Vermont Law School forum simplifies veteran assistance
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By Josh O'Gorman Rutland Herald - Published: November 12, 2008
SOUTH ROYALTON — For veterans seeking assistance with medical, housing or education issues, untangling the confusing but well-meaning network of federal, state and private organizations can be daunting and downright discouraging.
To help veterans learn where to get the help they need, the Vermont Law School Republicans sponsored a Veterans Day Panel and Information Fair, Tuesday afternoon in the Chase Community Center.
"We try and do a Veterans' Day event each year," said Zachary Wentworth, president of the Vermont Law School Republicans. Last year, Wentworth said, his organization hosted a panel on veterans' health care, but this year's event focused less on panel discussion and more on offering representatives from a variety of veteran service groups."I find it's a little more complicated than people think," said Clayton Clark, director of the Office of Veterans Affairs. Over the course of 20 minutes, Clark outlined the intersection of federal, state and private organizations that offer veteran assistance. In Vermont, Clark said, there are more than 70 veterans groups, and that includes counting the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars once each.
On the federal level, there are the departments of Defense, Labor and Housing and Urban Development, the Small Business Administration, the National Archives and the Office of Personnel Development.
At the state level, there are the departments of Labor, Motor Vehicles and Fish & Wildlife, the Office of Veterans Affairs and the National Guard.
Clark said each organization offers benefits governed by its own set of laws, and while a veteran might not be eligible for benefits from one organization, he or she might be able to receive help from another.
"For a very simple question — 'Who helps veterans?' — the answer is very complex," Clark said to the law school students in the audience. "For those of you who wish to be advocates, it's difficult to know who to talk to."
Cheryl Stancil, health benefits advisor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was at Tuesday's forum to let veterans know what medical benefits they are eligible for.
"Most veterans don't know what they're eligible for," Stancil said. Word-of-mouth information among veterans will often turn out to be incorrect, she said. "Most just don't come in because they got bad information."
Larry Daigle, president of Friends of Veterans, said his organization works with homeless veterans, either getting them off the street or helping them with rent when they face eviction. His organization has also seen an increase in requests for fuel assistance, Daigle said.
Bob Quillia of South Royalton was at Tuesday's forum to raise awareness of Cell Phones for Soldiers, which collects old cell phones, recycles them and uses the proceeds to buy calling cards for soldiers overseas.
Quillia's son, Chad Quillia, is in the Army and is stationed in Iraq 65 miles north of Baghdad. Quillia said he has collected enough cell phones to buy calling cards for all 123 members of 2-35 Alpha Company, of which his son is a member.
Third-year law school student Richard Eckley served in the U.S. Marine Corps 1997-2001 and said he was fortunate to have a staff sergeant who told him to apply for disability the moment he was discharged.
Eckley said he suffered hearing loss and knee, ankle and back injures, but because he applied immediately his benefit process has been smooth.
"I haven't had a hard time, but I have friends who've had a hard time because they didn't make their disability claims when they first got out," Eckley said.
Kathy Stickel, also a third-year law student, was in the Army Reserves and in 2003 suffered a head injury that left her with seizures and hallucinations. Because she was discharged by herself and not with her unit, Stickel did not receive the complete discharge orientation detailing her benefits.
On Monday, Stickel went to the VA Medical Center in White River Junction and learned she was eligible for benefits.
"I just think of the VA as the guy who got his leg blown off or the guy who's 60 or 70," Stickel said.
Stickel said the attitude of soldiers will sometimes keep them from seeking help.
"We would joke about concussions. 'Oh yeah, he got his bell rung,'" she said. "We expect to get hurt. We don't expect to get injured."
Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.
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