Weekly Report 🎖
TVLC | VFW | Veteran Wellness Coalition | Amphibian
I’m still waiting for all of the Commanders/President’s to send me the contact information they want listed for the directory. For those who have sent in your information, thank you.
Greetings, Team!
At yesterday's Legal Clinic at Lk Ella (Thursday), our volunteer team
totaled 17 (including 6 attorneys), assisting 18 Veterans and families
including three Vets in phone responses who couldn't come to the in-person
clinic! New service providers in recent weeks included the FDVA (VSO and
Hope Navigator) and the Leon Co Tax Collector's Office (Driver's License
database). Veterans' legal issues this week again included different county
and state jurisdictions outside Leon, and requests included divorces,
housing, benefits, probation issues, real estate, consumer fraud, wills...
More Vets asked for Driver's license assistance with appointments pending
for reissuance this next week. And thank you for the consistent volunteer
administrative work at the front door and computer/files tables, Khalid &
Margaret, with Susie throughout our Clinic sessions. Kudos to Khalid Shafi,
Tomeka Colon and Chris Bodiford for the food distribution this week. See
photos.
Legislature wraps today: Look up the strongly-worded and historical
resolutions we complimented in recent weeks which have now passed both the
Fl House and Senate, commemorating Vietnam Vets exposed to Agent Orange SB646/HB8099 and the "6 Triple 8" WW II Women Veterans of the Central Postal
Directory Battalion SB1864/HB8021 (also featured in the recent Netflix
movie and in news features including public tv and radio). The House also
passed a resolution for Vietnam POWs/MIA heroes HB8105. As the Legislature rushed to pass their final bills this week, you may want to know more about the dozens of Veterans-friendly bills in this year's legislative session
which will end today, May 2. But the Budget negotiations were kicked back
for another couple weeks as the two chambers work out their differences in
total revenues and general allocations. The final budget will likely
include more Veterans' local programs.
Leon County Veterans Treatment Court changed the date for the
next Graduation from 5/19 to this Monday, May 5, 3 pm in Courtroom 2E.
Come observe downtown in the Leon Courthouse; you may decide to become a
volunteer Veteran Mentor for one or more of the Vets in the program. You
won't regret the teamwork. Last week's VTCt session saw several promotions
for Veterans working successfully through their treatment plans (and 2 who
finally left the program unsuccessfully while back in jail).
Locally, VA's housing program is soon to have a vacancy (a retirement) with
no opportunity for new staffing, and medical folks have now been warning
Vets of lengthy delays in referrals to specialists, etc. Reprise: Call your
friends who work for the federal VA to let them know they're appreciated and
give them your contact info in case they lose their VA cell number amidst
the funding cuts, layoffs and firings that are including probationary
employees, as well as former military Veterans in a variety of specialties
(and the latest projections target some 84,000 VA jobs and programs to be
cut!) And be sure to let us know about parttime job opportunities for
Veterans on subsistence, as well as any emergency housing, shared rentals,
etc. since housing is still scarce and services are delayed via waiting
lists. A FLORIDA SENATOR SUMMARIZED VA'S NEEDS AGAIN (LAST WEEK): more than
952,000 claims have been pending longer than 125 days, including 23,900 in
Florida; the backlog is still more than 241,000 including claims that go
back DECADES. (The VFW-supported bill he sponsored did pass the legislature
and is on its way to the Governor SB910/HB277).
Thank you,
Dan Hendrickson, for the Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative
