by Larry Nazimek 

On Veterans Day, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez held a convening and press conference at the Veterans Art Museum. I was invited on behalf of CVO, as were representatives of several other groups.

She began by informing us that H. R. 1767 (Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act) that she had introduced and was passed by the House, is not going anywhere in the Senate, as she was told to water it down to the point where it lost its purpose.

At the round table discussion, I mentioned the need for VA dental care, suggesting that veterans deserve care at least as good as that given to undocumented migrants through County Care. She was appalled when I said that there were only 68 co-sponsors for H. R. 2413.

The budgeting crisis was brought up. I stated that the VA should be financed under “mandatory funding” (exempt from the annual budgeting process), one of the founding objectives of CVO. She asked what that meant, since this has not been discussed for many years.

This was followed by a press conference. In her remarks, Cong. Ramirez specifically mentioned the need for VA dental care. She focused on veteran homelessness and how she was getting the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County an office in River Grove.

At this event, I met Brandon Jagers, a VSO under the IDVA. His office is at the Veterans Home in Chicago, but he will help veterans regardless of where they are. CVO frequently gets requests for help from veterans (and their care givers) from all over the U. S., so we will now be referring them to him when appropriate.

Afterward, I was contacted by Rogelio Elizondo, a Marine Corps vet who is handling military/veteran issues at Cong. Ramirez’s Office, to set up a meeting. At our Teams meeting, I explained in detail the dental issue, mandatory funding, and others, followed by emails providing additional information, including our Veterans Affairs Committee Report, so that they will get an update on the legislation that we are supporting (or not).

We discussed copays, and I emailed him our Point Paper on VA Copays that includes a discussion of the Means Test.

At the Veterans Day event, there was a lot of emphasis on suicides and homelessness. A lot of this, however, is related to unemployment. I mentioned that there are human rights ordinances on the state, county, and local levels that prohibit, among other things, discrimination on account of one’s discharge status. Unfortunately, while prohibitions against discrimination on account of one’s ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc. are enforced, we don’t see enforcement on account of one’s discharge status, so discrimination persists.

There are programs for preparing incarcerated individuals who are close to being released, for their transition to the outside world, including assistance in finding jobs. There is, however no program for those leaving the military with bad discharge characterizations. With unemployment comes homelessness, hopelessness, and possibly suicide.

Regarding employment, there are many job fairs, but while these are great for those who simply want “a job,” (like when you were in high school looking for your first job), and for some others whose interests and skills may be sought by employers, they do little for those with special skills and experience who are looking for work in those fields. Helicopter pilots, for example, will not find jobs at these job fairs. The Illinois Dept. of Employment Security (unemployment office) has lists of openings, but like the job fairs, they will be of little use to many veterans with special skills, experience, and interests. We will maintain the lines of communication with the hope of improving the lives of veterans.