Governor Signs First Executive Order to address Veterans Transition Support

On Friday, May 10th, Governor Inslee signed his first Executive Order aimed at supporting Washington's Veterans as they transition from military to civilian life.

 

Governor Jay Inslee, State of Washington, signs Executive Order 13-01 for Veterans Transition Support at the Hire America's Heroes Symposium at the 66th Theatre Aviation Building in JBLM.

The Executive Order asks state government to lead the effort to serve as the model employer for veterans in Washington State.  Governor Inslee also called on private employers to help veterans and their families as they transition, and increase our collective efforts in helping them find living wage jobs.

 

The Order is broken into several sections:

1) Agency Procurement from Veteran-Owned Businesses - asking all state agencies to increase their purchasing to a goal of 5% with Veteran Owned Businesses who are certified at: http://www.dva.wa.gov/BusinessRegistry/default.aspx

 

2) Agency Veteran Employment Plans - which asks each state agency to develop a plan to increase the number of veterans in their workforce.

 

3) Veterans Employee Resource Group - creating a group of veterans in state service to provide advice on recruitment and retention strategies for veterans. 

 

4) Washington Military Transition Council - asking cabinet agencies to support the new mandatory transition assistance programs at each military installation in Washington State to provide a more seamless and stable transition from military to civilian life.

 

5) Centralized Data Share and Warehouse Agreement - aimed at streamlining the data agreements between Washington State agencies so that we can better coordinate services to Washington's Veterans.

 

This was Governor Inslee's first executive order as the newly elected Governor of Washington.

 

You can view the entire Executive Order at:

http://www.governor.wa.gov/office/execorders/default.aspx

Korean Delegation Visits Korean War Memorial

WDVA was honored to join Governor Kim Moonsoo of the Republic of Korea Gyeonggi Province and Consul General Song Young Wan of the Republic of Korea Consulate in Seattle, at the Korean War Memorial on April 17, 2013.

Governor Kim, Major General Park, Consul General Song

The visit to the Memorial followed a meeting between the Korean Delegation and Governor Inslee. 
Governor Kim expressed his gratitude for the service and sacrifice of the 535 Washington State Residents who were killed during the Korean War as well as the 122,000 WA residents who served in Korea.

The delegation laid a wreath at the Memorial along with several ROK Veterans including Major General Nam Pyo Park, a retired General of the Republic of Korea Army.

 

 

Volunteers Set New Record of Caring at the Washington Veterans Home!

This year was a record year for volunteering at the Washington Veterans Home in Retsil! 

An amazing 4973 hours were logged by the many groups and individuals who volunteer, making this an increase of more than 1200 hours over last year.

Last night the staff at the Washington Veterans Home had the opportunity to thank a group of the many volunteers who give to our veterans through service.  This year the event theme was “Volunteers are one of the sweetest things in life”.  The entertainment was magical, as Magician Louie Fox amazed the crowd, followed by a sundae bar with all kinds of toppings. 

Our volunteers do so many things to improve the quality of life for our residents. They’ve pulled weeds, written letters, and always make our Veterans a  Priority.

Thank you for everything you do and for making life a whole lot sweeter for us all!

Women Veterans Reaching Out to Women Veterans at Purdy and Mission Creek

Sharon Kirkpatrick, a woman veteran and active veterans advocate, understands how important it is to plan for success.  That’s why she has dedicated monthly time since March 2012 to help women in prison plan for their release.

While teaching Interaction Transition classes at Purdy, Sharon Kirkpatrick asked the women about their employment experiences.



Sharon Kirkpatrick, President
WA Women Veterans Advisory Committee 



“Out of a class of 20 women, three reported their only employment had been in the military,” said Kirkpatrick, president of the Washington Women Veterans Advisory Committee. “That’s when it dawned on me – there were women veterans in Purdy.”

Kirkpatrick was inspired to do more to help these women veterans and began working with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs and the Washington Corrections Center for Women. 



With the help of these agencies a small group of women veterans were identified at both Purdy and Mission Creek.  Kirkpatrick quickly established a monthly visit with the women at both facilities, along with partners from other outreach agencies, including Pioneer Human Services’ Julie Lord and VA VISN 20’s Diana Rogers.

Working as a team, they have been identifying how they can better help incarcerated women veterans connect to veteran resources more easily.

Thanks to the outreach from Kirkpatrick and the Incarcerated Women Veterans Project, five women veterans have been directly served upon release and are receiving benefits including housing and health care.

An interesting note: A recent story about a peer-mentoring group at the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women highlighted inmate Rosemary Pargoud as she led a session under the prison’s Women’s Legacy program. Pargoud is an honorably discharged Army veteran, and is also involved in the veterans group at Mission Creek.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/mar/05/prison-program-offers-skills-to-cope-in-and-out/#axzz2K2tycw00



Vet Corps Representatives go above and beyond to assist at Returning Warrior Workshop (RWW) - Navy Reserve Outreach Event

The last weekend of February, a Returning Warrior Workshop (RWW) was held in Portland, OR for troops returning from Individual Augmentee (IA) deployments attached to Navy Region Northwest Reserve Component Command (NRNWRCC). This event included 62 service members and 53 guests, which include their spouses and parents.  Many were Active Duty Navy and Navy Reserve personnel from Washington, but Oregon, Idaho and Montana Navy Reserve families attended as well.  Additionally, Army and Marine Corps Reserves troops along with several military veterans were welcomed to participate as well.  

The mission was for the returning troops and their guests to take part in a weekend full of resources, support, recognition and relaxation. Workshop topics included: Operation Stress Control, Couples Reconnection, Getting Your Finances Back on Track, Why Do I Want to Go Back, Returning to Children, Speed Dating with Resources and Transformational Growth. Resources included: Chaplains and mental heal facilitators, Fleet and Family Support, the American Red Cross, Navy Federal, USAA Insurance, Chaplain Services, H2H Jobs, Portland Vet Center, Military and Family Life Consultants, Military One Source, Ombudsman, Oregon Military Kids Programs, TriWest, US Department of Labor and two Vet Corps representatives.

Vet Corps Representatives Lori Clark and Dave Heller were on-hand to talk with more than 100 service members and their guests, many being prior service themselves, and answer questions regarding educational benefits, VA claims processes, employment resources, transition assistance and state and local assistance options.   Lori is the Vet Corps Rep from Olympic College and Dave is the Vet Corps Rep from Walla Walla Community College.  Needless to say, this was a weekend service project that went above and beyond the requirements for these two Vet Corps Reps and we are really proud of the outstanding job they are doing!

More pictures can be found at:  facebook.com/NRNWRCC

Legislative Update - March 5, 2013

The 2013 Legislative Session is underway and will run until April 28, 2013.  So far, a number of bills have been introduced and are moving through the legislative process that will impact veterans and their families.

WDVA keeps a list of State Legislation on its website (www.dva.wa.gov  click About WDVA and Public Information) and also sends out a weekly email with the status of bills that the agency is monitoring. 

Below are summaries of 9 of the 32 bills that are currently on the list:

Gold Star License Plates: HB 1132 and SB 5161

Allows Gold Star spouses to receive Washington’s Gold Star License Plate.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day: HB 1319

Declares March 30 of each year to be Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day in Washington State.  In addition to other holidays, public entities must display the POW/MIA flag on this day.

Veteran Owned Business: HB 1909 and SB 5834 (Governor request)

Asks public entities to do 5% of all purchasing and contracting with Veteran Owned Businesses certified by WDVA.  Allows spouses to jointly own a business as long as the veteran is involved in day to day operations.  Requires the veteran be a Washington State resident and the business be based in Washington State.

Veterans Innovations Program: SB 5273

Original Bill: Removes requirement for Washington’s Lottery to run a special Veterans Raffle to fund the Veterans Innovations Program and directs $300,000 of Lottery proceeds to the VIP.  Also eliminates expiration date of the VIP.

Substitute Bill: Removes the requirement for Washington’s Lottery to run a special Veterans Raffle, but does not direct any Lottery funds to the VIP.  Eliminates expiration date of the VIP.

Veterans Homes: HB 5691

Allows WDVA to operate the Walla Walla Veterans Home and eliminates outdated statutory language.

Veterans Designation on Driver’s License: SB 5775

Allows a person to apply to the Dept of Licensing to obtain a veteran designation on a driver’s license or identicard.

B&O Tax Exemption for Hiring Veterans: SB 5812 (Governor request)

Establishes the hire our heroes tax credit program.  Provides a B&O tax of up to $3,000 to businesses hiring unemployed veterans.

 

For more information on these or other bills, visit www.leg.wa.gov or e-mail heidia@dva.wa.gov .  You can also watch the legislature in action at www.tvw.org .

Clark County Employers Making a Difference for Veterans



Mike Willbur, WDVA Incarcerated Veterans Program Specialist in Clark
County Welcome Senator Patty Murray to speak with employers
who want to hire veterans.



Local employers in Clark County attended a panel discussion last week to hear about transitional difficulties some veterans may experience when returning home from active duty.

Partners in Careers (PIC) organized the event, with Senator Patty Murray as the guest speaker, and spokespersons from the federal and state VA joining Partners in Careers on the panel.

Mike Willbur, the Incarcerated Veterans Program Specialist for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs in Clark County told the 35 employers in attendance:

 “Recidivism for incarcerated Veterans in our County went from about 16% five years ago to under 4% today in part, because of the many employers in our County who have given our Vets extra consideration when made aware of their Veteran status.”

Jason LaCarney, an intern working with Willbur, spoke about his first-hand experience with the difficulties he had after returning home. He spoke about how it was not only him in transition - but his family as well.
Willbur can be reached at (360) 241-3448 or email him at Mikew@dva.wa.gov
To learn more about the Incarcerated Veterans Program at WDVA visit http://www.dva.wa.gov/incarcerated_project.html

 

Jason LaCarney explains to employers how his family had to be a part of his transition,
with Senator Patty Murray (center) and Partners in Careers Pam Brokaw.