Friday, July 4, 2014
FIXING THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
PROPOSALS AIMED AT STRUCTURAL AND CULTURAL REFORMATION OF A
DEPARTMENT ON THE BRINK OF IMPLOSION
Author:
Hutch Dubosque, Vice
President
PTSD Veterans
Association of Northport, Inc.
PO Box 194, Northport,
NY 11768
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
1) CHANGING THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS STRUCTURE AND CULTURE TO ENABLE
TIMELY AND EFFICIENT DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO ITS CLIENTELE.
2) OPENING STATEMENT: HOUSE SUB-COMMITTEE
ON VETERANS AFFAIRS – STAFF DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
3) SUMMARY AND LIST OF PROPOSED
LEGISLATION, TO DATE.
4) HUTCH DUBOSQUE – CV
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
Tuesday,
June 10, 2014
-
A Good Place To Start
PREAMBLE:
¶1 Now that the Federal Government knows
what Veterans have known for quite some time, it is appropriate to set an
outline of structural and cultural changes to this bureaucracy that are long
overdue. There are just a few things to keep in mind when tackling this
problem, and maintaining simplicity is a must. The firing of a number of key
personnel at the Federal and local level is only a very small part of this
equation. The passing of “accountability” legislation is only a very small part
of this equation. The further involvement of the “private sector” in plugging
and/or enhancing gaps in the system is something that should be a secondary part of this equation. The
enlistment of Veteran Service Organizations should not need to be a part of
this equation. If the Department of Veterans Affairs was doing the job they
claim to be doing, the need for massive, over-indulgent VSO’s would be
non-existent.
¶2 What will be laid out here is a blueprint for effecting
true change inside this Department. Change that will ensure that each, and
every, member of our Armed Services receives the respect, benefits and
treatment they have so dearly earned. This outline will consider the fact that
the Department of Veterans Affairs is operating
with a departmental structure that is from the 1950’s, and has not yet
evolved into the twenty-first century. This very structure has led to a culture
within the Department’s personnel that breeds inefficiency and disrespect
toward the Veterans it claims to be in business to help. This structure and
culture have been insidious for decades, and has led to the crisis point we
find ourselves at today. To reiterate, keeping this exercise as simple as
possible is the only way to tackle the behemoth known as the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
§ SECTION 1
¶
1 Leadership does make a
difference. To this end, more weight needs to be given to hiring qualified
managers, instead of appointing retired Generals who may, or may not, possess
the qualifications to actually run and manage more than their own bank account.
Whether you consider the Medical delivery capabilities, or the Benefit delivery
capabilities, of the Department, the need is to hire people who are qualified
in delivering these services regardless of what “sector” they come from. The management
vetting process needs to be upgraded to one that reflects the ability of the
Department to deliver its promised products. This step need not be held for
only the leadership of the Department, but also for the VA facilities
Nationwide. All management personnel must be held to new, stricter job
descriptions and performance matrix. Also, if lower management personnel do not
receive bonuses, then upper management personnel do not qualify for bonuses
either; no exceptions. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a non-profit / not
for profit entity, and to offer bonuses to a select number of upper management
employees is obscene, if not illegal.
§ SECTION 2
¶
1 If you accept the premise that
the “private sector” needs to be employed to augment services of the
Department, then the structure of the Department needs to be on a compatible
working plane with the “private sector”. The current “silo” structure of service delivery must be rolled
over into one of defined product
delivery. To site one example of this that I am personally experienced with: In
the Mental Health service delivery of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD)
treatment, the current structure dictates that each medical discipline is
accountable not to the head of the specific program, but to the supervisor of
their particular medical discipline. This translates into an absolute inability
of the program head/director to formulate, mold, and run his/her program in a
best practices modality. In order to effect any change whatsoever, in even
daily routines, the program supervisor/director must first involve the
supervisors/directors of each discipline to get their blessing and approval of
the change at hand. This protocol is very time consuming, inefficient, and prone
to allowing personalities the chance to negatively affect positive change based
on their own whims, or desires. No Hospital, Clinic, or Doctor in the
private
sector would even dream of structuring their practices in such a manner. The
Department of Veterans Affairs need not continue operating in this “silo” mode
of service delivery. This change will also positively affect the current
problem of accountability down through the ranks of service personnel, and, in
doing so, will change the culture of disrespect, arrogance, and correspondence from the VA’s employees, as experienced by Veterans.
§ SECTION 3
¶
1 In light of current affairs, the
systemic problems that have been uncovered recently are not solely those of the
Phoenix VA, or a select few installations Nationwide. The problems that have
come to light need a global resolution, not a case by case Band-Aid fix. To
focus on just the small number of incidents so far, is to ignore and neglect a
system that has been in need of drastic overhaul for many years. It is also a
conflict of interest when the VA’s own Inspector General takes on the task of
policing its own Department. That has been shown not to work in many, if not
all, governmental audits and inspections, and for obvious reasons. There are
three distinct areas in need of audit and inspection. Number one is the
administrative structure. Number two is the benefits structure. And, number
three is the medical structure. In each case, a sector specific audit team from
outside government should be employed to come up with solutions that will best
restructure this entire Department. If you change the structure, you change the
culture. This auditing needs to be goal driven and be given an exact time frame for
completion. This operation cannot take more than one year. Veterans are dying
because of the current ineffectiveness of the VA in dealing with the very clientele
they claim to be in business to serve.
§ SECTION 4
¶
1 The medical capabilities of the
Department of Veterans Affairs need to be brought into the twenty-first
century. There is, apparently, plenty of money being appropriated by Congress
to run modern, efficient government
medical facilities. By fixing the aforementioned structural problems, the
allocation of funds toward the capital improvement of medical equipment can be
a fast and efficient turn around. Once this part of the equation is taken care
of, the proper staffing requirements will not be difficult to meet. At present,
who in their right mind would be enthusiastic about working with a structure
and equipment from the Dark Ages?
§ SECTION 5
¶
1 To stay current on medical
issues, forming outside partnerships with private sector medical operations is
an efficient way to draw highly qualified medical personnel into the system and
at the same time offer Veterans top quality medical care similar, if not
better, than they can find in the private sector. This can work beautifully if
there are medical practices that don’t cross the line of appropriate
doctor-student-patient interaction. The use of standard protocols used in the
private sector medical market, that are proven, are highly recommended.
§ SECTION 6
¶
1 Shifting from the medical realm
to the area of Veteran benefits, there are a set of initial changes that would
be easy to implement, and breed some confidence into our Veterans view of how
they are, and will be, treated by the Nation that made them Veterans in the
first place. The following represents a summary outline of how the “benefit”
structure should look like at the time of transition from active duty to
civilian life. This is an initial financial benefits package that will not only
create a smooth transition, but also give all Veterans a sustainable lifetime
financial base to work off in recognition of their service to this Country. All
of what is listed will be automatically put in place before any service member
sets foot out of the Military door.
¶
2 I. The Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs will be joined
at the hip and mandated to enroll all personnel in the needed transitional, medical, and
financial programs and benefits automatically prior to discharge. A
¶
3 II. All active duty, reserve, and national guard
personnel will be automatically enrolled
in the VA medical system for full medical and mental health benefits, as would be
available with premium style private sector medical insurance plans, prior to
discharge. These medical benefits will also be afforded the Veteran’s immediate family.
This full medical benefit will be at no charge to the Veteran, or his/her immediate family.
¶
4 III. These
automatic medical and mental health benefits will be given automatically regardless of the type of
discharge the Veteran receives, with the exception of a Dishonorable Discharge. The
very fact that he/she volunteered to wear the uniform dictates that he/she has earned these
benefits.
§ SECTION 7
¶
1 This section will deal with the
automatic compensation due the Veteran. As with the medical benefits, this will
be set up automatically prior to separation from service. Unlike the prior
benefit package this compensation benefit will be linked to the type of service
performed during active duty.
¶2 I. Served in combat ___________________________100%
¶3 II. Served in a combat zone/theater ___________________________90%
¶4 III. Served in a time of combat, no in
a combat zone/theater 80%
¶5 IV. Served at any time in any branch of
service, including Coast Guard
and
Merchant Marine __________________________70%
¶
6 The maximum amount (100%) of
automatic compensation will be $36,000.00 per year for life. Payment methods will
be set up prior to discharge with automatic electronic deposit the preferred
method. Any further disability compensation will be over, and above, this
automatic compensation. Disability compensation will be determined as it is
currently through the VA’s P&C qualifying and rating system through the VA
Health System, and will not affect the aforementioned automatic compensation.
One example: Veteran qualifies for and receives 100% service compensation for
$36,000.00 per year, for life, and also qualifies for and receives 100% disability
rating from the VA Health System which, at current levels, can be as high as
$34,800.00. Neither of these amounts will be taxable by either the Federal
government, State government, or local government and will not affect any other
tax obligation the Veteran may incur.
§ SECTION 8
¶
1 This section will deal with
Federal income tax relief based on income over and above the aforementioned
compensation and disability payments from the VA, which could total a maximum
of $70,800.00 per year for life tax free. If the Veteran were able to be
employed in the private, or public, sector, any income from that employment
would be subject to a progressive, flat tax as follows:
¶2 I. Up to $40,000.00 per year income the tax
liability would
equal O%.
¶3 II. From $40,001.00 to $80,000.00, the tax
liability would equal 2.00% flat rate.
¶4 III. From $80,001.00 to $120,000.00, the tax
liability would equal 3.00% flat rate
¶5 IV. From $120,001.00 and up, the tax liability
would be 5.00% flat rate.
¶
6 All current and anticipated
standard and itemized deductions will hold for the Veteran’s income tax liability above and beyond his/her automatic compensation and
any disability payments from the VA as is standard IRS law.
¶
7 To pre-qualify for the stated
tax relief, above, the Department of Defense will be responsible for filing the proper paper work with the
IRS; to include the service member’s
DD-214 prior to the service member’s
discharge.
§ SECTION 9
¶
1 All fifty United States, all
U.S. Territories, and all U.S. Protectorates will be obliged to offer all Veterans a standard package of tax
relief at their level, as follows:
¶ 2 I. States, Territories and Protectorates will
set their income tax rates at the same levels
as detailed in the Federal relief plan, above.
¶
3 II. As it may be difficult to pre-determine the
State, Territory, or Protectorate the Veteran
will chose to reside in, it will be the Veteran’s responsibility to register in his/her
place of residence upon separation from the military. The only form of proof to qualify for
this level of benefits will be the Veteran’s own DD- 214. The type of discharge, better than a Dishonorable Discharge, has no
bearing in this level of benefit.
¶
4 III. Also at this
level, the Veteran will be free from any local real estate taxes.
¶
5 IV. Local school
taxes will apply only if there are school age children in the Veteran’s place of residence. If no school
age children are present then an enhanced STAR program,
or its equivalent, will be applied as a form of relief.
§ SECTION 10
¶
1 This section will deal with
employment opportunities for Veterans.
¶
2 I. All government Defense contractors and
Defense sub-contractors will be required to
hire a Veteran applicant, even with minimal qualifications for a specific job opening.
¶
3 II. All non-Defense contractors and non-Defense
sub-contractors will be required to give preferential consideration to any Veteran applicant.
¶
4 III. All private
sector employers will be strongly encouraged to hire Veterans on a preferential
basis regardless of current Federal tax incentives.
CONCLUSION (for now):
¶1
In all instances, there is no
need to reinvent the wheel. Solutions to the VA’s problems are nothing unique,
or out of the ordinary, and, above all, are not “complex”. The fact that a
civilian volunteers to serve in our Nation’s military is indicative of a very
strong commitment to their Country, and, as such, they should be duly rewarded.
The proposals, above, are only a starting point at which to honor our Veterans
for their service. These benefits can easily be expanded. Our Veterans deserve
no less. It might be of some benefit to keep the fine hand of lawyers at bay
for as long as possible in this process. As Veterans, we know what our Nation
should be providing in the way of Veteran’s benefits. It is up to us to make
our voice heard loud and clear, and let those in the halls of power know that
we are not going to back down from our demands for respect and honorable
treatment by the Country whose wars we fought.
¶2
There are a handful of Nationally
recognized Veterans Service Organizations (VSO’s) that are currently putting
forth their own set of proposals to deal with the VA situation. From the
newsletters and press releases available, it appears they are addressing only
the short-term solutions to a problem that is begging for long-term solutions.
As mentioned previously, short terms fixes are not going to solve the systemic,
insidious cancer that is fast consuming the Department of Veterans Affairs.
¶3
It is said that a Nation is known
by the way it treats its Veterans. Word on the street is that our Nation isn’t
doing so well. But, by working together in the same direction, Veterans and law
makers can get this done; keeping in mind that we don’t have an endless amount
of time for discussion, panels, investigation, et al. This task needs to be
completed, and it needs to be completed now.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
Opening
statement
House
Sub-Committee on Veterans Affairs
Wednesday,
May 28th @ 10:30 am
Cannon
House Office Building
Washington,
DC
I am a Veteran and Vice President of a small VSO on Long
Island, New York, and a consumer of the VA’s Mental Health system. With the
help of my family, I come before you today to address the apparent willful
mistreatment of our Nation’s Veterans by the very government that sent them off
to foreign lands to fight wars in our Nation’s name. My focus for this meeting
is on the newest generation of Veterans you have produced, and the degree of
mistreatment that touches not only the lives of our Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans, but also the lives of their families, as it did mine.
I have been personally involved with our newest generation
of Veterans as the Vice President of the PTSD Veterans Association. Having been through a lifetime of neglect by
the Department of Veterans Affairs for my generation’s Veterans, I refuse to
stand idly by and watch as the same fate is being forced down the throats of
these brave, dedicated men and women who were and still are willing to die for
the Country they love.
I have become distressed, as a Vietnam Veteran, in bearing
witness to the ways in which you, my Nation’s “leaders”, have found to effect
the mistreatment, disrespect, and even deaths of my fellow Brothers-in-arms in
an aggressive, virulent manner not seen since the Vietnam Veteran community was
so mistreated and disrespected by an ungrateful Nation and an ungrateful
Government.
This statement is not about me and my generation of
Veterans. This is about a whole new generation of Veterans, and their families,
who are experiencing the physical and mental ravages brought on by Military
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Military Traumatic Brain Injury. This is
about their families not understanding and being torn apart by these invisible
injuries. This is about our Nation’s youth who are willing to lay their lives
on the line for their Country. This about our Armed Service members being
“kicked to the curb” by an seemingly uncaring, disrespectful government.
We older Veterans are now partnering with younger Veterans
to re-join again in battle. You have,
for decades, demonstrated your total lack of ability and concern to clean up
the mess you leave behind the wars you so quickly commit us to. Not only have
you failed the American Veteran miserably, you have also failed their families.
Our new battle will be won.
The demonstrated inability of The Department of Defense, the
Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch is leading to the
death of our Veterans and the destruction of their families. Let me place just
a few facts and figures on the table:
1)
From the Huffington Post
online, using government figures – It is reported that there are 18
Veteran suicides per day which equals 6,570 Veteran suicides per year (this
number is for all Veterans)
2) From the web site PTSD Combat . Com,
using government figures
a) In the age range of 20-24 years old: our
civilian suicide rate equals 8.3 per 100,000; our Veteran suicide rate
equals a minimum 31.9 per 100,000, with one of your studies quoting a rate as high as 46 per 100,000.
b) In 2008, OEF/OIF personnel killed in action
equaled 469. Included in that number are 184 suicides. That is 28% of
those deaths.
c) Also in 2008, 55,000 calls were placed to
the VA suicide prevention hot line. 22,000 of those callers were identified as
Veterans; the remaining 33,000 calls were from family members with nowhere else to turn.
You apparently choose not to see the trail of destruction
you have left effecting our Veterans and their families. All this does not need
to happen. I have a newspaper article written by my friend, Martin Evans of
Newsday. I would like to share it with you, as it shows just the tip of the
iceberg that is the personal and family tragedy of all this neglect, and I
would like to submit this article into the record.
I will also offer you an initial jumping off platform of
policies aimed at correcting this suffering. These tax relief and transition
proposals are by no means the be-all and end-all of solutions. They are a
starting point from which you can build and earn the respect of your Nation’s
Veterans, and at the same time help save their families from finding their
Veteran dead with a needle in their arm, an empty pill bottle by their side,
and an empty bottle of liquor on the floor. I would like to submit these
proposals for the record, also.
From
my experience with fellow Veterans on Long Island, New York, a number of issues
have become painfully clear. Today’s Veterans have a remarkably hard time
searching out and receiving treatment for PTSD and TBI from any provider,
public or private. The Department of Veterans Affairs acts as if their
clientele don’t really deserve treatment and/or compensation for PTSD and/or
TBI. It seems to me that the VA would rather have private sector mental health
providers take care of both the Veteran and their families, thus washing their
hands of the financial and liability responsibilities of the very clientele
they are supposed to be serving.
No one seems to be asking this
question;
“
If the Federal and State governments deliver the services they claim to, then
what need do organizations like The Wounded Warrior Project, The Soldier’s
Project, the PTSD Veterans Association, and all the rest of the 501(c)’s have
to exist?”
The
answer is that they shouldn’t need to exist at all; the government should be
there picking up the pieces when their Soldiers return home – no matter the
cost; no matter the effort.
This
is not a situation that can wait a month, or two... a year, or two.. This is a
situation that has to find a solution in the immediate future; next week sounds
like a good time-frame for me. So,
please understand that this seemingly willful mistreatment is where our anger,
frustration, and desperation comes from. The Veteran Community is demanding
your action to clean up the mess we call the Department of Veterans Affairs,
and it needs to be done now.
You will be hearing from the Veteran community in this
Country because we are ready, willing, and able to make change happen, as we
have a string of very important election years coming up. Remember this:
Veterans vote, and they vote in vastly larger percentages than do the general
public.
I penned a letter to my family, friends, and past
co-workers, because of what Acute PTSD has done to my life and my family. And,
I would like to submit a copy of this letter for the record. I would like to
submit the PTSD Veterans Association’s pamphlet for the record, as well.
That
concludes my opening statement. I will be happy to entertain your questions;
keeping in mind that I am not a “numbers” guy, nor am I certified in the Mental
Health sector. I am simply a Veteran who is witnessing a grave injustice being
played out. It must stop, and it must stop now.
Thank
you
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
PROPOSED LEGISLATION:
MANDATORY TRANSITION/REINTEGRATION
PROGRAM FOR ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL SEPARATING FROM SERVICE
Committee(s):
_____________________________________
Principle Author(s): ________________________________
Bill No.: __HD1__
Delegation(s):
______________________________________
Title of Bill:
Mandatory
Separation Transition/Reintegration Program
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
the United States Department of Defense has no mandatory program for the
transition of separating Service Members back into the ranks of civilian life,
and since the United States Department of Defense‘s current Transition Programs
are not being used one hundred percent by the Service Members who need it the
most,
SECTION 1: Let
the United States Department of Defense, in concert with Private Sector
Employment Agencies and qualified Private Sector Mental Health Agencies under
contract arrangement with the Department of Defense, set up a fully operational
and mandatory Transition/Reintegration Program to last at least, but not
limited to, thirty (30) days prior to the Service Member’s date of separation
from the United States Armed Services.
SECTION 2: Let
this mandatory Program include screening and testing for the Service Member’s
career abilities, and simultaneously full screening for all Medical and Mental
Health categories.
SECTION 3: Let
this Transition/Reintegration Program run for more than the prescribed minimum
of thirty (30) days upon determination that the Service Member in question is
deemed to need more time to complete this Program.
SECTION 4: Let
the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs set up and complete automatic enrollment in the Service
Member’s local, State, and/or Federal employment Agencies and the Department of
Veterans Affairs Benefit and Medical Programs for all Service Members all
within thirty (30) days prior to their separation from Service obligation,
regardless of type of Discharge received, as follows.
Sub-SECTION A: applicable employment search programs in the
Private Sector as are available in
proximity to the Veterans place of residence at no cost to the Veteran
Sub-SECTION B: qualifying Medical and Mental Health Programs
as prescribed by the Transition Medical/Mental Health Team, either in the Veterans Affairs Medical System, or
in the Private Sector Medical System,
whichever serves the Veteran the best at no cost to the Veteran
Sub-SECTION C: all
applicable Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits as allowed Veterans by Law, Resolution, or Decree at no
cost to the Veteran
SECTION
5: Let the qualified Service Member’s
immediate Family members be included in these Programs without exception and at
no charge to the Family. And, allow for the addition of new Family Members as
the Service Member’s / Veteran’s Family increases in number, also at no cost to
the Veteran
SECTION 6: Let
the Veteran be responsible for going to the prescribed, predetermined benefit
Agencies to appear in person and be signed-in using his/her DD-214 document, or
equivalent. This will be done only once for the lifetime of the Veteran with
the exception of the Veteran moving to a location that necessitates the use of
other Federal or Private Sector Agencies or Departments.
SECTION 7: Let
Sections 1-6 hold for Service Members with a better than Dishonorable
Discharge.
SECTION 8: This
Bill shall go into effect ninety-one (91) days after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
Veteran’s Lifetime Compensation/Pension
Committee:
_____________________________________________
Principle Author:_________________________________________
Bill No.: __HD-2__
Delegation:
_____________________________________________
Title of Bill:
Veterans
Automatic Pension
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
our Nation’s Veterans are struggling to adjust to civilian life after their
terms of Service, and since there is no uniform, mandatory, and automatic
assignment of compensation/pension upon a Service Member’s separation from
Service to deal with reintegration, and since the United States Government
single-handedly created these Veterans, and since the Department of Veterans
Affairs has demonstrated their inability to deliver proper, livable pensions
and compensation to all qualified Veterans,
SECTION 1: Let
the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of the
Treasury qualify and set up automatic annual compensation/pension payments for
Service Members within thirty (30) days prior to their separation from Service
obligation.
SECTION 2: Let
the qualifying amount of compensation be no less than $36,000.00 per year for
life.(based on 2014 dollars)
SECTION 3: Let
there be an automatic annual increase of the initial award in the amount of
three (3) percent (%), or the annual cost of living increase, whichever is
greater regardless of the Nation’s financial status.
SECTION 4: Let
these Benefits accrue to the Veteran’s immediate Family if the Service
Member/Veteran becomes deceased for whatever reason and at any time during or
after Service. This is to ensure the quality of life for the deceased Veterans
spouse, partner, significant other and all unemancipated offspring of any of
these relationships.
SECTION 5: Let
this lifetime annual compensation not be altered, or affected, by any further
income in the form of, but not limited to, physical and mental health disabilities
granted through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or by any
additional income from employment or assets that may be earned during the
lifetime of the Service Member/Veteran, or any form of award from Medicaid,
Medicare, Social Security, or any other supplemental Government Program the
Veteran and his/her Family may be entitled to.
SECTION 6: Let
Sections 1-5 hold for Service Members with a better than Dishonorable
Discharge.
SECTION 7: This
Bill shall go into effect ninety-one (91) days after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
FAMILY INCLUSION IN THE COMPLETE RANGE OF VETERAN’S BENEFITS
Committee(s):
_________________________________________
Principal Author(s):
_______________________________________
Bill No.: ___HD-3____
Delegation(s):
____________________________________________
Title of Bill:
Veterans
Benefits and Family Inclusion
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs do not afford the Families of either Service Members, or
Veterans, complete access to all benefits afforded their Service Member, or
Veteran, and since the Families of OIF/OEF Service Members, specifically, are
at a loss of how best to deal with and help
their Service Member or Veteran in need, and since these Families do not
currently have easy and full access to Private Sector services, and since these
Families and their Service Members, or Veterans, should never have to pay
out-of-pocket for any qualified service,
SECTION 1: Let
the definition of “immediate Family” include the spouse, partner, or
significant other of the Service Member, or Veteran, and the unemancipated
offspring of the Service Member, or Veteran.
SECTION 2: Let
the definition of a Family’s complete access to all Service Member, or Veteran,
benefits mean that the aforementioned immediate Family Members have the
identical access privileges to all benefits afforded the Service Member, or
Veteran, without exception, and without cost to the Veteran or his/her Family.
SECTION 3: Let the immediate Family Members of
Service Personnel be duly signed up to receive these benefits in the same
manner as are the Service Members during their mandatory thirty (30) day
Transition Program.
SECTION 4: Let
the immediate Family Members of the Veteran be duly signed up to receive these
benefits as they become the Veteran’s spouse, partner, or significant other, or
the offspring of the Veteran.
SECTION 5: Let
unemancipated offspring of the Service Member, or Veteran, remain entitled to
these benefits to the age of twenty-six (26) years.
SECTION 6: Let
the Service Member’s, or Veteran’s spouse, partner, or significant other remain
entitled to these benefits for their natural life.
SECTION 7: Let
Sections 1-6 hold for Service Members with a better than Dishonorable
Discharge.
SECTION 8: This
Bill shall go into effect ninety-one (91) after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
VETERAN’S POST-SERVICE JOB AND
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATUS
Committee(s): _____________________________________________
Principal Author(s): _________________________________________
Bill No.: ___HD-4___
Delegation(s): ______________________________________________
Title of Bill:
Jobs
For Veterans
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
The United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs has no current standard, or operating procedure for securing
gainful employment for the Service Members they separate back into civilian
life, and since the unemployment rate for OIF/OEF Veterans is hovering around
25%, and since all our Veterans have job skills needed in both the Public and
Private Sectors,
SECTION 1: Let
the United States Department Of Defense, through Legislation passed in the
United States Congress and signed into Law, designate three distinct categories
of preferential hiring treatment to be afforded all Veterans from all Eras and
Theaters of War.
Sub-SECTION A: All United States Government Defense Contractors
will be required, by Law, to hire
a Veteran for any job opening that exists within that Contractors Company/Corporation, and for which
the Veteran has only the minimum qualifications, or credentials, for said job opening
Sub-SECTION B: All United States Government
Contractors will be required, by Law, to give
preferential treatment to all Veterans
applying for job openings at the Contractor’s Company/Corporation
even if the Veteran possesses the minimum qualifications, or credentials, for said job opening
Sub-SECTION C: All Companies/Corporations, foreign
and domestic, doing business within the borders of the United States will be
required, by Law, to give preferential treatment
to all Veterans applying for
their job openings given the applicant has the necessary qualifications, or credentials, for said
job opening
SECTION 2: Let
Section 1 and Sub-Sections A-C hold for Service Members with a better than
Dishonorable Discharge.
SECTION 3: This
Bill shall go into effect ninety (90) days after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
VETERANS FEDERAL TAX RELIEF
Committee(s):
____________________________________________
Principal Author(s):
_______________________________________
Bill No.: ___HD-5___
Delegation(s):
____________________________________________
Title of Bill:
Automatic
Tax Relief Schedule for all Veterans
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
the United States Government, the United States Internal Revenue Service, and
the United States Treasury have the authority, if granted by the United States
Congress and signed into Law, to restructure the way in which the Nation treats
its Veterans regarding relief from certain tax obligations, and since there
exists no current structure, or protocol, to address this issue, and since the
United States needs to show more respect and honor to the Nation’s Veterans,
and since granting such relief will help the Nation’s Economy, and since these
actions will help rebuild and recover the Nation’s Middle Class,
SECTION 1: Let
the United States Congress mandate the Internal Revenue Service to enact the
following structure of tax relief for all Veterans regardless of type of
Service, or type of Discharge better than a Dishonorable Discharge.
SECTION 2: Let
the Federal income tax for earned income, above that of compensation and
disability payments from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and
the United States Treasury, be levied as a flat tax, in the following amounts
and percentages:
Sub-SECTION A: $0.00-$40,000.00
taxed at 0%
Sub-SECTION B:
$40,001.00-$80,000.00 taxed at 2%
Sub-SECTION C: $80,001.00-$120,000.00
taxed at 3.5%
Sub-SECTION D: $120,001.00 &
above taxed at 5%
SECTION 3: Let
the Internal Revenue Service allow for all standard deductions and other
standard adjustments to earned income as per normal Federal income tax filing
criteria.
SECTION 4: Let
it be the responsibility of the United States Department of Defense to provide
the Internal Revenue Service with a copy of the Service Member’s Separation
Document DD-214, or equivalent prior to separation from the Service while the
Service Member is attending the thirty (30) day mandatory Transition Program.
SECTION 5: Let
it be the responsibility of the Internal Revenue Service to effect the
Veteran’s tax status immediately upon separation from the Service, with the
documentation mentioned above, only once for the natural lifetime of the
Veteran.
SECTION 6: Let
Sections 1-5 and all Sub-Sections hold for Service Members with a better than
Dishonorable Discharge.
SECTION 7: This
Bill shall go into effect ninety (90) days after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
REFORMATION OF THE UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFIARS
Committee(s):
____________________________________________
Principal Author(s):
_______________________________________
Bill No.: __HD-6__
Delegation(s):
____________________________________________
Title of Bill:
Restructuring
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Be It Enacted By The United States
House Of Representatives
Preamble:
Whereas
the current structure and resultant culture of the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs has become unwieldy to the point of collapse, and since the
current silo structure of service management is failing the very Veterans the
Department of Veterans Affairs claims to serve, and since this silo structure
negatively affects the culture within the Department, and since this culture
creates personnel who are apathetic, condescending, arrogant, and
unprofessional, and since the Department needs to exist to serve our Nation’s
Veterans, and since recent (April, 2014) developments within the Department
point to corruption, abuse of power and, possibly, criminal acts against the
Nation’s Veteran Population,
SECTION 1:
Let the United States Department Of Veterans Affairs be referred,
hereafter, to as the Department.
SECTION 2:
Let the root cause of the Department’s current problems be discovered
and acknowledged as being antiquated, inefficient, and over burdensome.
SECTION 3:
Let there be a full, independent Audit done of the Department’s entirety
by some other entity than the Department’s own Inspector General, as this leads
to a totally corrupted Audit, based on the methods employed in conducting said
Audit. A qualified Auditor from the Private Sector should be contracted to
undertake this Department’s system-wide inspection.
Sub-SECTION A: Let there be an
end to the current pre-audit practice of “cherry-picking” respondents to the auditor’s
inquiry and questions in order to achieve a higher
rating than is actually deserved
SECTION 4:
Let it be known, as a part of Public Record, that any Audit of the
Department, by the Department, is preceded by a vetting process that involves
choosing interviewees on the basis of their positive feedback and answers to
questions that will be asked by the official Audit Team. Anyone who might offer
constructive criticism is locked out of the process by design. This practice
will no longer be tolerated at/in any of the Department’s Facilities for the
purposes of site-wide audit, or any other audit, or accrediting institution.
SECTION 5:
Let the current structure of silo management be abandoned in favor of a
modern product management structure, as is used by every other Medical delivery
system in the Country.
SECTION 6:
Let be upgraded to twenty-first century standards of Medicine and Mental
Health.
SECTION 7:
Let the United States Congress appropriate sufficient funds to upgrade
the Department’s Medical Centers practices and equipment, to include all
diagnostic equipment in every VA Medical Center, and Clinics, nationally.
SECTION 8:
Let the United States Congress appropriate sufficient funds to
modernize/upgrade all Medical and Mental Health protocols at all Medical
Centers, and Clinics, nationwide.
SECTION 9:
Let the United States Congress appropriate sufficient funds to engage
the removal/demolition of all of the Department’s contaminated buildings, and
erect new, modern facilities in their place.
SECTION 10:
Let the Department recognize and acknowledge the gross inadequacy of
parking spaces at the most heavily used Medical Centers, and receive sufficient
funding from the United States Congress to construct appropriate parking
facilities.
SECTION 11:
Let the United states House of Representatives and the United States
Senate include Veterans, from outside Government, on a newly created Veterans
Advisory Board, attached separately, one each, to both the House and Senate
Sub-Committees on Veterans Affairs.
SECTION 12:
Let there be a sufficient number of Veterans, from outside Government,
involved in any Oversight Committee, or Oversight process conducted by the
United States Congress.
SECTION 13:
This Bill shall go into effect ninety-one (91) days after passage.
Changing the Department of Veterans Affairs Structure and Culture to enable the timely and efficient delivery of services to its clientele.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hutchinson
Dubosque, Jr.
10
Woolsey St., Huntington, NY 11743-2641
(631)
470-0958 / (631) 223-6107
hutch.dubosque@live.com
B.A./Communications – Hofstra
University
A.A.S./Energy Technology – NYIT
Manufacturing Engineer/Mechanic – 40
yrs.
Vice
President / PTSD Veterans Association of Northport, Inc.
PO
Box 194, Northport, NY 11768
(631)
223-6107
ptsdalumni@yahoo.com
www.ptsdveternasassociation.com
Organization Memberships:
DAV, VVA, VFW, IAVA, American Legion
Soldiers Project, Concerned Veterans
for America, Wounded
Warrior Project, Military Order of the
Purple Heart, 27th Inf. Reg.
Hist. Society, 25th Inf. Div. Hist.
Society, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund,
Long Island Veterans Initiative, PTSD
Alumni Association/Northport,
U.S. Navy Memorial, National Society of
Political Science, U.S. House Veterans Affairs Council
Military
Vietnam
Veteran, 1967 – 1970; 1 year in Vietnam, 25th Inf. Div., 27th Inf. Reg., 1st
Bat., Combat Infantry Medic, 1 ½
years in Germany, Nike-Hercules Missile Batteries
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