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Veterans Advisory Committee <br /> Minutes February 26,2019 <br /> Page 5 <br /> of drivers that could be coming to the aid of other Veterans that need a ride to the Clinics. <br /> It should be reviewed on a case by cases basis but a lot of Veterans are being turned <br /> away. <br /> Sheridan asked who makes the rules. <br /> Brulee-Wilson answered VA in Honolulu. <br /> Hanato replied DAV provides the vans but VA makes the rules. Drivers need to provide <br /> insurance after getting approved. It's almost like getting a secret clearance. We can't <br /> transport wheelchair Veterans unless they can get themselves in and out of the van. There <br /> are a couple of folks that can get themselves in and out of the van and that's ok, they can <br /> be picked up. There are no vans with lifts in them. <br /> Wery commented the County has a system, Harold Bugado ran it and they have all the <br /> equipment and you see them running around to different places. <br /> Lewis replied, they have all the equipment but reserving that equipment is almost <br /> impossible. It's not as reliable and available. <br /> Doolittle asked if VA is the one responsible for providing these services. <br /> Lewis replied they have an arrangement with non-profit DAV to do it but they have not <br /> taken on responsibility locally and the County has their vehicles. It's a woefully <br /> inadequate system at best and fraught with risk. <br /> Doolittle asked how we attack this problem. <br /> Lewis replied, we can't solve this here but it is something we need to talk about in a <br /> forum and we need to decide who needs to be at the table. Definitely the County because <br /> the County struggles with this too. It's got to be a system working together. <br /> Doolittle mentioned this is certainly one of the key issues we need to push a button on. <br /> Messina mentioned a small way to tackle a portion of this is, the County's system is set <br /> up to aid Senior Citizens and maybe it's not going to help every disabled veteran but <br /> there's a meeting next week with the Mayor's office and other County agencies and see <br /> how we can assist disabled Veterans who are Senior Citizens. <br /> Lewis one of the exceptions should be that they're all disabled Veterans in wheelchairs. <br /> Messina replied but this is a Federally funded program strictly for senior citizens. <br /> Wery suggested that DAV should have a member in the Veterans Advisory Committee so <br /> they can provide us with the information. <br />