Preventing Vet Homelessness And Suicide Top Biden's State Of The Union 'Unity Agenda'
President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to do more to prevent veteran homelessness and curtail suicide while improving mental health support for veterans.
Biden To Call For More Support For Homeless Vets In State Of The Union
President Joe Biden will call for more resources to prevent veteran's suicides and more financial assistance for veterans in danger of losing their homes as part of a call for a broad investment in federal support services as part of tonight’s State of the Union address.
Space Forces Vows 'Above And Beyond' Cleanup Of Maui Spill
The Space Force said a power surge during a lightning storm likely caused a mechanical issue that allowed about 700 gallons (2,750 liters) of diesel fuel to spill last week at the environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit of Haleakala mountain on Hawaii’s Maui Island.
Shortly Approaching Expiration: AFSA 2023 Total Force Survey!
The Total Force 2023 survey will expire soon on the HQAFSA.org website, just in case you missed it or haven't caught up. Please take the time to complete the survey so that our Military and Government Relations Team can best assist you. The survey this year is thorough and covers a variety of vital subjects for our members, such as an Active Component, Reserve Component, and more! Have any inquiries? Contact our M&G team by sending an email to milgov3@hqafsa.org.
IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: VA Offers $30M In Grant Funding To Assist Formerly Homeless Veterans
By: VA Office Of Public Affairs | VA.Gov
As a part of ongoing efforts to prevent and end Veteran homelessness, the Department of Veterans Affairs is announcing $30 million in grant funding for organizations to help formerly homeless Veterans maintain their independence and housing stability.
This funding opportunity will give organizations the funding they need to hire case managers, who will help Veterans search for, obtain, and successfully transition to permanent housing; troubleshoot challenges and barriers to maintaining permanent housing; connect with services to address issues such as poor credit history, rent arrears, and legal issues; and more.
VA anticipates awarding 100 Case Management Grants for up to $300,000 each to support approximately 150 case manager positions nationwide. Awards will fund two years of operations, starting on Oct. 1, 2023, and ending Sept. 30, 2025. The funds are available through VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.
Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of VA and the entire Biden Administration. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and 55.3% since 2010. Additionally, during 2022, VA placed more than 40,000 homeless Veterans into permanent housing — exceeding VA’s goal by more than 6%. In late 2022, the Biden Administration released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which lays out the goal of reducing homelessness for all Americans by 25% by 2025.
“For many Veterans experiencing homelessness, moving into permanent housing is the first step toward the stability and independence they deserve,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “But our work doesn’t stop there — these case managers help ensure that once Veterans become housed, they get the resources they need to stay housed.”
VA’s efforts to combat Veteran homelessness are grounded in reaching out to homeless Veterans, understanding their unique needs, and addressing them. These efforts are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed — including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more.
Eligible entities, as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, may apply for these Case Management Grants. Grant applications must be received by the GPD Program Office by 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 4, 2023. View theNOFO and learn more about GPD or email GPDGrants@va.gov.
If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
Several historic events occurred on Tuesday, the first day the 118th Congress met. Despite being a long list, these legislation addresses a larger variety of public policy objectives that fall under the purview of the seven main emphasis groups of our legislative platform. The bills are currently being introduced, and AFSA is striving to provide more details on the following:
H.R.254 – To amend title 10 United States Code, to improve the administration of the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
H.R.236 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as “Battle Buddy Check Week” for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sheila Lee Jackson [D-TX-18]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.234 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a burial allowance for certain veterans who die at home while in receipt of hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sponsor: Jack Bergman [R-MI-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.228 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to include a single comprehensive disability examination as part of the required Department of Defense physical examination for separating members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.226 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to promote and encourage collaboration between the Department of Veterans Affairs and nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning that provide administrative assistance to veterans.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.221 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade schools.
Sponsor: Robert J. Wittman [R-VA-1]
Committees – Education and Labor
H.R.214 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide eligibility for TRICARE selected for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Gregory W. Steube [R-FL-17]
Committees – House Armed Services, House Veterans Affairs
H.R.196 – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modify the information technology systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide for the automatic processing of claims for certain temporary disability ratings, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. [R-MT-2]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.129 – To require the Secretary of Defense to ensure drop boxes are maintained on military installations for the deposit of unused prescription drugs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Vern Buchanan [R-FL-16]
Committees – House Armed Services
H.R.105 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.104 – To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to formally recognize caregivers of veterans, notify veterans and caregivers of clinical determinations relating to eligibility for caregiver programs, temporarily extend benefits for veterans who are determined ineligible for the family caregiver program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Andy Biggs [R-AZ-5]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
H.R.41 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the timely scheduling of appointments for health care at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: James R. Baird [R-IN-4]
Committees – House Veterans Affairs
If you have any additional questions on this specific issue, please e-mail our Military and Government Relations team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.
This edition features Port Mortuary and America’s Missing Heroes, Living with Bipolar Disorder in the Military, Fly-By Wire Defense and AFSA’s American Award Recipient – Don Ward. Read, download, print and share: https://www.hqafsa.org/fallmagazine.html
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Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.
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Please Update Your Contact Information Today!
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In sum, President Joe Biden promoted veterans' problems as part of his annual State of the Union address, in which he again argued with Republicans over domestic policy but urged Democrats and Republicans to work together to build on last year's bipartisan victories. Veteran concerns were highlighted for the second time in as many State of the Union speeches by Biden, who has raised them in front of millions of Americans.
In his speech from the previous year, Biden urged Congress to assist veterans who were afflicted with ailments brought on by toxic exposures they had while serving in the military. The bipartisan passage of the PACT Act, the largest extension of veterans benefits in a generation, was made possible by the drive for legislation that aimed to provide health care for more veterans.
In addition, the veterans' initiatives build on the request made in the national address last year for enhanced benefits for people who were exposed to hazardous smoke from burn pits used in the battle zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. The culmination of that effort was the passage last summer of comprehensive veterans legislation that may benefit as many as one in every five veterans currently residing in America. The new veteran assistance initiatives, according to Christen Linke Young, White House deputy assistant for health and veterans affairs, are intended to build on that success.
According to White House sources, Biden would ask Congress to "guarantee that every veteran has a roof over their head" as part of the presidential budget for fiscal 2024, which will be published early next month.
Between the beginning of 2020 and the beginning of 2022, the percentage of veterans who were homeless decreased by more than 11%. Federal officials continue to believe that 33,000 veterans nationwide do not have access to safe lodging on any given night.
Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs have noted comparable advancement in the fight against suicide, which claims the lives of around 17 veterans every day across America.
And lastly, the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, announced that measures will be taken to determine the extent of the contamination. Mastalir claimed that it is currently impossible to determine how deeply the diesel fuel has sunk into the earth.
The spill happened at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex, which is located 10,023 feet (3,055 meters) above sea level at the top of the Hakeakala volcano. The location houses the largest optical telescope used by the military for tracking satellites.
The Maui News reported that Mastalir announced at a news conference on Monday that a pump that distributes gasoline to a backup generator from a storage tank failed to shut off during a lightning storm on Jan. 29. To alert authorities to a probable fuel overflow, an alarm ought to have gone off, but it didn't.
And that's the way it is for Thursday, February 9, 2023.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
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