My College Roommate Wins 100% Disability Claim - after VA lost his papers for half a century!

Yesterday my college roommate Paul heard from VA that his supplemental claim for disability has been approved. He's now backdated 100% to December 2020! Great news, following the first claim being approved earlier for hearing loss at 40%. My strategy helping him was to tie certain current problems to his hearing loss as secondary issues. VA has agreed, following an appeal that reversed their initial denial.

Now, he will get a better disability compensation, medical care for himself and family, some state benefits and, if and hen needed, nursing home or other such advanced care.

These are earned entitlements which he has been denied for the past half-century. Denied VA medical care, GI home loan, every state benefit withheld. There's no catch-up for what he's been refused.

Remember: this is a good outcome but it really is an immense VA failure! Paul first applied for VA disability benefits when he was released from active duty in 1969. He lived with his disability and forgot all about the VA claim which, decades later, was finally found in his Army dental records. The VA never found this critical document: It took his attorney Katrina Eagle a couple hours. Perhaps...VA didn't give a damn?

A veteran has a reasonable beef with the VA when they take half a century to resolve a claim, meanwhile denying all federal and state benefits. Paul has a beef, but right now he's simply glad things have gotten straightened out.

The VA tried. Dragged it out fifty years, and if only the process had taken a bit longer, until Paul had passed, VA could cancel his claim altogether because when the vet dies, so does the claim. Too bad, VA. At least you made it into your disgusting "Claim Ignored 50 Years Club."

Over half a century. But who's counting?

Colorado Legislature Wraps Up, Gets Set for 2022

All hope for Gold Star Wives' property tax exemption rose suddenly during the last few days of the 2021 legislative session...and were shot down even faster! The House passed HB21-1002 unanimously but the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee destroyed hopes for this legislation with just a few minutes conversation among the Democrats. Party line vote: Dems=NO, GOP-YES, but the measure failed with Dems in the majority.

Oh, dear. I'm afraid we're back to the old drawing board.

 

United Veterans Coalition Considering Agenda Item: Property Tax Exemption for Gold Star Wives

 The United Veterans Coalition state legislative affairs committee is considering addition of the Gold Star Wives Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemption for inclusion in the 2022 legislative agenda.

The decision will be based on input from the Gold Star Wives and other primary organization members. I encourage everyone having an opinion on the issue to voice it through their primary group representatives.

The issue was unanimously approved by the Colorado House in the session just ended but killed by the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. The idea was to submit a referendum to the voters next term, amending the constitution's Article X Section 3.5 to include these active-duty troops' survivors. I believe the change could have been made via statute, a much easier path than changing the consitution.

The Legislative Support Staff calculated the cost to Colorado would be only $93,000, so it is very, very hard to understand why every Democrat voted against these 140 Gold Star Wives' small benefit.

Genuine thanks are due the Colorado House of Representatives!

I must set aside my disappointment with the Colorado Senate Veterans Committee killing HCR21-1001 last week. The House is due a salute and my most sincere thanks for their amazing step of a unanimous vote approving HCR21-1001. 

"...submitting to the registered electors of the state of Colorado an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the extension of the property tax exemption for qualifying seniors and disabled veterans to the Gold Star Spouses of deceased members of the United States Armed Forces. "

Thank you, Republicans and Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives for your unanimous approval of HCR21-1002 that you forwarded to the Senate where others decided $93,000 was just too much to "honor" survivors of our servicemembers.

 Earlier, well before any news of HCR21-1002's existence, I have expected and urged a statutory approach to protecting Gold Star Wives by exercising the legislature's power to redefine terms, thus avoiding the two-year delay built into HCR21-1002, and resolving the issue with 2022 legislation.

Helped My Old College Roommate With His VA Claim

PAUL, my old (we're both 75) roommate from college days, Army buddy, fellow IBM employee and friend for over half a century, is almost totally deaf.  

Paul (L)  and Wes, San Diego 1967

He hears sounds but needs powerful hearing aids to grasp the words. We first met as roommates during college and were occasionally bunkmates in the Army. Travels over the years gave us the opportunity to stay in touch. I'm writing this note about Paul to remind all veterans that military service has made us brothers and sisters; we must always help others, including getting them help from the VA when needed.

No Vet left behind. Ever.

Paul was supposed to be best man at my wedding at the March AFB chapel on June 14, 1969. Instead, he found himself headed off for Army basic training. While at Fort Bragg an incident on the rifle range left him totally deaf for days. He was seen at the base medical clinic but the damage was done: he gradually regained most of his hearing after a week of rest, but then year after year, the ears "rang" louder and louder as Paul's tinnitus developed. And so did his bilateral hearing loss worsen. A lot! 
 
This was a half century ago. Specialist-5 Paul Hansen was a traditional Army reservist, serving his initial six months of Active-Duty, but without full-time active duty after that to qualifying him as a "veteran" per the law; nothing that would leave him eligible for VA care or any other benefits. Paul did his six year military obligation and began the rest of life's complicated journey in earnest.

Paul moved between Tokyo and California while I bounced around the country with my civilian and military careers. Once, after I left the Army to fly for the California Air National Guard, I was able to take Paul on a flight with me to Massachusetts for his aunt's funeral. Because we kept in touch and visited occasionally plus weddings and funerals, I noticed Paul's advancing hearing loss and urged him to file a disability claim at the VA.

In fact, around 2014 I even filled out his VA claim for him! But Paul is the reigning world champion of procrastination; the application lay somewhere, ignored, then trashed or perhaps shuffled into some unrelated pile of documents never to be seen again. Okay, I'm a nag. Phone call after phone call, "how ya doin" was followed by reminding him to file with the VA. It never happened.

Paul's hearing loss was significant, but the real goal was for him to establish veteran status with VA. This would entitle him to hearing aids but also vital health care for a multitude of other problems. The disability compensation of his claim was an insignificant concern  – in poor health, twice-widowed and living alone, Paul needed the wide range of VA benefits due disabled veterans but he'd never be a veteran, much less a disabled veteran, without getting around to submitting his claim.

It got to the point that we both realized a claim just wasn't going to get done in our lifetime or before the sun burned out. With Paul's permission I used his power of attorney and applied to the VA for tinnitus and hearing loss disabilities. The initial obstacle of getting Paul to file finally accomplished, we next moved to finding proof of his Army rifle range problem. I filed a request with the Army's personnel records center in St. Louis and the vital proof of injury medical records were promptly sent to us. 

Then there had to be an effective argument that even though he was a traditional Reservist over fifty years back, Paul's injury should entitle him VA care and benefits. Usually VA will only consider problems a year after discharge, probably not Paul and more than half a century later! Paul wasn't even a statutory veteran per the law because he'd never been on active duty after basic training. 

I have a medical background and I also remembered a key detail: The law provides that Reservists and National Guard troops, if they have a disabling injury during their training, the requirements for full veteran status are met. Further, because Paul's training was during the Vietnam War he'd have a wider range of important coverages as a wartime veteran – but only if he succeeded in his claim. 

I also wrote a lengthy report about the Army's poor history of troops' hearing injuries in the years before earplugs were even permitted on a rifle range. I quoted similar VA disability claims from other veterans who won their claims, even years later like Paul. Because of Paul's age and health, his claim needed to be approved on our first pass, not rejected for correction or appeal. Too often, claims have flaws that delay the process a year or even longer for an appeal. At best, we hoped that Paul would get a small 10% disability award for his tinnitus and hearing loss but also worried about any delays for this increasingly frail man.

This week, VA notified him it approved the claim on the initial application. Paul Hansen thus became our newest honored disabled veteran. 40% disabled, not just 10% as first hoped. Two other major health issues are still under consideration and we're hoping it will put Paul over 50% disability, at which point all his medical care is provided free. Other benefits he can get now:

• Benefits for Veterans 40-50% Disabled, plus compensation
  • Preventive care.
  • "Level 2" VA medical priority group
  • Inpatient (hospitalization) services.
  • Military PX and commissary use.
  • Care in the Community
  • Ancillary services.
  • Mental health care.
  • Geriatrics and extended care.
  • Medical equipment/prosthetic items and aids.
  • Old age, low income pension (income-based.)
  • Medical travel.
  • Veteran-Directed Care program, a budget to help with activities of daily life.
  • Medication/supplies
    

The VA decision on his application also made his disability retroactive to December 2020, the date VA received his claim. Paul, faced with many health issues, is finally entitled to VA hearing aids and so many other benefits. Paul isn't poor but the VA check will be useful.

California has some property tax exemptions and other benefits, mostly kicking in at a 100% disability. We'll have to see if Paul's remaining issues are going to be service-connected.

Here, I'll take a firm grasp on myself and control the urge to tell Paul what his disability checks would have totaled (over $35,000) if HE'D ONLY DONE AS I SUGGESTED SEVEN YEARS AGO. I've helped vets with their VA claims but just one other went back over half a century like Paul's. That was for Bob Edwards, church friend and former Navy officer for whom we got a total disability based on World War II injuries 63 years earlier.

A note: Paul's dad's Coast Guard leather bridge coat (he's wearing it in the top photo) saved my life, quite literally, sometime around 1967 in Riverside, California. But that's another story.

Seeking support within United Veterans Coalition for Gold Star Wives Property Tax Exemption

Given that Colorado's United Veterans Coalition requires unanimous agreement on a legislative objective, it seems best to begin asking the various member organizations for a chance to discuss Gold Star Wives property tax exemption. As I understand the process, issues are put forward in June to begin consideration and the agenda is decided upon in November. 

The American Legion has already advanced its resolution asking UVC to consider the Gold Star Wives property tax exemption. Efforts are also underway to discuss the issue with other groups.  UVC has to balance the many concerns it faces, and Gold Star Wives property tax exemption is but one that bears discussion. 

That discussion has already begun with some veterans' organizations and will continue by reaching out to each organization's UVC member representative. Their input is important but the only suggestion thus far is to limit the effort within UVC, respecting its role as the principal voice of Colorado's 460,000 veterans.

It is still unclear about whether a constitutional or legislative solution will be required, but a couple drafts for both approaches are ready for review. Hopefully, the legislature can act and avoid the difficult process of a constitutional amendment. That's a question for the Legislative Council Staff or the Office of Legislative Legal Services but not right now: As with meeting with our legislators, it is necessary to wait until this very busy session wraps up in early June.

 

LEGISLATIVE ACTION: Two possible changes to Article X Section 3.5 to add Gold Star Wives' property tax exemption

Perhaps adding Gold Star Wives to the Disabled Veteran's Survivor Property Tax Exemption can be done in a couple different ways. A constitutional amendment is much harder than in earlier years, but legislation or regulatory action might be easier. It bears looking into!

Here are two possible legislative actions, easy-to-use keys we might use by hacking the definition of "disabled veteran" to encompass an active duty death of a soldier, sailor airman or Marine, or a Colorado National Guard member ordered to active state duty:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 39-3-202, amend 3 (3.5) as follows: 4 39-3-202. Definitions. As used in this part 2, unless the context 5 otherwise requires:

(FIRST possible revision)

(b)  The owner-occupier is the spouse or surviving spouse of an owner-occupier who previously qualified for a property tax exemption for the same residential real property under paragraph (a) of this subsection OR THE SURVIVING SPOUSE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES OR IN THE COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD WHILE ACTIVATED FOR STATE CONTINGENCIES

SECOND possible revision)

(1.5) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "DISABLED VETERAN" MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY IN THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES, INCLUDING A MEMBER OF THE COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD WHO HAS BEEN ORDERED INTO THE ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES, HAS BEEN SEPARATED THEREFROM UNDER HONORABLE CONDITIONS, AND HAS ESTABLISHED A SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY THAT HAS BEEN RATED BY THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PERMANENT DISABILITY THROUGH DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS OR A PENSION PURSUANT TO A LAW OR REGULATION ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, NAVY, OR AIR FORCE. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY WHILE IN THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES OR THE COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD WHEN ACTIVATED FOR STATE CONTINGENCIES IS DEEMED A DISABLED VETERAN PREVIOUSLY QUALIFIED FOR A PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION

 

SITREP: Report to the Colorado Gold Star Wives re: Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemptiopn

Here's my 8 May update to the Gold Star Wives:

Good evening, 

I agreed to provide you an update of things of interest regarding the property tax exemption for Gold Star Wives. Here it is.

The first item is that some legislators and staff were of the impression Colorado might have upwards of a thousand survivors. This is wildly off from the estimate of 150 potential applicants that the Legislative Council Staff calculated in 2019 for Representative Kipp. With a modest budget impact of less than $100,000 this looks more and more reasonable.

I've asked for but haven't been able to get any information from UVC about GSW being a 2022 legislative objective, which is the timing you suggested when we spoke. 

Their gentle suggestion seemed to be that I should back off but that it would be okay to stay tuned to UVC web info. Rather than being so uselessly passive, silent and merely hopeful, it seems more appropriate to remain proactive within UVC and also follow UVC guidance to keep my elected representatives advised. It seems useful to get coalition members informed and supportive of your exemption now so it can be presented in June and voted on by this November – if I understand the UVC timing.

To that end, my American Legion post and district submitted an internal resolution that, if approved at our June meeting, informs the UVC of the Legion's request for placement on the 2022 objectives. Nothing more explicit, and all within UVC channels. If it fails to get UVC behind it next year as well, at least there was an effort.

As you and I agreed, National Guard troops who die when activated for state contingencies are referenced in this Legion resolution. I spoke with Guard and DMVA folks about the issue: a Guardsman's surviving spouse is protected with something like DIC but more generous at about $2800/month. It would be an unlikely event but if it ever does happen it absolutely right that their spouses be protected!

As you can read, the resolution doesn't actually do much in that it only directs the Legion's UVC delegate to ask the coalition to consider GSW. Details are left for the professionals to iron out if/when/however the coalition wishes:

RESOLVED, by the American Legion Department of Colorado) that unremarried Gold Star Wives and unremarried surviving spouses of State National Guard members who die while activated by the Governor for State service, be included in the Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemption because it is both necessary and proper, that the United Veterans Coalition be informed for this to be part of its state legislative objectives until acted upon with a goal of implementation before 2023 

--
As a Gold Star Family Member (CW4 Hank Carter, WWII, Korea, Vietnam,) this means a lot to me personally! In different circumstances it could have been my own GSW mom or my wife to be affected. It would affect survivors of crewmembers I've lost: Paul, Gabby, The Gif, Larry, Turcottte, Art, Bill, Bob, Arch, Fred and others.

If anything, I'm more concerned about this now than at our UVC banquet a couple years back when I introduced you and David Ortiz to then-Congressman Polis and to VA acting Deputy Secretary Scott Blackburn (our speaker that night.) This illogical distinction between GSW and disabled vets must be eliminated. If it had been done properly from the exemption's launch, each GSW would have saved over $8000 by 2022!

Whenever you have the time, I'd appreciate a cup of coffee and some discussion. The clip below is what I did for an informative panel.

God bless!

"New" 2019 Data on Gold Star Wives: from Colorado's Legislative Council Staff

 Just uncovered in our effort to protect survivors of active-duty line-of-duty deaths: Acting on the request from a Colorado state representative, the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) researched the addition of Gold Star Wives to our Disabled Veteran Survivor Property Tax Exemption and it is nowhere near the big numbers first anticipated.

LCS calculated around 150 potential widows/widowers might be made eligible, for a cost to the state budget of just $95,000. This is much more doable than the earlier estimate of nearly 1000 exemptions with the cost of just under $1 million. I think the number is higher, perhaps a couple hundred.

This is much more doable than the earlier estimate of nearly a thousand exemptions with the cost of just under $1 million. Still, it is a cost that must be matched by a reduction somewhere.

Other stats from the Colorado Fiscal Institute and other sources have been identified that help clarify things:

-addition of Gold Star Wives is just a 0.0006 fraction of the overall homestead exemption, or 150 compared to 450,000, and a similarly small portion of the vets/survivors' population of 5500 souls.

-veterans and survivors exemptions are only 2% of the overall homestead exemption
-disabled veterans; survivors include the only under 65 years of age population eligible for exemption

-52% of active duty troops are married and thus, potentially 52% of active duty deaths leave Gold Star Spouses. Overwhelmingly, and sadly, deaths are heaviest among younger troops, averaging age 30. This is always the case in war

-Nationally, around 27% of homeowners are age 35 or younger with an even lower percentage for active-duty military.

These numbers should help calm the "sticker shock" otherwise expected from legislators and state budget officials, and they also help move this project along as we firm up specifics. Thank you, LCS and the state representative who raised the issue with them in 2019. This really helps!

Some more statistics:

-Active-duty servicemembers have lower homeownership rates (mean 43%) at younger ages than veterans (78%) and the population as a whole (68%,) but they have the highest homeownership rates (71%) in the 55-up age group

-Home ownership by veterans is greatly benefited by VA loans, and by the steady disability or retirement income many have.

-Home ownership by active duty servicemembers is also benefited by VA loans, and steady, easily verified income. Ownership is made much more difficult due to frequent transfers, and there is a significant initial home ownership surge at retirement age

-As homeownership is an important wealth-building tool (Goodman and Mayer 2018), smaller
homeownership gaps by race or ethnicity also means smaller wealth gaps. According to the Panel Study
of Income Dynamics, the black-white housing wealth gap in 2017 was $48,500 for households with veterans and active-duty servicemembers ages 35 and 54, but the gap was $71,500 for nonmilitary households. Too many younger totally disabled veterans never have the opportunity to acquire wealth or home ownership due to income limitations, even with the VA loans.

-Veteran households (non-disabled) and active-duty military households have higher median household incomes than nonmilitary households, $70,000/yr vs. $60,000, with communities of color having lower race disparities than the general population.Household income also varies by military status, age and length of service. 

-The average income is $90,800 (with benefits' value included) for active-duty military households, $87,600 fo non-disabled veteran households, and $85,000 for nonmilitary households. Spousal income is lower for active-duty military than for veterans and the general population.

-

SITREP 24 Apr 2021: Stalled??

Stalled? Well, certainly not much interest, although everyone'a so polite. After all, how can anyone not be compassionate towards Gold Star Wives?  What about the argument "Equal taxes for Gold Star Wives?" Does it just fall flat?

Well, too often there's only mild concern about this problem with Colorado's Gold Star Wives' property tax issue. In six years I've had conversations with United Veterans Collation, chiefs of staff in Denver, legislative assistants and others. I've sent out over 500 emails with but two or three responses, including a very nice one recently from Senator Joann Ginal's staff here in Fort Collins. 

Perhaps this will be something our local senator will get behind, for which I'm grateful even for her briefest consideration of the issue. From her colleagues, from other directions, other places. Nothing.

Nothing.

"Not my problem, but perhaps you could talk to your legislator." 

"We can't do anything on survivors' benefits. That's (fill in the blank) responsibility." "Maybe next year."

"We need all possible questions answered before we can possibly discuss this." (BTW, I'm 75 years old, quite ill, sucking oxygen, worried about whether my cancer is gone, homebound and I've only got a few thousand dollars budgeted to throw at the issue. It isn't like I'm able to do this myself: Rather, I pretty much expected responsible public servants and veterans advocates to see a problem when laid out before them and discuss how it can be resolved. Yeah, right. 

Since 2016 when I first brought this to the attention of UVC, there's been ZIP, zero, nada, nothing. I thought the issue of Colorado making Gold Star Wives pay more property taxes than survivors of Colorado's 100% disabled veterans would strike many Coloradans as wrong to the core. Nope.

League of Women Voters, University Women clubs, veterans organizations, DMVA, DOLA, other state agencies – almost universally no response at all. The folks I was to speak with are disappointed to learn that Gold Star Wives whose spouses died on active duty are denied the same partial property tax exemption. granted survivors of totally disabled veterans. They're somewhat taken aback. Saddened, a little. Disbelieving that the state would do that to military widows. Disappointed.

Disappointed, but not pained enough by this gruesome distinction between the two types of military widows that anyone seems to be willing to do anything. Other issues crowd Colorado's United Veterans Coalition state legislative agenda for 2021, just as they have in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The other issues are important, of course, but so is unjust taxation of active duty widows. 

I'm puzzled: How could UVC have a (very worthy!) goal of property tax relief VA Total Disability for Individual Unemployability (TDIU) disabled veterans (wonderful – a goal I've also advocated directly and thru the UVC since 2015!) but not Gold Star Wives? Logically, conscious state leaders would balk at tens of thousands of TDIU claimants, but not at under a thousand Gold Star Wives. Logically, both issues are so tied to the same Article X Section 3.5 that they both should have been legislative objectives, either jointly or as separate issues.

I need to remind myself of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it." Sounds reasonable...just keep doing it as best we can.

with thy might.”I'm amazed, because this is an issue guaranteed to get a virtually unanimous vote if it could ever reach our legislators. After all, imagine the news photo of the very few politicians who would raise their hands in opposition to legislation permitting Gold Star widows the same property tax exemption granted survivors of totally disabled veterans.

There are so few Gold Star Wives. Especially few are the Gold Star Wives whose spouses died on active duty. The best guess is Colorado has fewer than one thousand men and women survivors of troops lost on active duty. The number pales against the numbers receiving the Homestead Exemption – the total disabled veterans and survivors are only 2% of the general homestead exemption category, and active duty widows/widowers a terribly smaller percentage of that.

Here's the sum of a couple thousand dollars spent trying to get some action and six years of writing, calling, visiting, emailing and glad-handing:
1. A single state senator's staff called me once and emailed me twice, and is still looking at this
2. A Zoom meeting on April 19 2021 to explain what I had on my mind, but "where is the money to come from" and "what legislators are behind this" and "we can't say anything until we see some legislation." So much for my hope of leadership from the Governor or Lieutenant Governor. It isn't that they are supposed to help, but it would help, Help a lot. I expected a genuine "that's terrible, and must be fixed because by God we don't treat war widows that way."
It never came. Instead, "thanks for your input, good bye." If there was help to be offered, or even mild encouragement, not that day. Nor any other day.
3. Two emails came back from folks directing the UVC state legislative effort. They explained GSW was represented in the coalition. It was good learn that CSW could submit the issue for next year's legislative objectives and that is was seemed "reasonable." Indeed. I thought UVC was the best place to turn for action. That's what I thought last month. That's what I thought six years ago.
4. I received an email from a wonderful state Gold Star Wife explaining that their organization is sensitive to Colorado's budget issues during 2020 and 2021, and they don't want to add to the tax burden of their fellow citizens. They are also grateful to the Colorado National Guard and feel survivors of Guard members killed on active state or federal service should be included in any property tax exemption.
They feel next year or 2023 might be a more appropriate time to seek action. I have to admire their patience and self-sacrifice, not only as Gold Star Wives but in the great caution they take to avoid a state budget impact. Willing to let my family have the small property tax exemption that rightfully should have gone to them as the first priority of the government and citizens of Colorado.

DAV URGES OUR SUPPORT FOR WIDOW/ER'S SURVIVOR BENEFITS

Great News: Colorado Dept of Military & Veterans Affairs says they do address permanent TDIU claims!

A statement received today gives great hope. CDMVA will double-check but this seems to be what we've been hoping for all along!

Their statement:

The Department goes above and beyond this language by reaching beyond the CFR 4.1 “rating” definition to include “permanent total disability” veterans, even though their numerical rating may be lower than 100% as specifically called out in the Colorado Constitution and the original referendum.

Letter to Congressman for Veteran-Directed Home & Community Services

It takes your support to get their support! Let your Congressional representative know you want and need their support for expansion of Veteran-Directed Home & Community Based Services (VD-HCBS) throughout Colorado. Their names are below this sample letter.

(home address)

(date)

(To One of Colorado’s Congressional representatives)

Dear Representative (or Senator,)

I urge your strong support for expansion throughout Colorado of the Veterans-Directed Home & Community Based Service (VD-HCBS.) The program helps veterans avoid nursing home care, and live safely and independently at home for as long as possible. 89% of veterans in VD-HCBS reported that the program is decisive in keeping them out of nursing homes. 

That's why this program is so strongly supported by Disabled American Veterans, AARP and other organizations.

VD-HCBS is offered by the Veterans Health Administration to all honorably discharged veterans upon approval by their local VA social worker. There are no requirements as regards service-connection disability or income level…only the need.

Correction: There is one more requirement: to be eligible a veteran must also be enrolled in a VA regional medical system offering the program. Denver has it. Cheyenne does not. The Rocky Mountain Healthcare System doesn’t participate in VD-HCBS. Over 34 states now have VD-HCBS, as does Denver and the Eastern Colorado VA Healthcare System. Dr. Shulkin told Congress all VAMCs would offer VD-HCBS by 2019. I don’t know why Rocky Mountain hasn’t implemented the program yet…whether it is budget, priorities, or another obstacle.

What I have learned is that I can have access to the vital services I need from VD-HCBS only by moving to Denver and enrolling there. What I also have learned is that Cheyenne can, if it wishes, implement a program for our veterans in Northern Colorado. Mr. Dave Roberts, Director of the Cheyenne VAMC intends to push for the program.

To appreciate the importance of VD-HCBS to veterans like me, just consider that it can help with removing ice and snow from my sidewalk, without which I’m stranded inside my home. Other services it covers include meal preparation, transportation, housekeeping, laundry, and more – vital services keeping me safe, and independent. It can delay an end-of-life trip into a nursing home more effectively than my present palliative care alone.

I ask that you help on a couple fronts. First, can’t NoCo veterans somehow enroll in Denver to be covered without having to move there? Also, please urge Mr. Roberts and Mr. Ralph T. Gigliotti at VISN-19 to promptly implement VD-HCBS throughout Colorado. The need is great and the need is obvious, certainly from my perspective as a disabled veteran.

Sincerely,

(signature)

Colorado’s representatives are:

1st District

Diana DeGette

Democrat

Since Jan 7, 1997

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2nd District

Jared Polis

Democrat

Since Jan 6, 2009

View District Map

3rd District

Scott Tipton

Republican

Since Jan 5, 2011

View District Map

4th District

Ken Buck

Republican

Since Jan 6, 2015

View District Map

5th District

Doug Lamborn

Republican

Since Jan 4, 2007

View District Map

6th District

Mike Coffman

Republican

Since Jan 6, 2009

View District Map

7th District

Ed Perlmutter

Democrat

---------------Colorado's Congressmen---------------------------

  

(signature)