Congressman Teague and Members of the Subcommittee, it is my pleasure to be here today to discuss our efforts to meet the needs of Veterans residing in New Mexico. 

The Albuquerque Regional Office (RO) administers the following benefits and services to approximately 217,000 Veterans and their families in New Mexico:

• Disability compensation and pension for Veterans and dependents;
• Vocational rehabilitation and employment  (VR&E) assistance; and,
• Outreach for all Veteran and survivor benefits.

Our goal is to deliver these comprehensive and diverse non-medical benefits and services in a timely, accurate, and professional manner.

Outreach Efforts

The Albuquerque RO conducts extensive outreach.  We provide Transition Assistance Program and Disabled Transition Assistance Program briefings at each of the three Air Force bases (AFB) in New Mexico; Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB.  These briefings provide comprehensive non-medical benefit and service information to servicemembers who will soon be released from active duty.  The RO provides the same information to the many National Guard members and Reservists as they return to their civilian lives.  The most recent briefing was on Saturday, March 13 to 155 servicemembers returning from Iraq.  During fiscal year (FY) 2009, the RO provided approximately 60 briefings to almost 2,000 attendees.  In FY 2010, our outreach specialists have already provided 30 briefings to approximately 750 attendees. 

The RO works hard to demonstrate to Native American Veterans that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a caring agency dedicated to assisting them in any way possible to make a successful transition into civilian life.  Many Native American Veterans live in rural areas.  Accordingly, our outreach specialists travel to community centers to assist them in applying for compensation and pension benefits and medical care.  The Albuquerque RO is challenged to serve this deserving population because of the remoteness of their communities and the number of tribes in the state.  In FY 2009, approximately 40 outreach events were conducted for over 1,500 Native American Veterans.  For this fiscal year to date, 10 outreach events were conducted, reaching approximately 375 Native American Veterans.  We need to continue to increase efforts to reach the remote Native American Veteran population.  The RO recently assigned two additional employees to their outreach program and purchased a vehicle to cover these highly rural areas.

On October 23, 2009, the RO supported a Homeless Veteran Stand Down in conjunction with many Veteran Service Organizations and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).  Approximately 500 Veterans received assistance in completing claims for benefits and identification cards, along with a substantial meal, warm clothing, shoes, and haircuts.  Albuquerque’s outreach efforts served over 700 homeless veterans in FY 2009, and almost 600 in this fiscal year.

RO employees visit the VA Medical Center monthly to reach out to Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Veterans and do everything possible to expedite the receipt of their benefits.

We also work closely with congressional liaisons and attend outreach events sponsored by congressional offices.  In February 2010, RO employees attended job fairs and town hall meetings where approximately 1,500 were in attendance.

Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E)

Within Albuquerque’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) division is a Job Lab with Internet access, printers, and various materials on job seeking.  The Job Lab is open to all Veterans seeking employment.  The VR&E Employment Coordinator and the New Mexico Workforce Solutions Disabled Veterans Outreach Program representative are available to answer questions and provide information and assistance.

We are highly successful in working with Federal agencies in New Mexico, including the U.S. Forest Service, Kirtland Air Force Base, and the Bureau of Reclamation to place disabled Veterans in suitable jobs.  During the past year, 12 disabled Veterans found employment in a Federal posting.  VR&E staff aggressively market the program to Federal employers, which also helps Veterans participating in State vocational rehabilitation programs.

VR&E staff recently attended an all day event in Las Cruces in support of the Coming Home to Work program, where Veterans were informed about VR&E services available to them.  A monthly Employment Workshop is held in collaboration with the Department of Workforce Solutions for Veterans within the VR&E program as well as all Veterans who have an interest in learning basic interviewing skills, resume writing, and personal presentation.

Staffing

The Albuquerque RO hired eight employees as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The employees are making direct contributions to improving claims processing by assisting with development of claims and mail processing.  Currently, 81 employees work in the Veterans Service Center, and 11 VR&E employees work in the Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe offices.

Conclusion

The Albuquerque RO is committed to providing Veterans and their families all the benefits and services available to them in a timely, accurate, and professional manner.  This concludes my testimony.  I appreciate being here today and look forward to answering your questions.