Veteran Care and Services

The public services and care being provided to our veteran citizens are rapidly changing due to the increasing number of veterans that live in our cities. There are more veteran citizens now living in America than ever before, and the veteran population is becoming ever more diverse. For this reason, cities throughout our nation are expanding their public services in scope and scale, as well as enhancing the quality of existing services. This volume documents these rapid developments in order to help our veteran citizens and supporting communities understand the evolving, dynamic, and innovative services and care that are increasingly available to them.

Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Ph.D., is vice provost for global affairs as well as chair and Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He founded GGU’s law enforcement and security program and is a San Francisco advocate for the safety and security of Filipino American kids and their families.

Mickey P. McGee, DPA, is professor of public administration and director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program at Golden Gate University. He co-developed GGU’s Urban Innovations Program including the course, Inclusion, Diversion, Equity, and Accessibility. He has consulted for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International City/County Management Association.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Edited by Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Mickey P. McGee and Roger L. Kemp

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 319
Bibliographic Info: appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7326-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3857-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1

Part I: Introduction
A. Governments
1. The GI Bill of Rights: History and Timeline (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 7
2. Mission and History of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 10
3. City Veteran Services (Department of Veterans’ Services, City of Cambridge, Massachusetts) 15
4. The Local Government Community Supports Veterans (Samantha Wagner) 20
5. Helping Veterans Helps Communities Jonn Melrose 22
B. Nonprofits
6. Veterans, Youth, Defense, Americanism, Communities (The American Legion) 25
7. Want to Support Veterans? Four Tips for Finding Good Charities (Brian Mittendorf) 30
8. From Its Counterculture Roots, Haight Ashbury Free Clinic Morphs (Laurie Udesky 33
9. Sometimes the Best Medicine for a Veteran Is the Company of Another Veteran (Elisa Borah 36
10. Collaborating at the Local Level to Serve Veterans and Their Families (Sidney Gardner and Larisa Owen) 39

Part II. Services, Innovations and Challenges
A. Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
11. Military Transitioning: U.S. Coast Guard Service Member Preparation for Civilian Employment (Glenn J. Galman) 45
12. Military Friendly Universities and Helping Veterans Succeed Academically (Silvana Giacalone and Mickey P. McGee) 50
13. From Military Service to Public Service Through GI Bill (Roger L. Kemp) 54
14. Military Lessons Applied to Private Sector Consultancy Work (Terry Curl) 58
15. The Emotional Challenges of Student Veterans on Campus (Ann Cheney) 64
16. Veterans Legal Advocacy and Law Schools (Daniel Devoy) 67
17. Veterans Guide to Finding a Job in Local Government: (An Excerpt Members of the ICMA Veterans Task Force) 70
18. Veteran Profile: Clint Holmes (Samantha Wagner) 75
19. Breaking Down Their Own Stereotypes to Give Veterans More Career Opportunities (Eileen Trauth) 78
20. The Preferred Class? Veterans in the Workforce (Jeffrey R. Zimmerman) 81
21. U.S. Civil Service’s Preference for Hiring Military Vets Comes at a Hidden Cost (Gregory B. Lewis) 83

B. Health and Wellness
22. Veterans and Medical Care (Willie L. Britt) 86
23. Veterans and Chiropractic Care (Willie L. Britt) 92
24. A VA Hospital You May Not Know (Sanjay Saint) 99
25. Caring for Veterans: A Privilege and a Duty (Sanjay Saint) 101
26. Military Veterans Battling Substance Abuse Helped by Addressing Addictions Together (Katherine Albertson) 104
27. Fix for VA Health Snarls Veterans and Doctors in New Bureaucracy (Quil Lawrence, Eric Whitney and Michael Tomsic) 107
28. Health Care Battle on Hill Has Veterans Defending Obamacare Benefits (Stephanie ­O’Neill) 110
29. McCain’s Complicated Health Care Legacy: He Hated the ACA. He Also Saved It (Emmarie Huetteman) 112
30. VA Adding Opioid Antidote to Defibrillator Cabinets for Quicker Overdose Response (Martha Bebinger) 115
31. VA Shifts to Clinical Pharmacists to Help Ease Patients’ Long Waits (Phil Galewitz )117
32. Vietnam Veteran Who Died of Hepatitis Added to Memorial Wall (Michelle Andrews) 120

C. Housing and Homelessness
33. Ensuring All Veterans Have Safe Housing Requires All Hands on Deck (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 122
34. VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 125
35. Ending Veteran Homelessness (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 128
36. Monterey Programs Focused on Supporting Homeless Veterans and Their Families (Kurt Schake and Mickey P. McGee) 135
37. Veteran Homelessness in Monterey County (William Bare and Mickey P. McGee) 138
38. An Assessment of Homeless Veteran Programs in Sacramento County (Benedict Serafica and Mickey P. McGee) 142
39. A Place to Call Home for U.S. Veterans in Rancho Cordova, CA (Samantha Wagner) 146
40. Three Ways This State Is Housing All Homeless Veterans (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 149
41. Homeless Vets with Families: An Untold Part of Veterans’ Struggles (Roya ­Ijadi-Maghsoodi) 152
42. “They Deserve It”: In Foster Homes, Veterans Are Cared for Like Family (Patricia Kime) 155
43. At Some Veterans Homes, ­Aid-in-Dying Is Not an Option (JoNel Aleccia) 158
44. Supporting Our Veterans Isn’t Just the Right Thing, It’s the Smart Thing (Elisha ­Harig-Blaine) 161

D. Women, Minorities and Immigrants
45. Minority Veteran Services and Outreach (Barbara Ward) 164
46. Homeless Women Veterans (Alexandra Logsdon and Kayla M. Williams) 168
47. Veteran, Minority, Woman and Homeless (Ginger Miller) 173
48. After Sexual Trauma, Soldiers Search for Better Care, Peace (Caitlin Cruz and Asha Anchan) 177
49. Years After Silently Combating Sexual Trauma, Female Veterans Seek Help (Anna Casey) 181
50. African American GIs of World War II: Fighting for Democracy Abroad and at Home (Maria Höhn) 184
51. Dallas and Baton Rouge Shooters: A Reminder of the Troubled History of Black Veterans in America (Chad Williams) 187
52. Promises Made and Promises Broken (Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III) 190
53. Advocacy and Actions for World War II Immigrant Veterans (Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III) 195
54. Veterans Equity Center (Luisa M. Antonio) 199
55. Veterans Day Offers Opportunity to Honor Service of Immigrants in the Military (Grant Rissler) 203

E. PTSD and Marijuana
56. PTSD Basics (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 205
57. Understanding PTSD: A Guide for Family and Friends (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 209
58. PTSD and DSM-5: Provider Version (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 214
59. Military Health System’s Care for PTSD, Depression Falls Short, Report Finds (Shefali Luthra) 217
60. Reverberations from War Complicate Vietnam Veterans’ ­End-of-Life Care (April Dembosky ) 220
61. Purple Heart or Scarlet Letter: ­PTSD-Stigmatization of War Veterans (Rachel Robinson) 223
62. A Therapeutic Photography Program to Enhance PTSD Mental Health Services (Jeanne DeLaney and Mickey P. McGee) 225
63. To Treat Pain, PTSD and Other Ills, Tennessee Vets Try (Tai Chi Blake Farmer) 229
64. Marijuana Use and PTSD Among Veterans (Marcel O. ­Bonn-Miller and Glenna S. Rousseau) 231
65. VA and Marijuana—What Veterans Need to Know (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 235
66. VA Clears the Air on Talking to Patients About Marijuana Use (Michelle Andrews) 239

Part III. The Future
67. Veterans Have Fought in Wars—And Fought Against Them (Michael Messner) 243
68. What Is Moral Injury in Veterans? (Holly Arrow and William M. Schumacher) 245
69. Veteran Teaches Therapists How to Talk About Gun Safety When Suicide’s a Risk (April Dembosky) 248
70. Why Privatizing the VA Or Other Essential Health Services Is a Bad Idea (Sebastian Jilke and Wouter Van Dooren) 251
71. Veterans and the California Courts (Ruth Astle Samas) 254
72. Evaluation Principles for ­Veteran-Serving Agencies and Veterans Treatment Courts (Sidney Gardner and Larisa Owen) 257
73. Preventing Burnout Among Veterans Affairs Social Workers and Mental Health Providers: A Case Study (Kira Serna and Mickey P. McGee) 259
74. World War II in the Philippines in California’s History Curriculum (Cecilia I. Gaerlan) 263

Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary of U.S. Veteran Care and Services Terms and Acronyms (Barbara Ward and Alan Roper) 269
Appendix B: New York City Veterans Advisory Board ­By-Laws: Draft 283
Appendix C: City of Worcester Veterans’ Services Veterans’ Services Division, City of Worcester, Massachusetts 288
Appendix D: Nevada State Veteran’s Benefits & Discounts State of Nevada 291
Appendix E: City of Vallejo Proclamation, October 22, 2013, Proclaiming Veterans Day 11/11/13 to 11/11/14 As “Vietnam War Veterans Year of Commemoration” and Welcome 296
About the Contributors 299
Index 303

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