Alaska's Veterans: Fighting For Those Who Fought For Us

September 22, 2006

With 72,000 veterans and about 30,000 active duty, National Guard, and Reserves across our state we have the highest per capita of veterans per population in the nation. If you assume each of these brave men and women have three or more relatives in Alaska this single group represents well over 300,000 Alaskans or about half our entire population. This community of heroes and their families has not been appropriately represented at our state or national level by our Governor. That will change.

1. Raise the profile of our veterans and their healthcare needs nationally.

Why: Because it is in the best interest of Alaska to ensure all resident veterans receive all the benefits they have earned from the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense. Thousands of veterans choose Alaska as their home and with over 72,000 veterans living in Alaska, their retirement or benefits represent hundreds of millions of dollars in direct payments and services every year, having a very positive impact on our economy and the life styles of our veterans. Veteran home loans alone represent over half a billion to our economy every year.

Our veterans need a strong, competent, persistent, and institutionalized voice at the national level to ensure their rights and the best interests of Alaska are protected, especially in the healthcare area and especially in Washington, D.C. As Governor I may not serve in Wash, DC but as a member of the National Governor’s Association, insisting on a standing committee on Veterans Benefits, collectively our nation’s governors can have a significant and profound impact in our nation’s capital.

As Governor, I will also encourage our Mayors, State legislators, and Municipal officials across Alaska as they participate in their own national organizations to insist on the creation of standing committees on Veterans Benefits – again, because it is not only in the best interests of our Veterans but of Alaska. Each of these national groups has strong and listened to voices in Washington, D.C.

Over the past decade the healthcare services of our Veterans Administration have been cut and held back (a wholesale failure of the Congressional mandate to find and connect veterans to the VA) when compared to there growing need, not only of aging veterans but new veterans, and the commitment of our nation to provide these services to Alaskans who have earned them. Additionally, Congress and the Administration have pushed these earned rights into a welfare type program with income restrictions that have nothing to do with meeting our promises to these Alaskan heroes.

When: Within the first days of taking office, I will request the National Governors Association establish a committee on veterans benefits and to place this request on the agenda for its next meeting.

How: Request the establishment of a Veterans Healthcare/Benefits Committee at the National Governors Association and I will ask to Chair that committee.

2. Insist that Alaska’s veterans receive their healthcare in Alaska and in their community if at all possible.

Why: According to the Veterans Administration well over $10 million a year in healthcare services, not including the additional costs of travel and housing, are spent on Alaskan veterans forced to receive medical services outside of our state. Yes, it is true; many of our veterans are forced to get their healthcare outside of Alaska because the VA claims that veterans must be treated in federal facilities - that do not exist here at home. This is clearly not in the best interest of our veterans and their families nor is it in the best interest of Alaska’s medical and hospital service communities or our economy. In just ten years this loss of revenue would exceed $100 million to our state.

Forcing our veterans to get their healthcare outside of Alaska is not in the best interests of their healing in the embrace of their families or communities. The emotional state of men and women facing serious medial treatment as a result of their service to our nation is fundamental to their recovery and the mental health of our families and communities as they reach out to help these heroes at this time of stress.

The Challenge: Many physician services are not available in Alaska. We must address this by boosting health care workers in Alaska by expanding training of all critical health care workers including lab technicians, nurses and physicians. We can do this by boosting the health care facilities at the University of Alaska and expanding the WAMI program that trains Alaskans wanting to become physicians.

3. Locate our 72,000 veterans

Why: Because it is in the State’s best interest to ensure they are informed of their rights to:

• Housing Loans

• VA Healthcare

• College assistance

• Vocational assistance

• Spousal Assistance

• Burial Rights

• Disability Compensation

• Survivors Benefits

How: I will reintroduce HB214 directing that the Permanent Fund Dividend application ask if the applicant is an American veteran. The Dept of Military and Veterans Affairs and our Veteran Service Organizations will then “qualify” the respondents to ensure they are honorably discharged veterans. Over time we will develop a voluntary veteran’s register that will allow us to inform our veterans of their rights.

Access: Only the state and congressionally chartered and state approved Veteran Service Organizations will have access to this register for the purposes of contacting and informing our veterans of their legal rights and the benefits they have earned.

Remember, this is not welfare, these are benefits earned by Alaskans who have served and may live with service connected disabilities that result in medical problems that the Veterans Administration is responsible, under Federal Law, to care for. This initiative will reduce the cost to the state and our medical communities and increase the flow of federal funds to our veterans. The more we leverage federal dollars the less we have to appropriate from our own state treasury. These are federal mandates based on federal rights, but if we do not fight for them - Alaska and our veterans loose.

When: On the first day of the 2007 legislative session, I will call for this legislation to be heard in both House and Senate Committees. It is essential and in the State’s best interest that we be able to find and communicate with our veterans. I will gather a broad range of bipartisan cosponsors and ask the leadership of both houses to give this legislation high priority. I will also ask the Permanent Fund Board of Directors to support the legislation along with support from my Commissioners of Military and Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Health and Social Services.

4. Veterans Outreach

Why: To find and engage our veterans and their families in helping them secure their legal rights to programs and benefits they have earned under all federal and state laws.

Nationally, almost 2 million poor veterans or their impoverished widows miss out on as much as $22 billion a year in pensions – because the Department of Veterans Affairs has not informed them of their rights. According to the VA only one in seven of the survivors of our nation’s deceased service men and women who are likely to qualify for pension benefits actually get their monthly checks. Why, because the VA says these veterans are completely unaware this program even exists.

This is just one example of a VA program/benefit that is rightfully earned. Alaska must become aggressive in finding our veterans and their surviving families and inform them of all benefits and programs available to them. Not only will this benefit the lives of our heroes and their families, but it will reduce the cost of government across Alaska as appropriate federal funds are injected into our economies.

How: The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will be asked to coordinate and assist veteran Service Organizations to go out across Alaska and locate, register, and involve our veterans in securing their legal rights and benefits.

Example: Veterans Aviation Outreach. This program was started by the Vietnam Veterans of Alaska in partnership with the Alaska Veterans Foundation, the Veterans Assistance Fund, and the Disabled Veterans of America. It is a volunteer operation of private airplanes and pilots who annually fly across rural Alaska attempting to find and assist veterans in securing their earned benefits. This volunteer program has already improved the lives of many Alaskans and may well have saved some. This is a good example of veterans helping veterans when our VA has failed in their outreach mandate, and its something Alaska will support in anyway we can.

5. State - Federal Cooperation

Why: To further leverage federal benefits, funds, and programs in support of our veterans and their families.

How: I will direct that my Commissioners of Health and Social Services, Labor, and Military and Veteran’s Affairs, no less than quarterly aggressively engage with their Federal counterparts to ensure Alaska is leveraging all the federal funds and programs we are fully entitled to under the law especially in the areas of Veterans Benefits. To do less is irresponsible not only to our veterans but also to the citizens of Alaska.

When: Immediately upon taking office I will formally direct my cabinet and staff to fully and aggressively engage at all appropriate levels with their programmatic counterparts in the federal government. I will also require a quarterly report, to me and my Chief of Staff, on this effort that will be published on a State website. What problems have been identified. What solutions are available? Successes and needs that have been identified.

6. Veteran Preference for hire (public sector jobs)

Why: It has long been the law in Alaska that veterans have preference in the hiring of public sector jobs, but there has been little to no enforcement of this statute for some time. Veterans are good employees, not just my opinion but that of many small business organizations. All of studies show this and it is in the best interest of the state to enforce this law.

How: As Governor I will not only formally direct my cabinet to fully implement and enforce this law, but I will also encourage all local governments to ensure veteran preference in their hiring. I will also engage our state and local Chambers of Commerce to encourage local employers to give preference to veterans in their private sector hiring.

While in the past there have been concerns that veterans preference interferes with some employment “diversity programs”, the nature of our military has changed and the number of female veterans has dramatically increased.

When a solider, sailor, or marine comes home they deserve special consideration for hiring. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the only class of citizens that can be given preference in hiring is Veterans. This is especially true for any major construction project in Alaska that requires state permitting etc. especially the gas line.

7. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Why: It’s the law, but we need to ensure we institutionalize and enforce this at all levels.

How: Annual agreements will be developed and signed by all state and local governments across Alaska to ensure that our veterans have their jobs when they come home.

As your Governor I will also challenge our private employers to enter into these agreements to ensure our guard and reserve have their jobs when they come home. My company currently has an agreement to hire veterans.

When: Upon taking office I will formally direct my Commissioner of Military and Veterans Affairs to initiate a contract with the appropriate organizations to fully institutionalize this program across state government.

8. Funding for Alaska’s Veterans and Pioneer Homes

Why: After years of effort Alaska finally has a Veterans Home, but it is under-funded, understaffed, and inappropriately marketed.

Today, America spends well over $100 a day housing terrorists bent on the murder and destruction of our people in our prisons, but we spend only $27 dollars a day for the care of our aging veterans. There is something vastly wrong with these priorities.

How: Alaska’s Veterans and Pioneers Homes will leverage every federal dollar legally available and as Governor I will work with our Congressional Delegation to ensure that any additional needs our aging heroes have will be directly and appropriately addressed in our nation’s budgets.

As your Governor I will also direct the appropriate commissioners to work with the Veterans Homes through various grants and programs to further enhance the level of care and the number of facilities across Alaska so that all Pioneer Homes are in fact “Veteran and Pioneer Homes”.

I will also call upon our legislature to fully fund all beds within these facilities at the appropriate level of care “needed” to care for these heroes. I will not allow our aging veterans to be “warehoused” in facilities that are not in accordance with the service these brave Alaskan’s gave to our nation.