TESTIMONY OF RICHARD C. SCHNEIDER DIRECTOR OF STATE/VETERANS AFFAIRS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON BENEFITS AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON HOMELESS VETERAN ISSUES MARCH 9, 2000
DISCLOSURE OF FEDERAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
The Non Commissioned Officer Association of the USA (NCOA) does not currently receive, nor has the Association ever received, any federal money for grants or contracts. INTRODUCTION The Non Commissioned Officers Association of the United States of America (NCOA) is most grateful for the opportunity to appear today and address concerns on homeless veteran issues. Despite current federal funding of over $1 billion, it is clear to NCOA that homeless veterans continue to be under served. This hearing, as the new Century begins, is an important signal of your commitment to reverse what is inarguably a national tragedy. There are countless statistical and demographic reports on the homeless veteran population. Although less than 10 percent of the total national population, tragically, veterans constitute between 25 and 35 percent of the total known homeless population. The conclusion of all data trails is that veterans are represented at a disproportionately high level among the nation’s homeless population. At this point Mr. Chairman, NCOA considers it appropriate to recognize the reigning Miss America, Ms Heather Renee French. The Association publicly salutes Ms French for her decision to choose "Homeless Veterans" as her platform issue during her tenure. Through her extensive travel, hands-on participation in homeless veteran Stand Downs, visits to employment training, soup kitchens, and living facilities in both federal and state communities, Miss French, perhaps more so than any other individual, has brought this issue to the forefront of society’s awareness. She also has promoted work training opportunities and employment issues with leaders in the corporate world. NCOA is deeply grateful to Miss French for efforts that clearly will have long-term, positive results. NCOA GRANT ASSISTANCE TO HOMELESS VETERAN PROGRAMS NCOA has been involved in homeless veterans’ issues for many years through The NCOA National Defense Foundation. Over the years, The Foundation has provided numerous grants to enhance the quality of life of homeless veterans and to assist in efforts that would strengthen the homeless veteran’s relationship with family members. The Association is proud to report the following financial grants in support of homeless veteran initiatives made during 1999.
NCOA is a proud member of the Veterans Organizations Homeless Council (VOHC) Executive Committee representing nationally recognized veteran organizations, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. These organizations collaborate on legislative recommendations and policy issues at the national level to help end the vicious cycle of homelessness among veterans. They also serve as referral organizations attempting to provide emergency assistance to locate shelter and continuum of care services for homeless veterans across the country. Additionally, NCOA chapters and members across America are participants in countless community based and Department of Veteran Affairs programs designed to assist homeless veterans. The $1 billion of federal funds is leveraged considerably by all volunteers, organizations, private foundations, and corporate America to provide those types of activities and services not typically authorized by congressional appropriations. Federal Efforts To Maximize Veterans Usage Of Homeless Assistance Programs That Are Available In The General Population NCOA believes substantial progress has been made through community-based block grants to provide shelter, health care, and case management for all homeless individuals. Unfortunately, there remains a misconception all across the country, fostered by cost consciousness, that VA is responsible for taking care of homeless veterans. Consequently, homeless veterans are often screened out of community-based programs and referred to Department of Veteran Affair health care or other types of facilities. Often times, these referrals are to distant VA facilities and are made without regard to the fact that the homeless veteran is without private transportation or access to public transportation. Federal VA-sponsored programs that limit service to honorably discharged veterans further blur the distinction between homeless categories (veterans and civilians). VA refers civilian homeless to other community-based providers; hence, the misperception of who takes care of whom is clouded further. While there has been increased communication between federal and community homeless leaders, there is still a pressing need to expand the relationship between agencies and providers. There is the continued need for community councils that prepare federal funding grant requests to have broader representation in the process to develop local action plans to support homeless people, both veterans and non-veterans. Veteran type community-based homeless providers are all too often not represented on these community-based councils. This again reflects a lack of direct council advocates for the largest segment of the population, homeless veterans. EMPLOYMENT NCOA believes that the entire continuum of care and case management for all homeless veterans programs should be targeted toward gainful and meaningful employment outcomes. The complete cycle of care and services must work toward this goal. Employment provides the means for homeless to become productive citizens in the society. Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP): This DOL program is an effective tool for providers to take veterans through varied monitored and controlled services freeing them of substance abuse, complex histories of combat related post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and establishing their trust and confidence as adult citizens. HVRP is a significant success story in the effort to end homelessness among program participants. Grant recipients have been able to place hundreds of veterans in good jobs. The success is documented in the employment retention record, which exceeds expectations. HVRP provider cost is $1,250. per placement. The cost return in taxable income of these formerly homeless veterans makes this a highly effective cost productive program when the alternatives are considered. HVRP is a highly competitive grant program among nationwide community providers. A total of $10 million was appropriated for the current year, $8 million for direct grants and $2 million for discretionary homeless employment programs. It is expected that DOL will award 33 grants to support an estimated 4,000 veterans in provider programs. Grant guidelines were announced in the Federal Register (February 7, 2000) with a submission date required within 30 days. Communication would be enhanced from community councils through the entire bureaucracy if the grant guidelines were made available earlier. Funding for HVRP is proposed at $15 million for FY2001. NCOA urges you to meet that amount and believes the majority of funds should be provided directly to support community-based HVRP programs. DOL Veteran Employment Counselors: NCOA recognizes that more and more veteran homeless providers are utilizing the resources of the DOL Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), specifically the services provided by Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists. These DOL programs regrettably are not uniformly available or accessible. Where effective, the LVER/DVOP representatives are active participants in their local community based homeless veteran provider employment training programs. Its understandable that these DOL representatives have neither the time nor resources to actively meet the homeless requirement without jeopardizing other veteran clients. HVRP programs do not have the staff to actively manage this type of direct individual employment counseling and developing corporate relationships to refer program graduates for employment. NCOA believes DOL should consider a unique expansion of VETS to allow community based providers who are effectively utilizing resources of the HVRP program to compete for funds. In NCOA’s view, this would permit VETS to employ a full time employment specialist to participate in the case management of homeless veterans. Employment Tax Credit Recommendation: NCOA fully supports the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans recommendation that a Veterans Work Opportunity Tax Credit (V-WOTC) be established. That proposal would provide priority to employing homeless veterans and other potential "homeless-at risk" low income veterans whose income is below the poverty line. The creation of such a Veterans Work Opportunity Tax Credit (V-WOTC) Jobs Program would provide the employer a federal tax credit. To receive the tax credit employers could hire any US military veteran or their immediate family member in the eligibility category specified. It is estimated that there are 1.5 million veterans who fall below the poverty line and may be at risk to becoming homeless. The proposed private sector federal hiring tax credit would provide employers with :
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS VA Homeless providers Grant and Per Diem Program: These programs originally implemented in 1992 to fund the development and operation of transitional housing programs for homeless veterans who are free of drugs and alcohol now provide over 4,000 beds. The current program is successful but needs to be expanded beyond current limits. The 2000 budget authority provides $24 million for the VA Grant Program and $7 million for its homeless per diem program. VA working with community providers and veterans organizations is able to leverage these dollars into expanded programs of job training and placement. The budget for the VA Grant and Per Diem Program must be increased for budget years Veterans Health Administration is further able to coordinate the health care for veterans participating in the grant and Per Diem Program through its health care facilities and direct care on site visits. Declining availability of inpatient substance abuse and mental health programs have adversely impacted homeless veterans. Homeless veterans who are inpatients at VA health care facilities must have a realistic discharge plan prepared before their discharge from the facility. Social workers and case workers need to be identified as part of the case management team as the "homeless" veteran again becomes part of a sheltered or transitional housing community. The Undersecretary for Health should establish inpatient discharge planning of homeless veterans as a measurable goal of VISN Directors. VA medical facilities must be held accountable for the role they have in veteran’s reintegration into community provider programs. HOUSING AND SHELTER NCOA supports the following legislation and recommends adoption:
HUD grant programs make available considerable fiscal resources to community based homeless providers. Veterans organizations represented in the Veterans Organization Homeless Council have never been fully satisfied that specific veteran service providers have adequately been represented in the community grant process. The veteran organization specific program representative(s) is most often outnumbered in the council process competing with and against every other community provider and their specific program efforts. The veteran provider representative lacks proportional representation on their respective council relative to the number of homeless veterans within the local homeless population. NCOA believes that lacking enactment of HR 1008, a number of veteran specific homeless programs will never compete adequately at the community bargaining table for HUD Grant resources. All grant applications routinely check off a program block signifying that their community request includes specific activities for homeless veterans. NCOA and the VOHC questions the reality of all programs being equally accessible by veterans in view of the continuing mass referral of homeless veterans to VA. NCOA believes that the Secretary of HUD should report annually to Congress to:
CONCLUSION It has been a pleasure for the Non Commissioned Officers Association to appear before this joint hearing to address its concerns on behalf of America’s Homeless Veterans. It will take the concerted action of federal agencies and community partnerships to begin to break the homeless path of some America’s veterans. In the journey ahead, Congress must provide the program dollars and enable community and veteran coalitions to set in motion those programs that take the homeless through the continuum of care into the ranks of the employed and self-sufficient. The Association is fully prepared to join the effort to resolve the issue of homelessness. In January 2000, the Department of Justice released its report (Veterans in Prisons or Jails) concerning incarcerated veterans. The report tragically documents that in the year prior to arrest, 23 percent of those veterans incarcerated were in fact homeless veterans. It is the judgement of this Association that we as a Nation can do better. There is no doubt that programs like the DOL Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program and VA’s Grant and Per Diem Program can turn many of veterans now in jeopardy into productive – and tax paying – citizens. We cannot, by default, reduce homelessness in America to incarceration. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. BIOGRAPHY Of Richard C. Schneider Director of State/Veterans Affairs Mr. Schneider is the National Director of State/Veterans Affairs, Non Commissioned Officers Association of the United States of America. His responsibilities include executive management of all NCOA programs that support America's veterans. These include service transition, employment, benefit rights and adjudication processes. He directs 473 NCOA Veteran Service Officers located in the United States and overseas. Additionally, he provides legislative focus for 46 NCOA State Legislative Coordinator which represent NCOA in State Legislative Affairs. Mr. Schneider concurrently serves as the Executive Director of NCOA's National Defense Foundation. In this capacity, he is responsible for the Association's Voter Registration Program including the operation of the National Voter Registration and Information Center in cooperation with the Department of Defense. He also manages NCOA's Operation Appreciation, which provides grants to benefit hospitalized veterans and other association determined humanitarian outreaches. Mr. Schneider was born in New Jersey. He was raised in the Garden State attending elementary and secondary schools in Lyndhurst. He has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Colorado (1972) and a Master of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado (1974). He served in the United States Air Force from August 1957 to September 1990. Mr. Schneider retired in the grade of Chief Master Sergeant. He held significant assignments in management and personnel planning throughout his military career. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. He is currently the Secretary, Board of Directors, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Alexandria, VA. He also is currently the Chairman of the Board, Financial Technologies, Inc., Chantilly, VA. Mr. Schneider is married to the former Anne Ferguson of Prestwick, Ayshire, Scotland. They have four children: three daughters, Kristin, Leslie, and Fiona; and a son, Richard. Back to Witness List |