COVER to COVER “Connecting Older Veterans (Especially Rural) to Community Or Veteran Eligible Resources” Collaborative project between the Utah ADRC and VHA Office of Rural Health: Building VA Partnerships to Better Serve Veterans

What we will cover today Understand the “why” behind creating the COVER to COVER program Understand the basic concepts of the COVER to COVER program See how COVER to COVER has expanded to 5 states Demonstrate the impacts the COVER to COVER program can have

Do you regularly assess a caller’s Veteran status? 2012 ADRC National Survey Do you regularly assess a caller’s Veteran status? Staff Challenges: Lack basic information about most VA benefits VA resources—not very helpful Most positive feelings about resources was having a personal contact at the VA

9 Million Veterans Over 65 http://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2014/cb14-ff24.html

Understanding Veterans Benefits 2010 Report – Only 41% of Veterans stated they understood their VA Benefits “a lot” or “some” Many Veterans have misperceptions about VA Benefits Believe income is too high for any assistance Aren’t eligible because they didn’t serve in combat Other Veterans are more deserving Negative attitudes about VA Thus, many Veterans do not seek help from the VA or the State Department of Military Affairs Instead, they turn to community agencies…

COVER to COVER Video

COVER to COVER Objectives Train community agency staff members to become Veteran Benefits Specialist Create a New Access point for veterans within their communities Build relationships between community agencies, State Veteran Agencies and the VA

VA Benefits Training VA Organizational Structure Military Language and Culture VHA Healthcare VHA In-Home Services Pension Aid & Attendance VA State Nursing Home Burial Benefits Disability Compensation Caregiver Support Home Modifications Mesa County Community VA Benefits Training - 2016

Working together better serves Veterans Building Partnership Working together better serves Veterans

Working with your local VA Who to contact? County VSO State Department Of veteran and Military Affairs VA Medical Center Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) Vet Centers Other Veterans Service Organizations Elaborate on each entity Different in every state Really 1-2 relationships will help get you in the door Jen can help

Changing Agency Protocol New Direction…Screening callers “Have you or a loved one served in the Military?” “Have you ever accessed your veteran benefits?” “Would like more information on VA Benefits?” “Would you like to talk to our VA Benefits Specialist?” Example where referrals came from H

C2C Veteran Benefits Specialist Screen callers for Veteran status Educate on VA Benefits (public/private options too) Assist in navigating the application process Refer to VA partner **Follow Up**

C2C FY16 Expansion

Participating Sites UTAH: COLORADO: Bear River – AAA Mesa County ADRC Salt Lake Aging and Adult Services - AAA Mountainland - AAA Active Re-Entry- CIL* Five County - AAA Davis County – AAA San Juan County – AAA OREGON: Lane County – Senior & Disability Services Northwest Senior & Disability Services - NWSDS Idaho: Southeastern Idaho Council of Governments - SICOG Nevada still getting going

COVER to COVER: ACCESS C2C Veteran Clients FY13/14 FY15 FY16   FY17Q1/Q2 Total Veterans 584 748  1166 1280 Total Encounters 765 1554 3064 2523 Hours Spent with Veterans 551 1065 1996 1532 Non-connected Veterans * 744 624 Assisted with Application 390 547 Difference between FY 16 and 1st half of FY 17- Total Veterans- FY 17- up almost 10% already Total Encounters- Already completed 82% of what we did last year NON-Connected Vet- FY 17 so far 49% 64% of Veterans had not been connected to the VA for benefits prior to contacting the community agency.

Who do we serve? Older Veterans and their families

Impact to ADRCs Improve awareness and knowledge of VA and state Veterans programs Increase confidence in working with Veterans Add VA and state Veterans benefits to the menu of LTSS Create strong relationships with resourceful VA partnership Support the VD-HCBS program Support NWD efforts

Impact to VA & State Veteran Agencies Improved access to Veterans benefits and services Increased pride, public trust, and confidence in the VA Improved connections to services the VA does not offer Effective outreach to rural areas

Impact to Veterans Local access point for benefit information (VA, public, private) Access to personalized benefits counseling in the community where they live Education about previously unknown benefits Assistance with the application process Follow-up throughout application process

Cover to Cover in Colorado Prior to C2C Assessment of Veteran Status: Intermittent Knowledge of VA Benefits: Very Little Connection with VA and local VSO: None C2C Launch Assessment of Veteran Status: Always Knowledge of VA Benefits: Much Better Connection with VSO: Co-Location A quick overview of Nevada and our Veteran population to set the stage… Nevada is a very large state (109,000 sq. miles, approximately 10x the size of Maryland). 80% of the population is located in Clark County (home of Las Vegas), the next most populated county is Washoe with 449,000 people. We have a total of 5 physical ADRC sites. All data from VA.gov

COVER to COVER Success Stories Lane County Oregon 5 County Utah Mesa County Colorado Challenges Building trust with partners…difference in culture. Contact at NDVS is a veteran, doesn’t follow up as much as I do. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a training at all. Many competing priorities for ADRC in Nevada right now, lots of change and limited funding to increase capacity. There is also some competition or overlap in this project with other projects the NDVS is launching. Keeping the communication going between partners is a challenge we see going forward. We don’t want to lose touch with the contacts we have made at the VA. The bureaucracy of going through the contract process between the federal requirements and the state requirements. It will take awhile to finalize the contract. However, the benefits, that we have already seen far outweigh these challenges… First and foremost, connecting with veterans. Our state department only has 12 VSOs on staff…benefits are highly underutilized in NV. This program will help connect veterans who may not otherwise have connected. The project is in alignment with Governor’s priorities to make NV the most veteran friendly state in the US. Lots of support going forward. The training opportunities provided to the ADRCs. Enhancing our NWD system to ensure we are connecting veterans with the VA when appropriate. Partnerships with the VA and NDVS for training and more importantly, veteran assistance. Funding to help sustain the ADRC.

COVER to COVER Presenters COVER TO COVER Main Contact For more information: COVER to COVER Presenters Christie Higgins, Western CO 2-1-1/ADRC Director, christie.higgins@mesacounty.us Brian Oney, ADRC VBS/Mesa County VSO, brian.oney@mesacounty.us COVER TO COVER Main Contact Jennifer Morgan, Utah ADRC Director/COVER to COVER Project Manager jen.morgan@utah.edu