The Resources Available to Help Central Mass.Veterans

Monday, May 28, 2012

Sandy Meindersma, GoLocalWorcester Reporter

Military veterans who need some form of help have plenty of resources, but connecting the veterans to their benefits can be difficult.

Coleman Nee, State Secretary of Veterans Services, said veterans from World War II and Korea need different services than those just returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We have services and benefits available like long term care assistance, that some of the older vets never knew about,” Nee said. “And there are financial and medical benefits, called Chapter 115 benefits that are available from each community’s Veterans’ Service Office.”

A new website, www.massvetsadvisor.org, is designed to connect veterans with more than 200 different state and federal programs, including housing, counseling, education, employment, financial assistance and health care. Other agencies who provide services to veterans are also included on the site.

Services for veterans are also provided in each community by a local veterans’ agent, and here in Worcester through Veterans Inc., a Worcester based non-profit organization that started 20 years ago as a homeless shelter with nine beds.

Since then, Veterans Inc. has grown into the largest non-governmental provider of services to veterans in New England, with housing for more than 200 veterans, case management, job training, a day care for shelter residents and community veterans, and a food bank that operates twice a month.

Welcome Home Bonus

Veterans are eligible for a $1,000 Welcome Home Bonus after their first deployment in either Iraq or Afghanistan, and $500 for each subsequent deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The bonus is awarded tax free, and there is no time restriction by which veterans must apply to receive the bonus.

Local Benefits

Local veterans’ agents provide money and services to veterans with little or no income. Municipal funds are budgeted and used to cover the expenses, which are then reimbursed by the state at a rate of 75 percent.

Karen Greenwood, Worcester’s agent, said she typically sees veterans whose unemployment assistance has run out, or who are waiting for a settlement from the VA or social security.

“We used to see a lot of apartment dwellers,” Greenwood said. “Now we’re seeing homeowners in their fifties who have been laid off and can’t collect social security yet. Every case is different.”

Career Assistance

For veterans who are just coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, finding work is often a challenge.

Bill Ryan, a career counselor at the Worcester One-Stop Career Center who works exclusively with veterans, said they get preference in all classes.

“We treat them with kid gloves and roll out the red carpet from them,” he said. “They’re great employees, and we work hard to find a good match for the employer and the employee. We get them well prepared.”

Veterans Inc. also provides job training services, both for their residents, as well as for veterans in the community. Classes include computer training, home health care aide training,

As one of the few shelters in the state for women veterans and their children, Veterans Inc. now also runs a day care center, called “Little Patriots.”

Amanda Riik, director of media communications for Veterans Inc. said that daycare issues are often an issue for female veterans looking work. "It's definitely a needed service."

Housing

Homelessness is a big issue for veterans of all demographics, and veterans are more likely to be homeless than non-veterans. Nee said the state has reduced the number of homeless veterans on the streets in Massachusetts by 21 percent in the last year, when the national average improvement was only 10 percent.

“We were finding that soldiers were just bouncing from one shelter to another,” Nee said. “We’ve established a new program, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, and it combines a housing voucher with a case manager."

Case Management Provides Direction

“We know that people don’t become homeless overnight,” Nee said. “And the benefits of this program are numerous. We’re housing homeless vets, and we’re putting them on track for better outcomes.”

Nee said case managers help with paperwork, setting appointments and provide support to the veterans.

Case managers also work to identify susbtance abuse issues and counseling needs. "Substance abuse is usually related to a soldier's difficulty in reconciling his military experiences with civilian life," Nee said.

Veterans Inc. also provides its residents with a case manager to help them get back on their feet and access the services they need.