Earlier this month, Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill 1739, a bill I introduced to help improve the quality of life for residents of California’s veterans’ homes.
AB 1739 simply authorizes the administrator of a California veterans home to enter into an agreement with a home’s allied council, made up of veteran residents of the home, and authorized to represent the residents in various ways to run activities that enrich the lives of the residents.
Under current law, administrators hold discretion over morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) facilities and activities at the veterans’ homes. MWR money may be used to provide for the general welfare of the veterans in the home, including a Veterans Home Exchange, hobby shop, movie theater, library, band, sports activities and celebrations. MWR money may not be used for things such as medical or related treatments, nor can they spent on maintenance of a home’s physical plant.
Unfortunately, due to budget constraints and other factors, many of the above mentioned quality-of-life services or activities have been shut down in recent years.
The vets who reside at the state’s veterans homes come from various backgrounds, and many of them have expertise in a wide range of fields. They also have the desire to see that MWR facilities and activities are available to home residents. What they lacked, until recently, was the ability to assume responsibility for operating the facilities and activities which are presently shut down. AB 1739 would allow them to assume that responsibility at the discretion of a home administrator.
Given their collective interest in taking on that role, combined with ongoing fiscal constraints faced by the veterans’ homes and the California Department of Veterans Affairs, AB 1739 offers a win-win solution that promises a brighter future for many of our veterans.
These vets fought courageously and defended our country with pride and valor. AB 1739 provides them with a vehicle for expanding their contributions to the welfare and well-being of other residents of the veterans’ homes.
Assemblyman Michael Allen is in a two-person runoff with San Rafael City Council member Marc Levin for the 10th Assembly District, which includes part of Sonoma County. The election is Nov. 6.
Levine also blogs for Patch.
The article is an attempt by Michael Allen to use Patch to promote his bid for election in the fall. It is also a barometer of his popularity among Novato residents. My first thought when reading it was not that he had helped veterans but that he flip flops on issues depending on his need at the time. Mr. Allen = Political Expediency. For example supporting the Graton Rancheria Casino up until the point it was clearly going to pass and then removing his support to try and garner votes from those opposed. We need to do far more for our veterans. There are so many returning from war physically and emotionally battered. The funding for the VA in California seems insufficient to meet the actual need. My father served in the Air Force for 30+ years. He was a Lt Colonel when he retired. It was at a time when our military was valued by the federal government. Now it is ironic. Men and women serving in congress get health benefits for the rest of their lives and military personnel and their families have health benefits that fall far short of treating the wounds that they return with following service overseas. We need to rethink our priorities.
I would like to comment on my experiences and what I have observed as a veteran of the vietnam era conflict. I receive the highest quality medical care on the planet, services are readily available, both social development, mental health and medical care. As a transgender veteran I am treated with the highest degree of dignity and respect as do all veterans. My education and living expenses are well funded by the veterans administration, I plan to give back to my fellow veterans by working at the veterans administration hospital after I graduate. in the meantime I volunteer. walking the hallways of the veterans administration hospital brings up all sorts of feelings about the issues of war, I see the tragic results, but I also see the compassion, the gratitude. I see a tremendous amount of pride on the faces of world war 2 veterans, I find it a great privilege to be able to spend time with these elders. Even veterans from The horrible wars of the middle east have pride in serving their country. not all but most. I am only relating my experiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/us/veterans-affairs-dept-to-increase-mental-health-staffing.html "… The announcement comes as the department is facing intensified criticism for delays in providing psychological services to veterans at some of its major medical centers. The department’s own inspector general is expected to release a report as soon as next week asserting that wait times for mental health services are significantly longer than the department has been willing to acknowledge. Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who is chairwoman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has also scheduled hearings next week about the delays. And last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, issued a scathing ruling saying that the department had failed to provide adequate mental health services to veterans. “No more veterans should be compelled to agonize or perish while the government fails to perform its obligation,” Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote for the majority. The Obama administration has appealed the ruling…."
The improvements we are having at the Veterans medical center as well as the education and training benefits are a direct result of the Senate, Congressional and veterans demands. Clearly there is always a need to improve. I feel the call has been answered to a certain degree.