January 24, 2025 • 30 mins
The Tennessee Department of Veterans Services (TDVS) is dedicated to connecting veterans of all eras with the benefits they have earned, including healthcare, education, and financial assistance. The department plays a crucial role in advocating for veterans' rights, assisting with active duty casualties, and hosting outreach events to raise awareness and support for veterans and their families. TDVS operates 14 field offices and four state veterans cemeteries.
Recently John Clark spoke with TDVS Commissioner General Tommy Baker about how his team ensures veterans receive the recognition and support they deserve.
Website: https://www.tn.gov/veteran
Recently John Clark spoke with TDVS Commissioner General Tommy Baker about how his team ensures veterans receive the recognition and support they deserve.
Website: https://www.tn.gov/veteran
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to Tennessee Matters.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm John Clark on the Tennessee Radio Network. The Tennessee
Department of Veteran Services operates fourteen field offices for Tennessee
State Veteran Cemeteries, serves as Post of the Ason for
three state veterans' homes, assists with active duty casualties, and
hosts outreach programs across the state to raise awareness and
assist veterans.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
As well as their families.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Major General Tommy Baker is the Commissioner for the Department
of Veteran Services, and he joins us today. Well, here
we are again talking about veterans today. I'm glad to
see today.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Hey, good to see you, John, Thanks for having me
over again. It's always great to come talk about Tennessee
Department Veteran Services and about veterans, service members and their families.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
You do a great job with it, you really do
with the veterans. What anything news that you're doing right
now that you haven't been doing well?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
In fact, there is.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
We introduced a new program inside the department called the
Tennessee Veteran Ready Business Recognition program.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
This was an effort.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
That really we built over a couple of years talking
to business leaders, chambers, different ones about how can we
recognize businesses that are already doing things for veterans. And
when I say doing things, it's more than a discount
or a parking space. But there's a lot of businesses
(01:33):
out there that want to hire veterans, So how do
we help them recruit, hire, and retain service members veterans
and their families. And that's really the crust of the program.
It's three levels, the lowest level being Bronze, silver and Gold.
There's really thirteen criteria that you have to make to
(01:56):
attain the goal level. The bronze levels good for a year, uh,
the silver is good for two years, go three. Obviously,
it's a great way to share best practices with other
business leaders, come together and think about how do we
best do what you know, recruit, hire, and retain that
(02:19):
group of that population. And you know, besides that, they
get a chance to get their company recognized and advertise
on our website, a dot gov website, which is which
is always a plus for a business.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
They're going to get a kind of a fat head
emblem that can they can put on their their their
company out facing door or wherever they want to. If
it's silver or gold, they're going to get really a
nice award from us stating that, and then they're going
to get a digital email signal that will define them
on their email signature block as they've got your ready business.
(02:58):
So just a few of the of the pluses of
doing that. But really what it's all about is recruiting, hiring,
and retaining veterans.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Because they're always they're always getting out and always always
veterans getting out looking for jobs.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yeah, and here's you know, there's about one hundred and
forty thousand a year that leave the service. Only about
ten percent of that group have a real plan about
you know, where am I gonna go work? Where can
I start a career, raise my family, all those other
questions that's.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
On their mind.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And so, you know, having that pipeline somewhat established in
the state of Tennessee really kind of aligns with Governor
Lee's initiative, which is he wants to make this the
best state in the Union for veterans.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
To live and thrive.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
So, you know, that's how that's one of the ways
to get at that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
How has it been so far the program? Is it
transmitted into jobs?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
It's well, actually we're right now in the application point.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Okay, so we started in July.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
With any new program, at takes a minute to get
some traction to get the word out. We've used some
social media. We've used obviously the public service announcements chambers,
different different groups.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Out there to try to spread that word.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Uh and you know, some media, as you will know,
to try to get the word out there. It's right now,
we've got fifty seven applicants, different businesses, companies from all
regions of the state, all kinds of companies, construction companies,
mom and pops, you know, big healthcare companies, those kind
of folks. And so we're in the process of evaluating
(04:43):
those packets, seeing which level they will they will be
graded at or will be receiving, and then we're going
to close. We've got two weeks left in this application period.
I would encourage any business, maybe this first time you're.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Hearing about it, just go to our website.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
There's a there's a you know, when you click on
our website at TN dot gov's hard slash veterans. The
first thing you're gonna see is Veteran Ready Business Recognition program.
You click on that, you're gonna see a video from
Governor Lee. Yeah, and uh then the application is right
back there. Uh, it's got a you know, some some
questions you're gonna answer and when get you we get
(05:22):
you signed up next two weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Man businesses, do it? Do it now? Do it now? Heck, yeah,
that's been great.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
That'd be great. We're excited. Uh. Like I said, it's
a new program.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
It took us a while to get it put together,
and we'll go back and refine it some after this
application period, but uh, we think it's gonna be great
for veterans long term. You know something years years from
now that's gonna be still producing fruit for veterans and
service members.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Now in terms of veterans, you also have some things
that veterans when they go into school, they go back
to school, and then you help help them out that way.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
What do they do now.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
When you when they go to when they finish their
service and they go into a going to go into
a classroom and going to school, what do they do
for them in schools?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Well, so there's a lot of benefits out there with
the GI Bill. Referencing the GI Bill, there's always that
you know, opportunity. Uh, there's educational benefits out there associated with.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Post nine to eleven service.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
You have here in our.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
State, you know, have the Strong or the Stronger Act
for the Garden Reserve folks out there that are trying
to either get an undergraduate degree.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Or even a master's.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Now, so a lot of educational opportunities, a lot of
money out there available to veterans that want to go
back and either get a teacat certification for a trade
or you know, a university four year degree.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Oh really yeah? And are they are they still in
the service. Are their veterans that do that when they
leave the service?
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Well, the GI Bill a lot of times are for
veterans once they leave service.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That's okay. Is that the most But the.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Strong Act obviously is for serving reservists and guard members.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
They want to utilize that while they're still serving.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
So just some different opportunities based on what your situation is.
If you want to get you know, some some further education,
whether it be in the trades or in you know,
in the sciences or something that's that's your options.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Also, health care is a real big, i know, huge
for veterans. What we do now with what help care?
What about mental health problems? Do you deal with that?
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, So we don't have any clinicians in our department.
We partner with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health Substance
Abuse Commissioner Williams and her team over there are you know,
been in that business a long time, really have a
lot of outreach opportunities. What we're trying to do is
just make sure that veterans have access to mental health.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Services, especially in our rural areas.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
In the state.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
And there's a lot of great groups out there, both
nonprofit and in the private sector that do really good
work in that space. You know, we try to collaborate
with all of them. It's one of our subcommittees on
the Tri Stars and Stripes Council, and what they really
want to do is building enduring framework for suicide prevention
(08:21):
because it is it's mental health, it's jobs, it's relationships,
it's that connectivity. I would like to say there's just
one answer to fix all of that, but it's really
a combination of things.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So mental health is a big piece of that the VA.
In our state, we have about fifty one percent of
our veterans that are enrolled in VA healthcare. So that's
that's about three points higher than the national average. I
think the Pack Act that came out a couple of
years ago has really helped a lot of veterans understand
(08:57):
that's Gulf War service and and you know current day
that hey, there's there's ways to get some health care
benefits here based on my situation, that may be completely free.
And you know, any kind of connection to healthcare, whether
it's physical or mental, is better than never having that
(09:20):
connection point, you know, and thankful the advantage that would
be then employer if you show up and say, well,
I get my health care through the v A, I
don't need a health care benefit, you know, so that
that also gives them.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
An advantage so they can do the health care the
VA just had the VA and not not use the
company's health plan too exactly. Oh okay, I didn't realize that. Well,
I know in veterans that you know, suicide is a
big problem. So you know, it's it's uh, we're here
all the time, you know, we've got so and so
(09:52):
and so and so and so and so as committed suicide.
But that's one thing you work with when you work
with them on the the programs that you're talking about there.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Right, Yeah, it's all to just build up a stable
platform around them. Isolation is our biggest ANEMO. Yeah, in suicides,
it's when people get no connectivity to family, friends, or
support and however that comes about. Whether it's just what
their you know, their comrades at the VFW or the
(10:22):
American Legion wherever that's at.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
They need that connectivity.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
And you know, we're just trying to build a framework
across the state that says, you know, wherever you're at,
if it's remote Tennessee or if it's in downtown Nashville,
hey here, here's connectivity for you. Whether it's through health care,
hitting you a good career, uh, you know, trying to
make sure you have some affordable housing. Uh, you know,
just trying to look at all those different areas and
(10:49):
make sure that veterans have those opportunities.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Homelessness isn't problem veterans too.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah, you have to deal with that.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
We we obviously the VA has the home program that
we collaborate with them on.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
We did get some good news the other day.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Each year they do a point in time count where
they go out and survey across the nation how many
veterans are actually not in housing or in a home
and so, uh, this past year they had seen that
decrease about twenty four percent.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Realess.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Yeah, right, So, I mean there's been a big effort
across the nation to really tackle that. I think that
none of us as Americans want to see veterans homeless.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
We want to make.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Sure they're taking care of and so, you know, we got.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
To keep working at that.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
That's that's that is a it's it's a tremendous problem.
In fact, I'm going to Knoxville next week. They're going
to be opening up a new homeless center up there
for veterans. That's going to house about thirty two veterans.
Oh great, great opportunity there for them to have some
some caregiving to them and some job training, some different
(12:01):
things that will that will really benefit them.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
What will that be They will be in Knoxville and
it'll be what will what will it be involved that?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Well, obviously it's a place for them to reside, to
have a shelter.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
And and the way they're doing a lot of these
shelters now or are homeless units. Is they they bring
them in and they not only just provide the obvious food, clothing, shelter,
but they give them some classes to help them, you know,
maybe with resume riding, how to sit.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Down and do an interview.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
I mean, skill sets that sometimes we take for granted
that people just need some assistance all that time. Uh,
and you know, give them, get them, get them in.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
A situation to work.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Obviously, we want we want them to be able to
transition to something that's self sustaining and uh. And that's
one way to get at that.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You know, a lot of times you think about it,
the veterans coming out of the service, they may have
a problem, may have an issue that causes them to
be in homelessness.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Or something like that.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
A lot of times if you can get to the
root of that problem, you can really you can make changes.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
It is.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Yeah, if you don't have an address, you can't even
get a job. I mean, that's that's one of the
first things on an application. So getting them in some
kind of sustainable housing to get them established and get
them on a new path is critical.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Will other housing housing like this, like that Knoxville be
available around the state too, or Isle.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
We already have some.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Memphis has a couple of places down there that that
houses veterans. I think there's about thirteen different housing uh
veterans facilities across the state. This Knoxville one will be
added to that list and that grows. Uh it's competitive
real estates. Yes, you know is a premium now so uh,
(13:57):
you know, anytime you can add to that to that
capacity is always a big day for us. But a
lot of nonprofits doing a lot of good work out there.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
I was just gonna say, I see all the TV
commercials for tunnel to towers, so.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Things like that that they help you out at all.
Some do you work with them at all, like tunnel to.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
Towers, you know, I haven't heard that, Okay, But there's
just different ones out there, alf Omega, Yeah, and just
different ones.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
That warrior is a warrior. Oh there's hate.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
There's probably there's probably twenty nonprofits in a veteran space
within the within a baseball throw this of this building here.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
There's a lot of them and they all do great work.
They really do.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
They do.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
They provide shelter and everything. You have everything so it's
got to be. It's great to have. I wish you
didn't have to have it. I wish you could. We
put the veterans we need to. We need to have
them somewhere to live. It's just something like that. They
need to have somewhere to live. It it is, it is,
it is what we do. You do things with the cemeteries,
(15:06):
the services and everything you do. Talk about what you
do the cemeteries. You have cemeteries in the states that
are right.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, we so you know there's there's ten veteran cemeteries
in the state. Five of them are national. Okay, so
you got one here in Madison, nor North Nashville. The
problem is is that started two years after the Civil War.
So they're landlocked and they can't grow.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
My gosh.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
So so now all they can take is like the
niches for columbarons for cremations.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
They don't have any casket space left. So our state started.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Building state veterans cemeteries through grants from the National Cemetery
Administration back in the in the early nineties. We started
in lines View in Knoxville in nineteen ninety and now
we've our last cemetery. We opened was in Parkers cross
Roads and took that eighteen and all pristine. In fact,
(16:06):
they all get a three year inspection from the NCAA
that is associated with the grant money we get to
expand them and to maintain them. There's thirty four inspections
that they did last year nationwide out of one hundred
and twenty three cemeteries, and they gave out seven Operational
Excellence Awards. Now that's ninety five areas and you have
(16:28):
to have a percentage of ninety percent pass in each
category to receive that. We had two of them come
to our state. That's pretty good out of seven. Yeah,
I thought that was too. So now five of our
state veterans cemeteries over the last three years have received
an Operational Excellence Award. So we're going to keep that going.
We got another one coming up next April. And really
(16:53):
what it says to our veterans is we take this serious.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
This is an honorable place.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
You know, the grass is going to become a certain way,
the headstones are going to look a certain way. You're
not going to see brush, you're not going to see trash,
You're not gonna see anything that you might see somewhere
else in one of our cemeteries. And uh, they even
look at how many weeds you got in your firebed.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Oh so wow, I'm.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Telling you the scrutiny is there, but it should.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Be, I mean, we should, we should do that.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
And oh, by the way, if you're a veteran h
A d D two fourteen and a marriage certificate and
you and your spouse can be registered in about ten
minutes free. That's a free benefit, by the way, absolutely free.
So I would just encourage anybody that hadn't made those
plans yet, get on our website, click on the cemetery
(17:47):
nearest to you, and take care of that.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
So what else do you do do help with funerals
at all two or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Well, Souran's coming to funerals And.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Well, actually, what how that works is the the Military
Department and the services provide the funeral honor teams and
then they we coordinate with them. Obviously they do the
funeral peace if they bring them out, and then the
final honors are given at the cemetery and you know,
it's at a minimum folding of the flag, taps, you know,
(18:22):
and for the family and then if you know, if you.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Want to go further with that.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
You can you know, the Honor Guard grant program, which
is kind of new to the apartment. I don't know
the last time we talked to we had that or not.
The state legislature gave us some money about two years
ago that said, if you have a veteran service organization
in your area, and we have several of them across
the state that do military funeral honors in places that
(18:53):
maybe the military services can't get to, you know, just
too many funerals that day, they can't get there, so
they go render honors for those veterans. It can be
in a private cemetery or it can be in a
veterans cemetery. Well, they've been doing that for years, john
on their own network, and the legislature said, hey, we
need we need some grant money to give them to
(19:14):
so they can get reimbursed for supplies, equipment, transportation, food, training,
and so they put ninety thousand dollars out there. We've
reimbursed about seventeen thousand now.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
And I would just encourage you if you are part.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Of one of those organizations, give you know one in
your area that's doing that that don't know about this
program again, website TN dot god Ford slash veteran and
you'll see Honor Guard grant program. It's very easy.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
You know, that's great.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
That's man. Yeah, if you can't use that.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's a great service they're providing.
They've been doing it of their own accord, free will.
Why not reimburse them and try to help them out
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, and now to be in the in the cemetery,
you should go on the website too. And you and
your wife a veteran and your wife are very veteran,
your husband can can go in that too.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
How does that go the ones who go into the cemetery?
Speaker 4 (20:14):
So so you when you register, obviously your proof of service,
whether it's the husband or the wife, is what registers
the veteran for the free burial, but there also is
a is a spouse burial as well. And then if
you have dependent children that are disabled or that they
(20:37):
are tragically lost prior to their adulthood, they can also
be buried there as well.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
So it's it's it's a tremendous benefit.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
I mean, it really is to have the pace of
mind of knowing that not only are you going to
be in a pristine, resting place. But you know, limited
family can be there as well, which always means a lot,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, because if you have a person that in the
family that doesn't have a place to say the doing
no good, that's great. You can go on the Veterans
website to find that out.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
You can.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
You can you go on there. All of our cemeteries
are listed. There's a link on there. You can go
to that link. You can upload those two documents marriage
certificate and proof of service and you're on your way.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I want to talk about I want to talk about
your staff.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Who do you have working You're talking about their Nashville,
but they're all over the state.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
They are. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
So we have the five state Veterans cemeteries. We have
one hundred and twenty seven employees. About fifty five of
those are assigned of those five seventh sies right mowing
the maintenance just obvious there. Then we have a thirteen
field offices. If you start Mountain Home, which is upper
(21:54):
East Tennessee, any father and you're in North Carolina, they
have a thea medical center there, but we also have
a field office inside of that compound where veterans come
in when they're there seeing the docks with whatever's going
on with them in the health wise. A lot of
times they'll walk right from the doctor's ovis off to
the field office and they'll sit down and start working
(22:15):
a claim because that's another benefit that we provide absolutely free.
We're gonna sit down with you all that complexity of
filling out all those forms and putting all those words
together and sending it up to the VA for them
to evaluate what your service connection is.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Let us do that.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
We have trained fascialists that have been doing this for
many years. They know all of the the you know
inside baseball of how to do that the right way
and uh and make sure that you're represented the right
right way.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And it's absolutely free.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
So you work your way from there all the way
to Memphis, and there's thirteen field offices, some of them
have one one veteran service officer, some of them have four.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
We're at all the VA medical.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Sen here in Nashville, Murphysboro, Memphis, and then we're at
some of the community based out patient clinics like Cookball
they have a it's an outpatient clinic for veterans. We
have two Veteran Services officers barriers, so plenty of opportunities.
The counties also have these folks that do the same thing.
So if you're in a county that's you know, an
(23:21):
hour away from any of our offices, you can go
to that county service officer. They'll take cub care of
you absolutely free as well. I would just emphatically, you know,
talk about the free part. You can go, you can
go hire somebody to do this, but why would you
when you got people to do it absolutely free?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Yeah, and they're right there, Nick Robert in your county. Yeah,
go hey, help me out. That's it exactly it.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Should they go on the website to find that out too.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
That yes, yes, you can go on there see all
of our thirteen field office locations.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
There'll be numbers on there.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
You can all and set up an appointment or you
can just walk in. Now you have to, you know,
bring some documents with you and all that kind of stuff,
but obviously great benefit to have out there for veterans.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
And then I'll just share with you too.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
We also have an appeals and accreditation team. That appeals
team last year brought in over seventeen million dollars in
retroactive payments to veterans across the state. It's tax free
money as well. When you file a claim, unfortunately, the
VA sometimes denies that claim and you have a right
(24:37):
to disagree with that, and our team will take your
disagreement and they will advocate in front of the Board
of Veteran Appeals on your behalf. So the way that works,
you can have a veteran an, administrative law judge and
the VSO all sitting on a team's meeting essentially, and
(24:58):
you can give your case to the law judge and
the VSO will be there to advocate for you as well.
And you can do that surprisingly from your own living room.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Really yeah, yeah, we got about.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Seventy four percent of our counties now provide an office
space to do that, because obviously you need some privacure.
But if veteran wants to do it and they've got
the digital capability, the IT capability, they can do it
from their own living room where they used to have
to come in to Memphis, Nashville, some kind of regional
office and do that in person. Now we have that
(25:33):
ability to do that virtually. It's a great benefit. But hey,
I would just say to any veteran who's been denied.
That's not the end of the story. We have an
eighty seven percent positivity rate when we argue orally before
the border veteran appeals, So that's a pretty good Yeah.
(25:53):
So I would just say, look at your opportunities and
chances they're of appealing that if you've been tonight.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Who's who's on the board, how do you do? Veterans
on the board?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
The Board of Veteran Appeals is part of the VA system,
so they have it over one hundred administrative law judges
across the nation that listen to these appeals. Now, the
problem is sometimes you're going to be waiting a minute
to get that. When I first came into this job,
the weight period was average was about six years. Yeah,
(26:29):
well they've got that way down now it's it's around
two years. That's the average, and it needs to be less.
It needs to Their goal is to get down to
about a one year wort time. And obviously if you're
terminally ill or if your advanced age, we can get
you further into that, you know, front of the line
so that your case can be heard. But they set
(26:52):
it's kind of like a court dock. If they set
a docket, they send it to our appeals team every
month and they say, here's the veterans in your state
that were going to be hearing their cases.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Well, then it's uh.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
The onus is on us then to provide make sure
we've got everything ready for that hearing. Right, you don't
want to show up not prepared. So we get with
a veteran, we get with the service officers that's representing them,
and we start looking at the case, the merits of
the case, if there's any other evidence we need, Is
there any other documents we need, so that when we
(27:24):
get in front of that administrative law judge, we've got
it figured.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Out and we know how to approach that.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
And that's that's the ways when we have that eighty
seven percent you know, positivity rate, because you've got to
be prepared. And the last thing we want to do
is to tell a veteran, well, you've been waiting two years,
but we wasn't prepared to hear, you know, go in
front of the BVA. So we're not gonna it's never
gonna be us that they're working on. So we don't
control that process, but we want to be ready when
(27:52):
our time comes you know.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
That's that's great. And again the website for that too.
Everything it needs on the website.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
And everything, everything is right there.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
And two, I mean when you talk to when you
have a VSO that doesn an initial claim for you.
All of these I've talked about these three separate functions
in the agency, but they're connected. They're all interconnected. You're
not alone. You don't leave them and go try to
figure it all that out.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
On your own.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
They really become your advocate for life. We have vsos
that did claim for people twenty years ago. They still
call them anytime they got a question about anything via related.
You know, how do you build that kind of bond? Well,
it's because you know, once you've served someone and they
(28:40):
have trust in you, you build a bond. And we're
state agency, we're small, but we've built those kind of
relationships over the years and it's really it's really heartwarming
when you think about it.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. You do so much, so many things.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I love having you on because we talk about all
things that you do and you just really are valuable
to people and I appreciate.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
What you do and I appreciate you coming on today.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Thank you, John.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
I appreciate y'all having me great partners, and I just
want to say again everything we offer Tennessee Department of
Veterans Services is absolutely one free. It does not cost
you one penny. So thank you for your service out there,
all you veterans, family members and service members that are
continuing to service day. Appreciate y'all come see us.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
That's Major General Tommy Baker, commissioner for the Tennessee Department
of Veteran Services. You can find out more about them
online at TN dot gov slash veteran. For comments of
questions on today's program, you can email me, John Clark
at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to
you next week right here on your local radio station
on Tennessee Matters
It's Tennessee Matters on the Tennessee Radio Network.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Welcome to Tennessee Matters.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I'm John Clark on the Tennessee Radio Network. The Tennessee
Department of Veteran Services operates fourteen field offices for Tennessee
State Veteran Cemeteries, serves as Post of the Ason for
three state veterans' homes, assists with active duty casualties, and
hosts outreach programs across the state to raise awareness and
assist veterans.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
As well as their families.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Major General Tommy Baker is the Commissioner for the Department
of Veteran Services, and he joins us today. Well, here
we are again talking about veterans today. I'm glad to
see today.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Hey, good to see you, John, Thanks for having me
over again. It's always great to come talk about Tennessee
Department Veteran Services and about veterans, service members and their families.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
You do a great job with it, you really do
with the veterans. What anything news that you're doing right
now that you haven't been doing well?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
In fact, there is.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
We introduced a new program inside the department called the
Tennessee Veteran Ready Business Recognition program.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
This was an effort.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
That really we built over a couple of years talking
to business leaders, chambers, different ones about how can we
recognize businesses that are already doing things for veterans. And
when I say doing things, it's more than a discount
or a parking space. But there's a lot of businesses
(01:33):
out there that want to hire veterans, So how do
we help them recruit, hire, and retain service members veterans
and their families. And that's really the crust of the program.
It's three levels, the lowest level being Bronze, silver and Gold.
There's really thirteen criteria that you have to make to
(01:56):
attain the goal level. The bronze levels good for a year, uh,
the silver is good for two years, go three. Obviously,
it's a great way to share best practices with other
business leaders, come together and think about how do we
best do what you know, recruit, hire, and retain that
(02:19):
group of that population. And you know, besides that, they
get a chance to get their company recognized and advertise
on our website, a dot gov website, which is which
is always a plus for a business.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
They're going to get a kind of a fat head
emblem that can they can put on their their their
company out facing door or wherever they want to. If
it's silver or gold, they're going to get really a
nice award from us stating that, and then they're going
to get a digital email signal that will define them
on their email signature block as they've got your ready business.
(02:58):
So just a few of the of the pluses of
doing that. But really what it's all about is recruiting, hiring,
and retaining veterans.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Because they're always they're always getting out and always always
veterans getting out looking for jobs.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Yeah, and here's you know, there's about one hundred and
forty thousand a year that leave the service. Only about
ten percent of that group have a real plan about
you know, where am I gonna go work? Where can
I start a career, raise my family, all those other
questions that's.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
On their mind.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
And so, you know, having that pipeline somewhat established in
the state of Tennessee really kind of aligns with Governor
Lee's initiative, which is he wants to make this the
best state in the Union for veterans.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
To live and thrive.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
So, you know, that's how that's one of the ways
to get at that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
How has it been so far the program? Is it
transmitted into jobs?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
It's well, actually we're right now in the application point.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Okay, so we started in July.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
With any new program, at takes a minute to get
some traction to get the word out. We've used some
social media. We've used obviously the public service announcements chambers,
different different groups.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Out there to try to spread that word.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Uh and you know, some media, as you will know,
to try to get the word out there. It's right now,
we've got fifty seven applicants, different businesses, companies from all
regions of the state, all kinds of companies, construction companies,
mom and pops, you know, big healthcare companies, those kind
of folks. And so we're in the process of evaluating
(04:43):
those packets, seeing which level they will they will be
graded at or will be receiving, and then we're going
to close. We've got two weeks left in this application period.
I would encourage any business, maybe this first time you're.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Hearing about it, just go to our website.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
There's a there's a you know, when you click on
our website at TN dot gov's hard slash veterans. The
first thing you're gonna see is Veteran Ready Business Recognition program.
You click on that, you're gonna see a video from
Governor Lee. Yeah, and uh then the application is right
back there. Uh, it's got a you know, some some
questions you're gonna answer and when get you we get
(05:22):
you signed up next two weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Man businesses, do it? Do it now? Do it now? Heck, yeah,
that's been great.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
That'd be great. We're excited. Uh. Like I said, it's
a new program.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
It took us a while to get it put together,
and we'll go back and refine it some after this
application period, but uh, we think it's gonna be great
for veterans long term. You know something years years from
now that's gonna be still producing fruit for veterans and
service members.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Now in terms of veterans, you also have some things
that veterans when they go into school, they go back
to school, and then you help help them out that way.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
What do they do now.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
When you when they go to when they finish their
service and they go into a going to go into
a classroom and going to school, what do they do
for them in schools?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Well, so there's a lot of benefits out there with
the GI Bill. Referencing the GI Bill, there's always that
you know, opportunity. Uh, there's educational benefits out there associated with.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Post nine to eleven service.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
You have here in our.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
State, you know, have the Strong or the Stronger Act
for the Garden Reserve folks out there that are trying
to either get an undergraduate degree.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Or even a master's.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Now, so a lot of educational opportunities, a lot of
money out there available to veterans that want to go
back and either get a teacat certification for a trade
or you know, a university four year degree.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Oh really yeah? And are they are they still in
the service. Are their veterans that do that when they
leave the service?
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Well, the GI Bill a lot of times are for
veterans once they leave service.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
That's okay. Is that the most But the.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Strong Act obviously is for serving reservists and guard members.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
They want to utilize that while they're still serving.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
So just some different opportunities based on what your situation is.
If you want to get you know, some some further education,
whether it be in the trades or in you know,
in the sciences or something that's that's your options.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Also, health care is a real big, i know, huge
for veterans. What we do now with what help care?
What about mental health problems? Do you deal with that?
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, So we don't have any clinicians in our department.
We partner with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health Substance
Abuse Commissioner Williams and her team over there are you know,
been in that business a long time, really have a
lot of outreach opportunities. What we're trying to do is
just make sure that veterans have access to mental health.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Services, especially in our rural areas.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
In the state.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
And there's a lot of great groups out there, both
nonprofit and in the private sector that do really good
work in that space. You know, we try to collaborate
with all of them. It's one of our subcommittees on
the Tri Stars and Stripes Council, and what they really
want to do is building enduring framework for suicide prevention
(08:21):
because it is it's mental health, it's jobs, it's relationships,
it's that connectivity. I would like to say there's just
one answer to fix all of that, but it's really
a combination of things.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
You know.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
So mental health is a big piece of that the VA.
In our state, we have about fifty one percent of
our veterans that are enrolled in VA healthcare. So that's
that's about three points higher than the national average. I
think the Pack Act that came out a couple of
years ago has really helped a lot of veterans understand
(08:57):
that's Gulf War service and and you know current day
that hey, there's there's ways to get some health care
benefits here based on my situation, that may be completely free.
And you know, any kind of connection to healthcare, whether
it's physical or mental, is better than never having that
(09:20):
connection point, you know, and thankful the advantage that would
be then employer if you show up and say, well,
I get my health care through the v A, I
don't need a health care benefit, you know, so that
that also gives them.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
An advantage so they can do the health care the
VA just had the VA and not not use the
company's health plan too exactly. Oh okay, I didn't realize that. Well,
I know in veterans that you know, suicide is a
big problem. So you know, it's it's uh, we're here
all the time, you know, we've got so and so
(09:52):
and so and so and so and so as committed suicide.
But that's one thing you work with when you work
with them on the the programs that you're talking about there.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Right, Yeah, it's all to just build up a stable
platform around them. Isolation is our biggest ANEMO. Yeah, in suicides,
it's when people get no connectivity to family, friends, or
support and however that comes about. Whether it's just what
their you know, their comrades at the VFW or the
(10:22):
American Legion wherever that's at.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
They need that connectivity.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
And you know, we're just trying to build a framework
across the state that says, you know, wherever you're at,
if it's remote Tennessee or if it's in downtown Nashville,
hey here, here's connectivity for you. Whether it's through health care,
hitting you a good career, uh, you know, trying to
make sure you have some affordable housing. Uh, you know,
just trying to look at all those different areas and
(10:49):
make sure that veterans have those opportunities.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Homelessness isn't problem veterans too.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah, you have to deal with that.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
We we obviously the VA has the home program that
we collaborate with them on.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
We did get some good news the other day.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
Each year they do a point in time count where
they go out and survey across the nation how many
veterans are actually not in housing or in a home
and so, uh, this past year they had seen that
decrease about twenty four percent.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Realess.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Yeah, right, So, I mean there's been a big effort
across the nation to really tackle that. I think that
none of us as Americans want to see veterans homeless.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
We want to make.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Sure they're taking care of and so, you know, we got.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
To keep working at that.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
That's that's that is a it's it's a tremendous problem.
In fact, I'm going to Knoxville next week. They're going
to be opening up a new homeless center up there
for veterans. That's going to house about thirty two veterans.
Oh great, great opportunity there for them to have some
some caregiving to them and some job training, some different
(12:01):
things that will that will really benefit them.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
What will that be They will be in Knoxville and
it'll be what will what will it be involved that?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Well, obviously it's a place for them to reside, to
have a shelter.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
And and the way they're doing a lot of these
shelters now or are homeless units. Is they they bring
them in and they not only just provide the obvious food, clothing, shelter,
but they give them some classes to help them, you know,
maybe with resume riding, how to sit.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Down and do an interview.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
I mean, skill sets that sometimes we take for granted
that people just need some assistance all that time. Uh,
and you know, give them, get them, get them in.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
A situation to work.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Obviously, we want we want them to be able to
transition to something that's self sustaining and uh. And that's
one way to get at that.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
You know, a lot of times you think about it,
the veterans coming out of the service, they may have
a problem, may have an issue that causes them to
be in homelessness.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Or something like that.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
A lot of times if you can get to the
root of that problem, you can really you can make changes.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
It is.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
Yeah, if you don't have an address, you can't even
get a job. I mean, that's that's one of the
first things on an application. So getting them in some
kind of sustainable housing to get them established and get
them on a new path is critical.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Will other housing housing like this, like that Knoxville be
available around the state too, or Isle.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
We already have some.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Memphis has a couple of places down there that that
houses veterans. I think there's about thirteen different housing uh
veterans facilities across the state. This Knoxville one will be
added to that list and that grows. Uh it's competitive
real estates. Yes, you know is a premium now so uh,
(13:57):
you know, anytime you can add to that to that
capacity is always a big day for us. But a
lot of nonprofits doing a lot of good work out there.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
I was just gonna say, I see all the TV
commercials for tunnel to towers, so.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Things like that that they help you out at all.
Some do you work with them at all, like tunnel to.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
Towers, you know, I haven't heard that, Okay, But there's
just different ones out there, alf Omega, Yeah, and just
different ones.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
That warrior is a warrior. Oh there's hate.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
There's probably there's probably twenty nonprofits in a veteran space
within the within a baseball throw this of this building here.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
There's a lot of them and they all do great work.
They really do.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
They do.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
They provide shelter and everything. You have everything so it's
got to be. It's great to have. I wish you
didn't have to have it. I wish you could. We
put the veterans we need to. We need to have
them somewhere to live. It's just something like that. They
need to have somewhere to live. It it is, it is,
it is what we do. You do things with the cemeteries,
(15:06):
the services and everything you do. Talk about what you
do the cemeteries. You have cemeteries in the states that
are right.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, we so you know there's there's ten veteran cemeteries
in the state. Five of them are national. Okay, so
you got one here in Madison, nor North Nashville. The
problem is is that started two years after the Civil War.
So they're landlocked and they can't grow.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
My gosh.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
So so now all they can take is like the
niches for columbarons for cremations.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
They don't have any casket space left. So our state started.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Building state veterans cemeteries through grants from the National Cemetery
Administration back in the in the early nineties. We started
in lines View in Knoxville in nineteen ninety and now
we've our last cemetery. We opened was in Parkers cross
Roads and took that eighteen and all pristine. In fact,
(16:06):
they all get a three year inspection from the NCAA
that is associated with the grant money we get to
expand them and to maintain them. There's thirty four inspections
that they did last year nationwide out of one hundred
and twenty three cemeteries, and they gave out seven Operational
Excellence Awards. Now that's ninety five areas and you have
(16:28):
to have a percentage of ninety percent pass in each
category to receive that. We had two of them come
to our state. That's pretty good out of seven. Yeah,
I thought that was too. So now five of our
state veterans cemeteries over the last three years have received
an Operational Excellence Award. So we're going to keep that going.
We got another one coming up next April. And really
(16:53):
what it says to our veterans is we take this serious.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
This is an honorable place.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
You know, the grass is going to become a certain way,
the headstones are going to look a certain way. You're
not going to see brush, you're not going to see trash,
You're not gonna see anything that you might see somewhere
else in one of our cemeteries. And uh, they even
look at how many weeds you got in your firebed.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Oh so wow, I'm.
Speaker 4 (17:20):
Telling you the scrutiny is there, but it should.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Be, I mean, we should, we should do that.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
And oh, by the way, if you're a veteran h
A d D two fourteen and a marriage certificate and
you and your spouse can be registered in about ten
minutes free. That's a free benefit, by the way, absolutely free.
So I would just encourage anybody that hadn't made those
plans yet, get on our website, click on the cemetery
(17:47):
nearest to you, and take care of that.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
So what else do you do do help with funerals
at all two or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Well, Souran's coming to funerals And.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Well, actually, what how that works is the the Military
Department and the services provide the funeral honor teams and
then they we coordinate with them. Obviously they do the
funeral peace if they bring them out, and then the
final honors are given at the cemetery and you know,
it's at a minimum folding of the flag, taps, you know,
(18:22):
and for the family and then if you know, if you.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Want to go further with that.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
You can you know, the Honor Guard grant program, which
is kind of new to the apartment. I don't know
the last time we talked to we had that or not.
The state legislature gave us some money about two years
ago that said, if you have a veteran service organization
in your area, and we have several of them across
the state that do military funeral honors in places that
(18:53):
maybe the military services can't get to, you know, just
too many funerals that day, they can't get there, so
they go render honors for those veterans. It can be
in a private cemetery or it can be in a
veterans cemetery. Well, they've been doing that for years, john
on their own network, and the legislature said, hey, we
need we need some grant money to give them to
(19:14):
so they can get reimbursed for supplies, equipment, transportation, food, training,
and so they put ninety thousand dollars out there. We've
reimbursed about seventeen thousand now.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
And I would just encourage you if you are part.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Of one of those organizations, give you know one in
your area that's doing that that don't know about this
program again, website TN dot god Ford slash veteran and
you'll see Honor Guard grant program. It's very easy.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
You know, that's great.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
That's man. Yeah, if you can't use that.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's a great service they're providing.
They've been doing it of their own accord, free will.
Why not reimburse them and try to help them out
a little bit.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, and now to be in the in the cemetery,
you should go on the website too. And you and
your wife a veteran and your wife are very veteran,
your husband can can go in that too.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
How does that go the ones who go into the cemetery?
Speaker 4 (20:14):
So so you when you register, obviously your proof of service,
whether it's the husband or the wife, is what registers
the veteran for the free burial, but there also is
a is a spouse burial as well. And then if
you have dependent children that are disabled or that they
(20:37):
are tragically lost prior to their adulthood, they can also
be buried there as well.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
So it's it's it's a tremendous benefit.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
I mean, it really is to have the pace of
mind of knowing that not only are you going to
be in a pristine, resting place. But you know, limited
family can be there as well, which always means a lot,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, because if you have a person that in the
family that doesn't have a place to say the doing
no good, that's great. You can go on the Veterans
website to find that out.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
You can.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
You can you go on there. All of our cemeteries
are listed. There's a link on there. You can go
to that link. You can upload those two documents marriage
certificate and proof of service and you're on your way.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I want to talk about I want to talk about
your staff.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Who do you have working You're talking about their Nashville,
but they're all over the state.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
They are. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
So we have the five state Veterans cemeteries. We have
one hundred and twenty seven employees. About fifty five of
those are assigned of those five seventh sies right mowing
the maintenance just obvious there. Then we have a thirteen
field offices. If you start Mountain Home, which is upper
(21:54):
East Tennessee, any father and you're in North Carolina, they
have a thea medical center there, but we also have
a field office inside of that compound where veterans come
in when they're there seeing the docks with whatever's going
on with them in the health wise. A lot of
times they'll walk right from the doctor's ovis off to
the field office and they'll sit down and start working
(22:15):
a claim because that's another benefit that we provide absolutely free.
We're gonna sit down with you all that complexity of
filling out all those forms and putting all those words
together and sending it up to the VA for them
to evaluate what your service connection is.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Let us do that.
Speaker 4 (22:34):
We have trained fascialists that have been doing this for
many years. They know all of the the you know
inside baseball of how to do that the right way
and uh and make sure that you're represented the right
right way.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And it's absolutely free.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
So you work your way from there all the way
to Memphis, and there's thirteen field offices, some of them
have one one veteran service officer, some of them have four.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
We're at all the VA medical.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Sen here in Nashville, Murphysboro, Memphis, and then we're at
some of the community based out patient clinics like Cookball
they have a it's an outpatient clinic for veterans. We
have two Veteran Services officers barriers, so plenty of opportunities.
The counties also have these folks that do the same thing.
So if you're in a county that's you know, an
(23:21):
hour away from any of our offices, you can go
to that county service officer. They'll take cub care of
you absolutely free as well. I would just emphatically, you know,
talk about the free part. You can go, you can
go hire somebody to do this, but why would you
when you got people to do it absolutely free?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Yeah, and they're right there, Nick Robert in your county. Yeah,
go hey, help me out. That's it exactly it.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Should they go on the website to find that out too.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
That yes, yes, you can go on there see all
of our thirteen field office locations.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
There'll be numbers on there.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
You can all and set up an appointment or you
can just walk in. Now you have to, you know,
bring some documents with you and all that kind of stuff,
but obviously great benefit to have out there for veterans.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
And then I'll just share with you too.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
We also have an appeals and accreditation team. That appeals
team last year brought in over seventeen million dollars in
retroactive payments to veterans across the state. It's tax free
money as well. When you file a claim, unfortunately, the
VA sometimes denies that claim and you have a right
(24:37):
to disagree with that, and our team will take your
disagreement and they will advocate in front of the Board
of Veteran Appeals on your behalf. So the way that works,
you can have a veteran an, administrative law judge and
the VSO all sitting on a team's meeting essentially, and
(24:58):
you can give your case to the law judge and
the VSO will be there to advocate for you as well.
And you can do that surprisingly from your own living room.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Really yeah, yeah, we got about.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
Seventy four percent of our counties now provide an office
space to do that, because obviously you need some privacure.
But if veteran wants to do it and they've got
the digital capability, the IT capability, they can do it
from their own living room where they used to have
to come in to Memphis, Nashville, some kind of regional
office and do that in person. Now we have that
(25:33):
ability to do that virtually. It's a great benefit. But hey,
I would just say to any veteran who's been denied.
That's not the end of the story. We have an
eighty seven percent positivity rate when we argue orally before
the border veteran appeals, So that's a pretty good Yeah.
(25:53):
So I would just say, look at your opportunities and
chances they're of appealing that if you've been tonight.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Who's who's on the board, how do you do? Veterans
on the board?
Speaker 4 (26:07):
The Board of Veteran Appeals is part of the VA system,
so they have it over one hundred administrative law judges
across the nation that listen to these appeals. Now, the
problem is sometimes you're going to be waiting a minute
to get that. When I first came into this job,
the weight period was average was about six years. Yeah,
(26:29):
well they've got that way down now it's it's around
two years. That's the average, and it needs to be less.
It needs to Their goal is to get down to
about a one year wort time. And obviously if you're
terminally ill or if your advanced age, we can get
you further into that, you know, front of the line
so that your case can be heard. But they set
(26:52):
it's kind of like a court dock. If they set
a docket, they send it to our appeals team every
month and they say, here's the veterans in your state
that were going to be hearing their cases.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Well, then it's uh.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
The onus is on us then to provide make sure
we've got everything ready for that hearing. Right, you don't
want to show up not prepared. So we get with
a veteran, we get with the service officers that's representing them,
and we start looking at the case, the merits of
the case, if there's any other evidence we need, Is
there any other documents we need, so that when we
(27:24):
get in front of that administrative law judge, we've got
it figured.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Out and we know how to approach that.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
And that's that's the ways when we have that eighty
seven percent you know, positivity rate, because you've got to
be prepared. And the last thing we want to do
is to tell a veteran, well, you've been waiting two years,
but we wasn't prepared to hear, you know, go in
front of the BVA. So we're not gonna it's never
gonna be us that they're working on. So we don't
control that process, but we want to be ready when
(27:52):
our time comes you know.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
That's that's great. And again the website for that too.
Everything it needs on the website.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
And everything, everything is right there.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
And two, I mean when you talk to when you
have a VSO that doesn an initial claim for you.
All of these I've talked about these three separate functions
in the agency, but they're connected. They're all interconnected. You're
not alone. You don't leave them and go try to
figure it all that out.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
On your own.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
They really become your advocate for life. We have vsos
that did claim for people twenty years ago. They still
call them anytime they got a question about anything via related.
You know, how do you build that kind of bond? Well,
it's because you know, once you've served someone and they
(28:40):
have trust in you, you build a bond. And we're
state agency, we're small, but we've built those kind of
relationships over the years and it's really it's really heartwarming
when you think about it.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. You do so much, so many things.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I love having you on because we talk about all
things that you do and you just really are valuable
to people and I appreciate.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
What you do and I appreciate you coming on today.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Thank you, John.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
I appreciate y'all having me great partners, and I just
want to say again everything we offer Tennessee Department of
Veterans Services is absolutely one free. It does not cost
you one penny. So thank you for your service out there,
all you veterans, family members and service members that are
continuing to service day. Appreciate y'all come see us.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
That's Major General Tommy Baker, commissioner for the Tennessee Department
of Veteran Services. You can find out more about them
online at TN dot gov slash veteran. For comments of
questions on today's program, you can email me, John Clark
at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to
you next week right here on your local radio station
on Tennessee Matters
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