Altarum Institute integrates independent research and client-centered consulting to deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and health care. A nonprofit, Altarum serves clients in both the public and private sectors. For more information, visit www.altarum.org

The Michigan Veterans Community Action Teams

(MIVCAT) ProcessWorking Together Effectively in Region 9

14 July 2015

2

Project Objectives

Create a sustainable community collaborative, effectively implementing the “no-wrong-door” concept supporting Veterans and their families*

Complete a community assessment of needs, challenges, experiences and recommendations for working collaboratively to serve Veterans

Achieve progress in effective collaboration and delivery of services along with benefits to Veterans

*The term “Veterans” will be used to mean “Veterans and families” from here forward.

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VCAT Vision

T

To develop a Veteran services system of care, characterized by a comprehensive network of service providers, empowered with processes,

information and tools, effectively ensuring that all Veterans who these providers encounter are accurately and quickly connected to the appropriate service

provider(s) and completely served

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Veterans

Service Providers

Education

Health

Care

Employment

Training

Social

Services

Vocational

Rehabilitation

Family

Support

Housing

Care Giving

Independent

Living

Assistance

Veterans and Services Providers

Can face a dizzying array of options to navigate.

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Veterans

Service Providers

Housing

Vocational Rehabilitation

Training

Independent Living Assistance Care Giving

Employment

Social Services

Health Care

Family Support

Education

VCAT

VCAT’s No-Wrong-Door approach

Simplifies the process for all involved.

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Connect and Organize

• Identify and connect service providers

• Expand network – “friend of a friend” approach

• Create VCAT Structure• Leadership• Workgroups

Educate and Network

• Share information about available services

• Look within network for services that complement each other

Serve Veterans

• Leverage network connections in serving Veterans

• No Wrong Door• Warm handoff

Work together

to:

• Improve services by combining resources and

• Close gaps where Veterans are not served effectively

The VCAT Operational Process

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VCAT Planning - Progressing Through The Maturity Steps

From Stand Alone: “My organization is doing this…”

To Collaboration: “My organization is doing this and you are invited…”

To Coordination: “What should we do and how should we do it?”

To Integration: “What are we doing collectively and using the same processes and tools?”

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MiVCAT Progress

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Region 9 Progress – Community Assessment

Gather input via

Interviews*

Surveys

Focus Groups*

from

Veterans*

Service Providers*

to determineStrengths Weaknesses Gaps

The community assessment

provides stakeholders

with information needed to direct the

VCAT.

* Some service providers interviewed were also veterans

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Region 9 Progress – Regional Collaboration

• Military Support Focus Group• Putting the Pieces Together• Tri-County MI Military

Resource Group• Serving Livingston,

Washtenaw and Monroe

2012

• MI Military Tri-County Joining Community Forces

• Serving Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale

2014 • TCMMRG & MMTCJCF• Veteran Community Action

Team for SE MI Prosperity Region 9 Kickoff 24 March

• Serving All Six Counties

2015

Opportunities for people to learn about resources, identify needs and issues, network and discuss possible collaborations

Opportunities to extend the network, strengthen collaborations, and increase

impact in the community

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What is Coming Next

Community Assessment

ReportInterviews Focus Groups Surveys

Facilitated strategic planning session

Develop Plans for working

together

To improve services by combining

resources and

Closing gaps where veterans are not served

effectively

Formation of working groups

Key issues identified by community

Four Pillars + Working groups engage

Create Leadership Committee

Establish community governance

Support working groups

Lead system improvement

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Questions

Michigan Veterans Community Action Teams (MiVCAT) Project Region 9 Community Assessment FindingsJuly 14, 2015

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Presentation Objectives

Share a summary of the findings from Altarum’s community assessment

Use the community assessment findings to identify opportunities for your VCAT

Begin to think about what the Region 9 VCAT can do to take advantage of the opportunities

identified in the community assessment

What data were collected for the community assessment?

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Census and VA data

Interviews with veteran service providers and advocates (25 individuals interviewed in April 2015, most in person)

Web-based survey of providers (61 Region 9 providers from 40 organizations)

Focus groups with providers who did not take part in the interviews in Jackson and Ann Arbor in April and May 2015 (10 participants)

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Goals for the Data Collection

Hear from a wide range of providers

Use data collection methods that allow for asking lots of individuals some questions and smaller groups questions that allowed more detailed

responses

Encourage people to identify opportunities not just challenges

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Goals Were Achieved!!

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Context

You are currently one of six regional Michigan VCATs

Next year will see the formation of four more regional Michigan VCATs (some communities are already working on regional coalitions)

Opportunities (and challenges) abound in Michigan and in Veterans support in general

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Michigan Prosperity Regions

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Veterans in Region 9

Findings from the Interviews, Surveys, and Focus Groups

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The Veteran service system is complex and challenging to

understand and navigate

Most of the Veterans we encounter they do not have just one problem. There are multiple things going on.

I came out of the service with six years as an officer and a Master’s Degree, I could not get it figured out [eligibility

for VA health care] for two years even though I was eligible the whole time.

Peacetime Vets are not considered Veterans according to some programs and that is just baffling to me.

The first one is to figure out who the SSVF person is in the various counties. It is like a 14-step process to figure out who it is. I go to the VA website to figure out who the grantee was…Google that grantee, figure who their veteran person is and then call them.

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How might the VCAT make it easier to navigate the system?

Hubs and spokes and resource lists

Providers and Veterans need to know the entry point for key services (for example, comp and pen; homelessness; education

benefits)Varies by county (county offices often but not always, so can

family assistance specialists)Needs to be manageable and the hubs need to be able to link to

spoke organizations

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How might the VCAT make it easier to navigate the system?

Learning Opportunities

VA 101

Provider presentations to the VCAT

Newsletter updates

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How might the VCAT make it easier to navigate the system?

Engagement

Educating the community and policymakers about why differing definitions of Veterans make the system

challenging

Encouraging increased capacity in county offices that don’t fulfill all the functions that State law envisions for them

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Need for more outreach

It is outreach [that is needed] and that is not the fault of any service provider, they do not have a budget or time to send people out in the streets, but unfortunately because no list exists, because not everyone is going to put the Veteran designation on their driver’s license. The only way to really catch Veterans is to go out there and find them

I have hung flyers all over the county and nobody responds to that. It is word of mouth, it is who do you know and I just hope that when she finds someone that she sends them to me

This little Housing Commission they are just widows and elderly veterans. They just did not know, they were like “oh, there is something out there for me.” There is just no knowledge of it at all.

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Need for targeted outreach

The presumptive conditions for a Vietnam Vet, I mean, there is like a slew of them that most of them do not even know, there is so much out there people do not even know about.

We have a group called Veterans Sisters in Service, it is a group of women Vets that meet monthly and they sit around and they talk, they cry, they eat, they laugh and they mentor each other

We have a lot of veterans who will call us who have a brain injury or they may suspect they have a brain injury and because of the brain injury they do not even know where to begin in this process.

Most Successful Communication Strategies for Older and

Younger Veterans

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Source: Provider Survey

Face to faceWord of mouth

TelephoneRadioE-mail

Print newspapersInternet

Veteran specific print mediaSocial media

OtherTelevision

Text messages0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

43%

24%

12%

5%

5%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

40%

18%

5%

3%

13%

3%

10%

Under 50 (n = 38) Over 50 (n = 42)

5%

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Veterans Rely on Providers and Other Veterans for Information

Source: Veterans Source of Information Question, MI-VCAT Veterans Survey 2014

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How might a VCAT address outreach?

Coordinating outreach efforts to reach more groups

Developing common outreach materials

Using collective strength to obtain access to free outreach outlets

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Transportation is a challenge for many Veterans

I think transportation is a really big issue whether you have volunteer drivers, more

bus pickups or something along those lines, but it is not just healthcare, it is

transportation across the four pillars no matter what.

Each county has their transportation facility but they stop at the county line.

So, I can get a Vet in Livingston County to the county line to get to the VA, but there

she sits.

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How might a VCAT address transportation?

Developing a guide to transportation options in different counties or identifying a transportation hub

Helping to organize volunteer or reimbursed drivers to fill transportation gaps (Uber-like service for Veterans)

Seeking funding to try innovative approaches to transportation issues (either Veteran specific or in conjunction with health or social service agency)

Working with local transportation authorities to address gaps or improve cross-county service

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Veterans who have discharge issues can be difficult to find services for

One thing that can be done with less than honorable discharge is the opportunity to try and get a discharge review, get upgraded, depending on the nature of the

discharge they may not be totally ineligible for benefits. A county office or a service organization

could pursue the potential for an upgrade. It is a long drawn out process and yes they can be successful.

There was a recent release through DoD that said that they were going to go back and take a look at an awful lot of discharges that were issued and there was some

sort of a mental condition associated with the character of service.

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How might a VCAT address discharge issues?

Educate providers about who in their area can address discharge issues (probably varies by county)

Make sure everyone is kept up-to-date on changes in policy around discharge issues

Make sure everyone has a good understanding of the general population support system and make sure the provider in that system understands this Veteran is not eligible for Veteran services

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Other Issues that Came Up

Need for more information about education benefits: They brought in somebody that talked about educational, how do you use your educational benefits at one of the presentations. And even as a Veteran who has used it, it was like, wow I did not know that was available as well.

Outreach to National Guard: First Provider “Some unit leadership will be champions of the Family Assistance Center. They will, on a leadership level, refer their people to the family assistance centers and the others will be like…”Second provider “It is your problem. Go solve it.”Third provider “You see it all the time.”

Veterans Courts are a tremendous asset and they can benefit from the support of VCATs especially in areas where they are new.

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How have assessments like this been used?

Pilot VCAT community

assessments raised questions

about the effectiveness of

typical job or resource fair

West Michigan Veterans

Coalition’s Employment and

Training Subcommittee

discussed alternatives to

typical fair

Coalition sponsored

targeted events with select

Veterans and employers that

resulted in multiple job offers

Altarum Institute integrates independent research and client-centered consulting to deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and health care. A nonprofit, Altarum serves clients in both the public and private sectors. For more information, visit www.altarum.org

Lunch

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IN HOUSE CUSTOMER

SERVICELori SpicerFamily Assistance Center SpecialistMichigan National Guard 7/13/2015

In House Customer

Service

Who are our

customers?

Who are we to our customers

?

Knowledge of our

customers services

and limitations

Anticipation of needs

and collaborati

on

Who are our custom

ers?

Michigan Veterans, Service Members and their families

from all branches.

State, Federal and County Veteran Agencies

County Resources, Non for Profits, food banks

Fellow staff members, employers, reception,

maintenance, file clerks etcVolunteers and those who donate either materials or

financesOffsite vendors and other

contracting companies, JCF and VCAT

CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHERS?

Who are we to our

customers?

HURDLE TO JUMP

RESOURCELAST

CHANCE

A WELCOME

D OPPORTUN

ITY• A Veteran has to complete a claim to get assistance with retiring, schools, claims and insurance

• A fellow employee needs you to complete forms to aid a Soldier

• Another resource needs you to understand that they need updates on a case you are both working

• You have the answers.

• You are supportive and solution oriented

• You are truthful in your dealings

• You are positive and yet clear about the possible outcomes be they negative or positive

• If you do not have the answer, you know where to find it

• You are calm and supportive

• Client has contacted several agencies on their own and they have not received any aid, they are disillusioned and tired and scared

• Resource calls you as they have vetted what they to believe is every option for a soldier and they need help!

• Teammate needing assistance with IT issues or reporting when systems fail.

• Training• Contacts• Resources• Policy and

Procedure• Housing• Legal

Assistance• Behavioral

Health• Financial• Navigation

through the process

• Emergency help

• Guidance on long term issues

• Understanding.

• Empathy• Military

knowledge

Knowledge of our

customers services and limitations

Ask Questions

Don’t Assume

Who is who?

VCAT, Michigan Military Resource group provide you the opportunity to meet like minded professionals who are passionate about their job and want to share their information and best practices to enhance collaboration which will effectively aid Michigan's Veterans, Soldiers and their families.

Eligibility?

Cap on services?

Process?

What are they lacking?

Metrics?

Funding or lack there of?

Limitations?

Anticipation of needs and

collaboration

One learned truth.. We all have to show productivity

and are accountable to someone

One case can be entered into the

reporting matrix of several

resources

No resource loses out

by collaborati

on

The knowledge gathered will enable you and your staff to anticipate and provide a “warm hand off to another resource”.

Collaboration allows

for creative and

successful problem solving

In House Challenge: Provide written instruction to your employees or team asking them to consider themselves customers of one another. Each employee asks another, one at a time for their 10 greatest needs as a customer. This can be done anonymously also. You will see certain items rising to the top that you may want to address or correct for the betterment of your office. This practice works its way outward and will benefit every level of your customers experience in the office and out in the field.

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Breakout Instructions

Purpose is to identify priorities, strategies, and action steps for key focus

areas related to Veterans services

We will break up into groups to discuss these

In order to plan for breakouts we would like those of you who will participate to

select the group you are likely to participate in

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First breakout task : Priority setting

Priorities are the main topic or topics you want to address in

the area

It is impossible to solve every problem and issue so you should think about what

makes sense for this coalition to tackle and vote for your

highest priorities

Second Task SMART Objectives46

S is for specific

M is for measureable

A is for achievable

R is for realistic

T is for time-bound

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Examples of SMART objectives

By March 1, 2016 at least 5 colleges and universities will have implemented a new Veteran friendly policy.

By August 1, 2016 the Region 9 VCAT will have developed a checklist for Veteran-friendly job fairs/outreach events and a process for endorsing and publicizing the ones that meet these criteria.

By August 1, 2016 the Region 9 VCAT will have developed a web-based directory of hub contacts for key areas including support with benefit applications, services for Veterans who are homeless, discharge upgrade support, and support navigating the VA.

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Final Task

Develop a list of the action steps needed to achieve those objectives

For all these tasks, start with your highest priority area, go to your 2nd highest priority area if you have time

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Priority Area:

Objective (make it SMART):

Actions Needed to Achieve Objective When will it be completed by? Who Needs to Work on It?

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Once we reassemble

Gallery walk

Opportunity to review what each breakout group has produced

You can make comments or suggestions on each group using post-its

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Questions?

Four Groups52

Education

Employment

Healthcare

Quality of Life (other resources and services including housing assistance and support for homeless Veterans; support with the VA pension and compensation application and appeals process; support for Veterans involved with the criminal justice system; emergency economic assistance; and recreation opportunities)

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Please join your group if you plan to participate in the afternoon breakouts