Support Call Notes | 5 Key People and Community Outreach

BUDDY-TO-BUDDY VOLUNTEER SUPPORT CALL April 4-5, 2016 Buddy-to-Buddy is a peer-to-peer outreach program that trains veterans to provide peer support and linkage to needed resources for Michigan Post-9/11 service members and veterans. Visit us at www.buddytobuddy.org or reach us at buddytobuddyvvp@umich.edu or 1-888-82-BUDDY. Every week, Buddy-to-Buddy holds Support Calls for its 120+ volunteers, sharing resources and bringing guest speakers to provide information on topics of interest and available services.

Guest Speaker Presentation

Five Key People to Meet & B2B Talking Points Guest Speaker Stephanie Zarb Program Manager, Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program 734-998-5829 szarb@med.umich.edu Guest Speaker Summary  As a Buddy-to-Buddy volunteer, it can be very valuable to get to know key veteran service providers in your local area. These connections will help you help the service members and veterans with whom you’re working. These key providers include: o County Veteran Service Officer o Accredited Veteran Service Officer o Seamless Transition Team Member OR Patient Advocate o Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grantee o Local Service Organization  County Veteran Service Officer o A County Veteran Service Officer may be able to:  File VA claims  Help with access to the Trust Fund  Help with access to the Relief Fund  Link you to other local resources o What to ask a County VSO:  How do veterans in this county access the Trust Fund?  Does this country have a veterans relief fund?  What is the process to get an appointment to speak with a County Veteran Service Officer?

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

www.buddytobuddy.org

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o How to find a County VSO: visit www.michiganveterans.com and click on the map of Michigan that says “Locate a benefits counselor” and then select your county.

Accredited Veteran Service Officer o This is the person to whom you will veterans in order to sign up for VA Healthcare and apply for VA Benefits. o Why not a claims agent or post service officer?  Claims agents are able to charge for their services  Post service officers do not have the same level of training  Coalition Accredited Service Officers work through their respective service offices to review claims after they have been rated but prior to the claim being finalized to prevent unmistakable errors and omissions. Errors caught in this process can be fixed without going through a formal appeals process.  The coalition includes the VFW, DAV, and American Legion. o Keep in mind that, as with anything, all service officers are not created equal. We suggest that you meet service officers in your area until you mind one you like. o To find an Accredited Veteran Service Officer: visit www.michiganveterans.com and click on the map of Michigan that says “Locate a benefits counselor” and then select your county.

Seamless Transition Team Member OR Patient Advocate o Seamless Transition Team Member  Every VA Medical Center has a Transition and Care Management Team ready to welcome Post 9/11 Veterans and help coordinate patient care.

Case Managers, who are either nurses or social workers, coordinate patient care activities and help patients navigate their way through the VA system.  A member of this team is valuable for a B2B volunteer to know, because they can assist the B2B volunteer with getting Post 9/11 soldiers/veterans into care at the VA.  Contact info for each of Michigan’s VA Medical Center’s Seamless Transition teams can be found at the links below, or by referencing the table included on the next page.  Ann Arbor: http://www.annarbor.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp  Detroit: http://www.detroit.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp  Saginaw: http://www.saginaw.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp  Battle Creek: http://www.battlecreek.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp  Iron Mountain: http://www.ironmountain.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

www.buddytobuddy.org

VA Medical Center Seamless Transition Teams Contact Information

o Patient Advocate  The Patient Advocacy Program is for all veterans and their families who receive care at VHA facilities and clinics. They ensure each veteran has someone to go to with their concerns in a timely manner and to help them receive care.  In general, patients should work on issues through their Primary Care Physician when at all possible.  Patient Advocates can step in to assist with a wide range of issues.  To contact a Patient Advocate, see below for links to contact information for each VA Medical Center’s Patient Advocate(s).  Ann Arbor: http://www.annarbor.va.gov/patients/customerservice.asp  Battle Creek: http://www.battlecreek.va.gov/patients/customerservice.asp  Detroit: http://www.detroit.va.gov/patients/customerservice.asp  Saginaw: http://www.saginaw.va.gov/patients/customerservice.asp  Iron Mountain: http://www.ironmountain.va.gov/patients/customerservice.asp

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

www.buddytobuddy.org

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Local Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Grantee o The VA has been authorized to provide grants to select non-profit organizations and community agencies for the purpose of assisting very low-income Veteran families residing in temporary housing transition to permanent housing. o The overall focus of SSVF is to provide rapid re-housing to homeless Veteran families and to support Veteran families who are at-risk of becoming homeless by engaging in preventative services. o Local SSVF grantees vary throughout Michigan (and nationally), but the grants are commonly housed within the following organizations: The Salvation Army; Goodwill Industries; and Volunteers of America. A table is included below showing which organizations serve which counties. o SSVF grantees provide wrap-around services, meaning they provide other supportive services in addition to housing. Some of these services may be:  Vocational & rehabilitation counseling  Employment and training services  Educational assistance  Health care services  Daily living services  Personal financial planning services  Transportation services  Income support services  Fiduciary and representative payee services  Legal services  Child care services  Housing counseling

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) in Michigan - 2016 Name of Agency Counties Served Phone Number Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency Southwest Counseling Solutions Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency

Bluewater Center for Independent Living Training & Treatment Innovations

Wayne, Washtenaw, Monroe Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Alpena, Alcona, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Wexford St. Clair, Lapeer, Tuscola, Sanilac, Huron, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne Lapeer, Oakland, Macomb, Saginaw, Genesee, Jackson

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

City of Detroit: 313-388-9799 Elsewhere: 734-284-6999 313-841-3727 844-900-0500

810-987-9337

866-787-6734

www.buddytobuddy.org

Community Action Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency Mid-Michigan Community Action Agency

Branch, Cass, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, St. Joseph Shiawassee, Macomb, Oakland, Genesee, Ingham, Washtenaw, Livingston Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Ionia, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Osceola

Community Rebuilders Housing Services MidMichigan

Kent Barry, Clinton, Eaton

Volunteers of America Michigan

Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, Van Buren Alger, Marquette, Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, Gogebic, Ontonagon, Dickinson, Menominee, Iron, Delta, Schoolcraft, Luce, Chippewa, Mackinac Macomb

Alger Marquette Community Action Board

Macomb Community Action 

877-422-2726 517-546-8500

Arenac, Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Mecosta, Midland, & Osceola Counties: 877-204-6152 Isabella, Montcalm, Ionia, & Gratiot Counties: 616-7549315 616-458-5102 Eaton & Barry Counties: 517541-1180 Clinton County: 517-231-3961 877-509-8387

800-562-9762

586-469-6314

Local Service Organizations o Examples: Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Vetearns of America (IAVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, American Veterans (AmVets), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and many others. o Posts vary widely in what services they provide. Some examples of assistance include:  Small amounts of financial assistance ($50-$100 at a time)  Relief during the holidays (food baskets/gift cards)  Post auxiliaries are often able to provide food baskets and such throughout the year o Posts vary in their activity level. Usually, a more active most will be more able to provide services. Use word of mouth and other community-based resources to find active posts near you.

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

www.buddytobuddy.org

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Getting Started in Your Local Community o When you meet/talk with a service provider:  Introduce yourself and ask to make an appointment. Bring brochures and business cards.  Explain a little about Buddy-to-Buddy: B2B is a Michigan-based peer-topeer program that uses trained veteran peers to provide outreach, support, and linkage to resources for Reserve Component service members and community veterans.  Explain that to make better referrals you want to learn more about their program and local resources. o Talking Points: Unique Features about Buddy-to-Buddy  Veteran-to-Veteran: Volunteers are all veterans themselves, leveraging the veteran-to-veteran connection to build credibility and decrease the stigma around asking for help.  Problem Solving: Volunteers are trained to do complex problem solving, often working with veterans who have multiple concerns that are not straightforward.  On-going training: Volunteers receive 8 hours of initial training, and then participate in ongoing twice monthly continuous learning conference calls.  Face-to-face: Volunteers meet veterans face-to-face, which is often an important component of gaining credibility and trust. They take the time to connect with veterans, sometimes over the course of several months, allowing them to feel heard and validated, and coaching them through red tape and road blocks.  Statewide outreach: Program staff and volunteers conduct statewide outreach. We have a presence at job fairs, stand downs, veteran-related special events, and every National Guard armory. We have flyers posted in local communities, have an online presence, and a 1-800 number.  Warm hand-offs: Volunteers are trained to provide warm hand-offs. We know that telephone numbers and web addresses are often not sufficient to avoid the frustration of having to navigate complex organizations or being sure that the contact person or agency is the right one for the specific issues. B2B Volunteers call ahead to make sure the referral is the right one, often asking the provider to reach out to the veteran directly as opposed to putting that burden on the veteran.  Oversight: All volunteer interactions with veterans are reported in a deidentified system to program staff. Program staff review these interactions to ensure red flags are not being missed and referrals are accurate.  Local level: We create local level partnerships with existing veteran support organizations to increase access and referral support, often increasing referrals to those organizations.  Wellness focus: Although B2B is not a suicide prevention program per se, good suicide prevention involves addressing day-to-day issues and stressors before they escalate, and making sure that people have a high quality of life. B2B aims to practice this type of intervention.  The program is free and confidential.

Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program

www.buddytobuddy.org