‘This is the way the process should be’

For all three days, from the time it opened in the morning until it closed, Department of Hawaii Alternate National Executive Committeeman Charles “Chuck” Patterson was helping out at The American Legion’s Veterans Crisis Command Center (VCCC) in Honolulu.

What happened those three days was proof to Patterson that the Department of Veterans Affairs is, in fact, a system worth saving. And it also was proof just how committed The American Legion is to helping VA save that system.

“I think it showed that the Department of Veterans Affairs can do the job of servicing veterans,” he said. “It showed for sure that The American Legion definitely looks out for the best interests of veterans. And it showed that somebody cares about our veterans here. “

Over the course of two and a half days – including a final day that was scheduled to end at noon but lasted until well after 1 p.m. – more than 100 veterans sought help at the VCCC. In addition to retroactive VA payments being awarded, Legion service officers were able file claims and work with VA benefits staff to check on existing claims. VA health-care staff also was on hand to schedule appointments, while a mobile VET Center parked outside was able to assist dozens of veterans.

“We’re very happy with the turnout and the things we were able to do for the veterans here,” said Verna Jones, director of the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division. “More so, I think we exceeded the veterans’ expectations. Veterans (here) were at one point waiting 145 days (for appointments), and a lot of veterans – though they have been taken off the (waiting list) – they tell us they still haven’t seen a doctor. So coming here, I believe the veterans’ expectations were exceeded.”

One of those veterans was Rickey Byrd, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1987 to 2010. Byrd has a claim with VA for a service connection that has been denied and another education claim still pending. He said he wanted another set of eyes on his benefits claim and to find out the status of his education claim. At the center, he found out his education claim is being pushed through after being held up since January; Byrd also got some valuable information from American Legion service officer Ron Abrams.

“He didn’t allude to anything,” Byrd said. “He could straight-out see it, and he pointed out things that needed to be addressed.”

And getting answers like that made Byrd’s day. “I’m so excited right now that my blood pressure is rising,” he said. “This is the way the process should be. Every veteran should be able to come here and get an honest answer and breakdown of where they stand in plain terms, in terms they can understand.”

A Korean War veteran had a similar experience at the center. “I’ve been through (dealing with VA) many times and have never been satisfied,” he said. “Everything has been hurry up and wait. I am satisfied talking with Abrams. He was very proficient, and that shows me that there’s care in the group that’s doing this.”

Another who came into the center, Marine Corps veteran Chuck Wheatley, wanted to see about speeding up his current VA claim. Formerly stationed at Camp Lejeune, Wheatley has been diagnosed with cancer. “It’s been four years with no results,” he said. “Guys like me are dying. I’m on chemotherapy. So what I wanted to do was find out, ‘Am I going to get compensation before I die, or I am going to die before it gets paid?’”

Wheatley said he found several different sources of information at the VCCC that “were pertinent to my situation,” he said. “So it was definitely worth me coming down here.”

McKenny Willingham, who retired from the Army in 2002 and currently is employed, came to the center seeking information on vocational rehabilitation. “There’s some access I can get online, but having the face-to-face contact also shed some light on some things that I wasn’t aware of,” he said. “I’m experiencing some things in my workplace, and if I hadn’t come in and talked to someone today, I wouldn’t have known what’s out there for me.”

Jones said that although the VCCC ended Sept. 12, the Legion’s efforts in Hawaii will not. “We understand how hard it is for veterans to travel from one (island) to another, and that’s something we’re going to work very hard with the leaders of the VA here in Hawaii to make sure we can somehow provide outreach to all the veterans of all the islands,” she said.

For Patterson, the three days spent working at the center were a labor of love. As the property manager for Cloudbreak Community’s Hawaii homeless veterans facility, Patterson said he knows what Hawaii’s veterans are up against. “I see on a daily basis the effects on a VA that is not performing to standards,” he said. “I think I needed to just come down and show support for all these veterans who need some help. It’s just important. It’s the right thing to do.”