Laserfiche WebLink
Veterans Advisory Committee <br /> Minutes February 23,2021 <br /> Page 2 <br /> S <br /> Chair Michael Doolittle asked that the guests present at the meeting introduce themselves <br /> and how they can assist with Veterans. <br /> Nicole Gray -- Congressman Kaialii Kahele's Office: I am sitting in on this meeting to get <br /> a better understanding of what is needed in our community and from the veterans. I deal <br /> with the case work coming in and also with our military throughout our islands. It would <br /> be helpful for me to just understand what's needed, where are our other problems, policy <br /> issues that you are looking for or towards, that's basically why I'm here. <br /> Chair Doolittle; Specifically for this committee, we'll be looking at a variety of things but <br /> a lot of the things is pretty obvious, we don't have any real power, we can't allocate <br /> anybody or we can't really draw on any resources other than just make advisory <br /> comments about the things that currently exist. Anybody else have any comments about <br /> that? Deb is very involved in many veterans' issues; she could probably speak to it more <br /> specifically. <br /> Debra Lewis: I think this first for both Nicole and Kelcie and Pomai that's sitting in on <br /> this one for the Mayor's office, about leaning forward to upstand the issues that we have <br /> to deal with for our veterans, the past minutes will give you a little bit of an indication of <br /> that. And where can we yes, our resources in order to support that. Sometimes it's not <br /> that office, sometimes Kai's office, your case workers might see trends that would be <br /> something you could furnish to us and from our end, where do we need legislative <br /> support? Right now, we're a little bit floundering because we've got to get the Council <br /> and the guidelines for this committee to continue to approve it. Before we used to just <br /> talk cemeteries and now were talking other issues that the Mayor wants to and ought to <br /> know about with veterans. We're excited about the changes but this little hiccup, if <br /> committee meetings don't get put in to the process properly then we get gaps and we <br /> don't have quorum. For years this committee didn't have quorum so it's actually the <br /> members who you see here are the ones that are really engaged in the community which <br /> is exciting for us and that we can continue to move issues forward in that regards. During <br /> covid we've been strapped, and we know that the homeless issues are still there, a lot of <br /> the social nets that are out there are helping our veterans as well. Really its about getting <br /> support to people like Kelcie, that processes claims or the State. What you could work on <br /> for example, I'm not making a recommendation or saying this committee does it but for <br /> example there use to be two people I her office and right now, she only has herself and an <br /> assistant that answers phones. But we have enough claims for two people full time to be <br /> working and pretty soon they'll be going for their hearings, which means even more <br /> work. 'That might be an issue for example that we would bring up here and say, if you <br /> could give a call to the Office of Veterans Services office on Oahu and push them to say <br /> how are you going to support our island better. There's Kelcie on our side and there's <br /> another one on the Kona side but just Hilo side has enough for two people. So that right <br /> there is a good example of something you could help us with. <br />