 0% 9.2% 12.1% 7.0% 7.6% 8.0% Gulf Wa ea Gulf Wa ea II (OEF/OIF)* Gulf Wa ea I (Deset Stom) WWII, Koean Wa, and Vietnam ea Othe Sevice Peiods Unemployment Rate, Total Annual Aveage xiv Pecentage, Pete Delosa Kayaking/Student Veteans of the Was of Iaq and Afghanistan Civilians Veteans Civilians *Opeation Enduing Feedom / Opeation Iaqi Feedom 20 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 21

12 Most job seekes say they ae pepaed to seach fo a job, but nealy just as many say they need moe help with multiple job seach skills. Veteans epot that they need the most help Specific Needs of Job Seekes xvi with netwoking. Job seekes epot using multiple esouces fo tying to find employment, but show geat inteest in additional tools. Inteest is high in new tansition pogams o sevices Need A Lot of Help Need Help customized fo veteans, which close to thee-quates view as being impotant to thei success. Concens when looking fo employment xv Job is meaningful Tanslating militay skills Impact on family 56% 58% 80% 35% 25% 20% 22% Netwoking Closing a job inteview Tageting companies I want to wok fo Selling myself to potential employes 89% 85% 87% 85% G-12 Accommodation fo health needs Suppot Reseve Component commitments* Manages don t undestand militay cultue I can t elate/co-wokes can t elate Co-wokes intimidated by veteans 32% 37% 42% 40% 48% 58% Concens about cultual baies NET 20% 25% 16% 15% Witing an effective esume Witing a cove lette Pepaing fo a job inteview Following up with inteviewes 78% 77% 78% 80% 15% Reseaching companies I want to wok fo 74% Oveall, the data eveal that the majoity of veteans would want and appeciate any additional employment sevice help they can get. We ae dedicated to helping the men and women who have isked thei lives fo thei county access the esouces they need to successfully tansition back into thei communities. Fom taining to job placement to help veteans utilize thei skills in a vaiety of industies though out the state, we want to eassue ou veteans that we will be with them evey step of the way as they pusue thei caee goals as civilians. Lauen Young SPC-NV Nat Guad Boone Cutle South Lake Tahoe Veteans Rights Advocate Shamika Webb Noth Law Enfocement Fank Woodbeck, Diecto, Nevada Depatment of Employment, Taining, and Rehabilitation 22 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 23

13 Education Challenges The Post-9/11 GI Bill offes the moe than 2 million sevice membes who have seved in the Iaq and Afghanistan conflicts geneous suppot fo educational expenses, and has pompted a significant uptun in the numbe of veteans and militay pesonnel enolling in highe education. Colleges and post-seconday institutions have not faced such a significant influx of vetean students on campus since Wold Wa II. Militay pesonnel and veteans ae and have been a temendous asset to highe education, but they have needs that ae distinct fom othe students. The most common challenges facing vetean students ae financial issues, undestanding of VA benefits, etention/degee completion, and social accultuation to campus. Lou Richadson Business Owne Financial help fo militay membes and veteans is available at many schools. In a study conducted by the Ameican Council on Education, appoximately 67% of institutions suveyed epoted offeing financial aid and tuition assistance counseling to veteans and militay students. Howeve, pat of the funding challenge lies with the Depatment of Veteans Affais (VA) and the complexity of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the study notes. While 87% of schools epot offeing VA education benefits counseling, some issues, including eceiving timely payments fom the VA, ae out of a school s contol. xviii At colleges without a specific office fo veteans, timely VA payments posed as big of a challenge as undestanding the inticacies of education benefits, the schools epoted. xix Top Thee Stessos Institutions Peceive to be Affecting Militay/Veteans by Enollment xx Financial issues elating to housing/living allowances Clea undestanding of VA benefits Timely issuance of VA benefits High Vetean/ Militay Student Enollment Modeate Vetean/ Militay Student Enollment 44% 47% 53% 45% 41% 52% 45% 48% Low Vetean/ Militay Student Enollment 48% Pecentage Ove the next five yeas moe than one million sevice membes ae expected to tansition out of the militay. Thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, many veteans will look to post-seconday education to enich thei lives. Nevada s colleges and univesities ae well poised to embace this talented and divese goup of young leades. Michael Dakduk, Executive Diecto, Student Veteans of Ameica and UNLV Alumnus 24 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 25

14 Health and Wellness Challenges About one-thid of etuning sevice membes epot symptoms of a mental health o cognitive condition. Only 53% of etuning toops who met citeia fo PTSD o majo depession sought help fom a povide fo these conditions. xxi Of those who had PTSD o depession and also sought teatment, only slightly ove half eceived a minimally adequate teatment (defined accoding to the duation and type of teatment eceived). xxii The numbe who eceived high-quality cae (teatment suppoted by scientific evidence) would be even smalle. Unless teated, PTSD, depession, and TBI can have fa eaching and damaging consequences. Individuals afflicted with these conditions face highe isks fo othe psychological poblems and fo attempting suicide. Nevada s militay veteans, paticulaly younge veteans, ae dying fom suicide at alaming ates. The suicide ate fo female Nevada veteans is moe than thee times highe than the Nevada female ate and six times highe than the national ate. xxv The suicide ate fo Nevada male veteans is also elevated compaed to the ates fo all males in Nevada and nationally, although the diffeences ae not as damatic as those fo females. xxvi Rates of Psychological Injuies xxiii 69.3% Mental health condition only (PTSD o depession, no TBI) 11.2% 7.3% 12.2% Mental health condition (PTSD o depession) and TBI TBI only (no PTSD o depession) Veteans stuggling with PTSD, depession, and TBI also have highe ates of othe unhealthy behavios such as smoking, oveeating, and unsafe sex and highe ates of physical health poblems and motality. Individuals with these conditions tend to miss moe wok o epot being less poductive. These conditions can impai elationships, disupt maiages, aggavate the difficulties of paenting, and cause poblems in childen that may extend the consequences of combat tauma acoss geneations. Thee is also a possible link between these conditions and homelessness. xxvii The damaging consequences fom lack of teatment o unde-teatment suggest that those afflicted, as well as society at lage, stand to gain substantially if moe veteans have access to effective cae. The mental health challenges that many of ou veteans and sevice membes ae facing ae misundestood and exaggeated. This has an impact on all aspects of eintegation, but paticulaly when it comes to finding jobs. What we need to do is educate the employes about what the ealities ae and help them to undestand the temendous advantage these veteans povide fo ou wokfoce. Bigadie Geneal William Buks, Adjutant Geneal, Nevada National Guad G % No disode (no PTSD, no depession) and no TBI 69.3% Top-Five Baies to Seeking Mental Health Cae xxiv Challenges fo the Wounded Ameica s newest veteans ae filing fo disability benefits at a histoic ate, on tack to be the most medically and mentally toubled geneation of fome toops the nation has eve seen. A staggeing 45% of the veteans fom the was in Iaq and Afghanistan ae seeking compensation fo injuies they say ae sevice-elated. xxviii What s moe, these new veteans ae claiming eight to nine ailments on aveage, and the most ecent ones ove the last yea ae claiming 11 to 14. By compaison, Vietnam veteans ae cuently eceiving compensation fo fewe than fou, on aveage, and those fom Wold Wa II and Koea, just two. xxix Pecent 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% The medications that might help have too many side effects 45% 44% 44% 39% 38% It could ham my caee I could be denied a secuity cleaance My family o fiends would be moe helpful than a mental health pofessional My cowokes would have less confidence in me if they found out It is unclea how much wose off these new veteans ae than thei pedecessos. Many factos ae diving the damatic incease in claims the weak economy, moe toops suviving wounds, and moe awaeness of poblems such as concussions and post-taumatic stess. Recent Veteans Administation policy changes have also educed the evidentiay buden on post-taumatic stess disode claimants, poviding boade access to the diagnosis and elated esouces than enjoyed by pevious geneations. Veteans shae simila health isks and challenges that affect othe Ameicans. Howeve, ou unique vetean status puts us at isk fo health and wellness issues that ae unique to ou militay sevice, which ae often ill-defined, vague, misundestood, o misintepeted by the pofessional medical community. These dynamics make it impeative that we encouage veteans to take advantage of and to seek out the unique skills, knowledge, and expetise of vetean s healthcae pofessionals who undestand ou militay expeiences and who can facilitate ou etun to society as poductive, healthy and whole vetean-civilians. Caole Tune, fome Deputy Executive Diecto, Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices 26 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 27

15 G-15 Key Components of the Geen Zone Initiative The Geen Zone Initiative is solutions diven. We ae not building a venue to discuss poblems ove and ove again, but athe to define the poblems using data and community input, and then build a system to solve them, and infom that system with eseach and best pactice infomation. In ode to infom the convesation acoss the state, and build a knowledge platfom fo us to begin ou wok, we ae pesenting the following tools to guide ou investments: Envionmental Scan identify the local sevice povide landscape fo vetean sevices, including esouces, gaps, challenges, and ecommendations fo change. Business Case fo Suppot develop a witten business case that makes the case fo inceased investment in veteans and thei families based on the etun on investment fo the community and fo individual donos. Community Impact Plan eseach and pesent impactful sevice delivey changes and models to connect and build upon the existing system of sevices available to militay veteans; identify best pactices fo implementing system change aound veteans sevices; vet model pogams amongst stakeholdes at the system, policy and advocacy levels; obtain buy-in and develop stategic alliances with stakeholdes at all levels. Funding Analysis identify public and pivate funding steams that suppot vetean issues hee and in two othe high pefoming communities, illustating the compelling need to identify and connect existing esouces, addess gaps in the continuum of cae, and sustain a stong veteans sevice system fo the futue. Social Netwoking Site ceate a social netwoking community whee infomation can be shaed between the vaious silos of vetean sevice povides, oganizations, and the veteans themselves. A community whee new sevices can develop, and whee veteans, sevice membes, family membes, and suviving spouses can go to see what sevices, oppotunities, o benefits they might be eligible fo. The Geen Zone Social Netwoking site will become a suppot system and lifeline, helping sevice membes, veteans and families addess employment, education, housing, and health issues In ode to meet the needs of today s veteans, we must build seveal bidges. As discussed above, we need to povide a bette oppotunity fo the boade civilian society to paticipate in the vetean eintegation expeience. Veteans seving veteans and pee-to-pee activities and suppot ae widely viewed as the most effective tools in speading infomation, developing oppotunities, and coodinating sevices. This tool will allow Nevada to bidge the civil-militay divide as well as build bidges between the vaious geneations of veteans. Goveno s Suppot fo the Geen Zone The Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices has eceived temendous suppot fom the Goveno to stat the Geen Zone and to build the govenmental achitectue aound the initiative to make it a success. Goveno Sandoval has stood steadfastly with Nevada s sevice membes and veteans and insisted that his cabinet and executive agencies do all they can to suppot veteans, sevice membes, and thei families. In addition, though executive odes, he has enacted policies such as Executive Ode , which povides ecipocity fo militay spouses seeking licensue in Nevada, and Executive Ode , which ceates the Goveno s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais (ICVA). A Nevada Response to the Poblem A key pat of the Geen Zone Initiative that has been facilitated by these executive odes, especially the establishment of the Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais, is the convening pocess. Community and stakeholde convenings allowed the Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices to not only get a boots-on-the-gound pespective within the thee focus aeas of employment, education and Wellness, but also to gain buy-in fom the stakeholde community. These discussions wee boadly oganized as bainstoming sessions on the topics of gaps/duplication in sevices, pioities, and ecommendations. Five convenings wee held acoss the state in vaious uban and ual communities engaging stakeholdes on topics including wokfoce development and employment, wellness, and highe education. Discussions and ecommendations gatheed fom these convenings wee tuned ove to the Geen Zone eseach team, tested against national best pactices, and vetted though high level subject matte expets befoe public pesentation. These convenings veified what we aleady know - that Nevadans fimly believe we have the esouces and commitment to solve ou poblems, and that the solutions to ou challenges must be souced fom ou own communities. Nevada leadeship must be engaged at evey level fo us to solve these poblems, and with ou Goveno leading the way, we know this will happen. We also know that many of the innovations and solutions that will dive change ae aleady known by the leades, stakeholdes and community membes who ae on the font lines seving the veteans who ente into ou social sevice, family sevice, homeless, mental health, healthcae and education systems. As a complement to home gown ecommendations fo change, the Geen Zone Initiative s pofessional eseach team eseached pogams, pactices and policy changes acoss the county, as well as activities aleady occuing in Nevada to detemine what ou pioities should be moving fowad. The Geen Zone is integating the following ecommendations into the existing fabic of ou communities and into the existing infastuctue of ou govenment and social sevice delivey systems. Geen zone geneal Recommendations 1. Veteans Task Foce Coodinato: Following the Utah model to combat homelessness, Nevada should ceate the position of a statewide coodinato fo veteans sevices. This peson should be a membe of the Goveno s pimay staff, and it should be a stand-alone assignment and not a collateal duty fo the NOVS head. The coodination would be esponsible fo implementing the GZI, holding egulaly scheduled meetings thoughout the state, and oveseeing local committees. 2. Continuation of the Goveno s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais: The Veteans Task Foce Coodinato should be the chaiman of the ICVA, which should be the statewide coodinating body moving fowad. The cuent ICVA was ceated on July 3, 2012, to suppot the GZI, but it will sunset on Decembe 31, Maximizing Fedeal Gant Oppotunities: Though coodination activities like the GZI, Nevada should aim to maximize fedeal gant oppotunities. 4. Data Waehouse of Veteans Sevices and Veteans: Nevada should seek a gant though the fedeal VA to develop a data waehouse fo veteans and available sevices. 28 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 29

16 5. Develop a Social Netwoking Site: To build the esouce bidge to the cuent wa ea vetean geneation, NOVS should develop a social netwoking site that allows fo boad community involvement and access to existing esouces. Wokfoce Recommendations 1. Develop Re-Boot Model: Develop a pogam, pehaps an elite pogam, sponsoed by a pivate o non-pofit oganization, that would lead qualifying veteans though a challenging leadeship, tansition, and pesonal development couse that will help them eintegate into civilian society. 2. Veteans Chambe: A egulaly scheduled meeting of veteans and community membes that is non-tansactional in natue: no fee, no pessue fo business leads, and no advetising. This should occu in and at a minimum, and should involve speakes and netwoking peiods. Pivate secto fims would be encouaged to come and ecuit o discuss thei oppotunities. 3. Wok with Pivate Secto to Demystify Militay Sevice: Develop a pogam that tanslates militay pefomance fo the civilian secto, to include testing fo skills that employes ae looking fo. Gay McCloud Retied G Recipocal Licensue: Militay tuck dives, fo instance, should be able to use thei militay taining in the civilian wold moe easily. When possible, state agencies should accept militay taining as a condition of civilian licensue, along with licensing tests and othe equiements. 5. Wok with Active Component 6-months Out: Nevada should develop an online capability that will allow sevice membes to lean moe as they begin to sepaate fom the active component. 6. Active Militay Intenship in Pivate Secto: Nevada s Active Component bases in and Fallon should be encouaged to each out to local pivate secto copoations fo taining oppotunities. 7. Develop a List of Hiing Pactices fo Employes Wishing to Hie Veteans: Detemine what employes need to commit to if they ae tuly inteested in hiing veteans. 8. A Centalized Web Location fo Available Job Oppotunities: Although thee ae cuently many sites and esouces thoughout the state, this item ecommends that the state ceate a cental cleainghouse fo employment oppotunities fo veteans. 9. Hiing Fais: Hold o host annual o quately hiing fais. 10. Ventue Capital Oppotunities fo Vetean Owned Businesses: If possible, ceate a ventue capital fim that is inteested in funding vetean-owned businesses. 11. Entepeneuial Resouces: Povide mentoing and suppot fo veteans who would like to stat thei own businesses. 30 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 31

17 Highe Education Recommendations 1. Oientation fo Veteans: This ecommendation suggests that veteans in highe institutions eceive a special oientation pogam that is sepaate and apat fom thei pees. 2. Single Point of Contact fo Infomation: Thee ae many oganizations that seve veteans needs and this ecommendation gets at a desie to have a single, fiendly, and infomed conduit fo infomation. 3. Staffing Stuctue: Because evey univesity must have a Vetean Cetifying Official to pocess GI Bill claims, this peson becomes the de facto vetean staff fo the school. It is impossible to pocess the claims necessay in addition to counseling and developing pogams. A poposed staffing stuctue will help leadeship bette use esouces. 4. Impoved Infomation Shaing: We need a way fo the vaious vetean sevice povides and veteans to communicate and stay up to date on infomation. 5. Caee/Job Mentoship in Public/Pivate Sectos: Thee ae seveal diffeent possible fomats fo this, but this would be a key to helping veteans find jobs in the civilian wokfoce afte they gaduate with thei highe education degee. G-17 Tim Hall Hawthone Retied Wellness Recommendations 1. Veteans Suicide Task Foce: Nevada should addess the need fo bette coodination between agencies though the ceation of a veteans suicide task foce, sponsoed by the Depatment of Health and Human Sevices and the Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices, and made up of membes of the statewide vetean and mental health communities. 2. Veteans Benefits should be collected though a statewide suvey of state and local officials though the Goveno s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais. We should coodinate with VA undesecetaies fo a complete listing of fedeal benefits. 3. Veteans should be identified though an online self-identification mechanism, the Veteans Dive s License, a VA Request of Names and Addesses, and though self-identification on all state foms. 4. Advetise in Vaious Channels: To build the bidge to othe geneations, NOVS should use diect mail, enewslettes, newspape, and develop a quately magazine. 5. Develop a Had Copy Benefits Guide: When all of the benefits ae identified, NOVS should publish a pint edition of the benefits guide (while a soft copy would be available online), so that all state locations can disseminate them to veteans who might be using thei sevices. 32 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 33

18 Economic Viability/Financial Sustainability Plan The Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais is one of the fist of its kind nationwide, and has stated its jouney with evey oppotunity fo success. Goveno Sandoval has paved the way fo the ceation of the inteagency infastuctue, and the initiative is maching fowad with full steam. Much wok has been done - the concens facing Nevada s veteans have been identified, community stakeholdes have been assembled and contibuted to identifying and emoving baies to success, ecommendations fo change have been submitted, and agency leades ae being assembled who have the powe to implement change. While this fist step is both monumental and citical, moe is needed. All too often, Nevada has a histoy of stating something, and then walking away, only to see ealy effots cumble. The Inteagency Council is cuently opeating on an all-voluntee foce made up of the executives of the state s leading govenmental agencies. This level of commitment and coopeation cannot be sustained on a stictly voluntee basis fo long. States vay widely on the souces and level of funding povided fo simila inteagency coodinating bodies. Funding anges fom unfunded stuctues to those with a steady steam of esouces. All entities, egadless of thei funding levels, ely on some fom of opeational esouces to fund the complicated and essential wok that takes place afte each inteagency council meeting. Gil Henandez Elko Vetean Advocate G-18 Potential stuctues vay, and could ange fom depatmental agencies poviding staff time as in-kind contibutions, to the council collecting and administeing funds to othe entities. Each exteme is accompanied by pos and cons, howeve, a minimal amount of funding is ecommended to ensue the council maintains the ability to complete its mission while not detacting fom the significant esponsibilities bone by each council membe in thei pimay ole. Nevada has come too fa and invested too much in this initiative to bea seed and walk away while it wilts. One way to ensue that this effot continues and that its momentum is maximized is though the ceation of an Office of Veteans Policy. The pimay esponsibility of the diecto of this office, once ceated, should be to implement the elements of this study and seek oppotunities to develop futue phases of the initiative. The diecto should chai the Goveno s Inteagency Council on Veteans Affais and should epot annually to the Goveno on policies, initiatives, and stategies that would develop bette sevices fo Nevada s veteans. In ode to do so, the diecto should be esponsible fo convening local coalitions to gathe infomation as well as build geate patneships, seek out national best pactices and test them against state and local level ecommendations, and be esponsible fo communicating the effots to develop vetean fiendly featues at the state and local level thoughout the state and aboad. This will ensue that the plan is fully developed, coodinated, and continued moving fowad, and will ensue that Nevada has the best possible offeing of veteans sevices and oppotunities in the county. Additionally, a minimal investment of funding dedicated to the Office of Veteans Policy would position Nevada to develop stong collaboatives, build evidence based pojects that leveage govenmental, pivate secto and community esouces to make Nevada competitive fo fedeal and national funding. This poject will povide a stong etun on investment fo the state, and fo ou sevice membes, veteans and families of the fallen. 34 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 35

19 Nevada State Veteans Home 100 Veteans Memoial Dive Boulde City, Nevada (702) Fax (702) BRIAN SANDOVAL Goveno Office of Veteans Sevices 6900 N. Pecos Road, Room 1C237 Noth, Nevada (702) Fax (702) Nothen Nevada Veteans Memoial Cemetey P.O. Box 1919 Fenley, Nevada (775) Fax (775) STATE OF NEVADA NEVADA OFFICE OF VETERANS SERVICES 5460 Copoate Dive, Suite 131, Nevada (775) Fax (775) Southen Nevada Veteans Memoial Cemetey 1900 Veteans Memoial Dive Boulde City, Nevada (702) Fax (702) Decembe 1, 2012 Dea Community Patne, Caleb Cage Spaks Executive Diecto In ode to maximize the sevices and suppot to ou veteans, we must develop a public dialog, build bidges between the many communities and povides, and beak down misconceptions fo both veteans and the public. The etun on ou investment is high, but we all have to wok togethe to ealize the oppotunities we seek. Veteans ae individuals. Like eveyone, they make decisions based on thei expeiences, needs, and knowledge of what is available. As a community that wishes to seve them, it is incumbent upon us to ensue that Nevada s sevice membes, veteans, and thei family membes have all of the infomation and tools they need to make the best choices they can about the sevices that ae available. Communities stand to gain the most fom ou etuning sevice membes and ou vetean population. As such, they need to mobilize thei good intentions and do eveything they can to help eintegate the veteans that etun to them. By seeking to undestand the vetean expeience and what that may offe them, communities will be a poweful and integal pat of ensuing that diect elationships ae built. As a pat of communities, non-govenmental oganizations and businesses delive sevices, infomation, and contibute to the development of pogams fo veteans. The established Vetean Sevice Oganizations ae paticulaly well-suited to assist veteans though undestanding, camaadeie, and infomation distibution. The business and copoate secto suppots the integation and eintegation of veteans to Nevada communities by hiing them into the wokfoce and suppoting pogams and initiatives to diectly assist veteans. Local and state govenments delive a ange of sevices to veteans and play a pivotal ole in engaging veteans and thei families in those sevices. They ae esponsive to thei communities and to the vetean advocates within them. They can help by ensuing that local baies to sevices ae minimized o emoved completely. All of these oganizations and systems have a ole to play in ensuing all of Nevada s veteans and thei families can fully eintegate fom thei sevice to becoming contibuting membes of ou boade society. It is possible, but it will take all of us. Caleb S. Cage Executive Diecto Nevada Office of Veteans Sevices 36 GREENZONENETWORK.ORG GREENZONENETWORK.ORG 37