California’s Operation Welcome Home:
Operation Welcome Home is the nation’s first statewide campaign to connect with all returning veteran to determine their needs and connect them with the benefits and services that can help them transition successfully from the battle front to the home front.
The mission of California’s Operation Welcome Home is to directly connect with the 30,000 veterans annually returning to California so they can access the benefits they have earned and the services they may need to transition successfully from military service to civilian life. Governor Schwarzenegger targeted $20 million to hire veterans to directly reach out and connect with these returning veterans. This operation, one of the most comprehensive collaboration of services in the nation, will break down government silos and allow veterans straightforward and easy access to benefits and services including:
• Employment and Job Training Assistance;
• Unemployment Benefits;
• Education Opportunities;
• Housing Assistance;
• Health Care Needs;
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits; and
• Support for Families.
California is working harder than ever to ensure that all returning veterans are connected to the benefits and services available to them. Operation Welcome Home brings state, federal and local government agencies together with private sector service providers, non-profit organizations and volunteers to reach out to every veteran as they leave the military service and return home to their communities.
Responsiveness of Government: Breaking Down the Silos:
Operation Welcome Home consolidates the efforts of governmental agencies and departments, non-governmental entities and volunteer organizations into Regional Outreach Teams. By developing nine Regional Outreach Teams across the state, the California Department of Veteran Affairs is building a unique network of outreach organizations that will directly touch veterans throughout the State. With service providers, volunteers, and government entities working together, resources can be managed and targeted with greater efficiency. Each team will meet the individual and unique needs of every new veteran throughout the community by partnering with:
The California Department of Veterans Affairs; California Military Department; California Labor and Workforce Development Agency; California Employment Development Department; California Volunteers; California Department of Mental Health; California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs; County Veteran Service Officers; Veterans Service Organizations; U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; and a network of mental health professionals and community organizations.
Creating the CalVet Corps:
To establish this outreach effort, the California Labor Workforce and Development Agency and the Employment Development Department used the $20 million identified by Governor Schwarzenegger to hire over 300 veterans statewide. The CalVet Corps member directly contacts California’s returning veterans individually at least four times in the first six months of separation from active duty. These CalVet Corps members directly assist veterans with employment and unemployment information and are referral specialist for the Regional Outreach effort that include the County Veteran Service Officers in partnership with County Mental Health Directors that provide information on veterans services such as mental health or substance abuse treatment or applying for state and federal veterans benefits.
Recruiting Volunteers:
California Volunteers will utilize a $560,000 AmeriCorps grant to recruit 80 part-time AmeriCorps members who will coordinate efforts with the County Veteran Service Officers. Governor Schwarzenegger also envisions recruiting volunteers throughout the state in order to assist nongovernmental and community based organizations that assist veterans. California Volunteers, a Cabinet agency, is coordinating a statewide recruiting effort matching volunteers with organizations serving veterans for Operation Welcome Home.
Achievements of Operation Welcome Home:
As of November 02, 2010,
• Collected 34,531 reintegration forms with contact information on each returning veteran.
• Made more than 53,777 referrals* to services and benefits including:
o 9,785 to employment services
o 10,019 to one stop services and training
o 5,485 to unemployment insurance benefits
o 2,849 to VA compensation/disability claim
o 5,966 to health care services
o 2,849 to Traumatic Brain Injury/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) counseling and services
o 8,993 to education benefits
o 3,187 to housing services
o 3,419 to financial services and
o 1,234 to legal services
*A veteran may have been given multiple referrals
Source: CDVA – CalVet Corps System Database
Moving Forward:
Operation Welcome Home shifts the pendulum from requiring the veteran to find the service he/she thinks they need to bringing the veteran to the benefit and services he/she has earned and may need. The goal is to be more aggressive in outreach to veterans who might not be aware of available services or avoid seeking services out of frustration of government bureaucracy. Success in this initiative will result in decreasing veteran homelessness numbers; decreasing veteran unemployment rates; increasing participation in federal VA programs, federal unemployment benefits and federal VA’s compensation and pension programs; increasing the number of veterans in California colleges and universities; and increasing early detection of mental illness such as PTSD which can impact suicide rates, domestic violence, and homelessness.
Honoring Those Who Served:
Governor Schwarzenegger has committed and targeted an unprecedented amount of resources and services to California’s 2.1 million veterans and specifically the recently returning veterans. In addition to Operation Welcome Home, the governor has:
• Expanded civil service preference points for veterans looking for jobs in state service;
• Increased higher education coordination with the “Troops to College” initiative;
• Targeted millions of dollars in grants to help newly discharged veterans find jobs;
• Connected thousands of veterans to employers through the “Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet” job fairs;
• Kept the construction of five new state veteran homes on track; and
• Expanded home ownership opportunities through the CalVet Home Loan Program to all veterans.
