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endVETERANS SERVICE AGENCY REPORT
October 10, 2024 - 11:00 AM
Director’s Report
§ Local Activities
o On August 11th, VSO Zack Jones attended the Bagel Festival and made contact with veterans and shared information with many organizations regarding services available to veterans and spouses.
o On August 20th, our Clerk Sheldon Dillon helped to distribute pallets of food with Sharon Ferber at the Community Assistance Center.
o On August 25th, VSO Joseph Putnam attended the Veterans appreciation game at Duchess Stadium sponsored by ATI and the VET 2 VET program, he also made contacts with veterans and family members in need of services.
o On August 28th, myself and VSO’s Putnam and Jones attended the National Veterans Legal Services Program training. This session offered a comprehensive review of changes to the ratings criteria for digestive system disabilities, including new diagnostic codes. This training also covered how these changes in law will affect claims pending when the new rules went into effect and existing ratings now eligible for increase.
o On September 12th, our office participated in a NYS DVA training to review the VA’s “Duty to Assist” obligation to the claimant, information and evidence required by our agency to file a well-grounded claim, and when medical opinions or a nexus linking the current diagnosis to an event, illness, or injury on active duty are required.
§ This training is valuable because VA staff are in the practice of encouraging our clients to file claims for which they have no evidence, no nexus, or in some cases not even a diagnosed illness. This is causing confusion and complaints from veterans in the Community. I would like to work with Legislator Alvarez to elevate this information to VA Oversite Committee or the VA will be faced with yet another 850,000 appeals back-log.
o On Sept 20th, we held our annual POW / MIA Ceremony in the Government Center lobby. I would like to thank all that attended. Our guest of honor, Mr. Martin Feldman, a 99-year-old WWII veteran and survivor of German POW Camp Stalag IVB, recently moved to Sullivan County to be near his family.
o On Sept 21st, AMVETS POST 50 held a fundraiser, in conjunction with the White Sulphur Springs Fire Company, to benefit veterans’ programs within the County.
o On Sept 28th, our office staff attended the 3rd Annual VET FEST held at the Grahamsville Fair grounds. Our Division of Community Resources table was staffed by Samantha Neitzel, April Rodriguez Walsh (my wife) and Zackery Jones along with myself. We engaged a total of 62 veterans and family members and provided assistance with multiple situations.
o On Sept 29th, I attended the youth and veteran’s pheasant hunt sponsored by the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County and Butch and Donna Kortright of the Sullivan County Long Beards. Again, I was able to provide information to those in attendance and aid with VA procedures.
§ PACT Act Updates
o Unfortunately, Community Care Consult delays have caused at least one veteran to die and many more to suffer at the Buffalo VA Hospital. Delays in Radiation Therapy and NON-Disclosure of adverse events, forced patients to either be denied lifesaving treatment or suffer unnecessarily. Some patients waited over 10 weeks to be scheduled and passed away while waiting for an appointment.
o I ask that the entire Legislature review this VA INSPECTOR GENERAL Report dated September 27, 2024, as myself and staff receive numerous calls from our veterans and spouses to ask for help. Please also view Congressman Nick Langworthy and Tim Kennedy of the 26th District, as they explain the findings of this report in detail.
o Along with extreme delays in processing requests from our office, our local VA Facilities at Castle Point and Albany are overwhelmed and understaffed, and have failed to properly care for our veterans. This problem is NOT isolated to our region, unfortunately it is nationwide.
o Our government as a whole, has failed to properly fund and manage the increased burden placed on an already weak VA care network, due to increased eligibility caused by the PACT ACT.
§ The Good News
o Our scanning program to digitize and safely store over 8,000 deceased veterans’ files is progressing. We are currently sorting files to determine how many documents pre-date 1910 and are considered ‘Historical’ and how many others pre-date 1973. Due to a fire at the National Archives in ’73, hundreds of thousands of files were destroyed, and our office maintains many that survived the fire and must be stored after the scanning process.
o My Administrative Assistant April Barschow has been working with the Liberty Cemetery Association to replace 21 broken grave markers in the Liberty Cemetery - Veterans’ Section. Our office had files on 20 of the 21 veterans. All 21 Applications have been submitted to the VA National Cemetery Association.
§ So far, she has been notified that 8 applications were denied and 7 replacement markers have been approved, and are on the way to Elton Harris to be replaced, weather permitting. She is still waiting to hear the determination on the remaining 6 applications. Thank you, April.
VETERANS SERVICE AGENCY REPORT
October 10, 2024 - 11:00 AM
1. Veterans referred to Sullivan County Transportation for VA Medical Appointments:
Albany Castle Point Local
July 4 49 24
August 6 37 34
2. Veterans/Dependents buried in Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery through Sept 27, 2024:
Veterans Buried Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,167
Dependents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Veterans/Spouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Total Burials in Veterans Cemetery - 1,958 (+44 since Dec. 2023)
3. Contacts:
July 117
August 132
4. Applications:
July 35
August 21
5. Homeless Veterans:
July 7
August 8
6. New Veterans
July 3
August 1