November 7, 2024 • 30 mins
Community DC Host Dennis Glasgow welcomes Terrence Hayes – he is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the next 30 mins, we’re going to get a great education about how many veterans have been helped with the pact act – how you can still take advantage of it – also what Terrence and his Team are doing for homeless veterans – and what the future holds when it comes to our brave men and women that have served this country – and I would like to not only thank Terrance for his 20 years of service in the Army – but all the veterans that listen to this program – as we honor you tomorrow on Veterans Day and everyone who has served in the united states military
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community. Do
you see I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we
have our first opportunity to welcome a new guest to
the program, and that's Terrence Hayes. He is the Deputy
Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Now,
over the next thirty minutes, we're going to get a
great education about how many veterans have been helped with
(00:30):
the Packed Act and also how you can take advantage
of it, and also what Terrence and his team are
doing for homelessness and veterans, and what the future holds
when it comes to our brave men and women who
have served this country. And I would also like to
not only thank Terrence for his twenty years of service
in the army, but all the veterans that listen to
this program as we honor you tomorrow on Veterans Day
(00:50):
in the United States, and of course everybody who has
served in the military. Here's my conversation with Terrence. It's
both very educational and informative, and I hope you enjoy
it as much as I did.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Good morning, Terrence, Good morning, Didnis.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
It is a treat to talk to you and for
somebody who has lived in the DMV now my fourth
time in Northwest DC now and I've lived in northern
Virginia and Maryland. I don't have any military family, but man,
I'm as patriotic as they come, especially when I go
to sporting events and how we take care of our
veterans by acknowledging them. You take it one hundred steps
further with what you and your team do at the VA,
(01:24):
and we're here to talk about that. We're here to
talk about the Packed Act, about veteran care and benefits, homelessness,
and some national numbers that I know you're very proud of, Terrence,
But can we do this first and talk about exactly
what you do, just to give people a little context
about what goes on in your daily life.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Absolutely, Dennis, Well, first of all, I want to say
our wish every veteran who listens to your programming a
very special happy Veterans date. We do have quite a
few veterans and military service members in the DMV areas,
so again I want to give a special shout out
to all of them and their families, and of course
(02:06):
are surviving families also so that's the first thing. But Dennis, again,
I kind of lead all things public relations, communications externally
and internally here at the Department of Veterans Affairs, our
second largest federal agency in all of government. So what
that means is that it gives me an opportunity to
ensure that I am sharing the messages of our secretary,
(02:31):
but mainly ensuring that we're having those conversations with our stakeholders,
primarily our veterans. So we're able to use various different
means of communication to ensure that we are delivering the
care and the benefits that they've earned. So I'm proud
to have worked here, proud to be in this position,
and I'm a proud fellow veteran, hopefully helping other veterans
(02:55):
as well. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I'm glad you explained that, and I'm glad you gave
context because I wanted to thank Terrence for or his
tour of duty and did do I have this rite
a couple of decades? Terrence?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, yeah, I did twenty years.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
That's actually what brought me to the DC Maryland, Virginia
area is that I finished my last five years at
the wonderful Pentagon and I ended up deciding to call
the DC Maryland, Virginia area home.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's wonderful And what branch of service were you with?
I was in the United States Army Stanley. Well, listen,
thank you for your service, man. I really appreciate I've
got a chance to meet so many people like you
that have served, and I'm always in awe. I've done
a tour of wal to read before and watching incredible
people work on some of the people that have been
hurt and they go back into combat. It's truly a
(03:40):
thrill and also a blessing to be around so many
cool people like you that are helping our military, whether
they're still serving or whether they're coming home. That's kind
of what we're here to talk about about afterwards, about
what you're doing. And one of the first things I
want to talk about because I and I know this
could go on for hours talking about the pack DAC,
but there's a lot to dive into. I think we
educate people about what it is and then we can
(04:02):
dive into But what is the PACDACT?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Absolutely, I know many of your listeners and many folks
around the DC Maryland Virginia area have heard of burn pits,
or have heard of stuff like agent orange or just
other toxic substances that many members of the military may
have come in contact with because of their tours of
service overseas. So this particular law, the PACKDAC, basically impacts
(04:30):
veterans who have served in a Rock Afghanistan any of
those areas in the Central Command Area.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Also are Vietnam War veterans, our Golf war veterans.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So if any of those individuals may be suffering from
some rare diseases or conditions because of that service, what
we're encouraging them to do is to contact us, Visit
your nearest VA medical center, Visit our website at VA
dot gov slash Packed Pact to learn more about the
(05:01):
PACK Day. Because we know there are potentially millions of
veterans out there who are impacted by burn pits or
by these other toxic substances, and we need to ensure
that we notify them, educate them, and help them apply
for the benefits they've earned and the healthcare that they deserve.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And that's what we're here to do, is educate everybody
a little bit more on the Packed Act and some
other things. And I first started learning about that with
John Stewart, who I know, you know, is really big
on Capitol Hill when it comes to veterans and burn pits.
And I learned a lot from his Apple TV series
that he did and also him just speaking at Capitol Hill.
He's a passionate man. I'm very appreciative of people like
(05:39):
Kim because he's got that bully pulpit. You know, he's
on TV all the time with the Daily Show, but
you know, the guy just truly cares about the nine
to one one of families and also the burn pits
and people that have served. So that's really cool. Let
me let me ask a little bit more about the
pac deck and let's get into it about what it's
doing right now and what you hope to do in
(06:00):
the future and how many people you hope to help.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, Dennis, this is the biggest expansion of VA healthcare
and benefits in modern history.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
So that's the first thing.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
So far, we have delivered more than seven point nine
billion dollars in earn better.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Okay, that's an extraordinary number right there.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
That's on that absolutely, yeah, absolutely, And to put it
in context, what we have seen is that we have
received more than two million claims when it comes to
benefit claims, that is when it comes to the PAC
that we have already processed about one point seventy five
million of those. So again, this is making real impacts
(06:42):
to real life people who have done amazing service on
behalf of our country. So we're just getting started. We
know that there is so much more that we are
able to do. We just need to ensure that veterans
or families, anybody who knows a veteran can tell somebody
so we can encourage them to sign up for these
benefits and for the care that they've earned.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, Terrence, so let's talk a little bit about that,
and folks, we'll give the website several times during the
interview just to keep that on your radar if you
already have hav in Google that and Terrence has already
given up once, we'll do that a couple more times.
But when it comes to criteria, imagine there is some
criteria when it comes to signing up and qualifying. And
I know people joke about government paperwork or the heck
heiro at iHeart same thing. We've got to go through
(07:24):
lots of steps for everything, and that's okay, But with
that said, can you kind of give us an overview,
maybe a thirty thousand foot view. Turns about criteria when
it comes to the Pack Act.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Absolutely, the great thing about the Pact that is that
it's made how we process benefits very easy. In the past,
veterans would have had to really delve in and provide evidence,
and the basically the burden of proof was on the veteran,
So that made things very taxing and sometimes many veterans
(07:55):
would feel a lack of confidence in the system.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
But because of the PACK.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
That is created twenty or so more, what's called presumptive
conditions Dennis, and what a presumptive condition basically means is
that we automatically assume that if you have the diagnosis
the condition.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So let's use example hypertension.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
If you have hypertension and you served in the Vietnam
War region, it's pretty much a slam dunk that you're
eligible for benefits. Now, obviously the level of benefits will
vary based on the severity of the condition, but it's
a slam dunk when it comes to the evidence because
now we no longer have to seek additional evidence because
(08:37):
we automatically assume that your hypertension is because of your service.
So if folks go to the pack that website at
va dot gov slash pack, you'll see those conditions there,
those presumptive conditions. And if they have any of those conditions,
what I'm encouraging and I'm actually begging them to do
is to stop everything they're doing immediately contact us because
(09:00):
there are benefits eligible to them right now.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
You know, I'm a big sports guy. I've been doing
it for a long time, playing it and also on
the radio and TV and everything, so I'm always knee
deep in it about the nuances of it. And I've
always been in the opinion that, listen, anybody can coach
players and not have played the game at a high level.
And there's a lot of examples out there. And the
reason why I bring that up is is that I
always think if somebody has played the game or lived
(09:24):
the game, they've got a better chance of success. And
I'm just going to assume this. And I'd love for
you to talk about this with your couple of decades
of service, as you talk to all these men and
women that have served out there, and you've been through
the trenches, and you know what it's like to serve
for a very long time, and you've seen the highs,
the lows, the peaks in the valleys. Being able to
relate because we always want to relate to human beings, right,
(09:46):
that we have those same experiences that I'm not on
an island. They must be so grateful that you have
served and you can relate to them and get them
through these kind of things. When we talk about the
Packed Act, qualifying for IT criteria and just relating to
all these folks, imagine, and they're just they're thrilled to
be able to talk to you at times.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, Dennis, I think you bring up a wonderful point.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I think you know, we see it in sports, so
some of the best analysts that we see on television
are former players.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So for me to be that veteran, that individual who
served in those areas, I served in a rock for
fifteen months from two thousand and six to two thousand
and eight, came in contact with these same toxic substances.
So to be able to hopefully bring that credibility, that
level of trust to our fellow veterans and be able
to encourage them to apply even if VA had failed
(10:34):
them in the past, and that's the big thing for
me is that I can acknowledge it.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I understand that.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I want them to know that I see them, I
hear them that if they've been denied in the past,
you know, numerous times. What I'm telling them is that
because of the new PAC ding and the way we're
able to now process and adjudicate these claims, is that it's.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Making it a little bit easier.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
So I'm begging them to give us another shot to
get it right in any of them have taken me
up on that offer, and I'm hoping that again, any
of the listeners out there right now who know of
a veteran who served in Vietnam, who served in the Golfer,
who served in any of the post nine to eleven conflicts,
stops what they're doing, coaches up their veteran and has
(11:17):
you know, gives them the encouragement to apply one more time.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
So there are many other different topics and buckets. When
I talk to people like you, Terrence, about when military
people singularly or families, how they're all affected. Mental health
comes up. A lot, of course, a lot of PTSD,
but also something that I think shocks people, but it's
still a real thing in America, and not just for Americans, folks.
For military Americans to come back as homelessness. And I
(11:44):
know that's a real big deal and there's a wide
range of different things that could happen to somebody when
they come back, Terrence, but I know that's something in
your department with your team that you're also tackling. Can
you talk a little bit about it.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Veteran homelessness has been one of the top priorities for
Secretary of McDonald since he came on board here at VA.
He's committed to us housing veterans at record numbers these
past four years. As a matter of fact, just recently,
we were able to announce that VA had housed forty seven,
(12:20):
nine hundred and twenty five veterans experiencing homelessness in the
year of twenty twenty four. And I'm not talking temporarily housing.
I'm talking permanently housing these veterans. And that surpassed our
goal we wanted to or we had a goal of
forty one thousand. So again we were able to exceed
(12:41):
that goal because it's the highest of priorities for all
of us.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
We believe that every veteran.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Who has served this country with dedication and distinction and
courage should have a safe and stable place to call.
And that's what our teams are doing across the country
to work with our veterans to ensure that they're able
to get into the safest stable housing that they discern.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
You know, I want to relate a quick story to you, Terrence.
When I used to live on the West Coast in Portland,
we had a chance with our radio group to work
with something called the Transitional School and it was a
school for homeless kids. And I didn't know stuff like
that existed. It was a converted church and everything was donated.
It was pretty extraordinary. But the one thing that I
found out about was that And once again me and
my privilege is that, well, these kids will just come
(13:28):
to school, the bus will pick them up every day,
Da da da da dave, they get the three meals
and here we go. No, folks, you know why because
people are on the move all the time from hotel
to motel on the street. And I imagine too. And
the reason why I bring up that story, Terrence, is
that it really was an eye opener for me that
it's got to be that much harder for you and
your team just to track down people to get them
the help that they can get from you. But people
(13:51):
are on the move and they're hard to find all
the time. So whether family knows that maybe a military
friend or a family members on the move, they can't
find them and trace them down so they can get
the help. It really is extraordinary probably the links you
have to go when you're trying to get people some
help when it comes to homelessness.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Absolutely, Dennis, and I think also, you know, our listeners
need to understand that, you know, homelessness means several different things.
I think when you initially hear homelessness, you kind of
picture an individual who you see maybe residing on the street, right,
But there's also individuals who may be what's called CouchSurfing,
(14:29):
who may be going from home to home or maybe
transitioning from various different shelters. So those individuals are also
facing homelessness as well.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So that's where we are able to dig in deep.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
We have many of our team, especially here in the
DC Marylen Virginior, who actually walk the streets and chat
with these veterans and build that rapport with them to
get them to build that confidence to raise their hand
to seek the help that they require, and that goes
you know, that's what goes into a lot of this
is that you know, you have many veterans who who
(15:05):
may be very proud and don't want to seek that help.
But again, we're able to help them, coach them through
and help them build that confidence so they can get
what's due to them. And that's what we've been able
to do and what we hope that we can encourage
others out there and is there to help us do
so we can end this thing called veteran homelessness.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Well, Terrence, I'm so glad to hear that, because what
it says to me is that, you know, you have
to not assume, folks that some military member that's back
home and then doesn't have a permanent home might not
have a phone, they might not have internet access, all
sorts of different things. And that's why I think that
Terrence was explaining, for a lack of maybe a better phrase,
boots on the ground, ex. Military people going to the
(15:49):
streets and talking to people relating to them and say listen,
we can help you face to face. And Terrence, I
know that's hard to work, but brilliant that you're doing that,
because you just can't assume that anybody has access to
the website or is going to hear this interview.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Right, absolutely, absolutely, it means everything for our colleagues who
help us overcome veteran homelessness, they know the importance behind
building that relationship with our veterans and actually again living
in those streets to again give those people that confidence
so we can get them the resources that they require.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
And can you call a little bit more in the
resources because I know you talked about the national data bit.
But somebody does get in contact with one of your
people and they are CouchSurfing or they don't have a
permanent home, and they finally get signed up, how does
all process work from start to finish to get them
some housing? How does it actually work?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Yeah, Dennis, the main thing is this, we want to
house first. You know, no matter what their struggles or
challenges they may be facing, whether that's with mental health conditions,
whether that's with substance abuse, whether that's with some financial difficulties.
You know, we don't necessarily care about that initial The
(17:00):
very first thing we need to care about is putting
a roof over their heads. So that's the critical thing
is finding our folks, housing them and then providing them the.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Wrap around services to keep them housed.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And that's what we've been able to do, and that's
what we are going to continue to expand upon because
we know that once an individual is housed, first the
stress of that is off their shoulders, and now they're
more successful when they go into those wraparound services and
then which leads them to remain housed and away from
you know, returning to a homeless status.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
You know, one of the things I've learned over the
three years of doing the show and being back in
the DMV terrants and talking to different military all the
great military charities that we have in the area here
is the assumption that a military family, whether it's one
person coming back, it might be a couple, maybe the
family is here and the integration back into regular life
and going into a home that somebody might not have
(17:58):
a ramp, or they might not have a fridge, or
they might not have a car, or maybe they need
help with their their resume. You know, there's all sorts
of different things that I've learned that we assume once
again as civilians coming back into normal life that if
you lose your job, well, I'll just get online and
I apply for another one. I've got my resume ready
to go. Da da da da da, I've got this.
I've got that, I'm ready to go. I want to
make it clear. And the reason why I'm saying this, folks,
(18:20):
is the assumption that a military person coming back from combat,
whether it's fifteen months or whether it's you know, twenty
years of it, that they might not have everything that
you and I have. And that's kind of where Terrence,
once again, you and your team come in with the
assumption that they might have something that civilians do that
we take for granted absolutely.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And again we've been encouraging landlords to, you know, please
rent to veterans. We have services in place to ensure
that those landlords will get the rent that they you know,
that they that they need, you know. But the key
thing is we want to make sure that this is
a joint effort VA. You know, we need assistance from
(18:58):
you know, the community partners that we have as well
to solve this issue of homelessness in general in the country.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So you bring up a wonderful point.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
The bottom line is this though, Dennis, we again, no individual,
no woman, no man, who has sacrificed so much and
dedicated so much to this country for the freedoms.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That we have we enjoy each and every day, should
not have a stable and safe place to call home.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Hey, just a little bit more education on the packed
Act if you could, Terrence, how long does this last for?
Is is this something that we've got years and years
of or is there a cutoff date? Are you working
on a timeline here? What are you up against?
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, that's interesting because I want to try to dispel
as many rumors out there. Alic's not going anywhere. Fact,
that's not going anywhere. You can file a claim today,
you can file a claim twenty years from now. You
can file acclaim forty years from now. So that's going
to be here regardless. Good to include, you know, many
of the service members who may be serving now who
(19:59):
may have come in contact with some toxic substance once
they depart the military. So this thing is not going anywhere.
I will say this though, Dennis, and I think this
is very important. When the Pact that the initially was
designed the way it was designed, it was supposed to
actually have a phased and approach leading all the way
(20:20):
up to I think about twenty thirty two, and so
many of the things that we have opened right now
would not have gone into effect until twenty thirty two.
And President Biden and Secretary mcdonna said that is unacceptable.
Many of these veterans, to include their families and mostly
the survivors, have.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Waited entirely too long.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Everything needed to be on the table the moment that
the President signed the bill into law August of twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
And that's what we've done.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
We prepared ourselves at VA to ensure that when we
have the influx of benefits coming through our offices, that
we have the necessary people to adjudicate those claims in
a swift manner.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
So we prepared for that same thing.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
On the healthcare side of the House, we have seen
more than five hundred thousand new enrollees into our healthcare
system because of the pac that we know.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
That there should be thousands more.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
We're encouraging those folks to please sign up for your
care as soon as possible. The cost of healthcare is
only rising in this country. Do not leave this healthcare.
It's wonderful healthcare that we have at VA on the
table for yourself. So we hired more clinicians all across
the board, and we're still focusing on hiring the proper
clinicians that we need so when our veterans come to
(21:38):
get the care that they require, that hey, they have
it readily available to them. So again, this PAC, that
thing is not going anywhere, so get I encourage anybody
who wants to learn more to please go to VA
dot gov slash packed and you'll be able to find
it everything you need to know about the PAC that.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
I'm glad that you reiterated that. I think we're living
in a world in twenty twenty four unfortunately of misinformation.
That's good that you're dispelling any kind of rumors, any
kind of misinformation that anything is going away. Folks. You
heard it from Terrence and the v it is not,
which I think is very cool. Happy to hear that.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
You mentioned about healthcare too, and I'd mentioned it briefly
because once again, I've talked to enough charities that mental
health and welfare is a real big deal, not only
from people coming back from the military, but I think
my daughter's generation, she happens to be twenty two and
living in New York. But I think because of celebrities
and sports stars from Generation Z, but also brave men
(22:30):
and women that are coming back from service that are
able to talk about and address mental health and wellness.
Terrence is a real big deal, and it's always the
first part of just talking about something that might be
a stigma, which has been for a very long time.
I come from a generation that did not talk about it.
He has sucked it up, Buttercup and he kept on
moving on and it wasn't appropriate to do that, but
we didn't have the tools. So now that we do,
(22:53):
I imagine you once again thank you for your services
ex military, that you can once again to relate to
the mental side. We talked a little bit about the
physical stuff, but there's a lot of mental wellness that
needs to be addressed too, and that's something that I
know you guys work with as well.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah. I'll tell you something that Secretary of Defense Austin
says a lot, and is that your.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Mental health is your health. Yeah, So what we focus
on at vas your whole health.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
So what we want our veterans and their families to
know is that you know if you have a challenge
you know where it's something mental health related, give us
a call. We have the necessary clinicians on deck, the
social workers on deck to provide you the assistance you need.
Trust me, I know it's a hard and difficult first step.
(23:39):
Sometimes I will give an example myself. I am diagnosed
with general anxiety disorder. For years I had this, I
had no clue really what it was or even how
to describe it. But thankfully my wife was able to
help me describe it, and now I was able to
get the diagnosis and now obviously the treatment plan to
ensure that main a successful individual in society. So that's
(24:04):
many of us, many of the veterans today.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
We're not broken.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
We just have some of these unique challenges that we
may need to get taken care of.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
And once we get them taken care of.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
A we're a plus troopers and civilians on the outside
as well. So I'm encouraging my fellow battle buddies, my
fellow veterans who may be challenged with anything, know that
you have somewhere to turn to, and that's VA.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
We have again the.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Necessary folks to have those conversations, steer you in the
right direction and help put you on a proper treatment
plan that's going to keep you that successful individual you
are with your family, with your coworkers, and in your communities.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Terrence, I'm glad you came up with a personal experience
because I think anybody can relate to that, because I
think that you know, as a civilian, I think that well,
every military person man or woman's is as tough as nails.
And maybe they are, but when you come off the
battlefield and come home, there's nothing wrong with being scared
about admitting that something is affecting your mental health and
then going inting some help for it. I get that too.
(25:08):
I mean it can go with counseling for yourself, it
can go with marriage counseling or partner counseling, or if
you had a bad experience and you oversee. So I'm
glad you talked about your personal experiences. Once again, it's
about relating to that listener and getting over that little
hump about that you have something that might be not
correct and there's people that can help you. I want
to do this because we have about five minutes left anything,
(25:31):
because I know you have so many buckets that you
work in with you and your team terns. But anything
else that you're really proud of, that you're working on
currently or that's coming up that we can get excited about.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Yeah, I think the big thing is one particular item
of the PAC deck that we are very proud of
is dead veterans who have served in those areas Vietnam,
go for a Rock, Afghanistan, all those places in between.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
For post nine to eleven, you may be eligible.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
For free via healthcare even without going through the benefits process.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
That's new. So many people still are unaware of that.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
So I want to share that with our listeners right
now that again I can continue to harp on this
healthcare is only rising in this country. You've served this country,
you may be eligible for some of the absolute best
care that we have at VA. So I'm encouraging anybody
listening right now, so again, just give us a call
(26:28):
so you can chat with the representative and see what
your eligibility is and so you can get that a
plus healthcare at VA that you have learned and quite
frankly deserve.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And the tone I'm taking it is that I imagine
you're run into people that think either that it's run
out or they're not eligible, or they're not in the criteria,
but it is available for just about anybody. And I'm
glad you keep on harping on that, yeah, because once
again there could be misinformation or maybe you just don't know,
but I'm glad that you're talking about that regularly in
our conversation here, because it sounds like you probably run
(27:01):
into people that didn't think they qualified or they're in
the criteria for it.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Absolutely, Dennis, Or here's the big one. They don't believe
that that they warranted or it's for them, yeah, or
I'm not injured or I'm not injured enough, or maybe
you know, I don't want to take something away from
my fellow battle but a fellow veteran.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
No, there's enough for all of you.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
This is what you have earned, and that's what I
want to ensure that all of our veterans understand. You're
not taking anything away from any of your fellow veterans.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
This is for you. You've earned this, you fought for this,
you deserve this.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So please, again, I'm encouraging you to make that step
by picking them to the phone or again visiting the
website at VA dot gov slash packed to learn everything
you need.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
To know about the Pact.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
That and maybe how to enroll in healthcare and of
course to apply for your benefits today.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
So Terrence, we got about two minutes left. I could
talk to you forever about this. I would like to
have you back on the program. I can't tell you
how much I appreciate your time, but I'd like you
just to recap a few things for everybody. I'm sure
everybody's enjoyed the conversation, but if you could kind of
go over a few things for us, the floor is here, sir.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Absolutely, the pac Deck the largest expansion of VA benefits
in this generation. This probably impacts many veterans who have
served in Vietnam, the Go for a Rock, Afghanistan and
all those places in between after nine to eleven. Please
learn more. You can visit va dot gov slash pack.
There's a high probability that you are eligible for healthcare
(28:33):
and benefits today, So again, stop what you're doing. Visit
the website to learn everything you can about the Pack
deck to any veteran out there right now.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Listening, or a loved one or a friend, or.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Just anybody that you know who's who may know of
anybody who may be facing homelessness. Please have them call
us at one eight hundred six nine eight two four
one one to find out everything they need to find
out to get a hold of us so we can
get them housed immediately and then provide them the rep
around services that they require to stay housed.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
You know, sir, you are good at your job. You
just are. I can tell.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Hey, I appreciate again, this is something I'm passionate about.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I know you're fellow, I know your.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Veteran's taking care of vetters. I believe yeah, and I believe.
I believe that whole heartedly, Dennis.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Every time Terrence, we talk to anybody, whether it's new sports, politics,
if somebody's passionate about what they do for a living
and to come through, people get on board. And I'm
so glad you're passionate about what you do, Terrence. I
want to thank you for your time. I also want
to thank you for your service. I do want to
stay in touch with you and all the new things
that are happy, not only the pack Tact but what
you're doing at VA. Thank you so much, but I
(29:42):
appreciate I heart being able to be a megaphone for you.
A lot of people are going to hear this message
and thank you so much for joining us on Community DC.
We really appreciate and continue success.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Thank you again, Dennis, thank you to our heart, and
again I want to wish our veterans, our families, and
our survivors a wonderful and happy veteran state
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community. Do
you see I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we
have our first opportunity to welcome a new guest to
the program, and that's Terrence Hayes. He is the Deputy
Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Now,
over the next thirty minutes, we're going to get a
great education about how many veterans have been helped with
(00:30):
the Packed Act and also how you can take advantage
of it, and also what Terrence and his team are
doing for homelessness and veterans, and what the future holds
when it comes to our brave men and women who
have served this country. And I would also like to
not only thank Terrence for his twenty years of service
in the army, but all the veterans that listen to
this program as we honor you tomorrow on Veterans Day
(00:50):
in the United States, and of course everybody who has
served in the military. Here's my conversation with Terrence. It's
both very educational and informative, and I hope you enjoy
it as much as I did.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Good morning, Terrence, Good morning, Didnis.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
It is a treat to talk to you and for
somebody who has lived in the DMV now my fourth
time in Northwest DC now and I've lived in northern
Virginia and Maryland. I don't have any military family, but man,
I'm as patriotic as they come, especially when I go
to sporting events and how we take care of our
veterans by acknowledging them. You take it one hundred steps
further with what you and your team do at the VA,
(01:24):
and we're here to talk about that. We're here to
talk about the Packed Act, about veteran care and benefits, homelessness,
and some national numbers that I know you're very proud of, Terrence,
But can we do this first and talk about exactly
what you do, just to give people a little context
about what goes on in your daily life.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Absolutely, Dennis, Well, first of all, I want to say
our wish every veteran who listens to your programming a
very special happy Veterans date. We do have quite a
few veterans and military service members in the DMV areas,
so again I want to give a special shout out
to all of them and their families, and of course
(02:06):
are surviving families also so that's the first thing. But Dennis, again,
I kind of lead all things public relations, communications externally
and internally here at the Department of Veterans Affairs, our
second largest federal agency in all of government. So what
that means is that it gives me an opportunity to
ensure that I am sharing the messages of our secretary,
(02:31):
but mainly ensuring that we're having those conversations with our stakeholders,
primarily our veterans. So we're able to use various different
means of communication to ensure that we are delivering the
care and the benefits that they've earned. So I'm proud
to have worked here, proud to be in this position,
and I'm a proud fellow veteran, hopefully helping other veterans
(02:55):
as well. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I'm glad you explained that, and I'm glad you gave
context because I wanted to thank Terrence for or his
tour of duty and did do I have this rite
a couple of decades? Terrence?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, yeah, I did twenty years.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
That's actually what brought me to the DC Maryland, Virginia
area is that I finished my last five years at
the wonderful Pentagon and I ended up deciding to call
the DC Maryland, Virginia area home.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's wonderful And what branch of service were you with?
I was in the United States Army Stanley. Well, listen,
thank you for your service, man. I really appreciate I've
got a chance to meet so many people like you
that have served, and I'm always in awe. I've done
a tour of wal to read before and watching incredible
people work on some of the people that have been
hurt and they go back into combat. It's truly a
(03:40):
thrill and also a blessing to be around so many
cool people like you that are helping our military, whether
they're still serving or whether they're coming home. That's kind
of what we're here to talk about about afterwards, about
what you're doing. And one of the first things I
want to talk about because I and I know this
could go on for hours talking about the pack DAC,
but there's a lot to dive into. I think we
educate people about what it is and then we can
(04:02):
dive into But what is the PACDACT?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Absolutely, I know many of your listeners and many folks
around the DC Maryland Virginia area have heard of burn pits,
or have heard of stuff like agent orange or just
other toxic substances that many members of the military may
have come in contact with because of their tours of
service overseas. So this particular law, the PACKDAC, basically impacts
(04:30):
veterans who have served in a Rock Afghanistan any of
those areas in the Central Command Area.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Also are Vietnam War veterans, our Golf war veterans.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So if any of those individuals may be suffering from
some rare diseases or conditions because of that service, what
we're encouraging them to do is to contact us, Visit
your nearest VA medical center, Visit our website at VA
dot gov slash Packed Pact to learn more about the
(05:01):
PACK Day. Because we know there are potentially millions of
veterans out there who are impacted by burn pits or
by these other toxic substances, and we need to ensure
that we notify them, educate them, and help them apply
for the benefits they've earned and the healthcare that they deserve.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
And that's what we're here to do, is educate everybody
a little bit more on the Packed Act and some
other things. And I first started learning about that with
John Stewart, who I know, you know, is really big
on Capitol Hill when it comes to veterans and burn pits.
And I learned a lot from his Apple TV series
that he did and also him just speaking at Capitol Hill.
He's a passionate man. I'm very appreciative of people like
(05:39):
Kim because he's got that bully pulpit. You know, he's
on TV all the time with the Daily Show, but
you know, the guy just truly cares about the nine
to one one of families and also the burn pits
and people that have served. So that's really cool. Let
me let me ask a little bit more about the
pac deck and let's get into it about what it's
doing right now and what you hope to do in
(06:00):
the future and how many people you hope to help.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, Dennis, this is the biggest expansion of VA healthcare
and benefits in modern history.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
So that's the first thing.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
So far, we have delivered more than seven point nine
billion dollars in earn better.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Okay, that's an extraordinary number right there.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
That's on that absolutely, yeah, absolutely, And to put it
in context, what we have seen is that we have
received more than two million claims when it comes to
benefit claims, that is when it comes to the PAC
that we have already processed about one point seventy five
million of those. So again, this is making real impacts
(06:42):
to real life people who have done amazing service on
behalf of our country. So we're just getting started. We
know that there is so much more that we are
able to do. We just need to ensure that veterans
or families, anybody who knows a veteran can tell somebody
so we can encourage them to sign up for these
benefits and for the care that they've earned.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well, Terrence, so let's talk a little bit about that,
and folks, we'll give the website several times during the
interview just to keep that on your radar if you
already have hav in Google that and Terrence has already
given up once, we'll do that a couple more times.
But when it comes to criteria, imagine there is some
criteria when it comes to signing up and qualifying. And
I know people joke about government paperwork or the heck
heiro at iHeart same thing. We've got to go through
(07:24):
lots of steps for everything, and that's okay, But with
that said, can you kind of give us an overview,
maybe a thirty thousand foot view. Turns about criteria when
it comes to the Pack Act.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Absolutely, the great thing about the Pact that is that
it's made how we process benefits very easy. In the past,
veterans would have had to really delve in and provide evidence,
and the basically the burden of proof was on the veteran,
So that made things very taxing and sometimes many veterans
(07:55):
would feel a lack of confidence in the system.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
But because of the PACK.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
That is created twenty or so more, what's called presumptive
conditions Dennis, and what a presumptive condition basically means is
that we automatically assume that if you have the diagnosis
the condition.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So let's use example hypertension.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
If you have hypertension and you served in the Vietnam
War region, it's pretty much a slam dunk that you're
eligible for benefits. Now, obviously the level of benefits will
vary based on the severity of the condition, but it's
a slam dunk when it comes to the evidence because
now we no longer have to seek additional evidence because
(08:37):
we automatically assume that your hypertension is because of your service.
So if folks go to the pack that website at
va dot gov slash pack, you'll see those conditions there,
those presumptive conditions. And if they have any of those conditions,
what I'm encouraging and I'm actually begging them to do
is to stop everything they're doing immediately contact us because
(09:00):
there are benefits eligible to them right now.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
You know, I'm a big sports guy. I've been doing
it for a long time, playing it and also on
the radio and TV and everything, so I'm always knee
deep in it about the nuances of it. And I've
always been in the opinion that, listen, anybody can coach
players and not have played the game at a high level.
And there's a lot of examples out there. And the
reason why I bring that up is is that I
always think if somebody has played the game or lived
(09:24):
the game, they've got a better chance of success. And
I'm just going to assume this. And I'd love for
you to talk about this with your couple of decades
of service, as you talk to all these men and
women that have served out there, and you've been through
the trenches, and you know what it's like to serve
for a very long time, and you've seen the highs,
the lows, the peaks in the valleys. Being able to
relate because we always want to relate to human beings, right,
(09:46):
that we have those same experiences that I'm not on
an island. They must be so grateful that you have
served and you can relate to them and get them
through these kind of things. When we talk about the
Packed Act, qualifying for IT criteria and just relating to
all these folks, imagine, and they're just they're thrilled to
be able to talk to you at times.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, Dennis, I think you bring up a wonderful point.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I think you know, we see it in sports, so
some of the best analysts that we see on television
are former players.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So for me to be that veteran, that individual who
served in those areas, I served in a rock for
fifteen months from two thousand and six to two thousand
and eight, came in contact with these same toxic substances.
So to be able to hopefully bring that credibility, that
level of trust to our fellow veterans and be able
to encourage them to apply even if VA had failed
(10:34):
them in the past, and that's the big thing for
me is that I can acknowledge it.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I understand that.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I want them to know that I see them, I
hear them that if they've been denied in the past,
you know, numerous times. What I'm telling them is that
because of the new PAC ding and the way we're
able to now process and adjudicate these claims, is that it's.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Making it a little bit easier.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
So I'm begging them to give us another shot to
get it right in any of them have taken me
up on that offer, and I'm hoping that again, any
of the listeners out there right now who know of
a veteran who served in Vietnam, who served in the Golfer,
who served in any of the post nine to eleven conflicts,
stops what they're doing, coaches up their veteran and has
(11:17):
you know, gives them the encouragement to apply one more time.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
So there are many other different topics and buckets. When
I talk to people like you, Terrence, about when military
people singularly or families, how they're all affected. Mental health
comes up. A lot, of course, a lot of PTSD,
but also something that I think shocks people, but it's
still a real thing in America, and not just for Americans, folks.
For military Americans to come back as homelessness. And I
(11:44):
know that's a real big deal and there's a wide
range of different things that could happen to somebody when
they come back, Terrence, but I know that's something in
your department with your team that you're also tackling. Can
you talk a little bit about it.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Veteran homelessness has been one of the top priorities for
Secretary of McDonald since he came on board here at VA.
He's committed to us housing veterans at record numbers these
past four years. As a matter of fact, just recently,
we were able to announce that VA had housed forty seven,
(12:20):
nine hundred and twenty five veterans experiencing homelessness in the
year of twenty twenty four. And I'm not talking temporarily housing.
I'm talking permanently housing these veterans. And that surpassed our
goal we wanted to or we had a goal of
forty one thousand. So again we were able to exceed
(12:41):
that goal because it's the highest of priorities for all
of us.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
We believe that every veteran.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Who has served this country with dedication and distinction and
courage should have a safe and stable place to call.
And that's what our teams are doing across the country
to work with our veterans to ensure that they're able
to get into the safest stable housing that they discern.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
You know, I want to relate a quick story to you, Terrence.
When I used to live on the West Coast in Portland,
we had a chance with our radio group to work
with something called the Transitional School and it was a
school for homeless kids. And I didn't know stuff like
that existed. It was a converted church and everything was donated.
It was pretty extraordinary. But the one thing that I
found out about was that And once again me and
my privilege is that, well, these kids will just come
(13:28):
to school, the bus will pick them up every day,
Da da da da dave, they get the three meals
and here we go. No, folks, you know why because
people are on the move all the time from hotel
to motel on the street. And I imagine too. And
the reason why I bring up that story, Terrence, is
that it really was an eye opener for me that
it's got to be that much harder for you and
your team just to track down people to get them
the help that they can get from you. But people
(13:51):
are on the move and they're hard to find all
the time. So whether family knows that maybe a military
friend or a family members on the move, they can't
find them and trace them down so they can get
the help. It really is extraordinary probably the links you
have to go when you're trying to get people some
help when it comes to homelessness.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Absolutely, Dennis, and I think also, you know, our listeners
need to understand that, you know, homelessness means several different things.
I think when you initially hear homelessness, you kind of
picture an individual who you see maybe residing on the street, right,
But there's also individuals who may be what's called CouchSurfing,
(14:29):
who may be going from home to home or maybe
transitioning from various different shelters. So those individuals are also
facing homelessness as well.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So that's where we are able to dig in deep.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
We have many of our team, especially here in the
DC Marylen Virginior, who actually walk the streets and chat
with these veterans and build that rapport with them to
get them to build that confidence to raise their hand
to seek the help that they require, and that goes
you know, that's what goes into a lot of this
is that you know, you have many veterans who who
(15:05):
may be very proud and don't want to seek that help.
But again, we're able to help them, coach them through
and help them build that confidence so they can get
what's due to them. And that's what we've been able
to do and what we hope that we can encourage
others out there and is there to help us do
so we can end this thing called veteran homelessness.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Well, Terrence, I'm so glad to hear that, because what
it says to me is that, you know, you have
to not assume, folks that some military member that's back
home and then doesn't have a permanent home might not
have a phone, they might not have internet access, all
sorts of different things. And that's why I think that
Terrence was explaining, for a lack of maybe a better phrase,
boots on the ground, ex. Military people going to the
(15:49):
streets and talking to people relating to them and say listen,
we can help you face to face. And Terrence, I
know that's hard to work, but brilliant that you're doing that,
because you just can't assume that anybody has access to
the website or is going to hear this interview.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Right, absolutely, absolutely, it means everything for our colleagues who
help us overcome veteran homelessness, they know the importance behind
building that relationship with our veterans and actually again living
in those streets to again give those people that confidence
so we can get them the resources that they require.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
And can you call a little bit more in the
resources because I know you talked about the national data bit.
But somebody does get in contact with one of your
people and they are CouchSurfing or they don't have a
permanent home, and they finally get signed up, how does
all process work from start to finish to get them
some housing? How does it actually work?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Yeah, Dennis, the main thing is this, we want to
house first. You know, no matter what their struggles or
challenges they may be facing, whether that's with mental health conditions,
whether that's with substance abuse, whether that's with some financial difficulties.
You know, we don't necessarily care about that initial The
(17:00):
very first thing we need to care about is putting
a roof over their heads. So that's the critical thing
is finding our folks, housing them and then providing them the.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Wrap around services to keep them housed.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And that's what we've been able to do, and that's
what we are going to continue to expand upon because
we know that once an individual is housed, first the
stress of that is off their shoulders, and now they're
more successful when they go into those wraparound services and
then which leads them to remain housed and away from
you know, returning to a homeless status.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
You know, one of the things I've learned over the
three years of doing the show and being back in
the DMV terrants and talking to different military all the
great military charities that we have in the area here
is the assumption that a military family, whether it's one
person coming back, it might be a couple, maybe the
family is here and the integration back into regular life
and going into a home that somebody might not have
(17:58):
a ramp, or they might not have a fridge, or
they might not have a car, or maybe they need
help with their their resume. You know, there's all sorts
of different things that I've learned that we assume once
again as civilians coming back into normal life that if
you lose your job, well, I'll just get online and
I apply for another one. I've got my resume ready
to go. Da da da da da, I've got this.
I've got that, I'm ready to go. I want to
make it clear. And the reason why I'm saying this, folks,
(18:20):
is the assumption that a military person coming back from combat,
whether it's fifteen months or whether it's you know, twenty
years of it, that they might not have everything that
you and I have. And that's kind of where Terrence,
once again, you and your team come in with the
assumption that they might have something that civilians do that
we take for granted absolutely.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And again we've been encouraging landlords to, you know, please
rent to veterans. We have services in place to ensure
that those landlords will get the rent that they you know,
that they that they need, you know. But the key
thing is we want to make sure that this is
a joint effort VA. You know, we need assistance from
(18:58):
you know, the community partners that we have as well
to solve this issue of homelessness in general in the country.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So you bring up a wonderful point.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
The bottom line is this though, Dennis, we again, no individual,
no woman, no man, who has sacrificed so much and
dedicated so much to this country for the freedoms.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That we have we enjoy each and every day, should
not have a stable and safe place to call home.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Hey, just a little bit more education on the packed
Act if you could, Terrence, how long does this last for?
Is is this something that we've got years and years
of or is there a cutoff date? Are you working
on a timeline here? What are you up against?
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, that's interesting because I want to try to dispel
as many rumors out there. Alic's not going anywhere. Fact,
that's not going anywhere. You can file a claim today,
you can file a claim twenty years from now. You
can file acclaim forty years from now. So that's going
to be here regardless. Good to include, you know, many
of the service members who may be serving now who
(19:59):
may have come in contact with some toxic substance once
they depart the military. So this thing is not going anywhere.
I will say this though, Dennis, and I think this
is very important. When the Pact that the initially was
designed the way it was designed, it was supposed to
actually have a phased and approach leading all the way
(20:20):
up to I think about twenty thirty two, and so
many of the things that we have opened right now
would not have gone into effect until twenty thirty two.
And President Biden and Secretary mcdonna said that is unacceptable.
Many of these veterans, to include their families and mostly
the survivors, have.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Waited entirely too long.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Everything needed to be on the table the moment that
the President signed the bill into law August of twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
And that's what we've done.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
We prepared ourselves at VA to ensure that when we
have the influx of benefits coming through our offices, that
we have the necessary people to adjudicate those claims in
a swift manner.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
So we prepared for that same thing.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
On the healthcare side of the House, we have seen
more than five hundred thousand new enrollees into our healthcare
system because of the pac that we know.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
That there should be thousands more.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
We're encouraging those folks to please sign up for your
care as soon as possible. The cost of healthcare is
only rising in this country. Do not leave this healthcare.
It's wonderful healthcare that we have at VA on the
table for yourself. So we hired more clinicians all across
the board, and we're still focusing on hiring the proper
clinicians that we need so when our veterans come to
(21:38):
get the care that they require, that hey, they have
it readily available to them. So again, this PAC, that
thing is not going anywhere, so get I encourage anybody
who wants to learn more to please go to VA
dot gov slash packed and you'll be able to find
it everything you need to know about the PAC that.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
I'm glad that you reiterated that. I think we're living
in a world in twenty twenty four unfortunately of misinformation.
That's good that you're dispelling any kind of rumors, any
kind of misinformation that anything is going away. Folks. You
heard it from Terrence and the v it is not,
which I think is very cool. Happy to hear that.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
You know.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
You mentioned about healthcare too, and I'd mentioned it briefly
because once again, I've talked to enough charities that mental
health and welfare is a real big deal, not only
from people coming back from the military, but I think
my daughter's generation, she happens to be twenty two and
living in New York. But I think because of celebrities
and sports stars from Generation Z, but also brave men
(22:30):
and women that are coming back from service that are
able to talk about and address mental health and wellness.
Terrence is a real big deal, and it's always the
first part of just talking about something that might be
a stigma, which has been for a very long time.
I come from a generation that did not talk about it.
He has sucked it up, Buttercup and he kept on
moving on and it wasn't appropriate to do that, but
we didn't have the tools. So now that we do,
(22:53):
I imagine you once again thank you for your services
ex military, that you can once again to relate to
the mental side. We talked a little bit about the
physical stuff, but there's a lot of mental wellness that
needs to be addressed too, and that's something that I
know you guys work with as well.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah. I'll tell you something that Secretary of Defense Austin
says a lot, and is that your.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Mental health is your health. Yeah, So what we focus
on at vas your whole health.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
So what we want our veterans and their families to
know is that you know if you have a challenge
you know where it's something mental health related, give us
a call. We have the necessary clinicians on deck, the
social workers on deck to provide you the assistance you need.
Trust me, I know it's a hard and difficult first step.
(23:39):
Sometimes I will give an example myself. I am diagnosed
with general anxiety disorder. For years I had this, I
had no clue really what it was or even how
to describe it. But thankfully my wife was able to
help me describe it, and now I was able to
get the diagnosis and now obviously the treatment plan to
ensure that main a successful individual in society. So that's
(24:04):
many of us, many of the veterans today.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
We're not broken.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
We just have some of these unique challenges that we
may need to get taken care of.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
And once we get them taken care of.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
A we're a plus troopers and civilians on the outside
as well. So I'm encouraging my fellow battle buddies, my
fellow veterans who may be challenged with anything, know that
you have somewhere to turn to, and that's VA.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
We have again the.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Necessary folks to have those conversations, steer you in the
right direction and help put you on a proper treatment
plan that's going to keep you that successful individual you
are with your family, with your coworkers, and in your communities.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Terrence, I'm glad you came up with a personal experience
because I think anybody can relate to that, because I
think that you know, as a civilian, I think that well,
every military person man or woman's is as tough as nails.
And maybe they are, but when you come off the
battlefield and come home, there's nothing wrong with being scared
about admitting that something is affecting your mental health and
then going inting some help for it. I get that too.
(25:08):
I mean it can go with counseling for yourself, it
can go with marriage counseling or partner counseling, or if
you had a bad experience and you oversee. So I'm
glad you talked about your personal experiences. Once again, it's
about relating to that listener and getting over that little
hump about that you have something that might be not
correct and there's people that can help you. I want
to do this because we have about five minutes left anything,
(25:31):
because I know you have so many buckets that you
work in with you and your team terns. But anything
else that you're really proud of, that you're working on
currently or that's coming up that we can get excited about.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Yeah, I think the big thing is one particular item
of the PAC deck that we are very proud of
is dead veterans who have served in those areas Vietnam,
go for a Rock, Afghanistan, all those places in between.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
For post nine to eleven, you may be eligible.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
For free via healthcare even without going through the benefits process.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
That's new. So many people still are unaware of that.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
So I want to share that with our listeners right
now that again I can continue to harp on this
healthcare is only rising in this country. You've served this country,
you may be eligible for some of the absolute best
care that we have at VA. So I'm encouraging anybody
listening right now, so again, just give us a call
(26:28):
so you can chat with the representative and see what
your eligibility is and so you can get that a
plus healthcare at VA that you have learned and quite
frankly deserve.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And the tone I'm taking it is that I imagine
you're run into people that think either that it's run
out or they're not eligible, or they're not in the criteria,
but it is available for just about anybody. And I'm
glad you keep on harping on that, yeah, because once
again there could be misinformation or maybe you just don't know,
but I'm glad that you're talking about that regularly in
our conversation here, because it sounds like you probably run
(27:01):
into people that didn't think they qualified or they're in
the criteria for it.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Absolutely, Dennis, Or here's the big one. They don't believe
that that they warranted or it's for them, yeah, or
I'm not injured or I'm not injured enough, or maybe
you know, I don't want to take something away from
my fellow battle but a fellow veteran.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
No, there's enough for all of you.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
This is what you have earned, and that's what I
want to ensure that all of our veterans understand. You're
not taking anything away from any of your fellow veterans.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
This is for you. You've earned this, you fought for this,
you deserve this.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So please, again, I'm encouraging you to make that step
by picking them to the phone or again visiting the
website at VA dot gov slash packed to learn everything
you need.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
To know about the Pact.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
That and maybe how to enroll in healthcare and of
course to apply for your benefits today.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
So Terrence, we got about two minutes left. I could
talk to you forever about this. I would like to
have you back on the program. I can't tell you
how much I appreciate your time, but I'd like you
just to recap a few things for everybody. I'm sure
everybody's enjoyed the conversation, but if you could kind of
go over a few things for us, the floor is here, sir.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Absolutely, the pac Deck the largest expansion of VA benefits
in this generation. This probably impacts many veterans who have
served in Vietnam, the Go for a Rock, Afghanistan and
all those places in between after nine to eleven. Please
learn more. You can visit va dot gov slash pack.
There's a high probability that you are eligible for healthcare
(28:33):
and benefits today, So again, stop what you're doing. Visit
the website to learn everything you can about the Pack
deck to any veteran out there right now.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Listening, or a loved one or a friend, or.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Just anybody that you know who's who may know of
anybody who may be facing homelessness. Please have them call
us at one eight hundred six nine eight two four
one one to find out everything they need to find
out to get a hold of us so we can
get them housed immediately and then provide them the rep
around services that they require to stay housed.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
You know, sir, you are good at your job. You
just are. I can tell.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Hey, I appreciate again, this is something I'm passionate about.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I know you're fellow, I know your.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Veteran's taking care of vetters. I believe yeah, and I believe.
I believe that whole heartedly, Dennis.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Every time Terrence, we talk to anybody, whether it's new sports, politics,
if somebody's passionate about what they do for a living
and to come through, people get on board. And I'm
so glad you're passionate about what you do, Terrence. I
want to thank you for your time. I also want
to thank you for your service. I do want to
stay in touch with you and all the new things
that are happy, not only the pack Tact but what
you're doing at VA. Thank you so much, but I
(29:42):
appreciate I heart being able to be a megaphone for you.
A lot of people are going to hear this message
and thank you so much for joining us on Community DC.
We really appreciate and continue success.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Thank you again, Dennis, thank you to our heart, and
again I want to wish our veterans, our families, and
our survivors a wonderful and happy veteran state
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