Welcome home, Vietnam veterans

Near the Capitol Dome is our state's version of the Wall, with the names of the fallen written into the rock.

While the war has been over for forty years, the veterans who went to Vietnam still carry the memories of their service and the brothers and sisters who never made it back.

The House and Senate honored those veterans last week by establishing March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.  the last U.S. troops left Vietnam on March 30, 1973.

The measure was sponsored by Rep. John McCoy, at right wearing sunglasses, and Rep. Norm Johnson. 

Read this story in Spanish.

Health care for our heroes

As we move into the last month of session, lawmakers will be making tough decisions about the future of our schools, public safety and transportation system to name just a few.

A decision that shouldn’t be so tough: Whether or not to expand the Medicaid program.

Beginning next year, the federal government is offering to send our tax dollars back home to cover 385,000 Washingtonians making less than $15,000/year. Over the next two years, Medicaid Expansion is estimated to save our state about $275 million.

There is no shortage of good reasons to support Medicaid Expansion, and the Urban Institute has just given us yet another.

On the national level, about 1.3 million American veterans go without health insurance. But it doesn't have to be that way.

We can all agree that we have a responsibility to these heroes, as well as their families, who have sacrificed so much for us. Medicaid Expansion gives us another opportunity to make good on that promise.

From the Urban Institute:

An estimated 40 percent of uninsured veterans (535,000 people) have incomes that, under provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could qualify them for Medicaid.

Whether or not these veterans qualify for Medicaid under the ACA depends on whether – and which – states opt to expand Medicaid.

Most of those eligible – about 414,000 uninsured veterans – will only have new coverage options if they live in a state that expands Medicaid.

Right here in Washington state, about 12,200 veterans would be eligible for health care coverage under Medicaid Expansion. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we can all agree this is a step in the right direction.

For the Urban Institute’s complete report, follow this link.

Read this story in Spanish.

It's National Guard Day at the state capitol today

Each year, the legislature honors the men and women of our state's National Guard with a resolution in both the House and Senate.  Today is that day, and members of our Guard can be spotted around the capitol campus in uniform today.

The newly-reappointed Adjutant General of the Washington State National Guard, Major General Bret Daugherty, is also on campus, and paid a visit to the House Democratic Caucus this morning.

Maj. Gen. Daugherty took over the position last summer from Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, who retired after serving for 13 years as our state's adjutant general.

While National Guard Day is a special celebration each year in the legislature, House Democrats are also striving to make sure that every day our state's servicemen and women have opportunities to succeed in education and in the transition to civilian life and employment.  Several higher education-related proposals are working their way through the House, including House Bill 1428, sponsored by Rep. Dave Upthegrove.

Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty

This bill would dedicate a portion of state lottery money to the Veterans Innovations Program (VIP), which was created by the legislature in 2006 to provide flexible small grants to individual veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The program struggles every year for funding and is set to expire in a few years.

Additionally, there are many veterans in our state who are trying to complete their education amid ever-rising tuition costs.  The federal G.I. bill provides educational benefits, but those benefits are based on the time of service a veteran has honorably completed.  This leaves out veterans who have also served honorably, but for less than the time required for full educational funding.

Under Rep. Upthegrove's proposal, the VIP would become permanent, have a steady source of funding, and a portion of those funds would be dedicated to help veterans attending community college.

Read this story in Spanish.

Easing the transition for our troops, veterans, and their families

​They put their civilian life on hold, standing ready if need be to put their very lives on the line.

So back here on the home front, military men and women have a right to fair and functional opportunities in transitioning to peacetime.
The very timely issue of “counting military training for college credit and professional-licensing requirements” was discussed in a meeting of the House Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee, chaired by state Rep. John McCoy, earlier this week. McCoy is sponsoring a measure in the 2013 legislative session to strengthen protections for the parental rights of deployed military dads and moms. He said that our state's "policies and procedures should provide assistance for military men and women in their transition to safe, high-quality civilian lives and careers."

House Democrats two years ago championed successful legislation to make sure that military training and experience counts toward licensing-requirements in a wide array of professions. The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs provides a great deal of employment assistance. Likewise, the U.S. Department of Defense and the commander in chief is also emphasizing employment-programs for veterans.

So far this year, a pair of other proposals to help support our servicemen and women are working their way through the legislative process. One bill would send financial help to veterans and active members of the military who are pursuing a higher education. A second bill would direct targeted colleges and universities to set up early-course registration for veterans and National Guard members. Both bills are in the House Higher Education Committee: HB 1011 is set for a vote in the 8 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 29, committee meeting, and HB 1109 is set for a vote in the 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 31, committee meeting.

Read this story in Spanish here.

Free culture for military families

And we don’t mean yogurt, although those cultures are supposed to be good for you too. We’re talking about the other kind, the one you find in museums.

In the summer of 2010 the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense launched a program to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day all the way through Labor Day.  Now in its third year, more than 1,500 museums in the United States have joined the Blue Star Museums program. 

This year’s Blue Star Museums offer began on May 28 and will end on September 3, 2012, so you’ve got three months to visit the 30+ participating museums in our state!

Museum of Glass

Local Blue Star Museums include Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, Seattle Art Museum and The Museum of Flight. For the list of ALL participating Washington Blue Star museums, please go here.

Active-duty military personnel and up to five of their immediate family members are eligible for this offer, which is valid for all military branches—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, active-duty National Guard and active-duty Reserve members.

For more information, visit the Blue Star Museums website.

To read this story in Spanish, please click here.



Photo credit: Deathgleaner via Wikimedia Commons

Welcoming veterans back to school

So far 23 institutions of higher education throughout our state have pledged to do all they can to support veterans returning to school.  More than 60,000 military people are stationed in the state of Washington. For them, whose jobs are to risk their lives protecting the rest of us, this is one small way to say thanks.

In the fall of 2009, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the state Department of Veterans Affairs upholding her commitment to help veterans and their families succeed in their higher education goals.  Along with the governor, the MOU was also signed by top representatives from the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, The Evergreen State College, the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges, and St. Martin’s University representing the Independent Colleges of Washington.

The MOU ensures that colleges, universities and training facilities promote a culture that supports and understands the unique needs of veterans and their family members.

Three colleges and one university got on board within a couple of months of the original signing, then twelve more made the commitment in 2010, five last year and two so far this year, with a third scheduled to join the others in June. Find out who’s on the list here.

You can read the Seattle Times’ story on the latest one to follow suit, Seattle Central Community College, which signed the MOU just last week.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Photo: United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Rest in peace, good little bills

In case you missed it, a little drama unfolded last night on the Senate floor. While it may have made for some interesting television for procedural junkies like us, it also meant that a lot of bills didn’t get a vote ahead of the 5:00 PM opposite house cut-off for policy bills.

Among the causalities on the Senate’s floor calendar:

HB 2503: This measure would have given veterans and members of the National Guard priority registration when they sign up for college classes. The extra time to secure their classes would have given our veterans ample time to get that information back to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

HB 1217: The ‘Safe Streets’ bill would have given cities the option to set speed limits as low as 20 MPH on non-arterials. Cities can currently take this action, but not without a costly study on traffic and engineering.

HB 2717: Legislation to encourage colleges and universities to report efficiency measures they’ve taken. That information is later shared across our state’s higher education system, encouraging other institutions to take similar actions in order to reduce their bottom line.

HB 2372: A consumer protection bill to cap towing fees when your car is impounded on private property. Following widespread reports of price-gouging by predatory towing companies, this bill would have ensured that no Washingtonian is held hostage by recovery fees equal to a month’s rent.

These are just a few of the bills we are mourning over here in the HDC today.

Remembering “the forgotten war”

Korean War Memorial - photo courtesy WSDOT

In the end, House Bill 2138 just may be overshadowed by, say, the budget.  But if one function of government is simply shining a light on things that should be noticed, Rep. Timm Ormsby’s bill recognizing our state’s Korean War veterans is good government in action.  The Spokane Democrat’s legislation declares that July 27 – the anniversary of the official end of hostilities in the Korean War – is specifically recognized in Washington as Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.  >The day won’t be a legal holiday, but it will be marked by the flying of the POW/MIA flag, along with the American and Washington flags, by all public entities in the state.

“They call Korea ‘the forgotten war,’” Ormsby said, “but it shouldn’t be.  More than 120,000 Washingtonians fought in the war, 532 died there, and far more than that were wounded.  The number of surviving Korean War vets in our state is dwindling almost daily, and I think they deserve every bit of added recognition and gratitude that we can give.”

In addition to formally establishing Korean War Veterans Armistice Day as an annual observance, the bill also clarifies that the third Friday in September each year is POW/MIA day throughout the state, directing that the POW/MIA flags be flown alongside the national and state banners on that day as well.  HB 2138 received a unanimous thumbs-up from members of the House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee this week and could be one of the first bills OK’d by the full House during the 2012 session.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Helping veterans who have suffered traumatic brain injuries

Our veterans don't simply put their lives on hold for our country. In many cases, these men and women who volunteered to stand in harm's way for us put their very lives on the line. 

Tragically and all too often, however, a huge need goes unanswered for some of these injured warriors now struggling mightily to endure traumatic brain injuries (TBI). 

These injuries are very difficult to treat and manage because afflicted individuals might actually feel some kind of normal on the inside. And yet, they have to work terribly hard carving out a new life and overcoming severely curtailed physical abilities on the outside.

Aimed at strengthening services for combat veterans as well as other people enduring TBI is House Bill 1614, which was passed and signed into law earlier this year. 

The Washington TBI Strategic Partnership Advisory Council is working with the Department of Social and Health Services to develop and monitor a statewide, comprehensive plan addressing the needs of TBI patients.

A recent Seattle Weekly article -- "VA Staffers Say They Can't Meet Demand for Soldiers' Mental Health Care" (Dec. 8, 2011) -- reveals a dreadful canyon, the vast ravine between services needed and services received. The Obama administration notes that more than 30,000 troops will be coming home from Afghanistan by the end of next year. 

That's wonderful news in anybody's book, and especially wonderful when joined up with thousands of their comrades in arms coming home from Iraq. The huge question looms, though: Are we, and most pointedly, is the Veterans Administration prepared for the enormous and inevitable population of trauma and PTSD cases?

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

Honor a vet on Veterans' Day - by hiring one

Photo courtesy Wash. State National Guard

The best way to honor those who've served and sacrificed for our country is simple: give one a job. 

According to the Labor Department, the national unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is 12.1 percent.

That's sadly higher than the state unemployment rate of 9 percent. And even 9 percent is too high.

Our state has a huge population of veterans, because we've always been a hub for the Army, Air Force and Navy.

From the submarines at Bangor to the planes at Fairchild in Spokane, this is a place with a lot of active-duty G.I.'s and veterans who've served out and choose to make this state their home.

We're home to a massive Army-Air Force base (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) and seven different Navy and Marine bases. 

So 12.1 percent unemployment for veterans is a problem that hits home to us.

It's fine to honor veterans on Veterans' Day by flying the American flag, going to parades or calling up vets in your family to wish them well. Those are fine and noble things.

What's better is giving a veteran a job -- or, if you're not in a position to hire somebody, passing on tips to people that do hire, or veterans who need a job.

Most jobs are never advertised. It's all word of mouth. So if you can, please pass on a good word to a vet -- or about a vet you know -- not just on Veterans' Day, but all year round.

There are also some good resources out there for vets and people who'd like to support them: 

• A new national site by the Labor Department for veterans, My Next Move, is a comprehensive starting point for vets looking for a new career out of uniform.
• The Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs has a number of programs to help vets and get them jobs, including Hire Vets First and Shop Vets First.
• The state Veterans Conservation Corps is made up of three separate programs to train and employ veterans in the conservation field, doing work like the restoration of streams, wetlands and forests.

That’s Outstanding!

“Outstanding Legislator of 2011”– That’s a phrase that would be music to any lawmaker’s ears, but when it comes from the state’s military vets, there’s an extra-special ring to it.  Rep. Sherry Appleton was notified a few days ago by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee that she would be honored with that title, bestowed annually as one of several Outstanding Service to Veterans Awards. 

Sherry, who was first elected to the House in 2004, was recognized for her years of often-behind-the-scenes work on behalf of the state’s nearly 700,000 military veterans.A statement issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs described her as “a long-time supporter of veteran initiatives and friend to veterans throughout the state.  She has supported many veteran bills, including one to provide property tax relief to disabled veterans.”

Sherry comes by her concern for veterans naturally:  Her late husband, Ron Appleton, was a distinguished Vietnam veteran, and the Kitsap County district she represents is in the heart of one of Washington’s largest concentrations of military bases, active-duty personnel, and veterans from every branch of the service.  In Olympia, Sherry is vice chair of the House State Government Committee& Tribal Affairs Committee, which deals with veterans’ issues in the Legislaturehe and her fellow honorees will take part in the annual Veterans Day parade in Auburn Nov. 5, and will be recognized at an awards ceremony after the parade.

Hard times are hitting our heroes and heroines the hardest

A good many veterans, for all the kowtowing, bumper-sticker-patriotism, are getting the shaft.

Yes, these very men and women who we justly salute as our nation's champions, in theory, are too often treated like chumps, in reality. Take, especially, veterans of the U.S. battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're finding it far harder than veterans of earlier wars to make the shift back into civilian life, very much including the finding of a job. Veterans who’ve left military service during the past 10 years have an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent, according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's way above the overall jobless rate of 9.1 percent.

Disheartening enough by itself, this unemployment report fits all too well with a recent Pew Research Center survey. The survey says that a good many veterans feel that their military years made them better people, enriching their character, maturity and self-confidence. But more than 40 percent of these men and women who served in the past decade said the transition back to civilian life was arduous. And that's almost twice the rate of veterans who served before them.

You might want to check out this article, Veterans’ unemployment outpaces civilian rate, in the Oct. 16, 2011, Washington Post.

Earlier this year in Olympia, the Legislature approved several measures of keen interest and importance both for veterans and active-duty servicemen and servicewomen, and for their loved ones:

• Electronic voting for overseas Washingtonians (House Bill 1000)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (House Bill 1418)
• Preferences in Employment (House Bill 1432)
• Helping people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (House Bill 1614)
• Establishing an “Honor and Remember Flag” (House Joint Memorial 4004)
• Ballots for Military Voters and Other Overseas Voters (Senate Bill 5171)
• Meeting professional licensing requirements (Senate Bill 5307)
• A raffle to help veterans (Senate Bill 5806)

Veterans and other interested folks are always encouraged to review information and resources at the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. The office is located at 1102 Quince St. S.E. in Olympia. The mailing address is P.O. Box 41150/Olympia WA 98504, and the phone numbers are 360-725-2200, 1-800-562-0132 (toll free), and TDD 360-725-2199 (for hearing-impaired folks).

Attention returning veterans: Puget SoundCorps wants you

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill creating the Puget SoundCorps within the Washington Conservation Corps. This new subgroup of the WCC will provide paid job opportunities for youth and returning military veterans on projects to help restore the health of Puget Sound.

Now, the state Department of Ecology and the Department of Veterans Affairs have put out a joint press release encouraging returning veterans to apply for the first SoundCorps crew, which is forming now. Not only do veterans receive wages for working on SoundCorps projects, but they also receive a $5,550 AmeriCorps Education Award that can be used to pay off student loans or toward future tuition expenses.

Youth and returning veterans are two groups that are having a particularly difficult time finding jobs in the current tough economy. State Representative Steve Tharinger, who sponsored the original legislation, hopes the chance to work on Sound restoration projects will help launch conservation and natural resource-related careers for those currently looking for work.

The DOE announced last month that it would be hiring 245 people for one-year WCC positions that will begin in October. 

To read this blog post in Spanish, please go here.

Four House Dems named to military committee

House Speaker Frank Chopp has newly appointed three members of the House Democratic Caucus to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Veterans' and Military Affairs.

Representatives Zack Hudgins and Tina Orwall, along with House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, are new to the committee this year. Speaker Chopp also reappointed Rep. Fred Finn, who already serves on the Executive Committee.

Rep. Finn, a United States Army veteran, was the House sponsor this year of a bill that directs the state Lottery Commission to conduct a raffle once a year to benefit the Veterans Innovations Program (VIP). VIP provides crisis and emergency relief, education, training and employment assistance to Washington state veterans and their families. State budget cutbacks have hit VIP as well, but the yearly raffle should bring in the necessary additional funds to continue helping Washington's veterans in need. Over 1800 veterans have been helped through the VIP program since it began in 2006.

The raffle won't compete with ongoing state lottery games because it is limited to the period between Labor Day (September) and Veteran's Day (November). Drawings will be held each year on Veteran's Day, beginning this year.

Photo: Members of Washington's National Guard are recognized in the House Gallery on National Guard Day, 2011. Photo courtesy of House of Representatives.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

Helping veterans find work

Imagine having spent years in the military as a physical therapist, helping soldiers recover from some of the worst battlefield injuries. If you later retired from the military and decided to become a civilian physical therapist, you'd have to go through a completely new set of state training and licensing requirements. The knowledge and training you gained from working with hundreds or thousands of soldiers wouldn't transfer to the civilian world.

Well that's about to change thanks to a new measure signed into law yesterday. Rep. Christine Rolfes and Sen. Derek Kilmer teamed up this session to help veterans find work more easily by allowing their military training to apply toward state licensing requirements for similar civilian professions. Yesterday the governor signed into law SB 5307, dealing with medical professions. House concurrence is expected soon on HB 1418, concerning a range of other professions, such as notaries public, real estate appraisers, security guards and more.

The result will be a streamlined professional licensing process that saves resources for both veterans and the state by reducing redundant training.

“Our veterans need jobs, and they need them now—not weeks or months from now,” Rolfes said. “Whatever time they spend repeating unnecessary training amounts to lost salary and makes it harder for them to support themselves and their families.”

More information on the bills is available here.

The Honored Guard

It’s National Guard Day at the state capital today, an opportunity for Legislators, visitors, and staff to honor the service and sacrifice the men and women of the Guard give to our state every day. Led by Major General Timothy Lowenberg, the citizen soldiers and airmen of The Washington National Guard are dedicated to the mission of safeguarding lives and property in Washington State.

With more than 100 uniformed men and women in attendance, the House passed a resolution in their honor. It was sponsored by Rep.Troy Kelley of Lakewood, who represents Joint Base Lewis McChord and Camp Murray. Rep. Kelley served for seventeen years in the U.S. Army Reserve, and he is currently a member of the Washington National Guard.

We also approved a measure, prime-sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst, that will allow active service members deployed overseas to receive and return their ballots via fax and e-mail.

With few job opportunities, veterans head to college

A couple weeks ago we mentioned the dramatic spike in enrollments at our state's colleges and universities.

The Higher Education Coordinating Board today released some interesting data showing the spike is particularly high among veterans having problems finding civilian jobs.

For example, the University of Washington and its branch campuses in Bothell and Tacoma experienced an average 40 percent increase in veteran enrollment during spot checks conducted between December 2008 and February 2010. And veteran enrollment at 18 of the state’s 34 community and technical colleges rose even more, about 53 percent during the same period.

The HEC Board also notes a simultaneous drop in on-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities, likely due to the recession.

Dawn Morrell discusses House Democratic efforts to support our troops

House Democrats are honoring Washington’s National Guard not just with words, but with legislation and programs that are designed to serve the men and women who serve us and who defend our flag and freedoms. Rep. Dawn Morrell was recently honored to receive a flag flown by Washington’s 81st Combat Brigade team at Camp Ramadi, which is in the heart of Anbar Province in Iraq .

The flag, along with images from our National Guard in Iraq, were sent by Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Grenon in appreciation of Morrell’s support of the Washington National Guard and Reserves. Morrell expressed her appreciation for the honor—and for our troops—in a recent video update.

Memo to our National Guard: Thanks...

Members of the state’s National Guard were the focus of Monday’s House floor session. A resolution and three bills were passed supporting the military.

With all the National Guard does for our state, members expressed as best as they could their gratitude for their service. Here is State Rep. John Driscoll honoring guard members:



The House passed the resolution, as well as three pieces of legislation.
- House Bill 1034, which aims to allow the public greater use of National Guard armories. (State Rep. Dawn Morrell)
- House Bill 1049, opening local relief funds to National Guard veterans. (State Rep. Christine Rolfes)
- House Bill 1050 seeks to adjust the veterans’ scoring preference criteria, to allow all members called to active service eligible to receive the scoring boost. (State Rep. Troy Kelley)

For more information:
WA House takes moment to honor National Guard, help veterans

And from The Advance's trips out with the National Guard: