Veterans benefits have big impact

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By Sam McVay

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Regarding your Nov. 27 editorial, "Deserving vets still at war -- with red tape," it is clear that I have not done my job in providing adequate information for you, and I would like to do so now.

A month or so before moving to my current job a year ago, I learned from the director of Veterans Affairs in Wisconsin that Missouri was ranked 40th or below in the per-capita federal Veterans Administration funds coming into our state. This fact was confirmed soon after relocating to Jefferson City, and I set about the business of trying to understand why.

It is important to point out that Oklahoma and Arkansas are first and third respectively in the largest cash program of the VA veterans compensation benefits. This benefit is simply one that veterans earn by virtue of having lost all or part of their health as a consequence of their military service. This is comparable to an injury or loss of health a civilian might sustain while in the employ of any civilian employer.

Several months were devoted to data analysis, surveying other states and consultation with top national leaders in veterans affairs. We know the county location, age, sex and military period of our Missouri veterans. It is clear that there is every reason to believe that the distribution of veterans eligible for compensation should be randomly distributed across the nation and that they have not simply chosen to live in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Therefore, we have computed the differences in the number of veterans on compensation in Oklahoma and compared that to Missouri to estimate the number of eligible veterans who are failing to receive their earned benefit in our state.

There are about 7.5 percent of our veterans on compensation compared with 14.65 percent in Oklahoma. We have approximately 42,000 veterans on compensation with another 32,000 who are not. If these additional veterans were receiving their earned benefits, there would be an inflow of over $350, million additional federal dollars into the state. Someone recently observed that if we had a corporation proposing to relocate here with a $350 million payroll, we would give it tax breaks and generally do anything within our power to bring it to the state. So if you don't care about veterans getting their benefits, work the issue as an economic-development project.

It seems indefensible to me to ignore this issue, and we have been about the business of organizing a statewide effort to create top-of-mind awareness at the grass roots of each community concerning this issue. It would seem that the difference between Missouri and Oklahoma is that the local communities are saturated with veterans awareness, support and concern.

Last Monday, with no budget, the Veterans Benefits Awareness Task Force was rolled out with four task groups. Group 1 is developing messages that will communicate effectively with all veterans, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity and geographic location. Group 2 is developing the methods of delivering the messages, incorporating existing organizational resources (newsletters, mass mailings) and traditional media. Group 3 is preparing to facilitate the applications that are filed, and Group 4 is developing a plan to raise private donations from large corporate entities that would like to be associated with veterans causes.

You are very correct in pointing out the frustration of red tape. Let me put that in context. There is an estimated 660,000 VA claims at this hour across the nation awaiting processing, with about 14,000 of those in Missouri. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tony Principi has made it his highest priority to cut this backlog. I am told that he has advised his senior staff at regional centers that they will reduce this backlog to 250,000 in 18 months or put at risk their continued employment. He is drop-dead serious, but the task is awesome when one considers that there has been an exit of the senior staff recently and a subsequent hiring of new people who, I am told, need a couple of years to get proficient at claims processing. We have zero influence in this matter and are at the mercy of the veterans-benefits staff. The good news is that the same day I move to Jefferson City a new man became director of the St. Louis veterans benefits office. He comes to us from Oklahoma where he has been one of the primary influences over the last 30 years.

Let me end this epistle by saying I hope I have illuminated this issue somewhat. My hope is that the Southeast Missourian will get on fire about this issue and commit a significant portion of its public affairs space to it. Another piece of good news is that U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's district is the highest per-capita VA compensation district in the state.

Sam McVay, former administrator of the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, is the executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission.