Emergent Populations with Disability: Veterans and Returning Veterans

1
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• Dr. Lynda Davis
• Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Military
  Personnel Policy
• and
• DOD Lead for Reform of Case/Care Management

2
Veterans and Service Members

• VA
• 23.8 million living Veterans
• 2.9 million Veterans receiving VA disability
  compensation
• DOD
• 32,135 service members injured in OEF/OIF
• 13,951 serious or severely injured service members

3
DoD/VA Care Coordination

• Recovery Coordinator single ultimate resource
  with oversight to assist with delivery of right
  care, by the right person, at the right time and
  right place through execution of Recovery Plan
• Recovery Plan comprehensive life map to
  identify goals and support transitions of care
  across settings and providers with inter-agency,
  inter-governmental, public/private
  services/resources
• National Resource Directory federal/state/local
  resources as well as non-profits providing
  assistance with financial, medical devices,
  housing, etc.

4
Challenges to DoD/VA Care Coordination

• Setting life goals
• Identifying services/resources
• Ensuring access

5
Challenges for Education, Training and Employment

• Identifying options for goal setting
• Unable to picture future
• Identifying behavioral health and assistive
  services
• Lack of caregiver respite care support
• Identifying rehabilitation services
• Mobility limitations

6
DoD/VA Education, Training and Employment Services

• Transition Assistance
• Offices on most DoD installations assists with
  job searches, career decisions, labor market
  conditions, resume and cover letter writing,
  interviewing techniques
• DoD/DoL partnership for Transition Assistance
  Program manual assists with reviewing job offers,
  determining strengths and skills
• Disabled Transition Assistance Program
• DoD/VA partnership affords disabled service
  members access to Vocational Rehabilitation
  Employment at an early point of transition

7
DoD/VA Education, Training and Employment Services

• Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program
• Provides needs assessments, training throughout
  all phases of recovery and transition to
  employment
• Provides funding for employers for equipment for
  people with disabilities
• VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
  (VRE)
• Delivers timely, effective vocational
  rehabilitation services to veterans with
  service-connected disabilities
• Partners with state employment and training
  services

8
Input for a Coordinated Federal Research Agenda

• What medical/non-medical challenges do service
  members/veterans face when setting life goals for
  education, training and employment?
• What services/resources are most effective in
  supporting education, training and employment
  goals?
• What barriers exist to access of existing
  services/resources?

9
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• Susan Prokop,
• Associate Advocacy Director
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
• Susanp_at_pva.org

10
Paralyzed Veterans of America

• Veteran Service Organization
• Veterans with SCI or SCD
• Government Relations
• VBD National Service Officers
• Sports
• Research
• Architecture

11
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• 1636 Plymouth Colony provides money to
  defenders injured in fights against Indians
• 1918 Soldiers Rehabilitation Act passed for WWI
  vets with disabilities expanded to general
  public in 1920 precursor to Rehab Act

12
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• Panel purpose policy research trends in
  federal government addressing employment and
  recovery needs of service-members w/
  disabilities, including veterans of Iraq and
  Afghanistan

13
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• Veterans with disabilities are people with
  disabilities too operating in two worlds
• The VA system and its policies
• Programs and policies for all people with
  disabilities

14
SSA Beneficiaries by VA Compensation or Pension

• 401,000 SC-veterans lt65 rated 70-100
• 1,474,000 SC-veterans lt 65 rated lt70
• 154,000 NSC-veterans lt 65
• SSA 2007 Ann. Stat. Supp

15
Veterans on Social Security

• Compensation SSDI
• Compensation SSDI-eligible
• SSDI
• SSDI-eligible
• VA Pension SSDI
• Childhood Disability Beneficiary

16
Veterans and Social Security

• Claims processing delays
• 54 of 100 SC-vets on SSDI
• VA Pension Cash Cliff interference with SSA work
  incentives

17
Veterans in the Labor Force

• 2,647,000 veterans with SC-disability --
  1,371,000 not in the labor force (52)
• 665,000 veterans with SC-disability 60 --
  484,000 not in the labor force (73)
• USBLS 2007

18
Veterans in the Labor Force

• Gulf War Era veterans 711,000 with
  SC-disability 130,000 not in the labor force
  (18)
• 136,000 with SC-disability rating 60 61,000
  not in labove force (45)
• USBLS 2007

19
Veterans not in the Labor Force

• s of veterans with severest disabilities not in
  labor force
• all SC-veterans rated 60 73
• Gulf War SC-veterans rated 60 45
• Non-service-connected veterans not tracked

20
What do veterans w/ disabilities have that other
PWD dont?

• Service-connected vets
• Disability compensation and health care
  unaffected by earnings
• Non-means-tested home and vehicle modification
  grants
• Non-SC vets
• Health care some cost sharing
• More modest home and vehicle modification grants

21
Three questions

• What changes in SSA disability process should be
  made to assure all veterans with disabilities get
  the supports theyve earned?
• Like the VA pension cash cliff and Social
  Security work incentives, what other federal
  return to work disability policies hinder or
  ignore veterans with disabilities?
• Do VA benefits for veterans with severe
  disabilities both SC non-SC have any impact
  on their workforce participation compared to
  similar populations of non-veterans with
  disabilities?

22
Emergent Populations with Disability Veterans
and Returning Veterans

• Sunil K Sen-Gupta PhD., MPH
• Scientific Program Manager
• Office of Research and Development

23
Research Priorities of VA Office of Research and
Development

• Geriatrics
• Chronic illnesses
• Substance Abuse
• Access to Care
• Women's Health
• Suicide
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• PTSD