ANALYSIS: California's returning veterans will need help

OFF THE WIRE
By Tracy Emblem,
 is an Escondido attorney.
North County Times
In April, the theme of National County Government Month is "Serving Our Veterans, Armed Forces and their Families." As a growing number of veterans return home, we must work together for solutions. Cutting veteran budgets now is not the answer.
San Diego County is home to one of the largest veteran populations returning from active wartime duty. Yet with budget cuts coming in the near future, it will be more difficult for returning veterans.
The state's proposed budget cuts nearly $10 million in veteran services from the California Department of Veterans. Funding for County Veteran Service Offices is currently proposed to be reduced by $7.3 million dollars, while $2.3 million dollars is proposed to be slashed from California's Operation Welcome Home.
For those of you who are unaware of Operation Welcome Home, this program was implemented by former Gov. Schwarzenegger. It helps our state's 30,000 returning veterans by contacting them shortly after discharge. The program's goal is proactive ---- to reach recently discharged service members and help them and their families successfully transition into civilian life.
According to Operation Welcome Home's website, the program is a collaborative agency effort designed to provide returning veterans with health and mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment, employment and unemployment assistance, housing and homeless services, education and tuition assistance, and disabled veteran services.
War is a demanding experience. Many returning troops have had to live with the daily fear that their lives were at risk. Combat veterans are particularly stressed because they witness despair and horrific events that they must live with for the rest of their lives.
When combat veterans return home, they are supposed to act as if they have never experienced war events, because admitting any resulting emotions is frowned upon as a weakness.
Veterans compose 19 percent of the homeless population in San Diego County, according to a recent canvass. San Diego County nonprofit agencies such as Veteran's Village of San Diego and Interfaith Community Services work tirelessly to help keep homeless veterans off the streets and in clean, safe housing.
Post-traumatic stress remains under the surface, taking a tremendous toll on veterans, families and communities. Many returning veterans report having anxiety and depression. Many also have substance abuse problems and their personal relationships can evolve into greater societal problems involving divorce and the criminal justice system.
Operation Welcome Home changes lives with early intervention by reaching veterans who are considered high risk for mental health problems because they were deployed in repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans will need early intervention, job training and jobs. A job training program such as Veterans in Piping, a welding training program at Camp Pendleton, is a partnership with the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Sprinklerfitters union and the military. (See http://www.uavip.org) VIP provides 16 weeks of accelerated welding training for returning veterans, and then helps place the trained veterans in jobs around the country.
I saw firsthand the positive effect of VIP in 2009. At the graduation for the first class of Camp Pendleton veterans, a young Marine's face lit up. He told me that he had worked 14 hours a day to learn and practice welding. He was excited that he would be able to have a career and a good-paying job when he was discharged.
Our communities and businesses must consider reaching out and hiring returning veterans. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 1 in 5 young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, ages 18 to 24, were unemployed in 2010.
Jobs give people dignity and a sense of self-worth. Sadly, some employers are reluctant to hire Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
We have unfunded liability for increased health care soon. For non-career service members, the government provides medical benefits only for five years from the veteran's discharge, but spouses and children immediately lose medical benefits the day their family member is discharged.
Many combat veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will need future medical care from their service-related illnesses and diseases. Many combat troops have had to routinely carry extremely heavy fighting loads during repeated combat tours. They are at risk of developing muscular-skeletal problems.
Additionally, some combat veterans have been exposed to depleted uranium and toxic burn pits during their tours of duty. They are at risk of developing cancers and neurological and pulmonary diseases related to their military service after their five-year period for medical benefits has past.
How we treat our veterans is a reflection of our society. It takes leadership to acknowledge, address and budget for veteran assistance. It would be morally wrong to ignore our returning veterans and their families.