Region 2 VCAT Kickoff Meeting invited the community to learn about how to provide better support for veterans and their families. In the meeting they heard from the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA), and Altarum Institute about the Veterans Community Action Team network and discuss opportunities to work together to implement a no-wrong-door approach to serving veterans and their families.

1. Michigan Veterans Community
Action Teams Project (MiVCAT)
Region 2 Service Area
Initial Stakeholders Meeting
20 October 2015

2. Meeting Objectives
2
Introduce the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency
Introduce Altarum Institute & the Veterans
Community Action Teams Project
Share plans for the community assessment
Focus on challenges and solutions
Summarize findings and prepare for next steps

3. What is the Michigan Veterans
Affairs Agency?
3
The single state entity responsible for the coordination of
Michigan’s efforts to serve Veterans
The mission of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) is
to serve as the central coordinating point, connecting those
who have served in the United States Armed Forces and their
families, to services and benefits throughout the State of
Michigan

4. Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency:
Vision
Put Michigan on the path to becoming the most Veteran-
friendly state, by:
Providing the advice and assistance Veterans need as
they transition through the chapters of their lives;
Creating a “no wrong door” customer service culture;
and
Advocating for and on behalf of Veterans and their
families.
4

5. Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency:
Organization
5

6. Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency:
Services Available to Veterans
• One Stop Shop
– Michigan Veterans Resource Service Center
• MichiganVeterans.com
• 1-800- MICH-VET
• Michigan Veterans Trust Fund
– Benefits Counseling
• A geographically dispersed network of accredited service officers
• 205 service officers statewide (county, VSO, state)
– Education
• Veteran Resource Representatives (University and College Campuses)
• Veteran Friendly Educators
– Employment
• Accelerating the pathway from service to career
• Veteran Friendly Employers
– Healthcare
• Increase awareness of service connected health issues - presumptive diseases, PTS
• Break down the barriers that prevent Veterans from receiving healthcare
– Quality of life
• Veteran Justice – Treatment Courts
• Woman Veteran Programs
• Michigan Veterans Health System
– D. J. Jacobetti and Grand Rapids Homes for Veterans
• Community Pilots – Veterans Community Action Teams (VCAT)
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7. MVAA Initiatives & Programs: the
Numbers
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8. MVAA Priority:
Increase Rate of Fully Developed Claims
8

9. MVAA Priority:
Improve Per Capita GDX in Michigan
9

10. Michigan Veteran Community Action Teams
Community Pilots
• Two initial Michigan Veteran
Community Action Teams
(MiVCAT) pilots in 2013
– Regions 4 and 10
• Four pilots were initiated
earlier this year
– Regions 5, 6, 7, and 9
• Expanding in FY16
– Regions 1, 2, 3, and 8
• Connect service partners
together to improve
coordination and collaboration
• “No Wrong Door”
• Community directed goals and
objectives
10

11. What are MVAA’s Plans?
11
MVAA plans are to:
• Implement the no wrong door concept among State agencies
• Assist the regions with support to increase and sustain
collaboration efforts among service providers at the federal,
state and local levels
• Increase Veteran engagement through the Michigan Veteran
Resource Service Center, providing local referrals to VCAT
members to Veterans and family members who connect
• Establish a Regional Coordinator who acts as the liaison from
the MVAA to federal, state and local Veteran support
organizations and serves as a member of the VCAT leadership
team as the MVAA representative

12. Veterans in MI
The Need
• Michigan is home to the 11th largest Veterans population in the country
• Michigan Veterans receive capita federal spending ranked at 48th out of 53 states
and territories
• Additional resources will be required to help Veterans find employment as thousands
of them return home to Michigan annually for the next few years
• A lot of the younger Veterans are having a hard time transferring their skills to civilian
workplaces
• Veterans nationwide are doing better than those in Michigan. In 2014 the national
unemployment rate for Vets was 6.2% and the unemployment rate for Michigan Vets
was 7.3% as reported in the most recent American Community Survey (2013)
• More than half of Michigan’s 658,469 Veterans are not officially counted in the labor
force. Only about 44 percent of our Veterans are in the workforce
12

13. Michigan’s Veteran Population
Some Basics
13
Michigan’s Veteran population is one
of the largest in the United States,
ranking 11th in 2014

14. Michigan’s Veteran Population
Some Basics
The U.S. Veteran population is older than the general U.S.
population.
In Michigan, nearly
three quarters of
Veterans are aged
55 or older.
14

15. Michigan’s Veteran Population
Era of Service
Michigan’s Veteran population is older
than that of the U.S. Veteran
population as a whole, with a
significantly higher proportion of
Vietnam Veterans residing in the state.
15

16. Veteran Population by County
Region 2
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17. GDX 2014 Growth in Region 2
17

18. GDX Total and by Category of Spending
Region 2
18

19. Era of Service
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6.08%
10.67%
37.68%
13.37%
10.03%
22%
Percent of Veterans By Era of Service
in Region 2
Post 9/11
Gulf War I Era
Vietnam Era
Korean War Era
WW II
Other
Source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2009-2013

20. 20
4%
22%
24% 23%
26%
25%
36%
19%
12%
8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
18 to 34
years
35 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75 and up
Percentofpopulationineachagegroup
Age Groups
Percent Distribution of Veteran and
Non-Veteran Adults by Age Group in Region 2
Veterans
Non-
veterans
Source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2009-2013

21. 21
7%
34% 34%
25%
9%
32% 33%
26%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Less than high
school
High school
graduate
Some college Bachelor's
degree or
higher
Percentofpopulationineachcategory
Educational Attainment
Percent Distribution of Veterans and
Non-Veterans Age 25 and Over by Educational
Attainment in Region 2
Veterans
Non-
veterans
Source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2009-2013

22. Region 2 Economic and Social Indicators
Indicator Veterans Non-veterans
Unemployment rate 13% 11%
Experienced
poverty-level
income in the past
12 months (age 18
and over)
8% 13%
Has some kind of
disability
29% 15%
Source: American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2009-2013
22

23. Altarum Institute & VCAT
As a 501c3 non-profit institute,
Altarum has a mission to serve
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•Altarum Institute
•Organizational overview – health systems
research and consulting organization
•Mission – Altarum serves the public good by
solving complex systems’ problems to improve
human health through research, technology,
and consulting
•Veterans Community Action Teams
•VCAT was developed in 2008 by Altarum
Institute as part of an internally-funded
Research & Development initiative
•Altarum Institute was selected to create the
MiVCAT
Coalitions in San Antonio, TX and San Diego, CA were guided by the
VCAT Model and are sustained by local Veteran leadership today

24. VCAT Vision
T
To develop a Veteran services system of care,
characterized by a comprehensive network of
service providers, empowered with processes,
information and tools, effectively ensuring
that all Veterans who these providers
encounter are accurately and quickly
connected to the appropriate service
provider(s) and completely served

25. Project Objectives
Create a sustainable community collaborative, effectively
implementing the “no-wrong-door” concept supporting Veterans and
their families*
Complete a community assessment of needs, challenges, experiences,
and recommendations for working collaboratively to serve Veterans
Achieve progress in effective collaboration and delivery of services
along with benefits to Veterans
*The term “Veterans” will be used to mean “Veterans and their families” from here forward.

26. Veterans and Services Providers
Can face a dizzying array of options to navigate

27. Housing
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Training
Independent
Living
Assistance
Care Giving
Employment
Social
Services
Health Care
Family
Support
Education
VCAT’s No-Wrong-Door approach
Simplifies the process for all involved

28. Connect and
Organize
• Identify and connect
service providers
• Expand network –
“friend of a friend”
approach
• Create VCAT structure
• Leadership
• Workgroups
Educate and
Network
• Share information
about available
services
• Look within the
network for services
that complement
each other
Serve
Veterans
• Leverage network
connections in
serving Veterans
• No Wrong Door
• Warm handoff
Work
together
to:
• Improve services
by combining
resources and
• Close gaps where
Veterans are not
served effectively
The VCAT Operational Process

29. VCAT Planning - Maturity Steps
From
Stand Alone:
“My organization
is doing this…”
To
Collaboration:
“My organization
is doing this and
you are invited…”
To
Coordination:
“What should
we do and
how should
we do it?”
To
Integration:
“What are
we doing
collectively
and using the
same
processes
and tools?”

30. MiVCAT Progress

31. MiVCAT - Process
31
Form and Advance a VCAT Network
• Assemble, expand and sustain a regional collaborative of community
organizations to implement the “no-wrong-door” concept supporting
Veterans
Conduct Community Assessment
• Provide decision support inputs to leaders for improving the Veterans
service system
Facilitate Providers Working Together
• Provide an automated collaboration environment for providers to work
within - Podio
Conduct Veterans Leadership Forum
• Conduct community-wide strategic planning, culmination with the
engagement of working groups

32. Community Assessment
Altarum is conducting a community assessment in your region to
compile information about the needs of Veterans, the gaps in service
delivery, and areas of opportunity that exist within the region to work
together to improve the well-being of Veterans and their families
Sources of information include:
• Today’s breakout sessions
• Service provider online survey
• Service provider interviews
• Veteran focus groups
A huge source of information is YOU!
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33. The Process:
Focusing on Challenges and Solutions
Today will be your first
opportunity to participate in the
community assessment!
You can discuss challenges that
service providers face in this
region as well as potential
solutions.
Information shared will be
instrumental in identifying gaps
and areas of opportunity to guide
the rest of the community
assessment.
33

34. The Process:
Service Provider Online Survey
An online survey will be sent to all
of you here today, as well as other
key service providers in the
region.
You’ll receive the survey in 1-2
days, and it will take about 30
minutes to complete.
The survey asks questions about
the services you provide, your
network, and challenges you face
in the region.
34

35. The Process:
Service Provider Interviews
Altarum staff will be
conducting interviews with
key informants in the region.
Interviews will be conducted
within the next 1-2 months
by phone or in-person.
These interviews will
enhance findings from today.
35

36. The Process:
Veteran Focus Groups
Altarum staff will conduct focus
groups with Veterans in this
region.
The goal is to identify specific
challenges that Veterans face
with service-delivery, as well as
unmet needs.
We will need your help in
recruiting Veterans! There is a $50
incentive for Veterans to
participate.
Be on the lookout for more
information early next year.
36

37. What is going to be done
with the information?
It is going to be summarized and
shared with the community at
the Veterans Leadership Forum
(VLF) in Spring 2016
37

38. How can assessments
like this be used?
Community
assessments in West
Michigan and Detroit
Metro raised
concerns as how
effective job fairs
have been for
Veterans.
I see Vets that go through it [job fairs] and have
nervous breakdowns, walking in because it is
overwhelming, nowhere to start, no welcoming
committee, [no one says] “Hey is this your first
time at a job fair?” Never even hear that.
OEF/OIF Veteran
Coalitions have
begun having
discussions about
how to make job
fairs or resource fairs
more Veteran
friendly.
Coalition members can work together to create
more effective job fairs in their region. They
can develop a protocol for welcoming Veterans
and finding out why they came and ask job fair
sponsors to follow it while providing volunteer
support to make it happen.
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39. Questions?
39

40. Community Breakout Sessions
40

41. Wrap-up/Next Steps
41
The community will be able to build on the work of this meeting by working together to
address the issues identified today
Altarum will work with you to complete the community assessment and share what is found
so it can inform your work
How will the MiVCAT project help your community?
• Providers will learn about additional resources to help serve Veterans
• Providers will establish new working relationships with other providers
• Providers will have an opportunity to serve more Veterans or gain additional support if they
already have too many Veterans to serve
• Thorough community work groups that will be created, providers will be able to fill service
gaps working together