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LAWMAKERS LAUD DIRECTION OF WASHINGTON
STATE VETS' AGENCY -- Has started several new
programs this year, including meeting all
injured
Fort Lewis-based soldiers as they leave
military service.
Story here...
http://www.theolympian
.com/stateworkers/story/231538.html
Story below:
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Lawmakers laud direction of vets agency
Adam Wilson
The Olympian
The Department of Veterans Affairs has started several new programs this
year, including meeting all injured Fort Lewis-based soldiers as they
leave military service.
The Olympian - Click Here
"In the face of the country being at war, and so many people returning
as vets, it's difficult for a person like me to say things are going
well," agency director John Lee said.
Lawmakers, however, were complimentary of the department's efforts to
implement programs they funded in recent years. The House State
Government Committee asked for an update from Lee on Friday.
"I think he's doing a good job, and we wanted to give him a chance to
toot his horn," said committee chairman Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia.
Among the department's new programs:
• More services to veterans returning from active combat.
• A Veterans Conservation Corps program
• An additional state Veterans Cemetery
• A registry of veteran-owned businesses
The Veterans Innovations program aimed at returnees includes two $1
million funds. One assists veterans' families in times of financial
hardship with a $1,000 grant, and the other offers competitive grants
intended to help veterans find jobs.
Spurred by reports of dismal conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center, Lee said the agency also has established a program with Madigan
Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis.
"I began to think about what we as a state agency were doing at Fort
Lewis. And the answer, quite frankly, was not much," Lee said.
Although the government offers "unbelievable" support for severely
injured soldiers, there's far less support for those who leave service
with less critical injuries, he added. The agency began a new program to
monitor those injured soldiers and assist them.
"I have got two full-time staff assigned to Fort Lewis, and we will have
personal, face-to-face conversations with each man and woman as they
leave Fort Lewis in perpetuity," Lee said. "I want to do the same thing
with the Navy."
The Veterans Conservation Corps, intended to help veterans with stress
and mental health issues, has enrolled 300 people, according to the
department. And construction on the Eastern Washington State Veteran's
Cemetery, approved this year, is scheduled to begin in November of 2008.
A bill passed this year calls for a registry of veteran-owned
businesses. It will be posted on the agency's Web site by the end of the
month, Lee said.
Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, said the agency's report seemed to show
it was making good use of the new money it has been given.
"There's always a concern about the accountability," Chandler said. "In
the review, the agency seems to have been very sensitive to that."
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Larry Scott --
