CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY NEW YORK VETERANS
GRAND OPENING OF THE VETERAN'S AFFAIRS OFFICE3rd St
Jamestown, New York 14701
ARE YOU NEWLY DISCHARGED FROM THE SERVICE OF YOUR COUNTRY OR A VETERAN OF PAST YEARS PAST. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO REGISTER WITH THE VETERANS AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION !HOT OFF THE PRESS ON WHAT THE VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER BRIEFED THE COUNTY LEGISLATURES ON:
Chautauqua County Veterans Service Agency
Overview
The Veterans Service Agency is the recognized advocate for Chautauqua County Veterans, members of the Armed Services, and their families and survivors. We provide accurate timely and courteous assistance in obtaining monetary, health and education benefits to which they are entitled to by law, and other services by:
1. Screening/developing/assisting with filing claims for benefits and obtaining Department of Veterans 
Affairs healthcare.
Affairs healthcare.2. Providing outreach/information to veterans and their family members to obtain entitled benefits.
3. Keeping current with new laws, regulations and procedures.
4. Providing free transportation to VA Medical Centers in Buffalo and Erie.
There are approximately 13,000 veterans in Chautauqua County. Many of these veterans need counseling in order to access benefits they may be entitled to, such as disability benefits, out-patient medical treatment, hospitalization, insurance, death and burial benefits, education, job assistance, housing and tax exemptions. Failure to assist veterans in securing benefits will likely increase local costs.
In 2009, Chautauqua County VSA made it possible for our veterans to access the health care they needed and were entitled to, by providing transportation to 2,237 care visits. Local VSA staff made 7,129 contacts with veterans resulting in the filing of 929 claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each Veteran Service Officer is also a veteran, and as such, is active in the local veteran organizations which allow us to have close partnership programs and communication with Chautauqua County Veterans.
The Chautauqua County VSA also joined with City of Dunkirk Judge Walter Drag in the formation of Chautauqua County Veterans Court. Currently, there are two veterans (soon to be three) who are enrolled in this program. These veterans have returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and unfortunately have got their selves in trouble with the civilian authorities due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting in substance abuse. Unlike our Vietnam Veterans, these veterans will now have a court that specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of our warriors. These veterans have the full support of the Court, multiple County Agencies and the Dunkirk VA Clinic to assist them with their health care needs, substance abuse and PTSD counseling. This is a first of it's kind in Chautauqua County.
Current structure
The Veterans Service Agency is currently staffed by a working Director/Veteran Service Officer, 1 Veteran Service Officer, a full time Account Clerk Typist and a part time Typist II. We also have 1 full time Veteran Service Officer who is a full time DSS employee but is attached to my agency. In the beginning of 2010, one of my Veteran Service Officers was moved to DSS because we were able to get 100% funding for his position from NY State Medicaid. In 2009, we moved the Jamestown Veteran Service Agency office from the South County Office Building to a new location on West 3rd Street. This co-located us with Chautauqua County OFA, Jamestown VA Clinic and the VA Home Based Primary Care Office. This move has saved us money (less rent) and has created a one-stop shop for our veterans. I also have a Veteran Service office in Dunkirk which is manned full time by one of my Veteran Service Officers. Since the fire in the Liberty Square Building, we have relocated to the Dunkirk Senior Center where the OFA is also located.
Since being notified of the significant county deficit, this agency has been tasked to take a look at our operations and see if there are any areas where we could save money. As a result, we are now in the process of moving the scheduling of our Veterans van over to CARTS, which is already equipped to handle this function. This will free up allot of time that our Account Clerk Typist and Typist II currently perform. We are also looking at the possibility of sharing some duties with OFA and seeing if our administrative support team could assist them as well. This has the possibility of cutting down on redundant duties within our two agencies.
Savings provided by our agency
It is currently estimated that a very small percentage of Veterans are receiving Veterans benefits. There are many reasons for this, but one that significantly contributes to this is that there are a very small amount of Veteran Service Officers to advocate on veterans behalf. Many counties in other states do not have a Veteran Service Agency, and as a result lose out on savings to their local share. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not seek out veterans to let them know how to qualify for benefits since this would represent a conflict of interest for the VA.
VA benefits can help avoid Medicaid expenses in several ways. Vets eligible for VA Healthcare can use the VA as a primary care provider instead of Medicaid. They can receive anything from a Flu shot to Surgery or Psychological Counseling. Some Veterans are eligible for compensation for injuries and illnesses incurred in or aggravated by military service. Those Vets receive a monthly cash benefit and are eligible to use VA Healthcare. Spouses of veterans who died in service or from a military related injury or illness are eligible for a monthly cash benefit and healthcare coverage. VA benefits can also be used to reduce the costs of Medicaid Funerals. The VA will pay $600 in burial benefits for Vets in receipt of VA Compensation or VA Pension. The VA will pay up to $2,000 and transportation costs for Vets who die in a VA Facility. Claims for all of the above mentioned benefits are done regularly but Medicaid savings are difficult to track due to privacy issues.
The biggest way VA benefits save Medicaid money is through VA Pension for residents of skilled nursing or assisted living. VA Pension is a need based program that applies to Wartime Veterans and their surviving spouses. Veterans and / or surviving spouses approved for VA Pension and not on Long Term Care Medicaid may be eligible to receive up to $1,949 per month. The rate of pay is determined by marital status, level of medical need, income, and medical expenses. VA Pension helps to delay or eliminate the need to apply for Medicaid by extending a claimant's assets and paying medical bills. Some people may qualify for pension while still living at home.
Each veteran or surviving spouse in Skilled Nursing or Assisted Living who is approved for pension avoids or delays the need to apply for Medicaid. The average cost to Medicaid for an Assisted Living Resident is $1,759 per month. The average cost to Medicaid for a Skilled Nursing Resident is $6540 per month. Each month a claimant receives VA Pension, a months worth of Medicaid expenses are avoided. Once claims are approved, we track how many months a person receives VA Pension instead of Medicaid coverage and calculate the amount of savings. VA Pension ends when a claimant passes away or is approved for Long Term Care Medicaid.
We have an active presence in all of our Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Facilities. It is important that we meet with our veterans in these facilities because they are many times not able to come to us. Remember, these benefits save local share dollars in the form of Medicaid avoidance. The following pages represent these savings.
