LA-VETS.com
where vets go...
Noting that incarcerated veterans are not receiving adequate counseling about their continuing or truncated benefits, civil rights advocate, Sean Erenstoft has contacted intake administrators at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in charge of the county's several jail locations to discuss the practices and procedures used to inquire about, and provide information to, veterans about their benefits.
Erenstoft's organization recognized the issue when placed in contact with newly released veterans seeking reintegration materials and support. LA-Vets had just initiated the JOBS4VETS Program nationwide and found that vets were complaining that their benefits had simply been truncated on day 61 of incarceration. Come to learn that vets are responsible for petitioning for the determination of their own eligibility but that without having access to basic contact data or the standards being applied, many forfeit critical benefits.
Indeed, most vets incarcerated for only misdemeanor violations are entitled to most of their benefits, including pre-release reintegration counseling to help them find a home or a job upon release from jail. Felons are a different story and remain (mostly) eligible for disability pay that can be directed to the vet's dependents. More information about the Veterans Justice Outreach Program can be learned from the link at the LA-VETS.com website.
Sean Erenstoft initiated the LA-VETS.com project in 2010 following his long-spate of volunteer efforts in downtown Los Angeles' skid-row assisting homeless vets to simply file for their veteran's benefits. Armed with a 4' x 4' card table and a laptop, Erenstoft worked to reintegrate 1000's of vets back into shelters and temporary and permanent work. Prior to this, Erenstoft had worked as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator, Gordon Humphrey who served on the Armed Services Committee assisting veterans and their families. It was in Washington, D.C. that Erenstoft got his first exposure to the nationwide epidemic of veteran abuse. "The Veterans' Administration is a well-funded Department of the United States government and is woefully under-utilized simply because the men and women that require the services of the Department don't know it exists." Reach out and help a veteran.
Visit www.LA-Vets.com
ReplyDelete