Item F13
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: November 17.2004
Division:
County Administrator
Bulk Item: Yes -.L No
Department: Veterans Affairs
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to hire Veterans Service Counselor in Key West office
and approval to fund from General Fund contingency fund.
ITEM BACKGROUND: In 2003, the Department did not fill a vacancy due to an Administrator
Veterans Service resignation and have attempted to cover the work load at a reduced staff level.
An additional position is requested to handle the increased work load. The Veterans Service
Counselor position is a lower level position (Grade 8) than was closed in 2003 (Grade 10).
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval
TOTAL COST: Salary $33,496 + benefits
BUDGETED: Yes
No X_
COST TO COUNTY: $33,496 + benefits
SOURCE OF FUNDS: Ad Valorem
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No X
AMOUNTPERMONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty _
OMBlPurchasing ----X- Risk Management _
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James L. Roberts
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
DOCUMENTATION:
Included X-
To Follow_
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM # F 13
Revised 2/27/01
2005 Veterans Counselor Position - Urgent Plea
To: The Board of County Commission
From: Charles L. Ingraham, Veterans Affairs Director
In 2003, the Veterans Affairs Department had one additional position (see
Position Detail), an Administrator Veterans Services, VAVAo07, @ $44,156.00
(not stacked). The position was held by Sally M. Ferland. Mrs. Ferland was
working out of the Marathon Office. Upon her resignation, in an effort to save
the County money, I elected to transfer James Timony to that position. His
position in Key West was not filled.
I have tried since then to handle the work load of this department, namely the
Key West office with the remaining staff. This has proven to be nearly impossible
and overwhelming. The work load for this type of department does not decrease,
but rather increases, especially with the many changes inspired by the Federal
Government and current military operations internationally.
With the recently implemented Benefits Before Delivery Program we are seeing
an easy increase of about 20% in recently discharged veterans and/or retirees
initiating disability claims with our department.
We are experiencing a steady increase on daily walk-in's assisting homeless and
indigent veterans due to the warm client and abundant services available to the
these veterans. Of course, the departure of the Veterans Homeless Outreach
Coordinator is also presenting our department with an influx of homeless and
indigent veterans.
Historically, one member of this department would conduct Field Visits and
Homeless Outreach. Now, that I am the only Counselor in the office, that
invaluable service has all but been suspended. It is virtually impossible for the
severely disabled veterans to come into the office to seek assistance. Those that
are mentally or physically impaired would be seen in their home. The homeless
and indigent are no longer visited in their environments. The only contact or
visitation these veterans would receive would be by our office. These Field Visits
and Homeless Outreach services are no longer rendered.
In the winter months, the "snowbirds" come to live in the Keys. Among those
Snowbirds are retirees, and veterans that seek our office out for assistance. They
are clients that have either been assisted by us for years or they have been told
about our department and seek out our assistance. From year to year we see
about a 15 to 20% increase in those clients.
Walk-in and telephone clients continue to be a large client base. Most of these
clients are gathering information BEFORE filing a claim, but some also are
needing other veterans services such as information on home loans, GI
Bill/Education information, health care benefits, death benefits, and research of
their service records and service medical records. Since we can no longer provide
outreach services, the number of walk-in's are steadily increasing. Now with the
access to the internet we are also providing assistance via email.Mainly. at this
time, we are providing basic information as listed above.
Millennium Emergency Health Care Act: This is a program assists all qualifying
veterans in payment of their Emergency Health Care invoices for emergency
medical treatment they received. As word of this benefit spread in the last two
years, we have seen an influx of veterans applying for this benefit. The Key West
Office assists 3-5 veterans a week in the time consuming task of gathering all
medical records, proper medical invoices, and itemized billing for each health
care provider for each veteran. The claims once compiled are sent via Key West
VA Shuttle to the Miami VA Hospital for processing. Once the VA receives the
claim, our department serves as a Liaison between the Veteran and the VA in
getting these claims paid.
Since January 2004, solely, I have seen 122 new clients, this does not include the
clients that have not been put into the database nor does it include our "regulars".
We have an average of 8 to 10 regulars visit our Key West office daily. This does
not include the regular Van riders that come to schedule their seat on the van.
That program is another creature in of itself. This year alone I can safely estimate
a 30% to 40% increase in case load for the Key West Office.
The new Counselor would also serve as our "Floating Counselor". The Counselor
would be available to fill-in in the Marathon and Plantation Key offices, should
their be a temporary absence caused by a conference, vacation or minor illness.
The new Counselor position we are requesting, is merely to fill the void caused by
the resignation of the Veterans Affairs Administrator in 2003, at a much lower
pay. For the last two years, this department has been critically understaffed
because of our attempt to cut back the budgetary costs. However, it is more than
evident that we cannot continue to provide unparalleled service to the veterans of
our County without the return of one Counselor position which was removed in
2003.
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