Veterans Affair Services - Research Paper Example

? and number Veteran’s Affair Services submitted The main purpose of the research is to proffer a study of how Veteran's services affects criminal justice in the United States. Particularly, the objectives of the research are as follows: (1) to present a detailed history of the creation of Veteran’s Affair; (2) to provide a presentation of the mission statement of the social agency; (3) to present financial reports or summaries of the operations of the social agency; (4) to proffer a critical analysis of the effectiveness of the social agency, which includes, but is not limited to: details on how the specific agency interacts with the Criminal Justice System, the services provided, the training of critical personnel, and the motivation of the agency to provide services; (5) to present a commentary on ways in which the social agency could improve its effectiveness towards its social goals; and finally, (6) to provide a prediction concerning the future of the social agency and its impact on the criminal justice system. Veteran’s Affair Services When one hears the term ‘veteran’, a perception of its meaning encompasses regular definitions found in the dictionaries, to wit: “a person who is long experienced or practiced in an activity or capacity” (The Free Dictionary, 2011, par. 1); “an old soldier of long service or a former member of the armed forces” (Merriam-Webster, 2011, par. 1). In contrast, the Federal definition the term is explicitly stated as “any person, who served honorably on active duty in the armed forces of the United States” (Veterans’ Agent, 2011, par. 1). These definitions confer that a veteran is a person who has rendered particularly long service, as honorably classified, in the armed forces, not only in the United States, but in other governments as well. One has encountered a remarkably noteworthy definition cited by Powers (2011) from an unknown author, as revealed: “a veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life" (Powers, 2011, p. 1). The extent to which a veteran offered his or her life in complete service to a nation deems the agency tasked to govern their endeavors of crucial relevance. In this regard, the main purpose of the research is to proffer a study of how Veteran's services affects criminal justice in the United States. Particularly, the objectives of the research are as follows: (1) to present a detailed history of the creation of Veteran’s Affair; (2) to provide a presentation of the mission statement of the social agency; (3) to present financial reports or summaries of the operations of the social agency; (4) to proffer a critical analysis of the effectiveness of the social agency, which includes, but is not limited to: details on how the specific agency interacts with the Criminal Justice System, the services provided, the training of critical personnel, and the motivation of the agency to provide services; (5) to present a commentary on ways in which the social agency could improve its effectiveness towards its social goals; and finally, (6) to provide a prediction concerning the future of the social agency and its impact on the criminal justice system. Historical Background The history of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the US was traced in the year 1636 when a war existed between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony were at war with the Pequot Indians and a law was enacted by the Pilgrims indicating the support pledged to disabled soldiers (US Dept. of Veterans Affairs: History, 2010, par. 1). The following historical details are presented in tabular form for concise structural arrangement, and sourced from the Dept of VA: History (2010): DATE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS 1776 During the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress encouraged enlistment of soldiers through the provision of pensions to disabled soldiers. 1811 The Federal Government authorized the first domiciliary and medical facility for Veterans. 19th Century Expanded the coverage of benefits and pensions to widows and dependents. 1917 Establishment of new system that included “programs for disability compensation, insurance for servicepersons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled” (Dept. of VA: History, 2010, par. 4). 1920s Jurisdiction for administration of veteran benefits to Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. 1930 Marked the establishment of Veterans Administration under Brigadier General Frank T. Hines where the VA health care system continuously expanded in scope and in provision of health services. 1944 Further educational assistance provided for the veterans of the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Era, Persian Gulf War, and the All-Volunteer Force (ibid., par. 6) 1973 Transferred the National Cemetery System to the VA 1989 Department of VA promoted to a cabinet-level position by President Bush. Mission Statement As indicated in the official website of the Dept. of VA, the mission statement is explicitly stated as “to fulfill President Lincoln's promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans” (DVA: Mission, 2009, par. 1). Concurrently, the vision statement is “to provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned - and to do so by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship” (DVA: Vision, 2009, par. 2). The core values of the agency are embodied in the following: compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability and stewardship (DVA: Core Values, 2009). Financial Reports The highlights of the DVA’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the period ended September 30, 2010 with comparative figures from the same period ended September 30, 2009, sourced from their official website, are shown below: (In Millions of Dollars) 2010 2009 Total Assets $ 76,793 $ 158,901 Liabilities 1,510,011 1,350,316 Net Position (1,433,218) (1,291,415) (In Millions of Dollars) 2010 2009 Budgetary Resources $ 144,117 $ 116,814 Obligated Balance 20, 068 16,669 Net Outlays 108,562 95,526 Federal Employee and Veterans Benefits Liab. Worker’s Compensation $ 1, 862 $ 1,735 Compensation 1,470,500 1,313,900 Burial 4,300 3,600 Total Federal Employee & Veterans Benefits Liab.1,476,662 1,319,235 These figures indicate that due to the increased benefits given to federal employees and veterans in 2010 as compared to 2009, there was a significant decline in the net position of the agency in 2010 as compared in the previous year. Apparently, total assets also marked a decline for the period under study. The net outlays for 2010 increased by 14% to $108,562 million as compared to only $95,526 million in 2009. Critical Analysis The performance of the VA is measured in terms of the ability of the agency to achieve their defined targets and goals. Three strategic goals were defined: “(1) improve the quality and accessibility of health care, benefits, memorial services, while optimizing value; (2) increase Veteran client satisfaction with health, education, training, counseling, financial, and burial benefits and services; (3) raise readiness to provide services and protect people and assets continuously and in time of crisis; and (4) improve internal customer satisfaction with management systems and support services” (DVA: Performance Overview, 2010, p. 1). Interestingly, the DVA has indicated that their agency was able to achieve 43% of the key measures identified and 54% of all measures indicated (DVA: Performance, 2010, p. 4). From among the key measures, 52% were not achieved and thereby performance was not improved. On the other hand, in terms of assessing all measures, the report revealed that 32% was not achieved and no performance improvement was noted. The major accomplishments noted by the DVA focused in terms of improving the delivery of high quality health care, increased numbers on calling the suicide hotline that assisted in the prevention of suicide, an increased rate of those who availed of the Homeless Veterans Plan, a 30% expansion in telehealth program, and the funding of more physician resident positions under the Graduate Medical Education Enhancement program (Performance and Accountability Report (PAR): Executive Summary, 2010, pp. 1 – 2). Further, the DVA ensured improved quality of life for the veterans after their service through seamless transition, increasing the accuracy of compensation maintenance claims to 96%, provision of life insurances to more than 39,000 members, providing educational benefits to 663,000 students, provision of rehabilitation and vocational programs to 10,000 veterans, and the approval of housing loans to 314,000 members (PAR, 2010, p. 3). From these, it can be deduced that despite the agencies honest and blunt reports of not fully reaching their identified strategic goals, there have been several major accomplishments that render their performance worthy of praise. Due to the expanse of key measures and priorities of the agencies, some targets could not have been achieved in the time frame stipulated – but not necessarily meaning that these objectives were deleted or neglected in their entirety. With improved access and delivery in the quality of health services, the provision of more housing assistance, educational benefits and other prevention of suicide through proper interventions, the performance of the DVA has been effective in applying their core values towards the accomplishment of the mission they clearly defined. Link with the Criminal Justice System The services rendered by returning veterans are strenuous, challenging, and could drastically affect their behavior. Russell (2009) noted that “any returning veterans and their families cope with serious issues such as: alcohol and substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, unemployment, and strained relationships. Oftentimes, these serious issues go unaddressed, and many of the veterans end up in our criminal justice system. With the increase of veterans with serious needs in our criminal justice system, comes the need for the system to develop innovative ways of working to address these issues and needs” (Russell, 2009, p. 357). Through the Veterans Treatment Court served as governing body to address criminal issues involving veterans, proper legal interventions could be imposed on the instigators of crime and justice could be served to their victims, as needed. The criminal justice system has been known to be established with the primary purpose of providing a clear set of rules, laws and regulations for social control. The DVA, through its Veterans Treatment Court supports the resolution of crimes committed by veterans (especially those afflicted with mental and drug disorders as a consequence of their service) through the proper legal proceedings. Commentary to Improve Social Goals As part of the performance objectives of the VA, the agency endeavored to implement the Green Management Program to encourage promotion of projects that would encourage the use of alternative fuel and energy, promote the preservation and protection of the environment and adherence to social responsibility (PAR, 2010, p.8). Further, the VA actively supports the government’s Recovery Act that aimed to include “measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need” (DVA: Recovery Act, 2010, par. 1). With the stated mission, vision of the DVA, in conjunction with their core values, through the Green Management Program and in support of the Recovery Act, the DVA, through its members and constituents have indicated their commitment to improve social goals, especially those that are pressing in contemporary times: factors that contribute to climate change and global warming. Prediction on the Future of the VA and its Impact on the Criminal Justice System The future of the VA would continue to traverse a challenging course given the influences of external factors in the environment, such as economic pressures, political legislations, impending strifes and wars in various countries where America plays an important role in the resolution, as well as its ability to achieve well defined strategic goals and targets. With their financial position that is in the negative side as of September 2010, where liabilities greatly exceed the assets, the ability of the agency to meet future targets and goals to accord more benefits to its members could be restrained and significantly affected. The federal government, at this point, should address funding requirements by evaluating the federal budget to allocate more resources where crucial strategic goals need to be addressed. Otherwise, the benefits earmarked for current and future veterans would be endangered. On the other hand, the resolution of criminal cases through the Veterans Treatment Court has been viewed as the most appropriate medium to comply and adhere to the legal standards imposed by the criminal justice system. Through the support and ideals set by the DVA, resolution of crimes committed by returning veterans with potentially identified problems could be appropriately resolved. At the same token, the imposition of justice requires processes that are consistent with the components of the criminal justice system. Therefore, the legislations, resources and other initiatives must be regularly reviewed to monitor their consistencies with those of the traditional courts. In the end, both courts aim to resolve crime and uphold the ideals that would ensure that justice prevails for both the instigators of crime and their victims, as equitably necessary. Conclusion The paper has been successful in achieving its identified goal of presenting a comprehensive study of how Veteran's services affects criminal justice in the United States. A historical background of the DVA was initially presented, in conjunction with identifying the mission statement and financial performance of the agency, as required. A critical analysis of the effectiveness of the DVA was determined through its performance and accountability report that provided major accomplishments. A commentary on ways in which the DVA could improve its effectiveness towards its social goals, particularly on contemporary issues of finding alternative sources of energy and the protection of the environment, was delivered. Finally, a prediction concerning the future of the DVA and its impact on the criminal justice system revealed the potential increase in challenges that the agency faces given the financial position and the extent by which strategic goals are being met. References Merriam-Webster. (2011). Veteran. Retrieved 25 May 2011. < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veteran> Peformance and Accountability Report. (2010). Executive Summary. 24 May 2011. < http://www.va.gov/budget/docs/report/FY2010-VAPAR_Executive_Summary.pdf> Powers, R. (n.d.). Do You Qualify for Veteran's Benefits? Retrieved 24 May 2011. Russell, R.T. (2009). “Veterans treatment court: A proactive approach.” New England Journal on Criminal & Civil Confinement, (1), 357-372. The Free Dictionary. (2011). Veteran. Retrieved 25 May 2011. US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). (2009). History. Retrieved 25 May 2011. --------------------------. (2009). Mission, Vision, Core Values and Goals. Retrived 25 May 2011. US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). (2010). Consolidated Financial Statements. Retrieved 24 May 2011. < http://www.va.gov/BUDGET/docs/report/PartIII/FY2010-VAPAR_PartIII_Consolidated_Financial_Statements.pdf> -------------------------. (2010). Performance Overview. Retrieved 25 May 2011. < http://www.va.gov/BUDGET/docs/report/PartI/FY2010-VAPAR_PartI_Performance_Overview.pdf> -----------------------. (2010). Recovery Act. Retrieved 25 May 2011. < http://www.va.gov/recovery/> Veterans’ Agent. (2011). What is the Federal and State definition of a "Veteran"? Retrieved 25 May 2011. < http://sudbury.ma.us/services/individual_faq.asp?id=219> Read More