Q & A with Col. Eric J. Hesse (ret)

EH: Our Military and Veterans Affairs Divisions are both very strong, dynamic organizations and I have complete trust in the men and women leading our armed forces today. Despite recent events, there is more good going on at the federal Department of Veterans Affairs overall than there then there is bad. While what happened in Phoenix and at other V.A. facilities is unfortunate and inexcusable, that has not been my experience in this state. I cannot speak highly enough in regard to the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) across New York State. They continue to provide the best service possible to our veterans. Additionally, the Veterans Administration Regional Offices (VARO) in Buffalo and New York City are both great partners with the Division of Veterans Affairs and we work with them daily to do all we can to get the claims of New York State Veterans processed. Again, my experience working with the federal V.A., the VAMCs and the VAROs in New York State has been a productive partnership, one whose highest priority is exploring how we can help each other get the job done.

 

Q: On a state specific level, what is your assessment of how well the state handles military and veterans’ affairs? 

EH: New York State is fully committed to supporting all men and women in uniform, and to helping veterans and their family members the rest of the way. A cadre of veterans counselors employed by the Division of Veterans’ Affairs works every day to ensure that veterans and their families throughout the state are connected with the full complement of benefits for which they are eligible.

Institutionally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made veterans, military members and their families a priority in his agenda and has encouraged staff across various parts of state government to work together to ensure that veterans who come in contact with their agencies know what benefits to which they are entitled. Part of that commitment includes an inter-agency body: the Council on Veterans, Military Members and their Families. Formed this past March, the Council aims to facilitate collaboration and innovation between every state agency, department, office, division and public authority as they help identify ways the state can better provide services, benefits and opportunities to those individuals and families that have served.

The Council and events like this past March’s New York State Veterans and Military Families Summit are just some of the ways that the state is looking to working with local leaders and stakeholders to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to improving services, especially in the areas of affordable housing, employment, education, benefits, and mental health.

 

EH: The mission of working with veterans, service members and their families is always an ongoing effort, one that we have made great strides in but have more to do. Ideally, we would like New York to be the first state in America where 100 percent of its veterans and their families are connected to the full range of benefits that their service has earned. That is our long-term vision and we are committed to doing all that is needed to bring that vision to reality.

Part of that requires recognizing the unique challenges that different groups of veterans face. The post-9/11 generation has some very immediate needs, but we cannot forget that the greatest population of veterans in New York State is actually those from the Vietnam and Korean War era. Gov. Cuomo knows that they too require programs focused on their current needs and those that are on the horizon. He’s recognized that spouses who move to bases like West Point and Fort Drum may have licenses from other states, which is why he signed a law to either reciprocate or expedite their licensing. He also signed into law the Military Compact for Military Children, which ensures that children of military families won’t be disadvantaged if they have to move during the school year or come to New York as a senior in high school.

This spring’s summit highlighted the portfolio of both new and existing services and benefits that New York State provides for veterans, service members, and their families. A number of “Hiring Our Heroes” Job Fairs facilitated by the New York State Department of Labor not only connects veterans to job opportunities but also connects them to programs that provide resume assistance and other job search resources. Troops to Energy, a program runs by the Division of Veteran Affairs, the New York Power Authority and the Department of Public Service, connects Veterans to careers in the energy industry. The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), through the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA), is championing an effort to improve access for veterans and service members to home ownership. Lifetime free access passes to New York State Parks are provided to eligible service-disabled veterans through the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). In addition to offering nearly 74 million in tax credits for businesses looking to hire currently unemployed post 9/11 Veterans, the state also is providing up to a six percent set aside in state contracts for Service Connected Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses, the largest set aside of its kind in the country.

 

EH: Military training often teaches men and women to be resilient and tackle situations with a healthy consideration of both past patterns and current conditions. So I don’t think the state has had to change its way of thinking to become better equipped to handle the problems of today’s veterans. However, addressing many current issues involves staff working in different ways across agency lines and forging new partnerships in and out of state government to improve the life for all veterans. For example, we know that an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day. To address this issue, the state now requires every employee of the Division of Veterans' Affairs and every employee of the state's Consolidated Call Center Anchor Agencies to take a highly regarded gatekeeper training from certified trainers with the Office of Suicide Prevention. This training will help Division of Veterans’ Affairs and Call Center employees better recognize warning signs of potential suicide risk, engage the person in a meaningful conversation, and, if warranted, refer him or her to appropriate professional assistance.

The state is always looking for creative ways to reach out to veterans and leverage the support not just of public agencies, but also the not-for-profit and private sectors. In addition to supporting public and private initiatives, the state also continues to fund smaller peer-to-peer programs that help create self-sustaining environments where they can talk to other veterans. The state is also leading the way to make the state more attractive to those returning home from active duty, including pending legislation that would allow veterans to buy back honorable military service and go to SUNY and CUNY colleges at the instate tuition rate if attending on the post 9/11 GI Bill.

Keep in mind that these new efforts come in addition to, not at the expense of, the past generations of veterans and their families in New York. While New York has certainly added programs that specifically focus on the most recent generation of veterans, the state continues to focus on providing services that benefit all men and women who ever wore the uniform of the United States, and their family members at home. There are approximately 900,000 veterans in New York today, and we take great care to treat each as an individual, focusing our assistance on their own unique needs, regardless of age or period of service.