Welcome to aei and welcome to our program today. The value of our veterans, our conversation with representatives, mike levin and brad. Im gary smith, im a senior scholar here as strategic studies and im director of aeis program on american citizenship. I am going to skip a set of introductions since we will be talking the next two hours. So those joining us here in joining online or watching on cspan, if you want lengthier bios go to the website and go to the link for the page and you will see everybodys biographies. That may begin by giving a quick overview of the proceedings. We will first hear from representative mike levin, the recent elected congressman from californias 49th district, a district that runs along san diego to southern Orange County and quite frankly i have a niece that lives out there, im not sure why he decided to move to d. C. , a patriotic act on his part. He is the chair of the subcommittee on Economic Opportunity with the house of Veterans Affairs committee. Following his remarks we will hear from former utterance Affair Committee and the congressman that represents ohio Second District which runs from the outskirts and parts of cincinnati and parties. We are pleased that the congresswoman can join us again at aei. We appreciate his willingness to come out of our way. After the opening remarks they will join the discussion by moderator and military times reporter, they will then open after the brief remarks and will have the brief question and answer session with a guest here. After that discussion we will switch to a Panel Discussion with Cynthia Gilman of the foundation of military foundation, and my colleague from aei. The focus of that discussion would be what do we need to do to change the narrative to the more accurate narrative veterans of social office heads. The Panel Discussion will be followed by a q a session in the mornings event will and probably at 10 00 a. M. Just to housekeeping notes. After our discussion with the members if you would stay in your seat for a few minutes always transition the second panel we would appreciate it. Second for q a, if you would wait for mike and is always introduce yourself and is not always pleased to ask questions. Let me conclude by noting Veterans Affairs and veteran policies is a subject which aei scholars, have been writing about for some time. But, writing about policy is one thing, and producing legislation of veterans lives is quite another. Which is why we are delighted to have chairman levin and congressman with us today. They are the bipartisan cosponsors of veterans Opportunity Organization plan. Also known as that all active 2019. A measure that passed in house in late may. Please join me in welcoming them. [applause] good morning, everybody. Thank you for being here. We are not voting today as you know, so im grateful to have a free day before i get on the plane. No better way to begin than to talk about the most rewarding aspect so far. This is been the ability to share a subcommittee on house veterans subcommittee dealing with housing homelessness, workforce transition systems and its an Incredible Opportunity particular for freshman, one that is six years everyday. I am honored to have a chance. Im grateful also to my colleagues across the aisle, the house of veterans Affair Committee, is perhaps the most bipartisan place in congress and theres a lot of interesting stories going on, its been a crazy week as everybody knows, the story that is not told often enough is a story of bipartisanship that still happens on a daily basis in washington and our work is the best representation of that. Most of the time if you were to turn off the video and listen to the audio in our hearings in the subcommittee in particular, you would not know who the republicans were and you would not know who the democrats were. Were all there in the service of our veterans and service of our country. I hope that is how it always is. I tell you, i think both chairman and Ranking Member doctor are doing a terrific job. In my subcommittee, im honored to have a guest to florida and we are built a relationship of respect and appreciation for one another. In built on share in trust and a deep desire that we both have disturbed veterans. Im the grandson of a world war ii veteran. My grandfather on my downside, i think of him all the time. When thinking about how we treat those on many cases sacrificed everything for freedom and security in a keep talking a lot about what it means to be a patriot and serve our country. While i did not serve in the military, nonetheless i have the small opportunity as the chairman of the Economic Opportunity subcommittee to give back to those who have given so much immigrant but would often talk about the gaps in Services Provided to veterans. I remember that well, and for me its absolutely unconscionable that we would do Everything Possible to treat her veterans as the heroes is there. And so much more. So, the other thing is, we are actually passing bills. You dont often hear about that. But in our committee, we have considered Something Like 40 meals, we passed over half of them. And roughly about ten of them and theres a couple of them that came from my subcommittee and i am honored that six of the bills that i helped to introduce, each with a republican has passed the house representatives. I am also encouraged, i just had a great meeting with senator couple days ago. Im encouraged that a lot of these can go to the senate line as well. Typically will get past the senate and some of these initiatives actually will pass. If you will entertain me, i would very briefly like to explain these six bills. One is with representative and a very grateful with you leading the way with the act and what it would do is create an administration at the va, its a somewhat controversial plan with the va, everybody else wants it. All the veterans i talked to wanted. What would happen if you would be able to separate the core work for Economic Opportunity, from the benefits administration. Folk rehab, home loan benefits and the transition program. Its outdated, its undermining the benefits that our veterans earned. We have to restructure resources. It would eliminate rather than create more red tape. Everybody i speak with, the veterans who will be impacted, they want this to happen. I hope the va welcome around. It might make things more difficult and shortterm but the longterm, our veterans will have a lot of gains from this restructuring, it will be welcoming overtime. I wanted to mention some of these other bills. We have one to support disabled veterans housing. Thats one i think have a great shot at getting through. We want to improve the tap program. He had a friend who passed away after service in iraq. Hes confident to have this better transition assistance. Its more of a wraparound support system, the opportunity to go on and have a more successful Postal Service career. We have another one on Mental Health access. A bill we are doing to expand the access to vet centers. Clearly the Medical Center are to be available to them as well. Then we are trying to also protect our veterans when they go to take out a va loan. A buildout help fix that. Another con stem cell that would meet the requirements under the g. I. Bill, its what most programs are offering. A lot of these are hopefully noncontroversial. Even in todays washington. You all might know better than i, ive only been here for seven months. What ive seen is the rhetoric seems to be set aside in service of our veterans. It should be that way, i hope its always that way. I have no greater honor than being on the committee. Im very interested in environmental policy. What i didnt expect his service on Veterans Affairs committee would be as rewarding as it is. The accomplishments i would be able to achieve in washington would be the bipartisan bills that we pass in the last seven months. You will hear from representative when strip. Continuing to get your ideas on how we can invest and serve our veterans. [applause] thank you. Thank you all for being here this morning. Its a pleasure to be here. Especially this particular topic. You are right when you talk about the va committee. I would share this, the va committee is probably the Top Committee when it comes to bipartisanship. I got a reporter at one time Say Something about that and i said how many members of congress can you name. Theres only about ten. Its pretty much the people you see every evening on cable. What you think the rest of us are doing . The va committee is a place where you get a lot of things done. I look back on the forever g. I. Bill. The mission act was cosponsored by every member. I dont think theres too many times you consider. That was a big bill. It was always a pleasure to walk into the va committee room. You know you will have good conversation that is very serious and professional. This particular bill that i backed was very important to me in so many ways for a lot of reasons. It focuses on that transition. To civilian life. The opportunities that exist economically. The six years i served on armed services, im a veteran, i served a year in iraq, zero fivn there. When i came back, as a reservist, they said you dont have to go back to work for 90 days. I said, im going next week. I wont say around my house. I think that is important. I had a medical practice to go back to you. Not everybody has that luxury. I was 47 years old. For some people, they are 21 or 22 and havent had something established overtime. You started things about what you go through during that time, it is very odd. Rest of the country is just going about their business. Theres gas at the pump, food at the store and no one knows what you just went through. If you dont have somewhere to go in something to do, its very different. There was a book called the american soldier and mostly about how they get together and do missions and pray, there is one passage that caught me. So getting ready to come home, he had been in iraq for a year. There was a Baghdad Airport and he begins to crack. I said where you crying . He said i dont think we will be able to do as much for other people. I will be bored and it will seem mundane. I think that is very true in so many ways. Why is this important . That was more like, youre getting out, heres your benefits. Then well see you later. To me, its much more important to go further back. Think about what the va has had to do. It had to be reactive to conditions or problems you have had. I think a lot of those come from the fact that you were part of something big. Part of something you were needed every day. You were essential. If you dont have somewhere to go when you come back, it is very challenging. Stress is very real. If youve been in the environment and see what we see it hasnt affected you in some way, then there is probably something wrong with you. But if youve been there and it does have an effect on you to some degree, i consider that normal and should be addressed. To the level that you need. Went from being so essential and needed and then you come back and have nothing. Its important that you have a plan. Within the va, a great opportunity to make sure we are really focusing on opportunity for veterans, not only when they first get out but beyond that. But they continue to have opportunities. For transition assistance, or to go back further. I want to see more you get recruited, your young thinking about joining, the recruiter says, what you want to do in the military . I want to be a marine. Army, infantry. Heres what that looks like. Imagine the recruiter saying, what you want to do after . Its talk about that right now, too. Lets prepare that path. Whether you are in 44424 years, lets talk about that. Your two heres out, a professional saying your path in the military, if you stay in and here is a path otherwise. If you graduate college and you get your degree can you dont have a job wind up, thats not a great day. If you take that uniform off and you know where you are going next and what the opportunities are, that is much better. You look at what happens, the va being reactive, most suicides we hear about, happen in uniform. They happen later. I think its because of that situation if you have nowhere to go and no one to understand what youve been through. Wake up everyday with a purpose. It makes a difference. Thats what you have in uniform. All of these things are so very important as we move forward and try to pass legislation. The army, we say soldier for life. Lets mean it. We will be with you and we will help you. Imagine a parent sitting there who hears recruiter say, what you want to do after . We want to get you there, too. That is huge. This bill is a strep step in that direction. Thats where we are going. Jodi has picked up that ball and run with it as well with you. I think it is important. Lets break the stigma. I was in an event with Major League Baseball owners and george bush showed up unexpectedly. He said what are you doing in town . Im here to work with veterans. Help the veterans with transitioning, happen figure out how to put a resume together and apply for a job. When they asked for qualification and skills, you cant just for sniper. You got to say, i Pay Attention to detail, i show up for work on time and you can count on me. There are so many people trying to help with the transition. We need to do our job and do all we can. I also met a veteran one time who lost both legs and was in a band, playing guitar. I began talking to him, this was a military event. He said you know, i am not a wounded warrior, i am still a warrior. I think we should look at all of those. I think most dont your pity, they want you to appreciate what youve done want you to know they are still in the game. Thank you all for being here this morning. [applause] thank you both so much. You and traffic. Not just with the outback but the overall thought of how benefits are delivered at the va. You and i were on this stage, you were talking about this same bill, same idea. Do you feel like the va is Getting Better at shifting from the idea of delivering benefits as a process to something that is collaborative . This idea of not just sending out checks but working with veterans to personalize it . I do. I speak to senders that we have in my district, they have really taken the approach more. Its not just pushing paper, its helping another human. I think we are seeing that more. The culture is improving in that regard. It maybe always has been but as far as the va committee, thats been the feeling. I agree. My Health Centers in my area, i think the team is doing a fantastic job. The local veterans i speak with her getting high quality care. Looking holistically at the whole person and their needs. I think the challenge we face in san diego, there are too many falling through the crooks were eligible but not getting the services for many reasons. We have an issue with veteran homelessness in our area, roughly 1300 or so, spots throughout san diego. My hope is that in time with a lot of hard work we can dramatically reduce that number. Too many are falling through the crooks. Honorable discharges that are not taking advantage of any services, they are only eligible for certain services. My colleague peters has a couple of those, Housing Services available. We got to do what we can to make sure people arent falling through the crooks, everybodys getting the services they need. We have a huge problem with addiction and opioids not just veterans but throughout our population. Everything i have seen, the va weekend the folks here are doing everything we can to address the problems that exist. Its a great way to focus in target resources that exist, make sure they are being used most effectively. Thousand my next question, if you are seeing improvements, unemployment reaching his door close, do we need to worry about this . Maybe these programs are doing fine. I think there are two components. We are trying to do on one front is being preventive. Homelessness, how do we get the new veteran as they are leaving service to immediately not go to, this . Thats the front end. But theres a lot of catching up to do with those who have been out there for a while, not knowing where to turn. We always appreciate when somebody calls your office because they are looking for guidance. Theres also in the community, its been so wonderful to see how many private businesses or groups have popped up to track to be there. In cincinnati, veteran center and veterans can show up and get engaged with anything. Talk about benefits, have assistance with something hospital. Work toward employment. The va cannot necessarily be a headhunter for everybody. But these centers are. Those are the things we are seeing taking place that didnt exist before. Hopefully the next generation will find themselves in better positions. We have a area in our district, a huge number of marines and folks from navy and others who serve in our rate weather and they want to come back. Our region in the next decade will have the most veterans anywhere in the u. S. It was important to me to have a veteran on staff dealing with casework. So what i have learned through that, having a great corpsman on our team, everyone is wellintentioned but sometime the va is its own bureaucracy. The idea here is that you create the administration, target those resources like housing homelessness transition assistance and all the rest, youre better able to have clear targets and implement those. One area that is problematic, the overall rate of homelessness is roughly study, which is not good. The rate of Women Veteran homelessness is going up dramatically in some areas. But something we really have to look at. The amazing work being done by nonprofits should not be a substitute for the core work at the va. A lot of them have sprung up because the va still has gaps. A great example is the veteran standout. We have to. Those who are on the brink of homelessness or who are, come forward to get services from