CLAYTON COUNTYY VETERANS. AFFAIRS MEETING 600 Gunder Road NE, Elkader, lowa! 52043 August 19, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.  Veterans Commission Meeting was called to order at 7:30 a.m. on August 19, 2024 at the Clayton County Office Building  Meeting Room.  1.)! Roll Call: Commissioners Clark, Eilers, Torkelson and. Jordan, Director, present.  II.)Approval of Minutes: Motion was made by Eilers to approve the minutes from. July 8, 2024. Motion was: seconded by  Clark; Motion carried. III.). Public Comments: None.  IV.). Budget Review. Jordan distributed the current Fiscal Budget for July 2024. The Veterans Affairs office spent $5173.51 during the month of. July 2024.. Jordan stated that the county has still not received the $10,000 Veterans Grant Funding. The State is currently reviewing last year's grant regarding money spent ont the allocation ofi furniture. Eilers  made the motion to approve the budget, Clark: seconded the motion; motion carried.  V.)Old Business:  a). Information pertaining tot the Fall Training of Commissioners was distributed by Jordan. The training program will take place on October 14, 2024 beginning at 8:00a.m. and concluding at 4:00 p.m. Location is Building $70, Freedom Center, Camp Dodge. Joint Maneuver Training Center, 7105 NW 70th Avenue, Johnston, IA5 50131. There is no registration fee. The lowa Department of Veterans Affairs willl host an ice breaker/social eventi for Commissioners, and anyone else coming to Central lowa on Sunday for the Monday training. This event will take place at the lowa Gold Star Military Museum, 7105 NW 70th Ave., Johnson, lowa 50131 on Sunday, October 13, 2024, from 5:00-6:30p.m.  VI.)! New Business  a). Changes ati the Veterans Administration on how to access health records and/or pending claims willl be forthcoming. My HealtheVet will be retired. January 21, 2025, and! Login.gov andi id.me wills see changes in September 2025. b). There willl be a Mental Health Summit on September 20, 2024, from 8:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Coralville Public c). The Clayton County Veterans Service Office plans to participate ini the Clayton County Fair next year in 2025. d). Delaware County willl bel losing their Veterans Service Officer on September 20, 2024, due to funding issues. Our County may see ani increase inc clients coming to our office. Delaware County does have part-time staff conducting e).Jordan received ai telephone call from Crawford County, Wisconsin. stating that they would bei interested in f). Transportation regarding Earl Transit to Clinic in Decorah was discussed. $1,000 has been established in grant money g). The Veterans Service Office has a good: supply of flag! holders for graves. The inventory consists of 20 aluminum Peacetime, 9 brass' World War 1, 231 brass World' Warl I, 17 brass Korean War, and 62 brass Vietnam. The office seesa an  Library.  administrative responsibilities.  partnering with our County in offering a Community Outreach Program. toi transport clients to the Decorah Clinici for appointments.  increase in flag holder distribution, especially during the Memorial and Veterans Day holidays.    h). VA warns veterans about business andj job scams that target veterans, and the newest scams. relatei to business and/orj job opportunities. Scammers use methods very: similar to real employers (i.e, online advertisements) that 1).1 The VAI has specific eligibility criteria for dental care. Some or all dental care needs made be provided byt the VA. Itis best to understand the eligibility requirements (which involve several factors) and howi to access care. Once enrolled in VAI Health Care after dental eligibility has been established, a' Veteran may contact thel local VA medical center or their dental clinic to schedule an appointment. For veterans who do not meet eligibility criteria, they may consider securing j).1 The. June Statistical Report was distributed. 51 total number of calls received this month re: Veteran related concerns.  promise to offera a job wheni they are collecting personal information and money.  dental coverage through the VAI Dental Insurance Program (VADIP).  25 total office visits from Veterans, 0 home visits, 7 outreach events, and 01 training events.  VII. Review and approval of Claims.  VIII. Confirmation of Next Meeting. Next meeting willl be on September 9, 2024, at7:30a.m.  IX. Adjourn. Eilers made the motion to adjourn, Clark: seconded the motion; Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned  at 8:30 a.m.  Respectfully submitted by Gerrie Torkelson    August Report  27 total number of calls received this month re: Veteran related concerns.  22 total office visits from Veterans.  home visits outreach events 1 training event  August 2024  Military Graves Other DIC Referral tol Non-Profit Partner General Relief Trust Fund Application VA Health Benefits Pension Matters Disability Matters  0 5  10 15 20 25 30 35  August 2024  .D Disability Matters - Pension Matters - VAI Health Benefits ET Trust Fund Application : General Relief a Referral tol Non-Profit Partner DIC a Other =Military Graves    YTD Comparison  35 30 25 20 15 10  0  1  -  -  -JUL --AUG  VA & State Updates:  How to Report a Veteran's Death to the VA  When a Veteran passes away, family members should report that death to the VA as soon as possible to stop current benefit payments. If the death is not promptly reported, the survivors or executors of the Veteran's estate may be required to repay overpayments made to the deceased Veteran. Family members may contact the VAI by phone at 800- 827-1000 and select option 5. Agents are available Monday-Friday from 8AM to 9PM EST. A1 family member may also report a Veteran's death in person my visiting a VA regional office. In person reporting will require the family to demonstrate their relationship to the Veteran and provide supporting documents that can help the VA verify Veteran's identity (i.e. death certification, discharge certificate). Another option would be to mail notice, along with support  materials, to  Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Intake Center P.O. Box 4444 Janesville, Wisconsin 53547-4444  VA Takes Steps to Expand Access to Benefits - Veterans and Their Survivors Who Served in K2 Karshi-Khanabad base The VA announced steps to expand access to VA benefits for veterans, as well as their survivors, who served at Karshi- Khanabad base in Uzbekistan after September 11, 2001. The plan would extend benefits to those with an undiagnosed illness and medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness conditions would be considered presumptive. The conditions are usually commonly referred to a Gulf War illness and the cause of the conditions are not fully understood but is believed to be related to environmental exposures, chemical agents (i.e. jet fuel, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, dust, asbestos roofing tile and lead-based paint) and possibly stress. The VA continues to work with the Department of Defense to conduct research to identify any additional exposures. When such a claim is filed, the VA will take into consideration this list of contaminants and where the Veteran was potentially exposed during their deployment. Additionally, Veterans who served in K2 and meet basice eligibility requirements will also be eligible to enroll  in Uzbekistan)  in VAI Health care.    CLAYTON COUNTY VETERANS AFFAIRS MEETING 600 Gunder Road NE, Elkader, lowa! 52043 September 9, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.  1.) RollCall!: Commissioner Torkelson and. Jordan, Director, present. There wasn'ta quorum fort the meeting. Therefore, the meeting was not held. Commission will meet again on October 21, 2024.  Submitted by Gerrie Torkelson    September Report  51 total number of calls received this month re: Veteran related concerns.  28 total office visits from Veterans.  home visits outreach events training event  September 2024 Activity  -D Disability Matters a Pension! Matters EV VAI Health Benefits T Trust Fund Application - General Relief F Referral tol Non-Profit Partner DIC Other N Military Graves  September 2024 Activity  40 30 20 10  - SEP  JUL  Disability Matters - General Relief DIC a Military Graves a VA Health Benefits  AUG  Trust Fund/ Application - Referral tol Non-Profit Partner Other aF Pension Matters    Q1-2025 Activity  Military Graves Other DIC Referral tol Non-Profit Partner General Relief Trust Fund Application VAI Health Benefits Pension Matters Disability Matters  0  5 10 15 20 25 30 35  SEP AUG "JUL  VA & State Updates:  Improving Access to Mental Health Care for Veterans in Crisis that veterans experiencing mental health crisis get the help that need.  The VAi isi introducing programs to assist with) Veterans in crisis. Both programs work with local lawe enforcement  to ensure  Veterans Mobile Evaluation Team (VMET) goals is to prevent veteran suicides and boost participation ini mental health care. The VMET team is comprised on VA clinicians and local law enforcement who respond to calls involving veterans in crisis. The VMET uniti is engaged by local police to connect the Veteran Response Teams (VRT) is a program that trains local police officers - who are veterans themselves- on how to assist fellow Veterans in crisis. The idea ist that veterans are helping fellow veterans given that they share military experience. This is at tool that can assist with de-escalating: a situation and working to ensure that the veteran in crisis gets the support they need. VRT Programs are currently available in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Coatesville, Lyons and Birmingham VAI facilities.  Veteran with the right VA services and support.  This fall, the VA is hosting virtual symposiums to help more VA facilities learn how to implement VMET and/or VRT Veteran Crisis Line is a 24/7 confidential support line for veterans. A veteran does not need to be enrolled in VA: services  programs.  to use the crisis line. Veterans can simply dial 988 and press1.