Vets air complaints over new financial aid process

Army veteran Anderson H. Morgan Sr. stood in front of about 30 veterans gathered Sunday at the chapter house here and expressed his discontent with the Department of Navajo Veterans Affairs.

"All kinds of obstacles are put in our way again," the 64-year-old said. "The bottom line, we don't like what's happening."

Verna Morgan Morgan's wife, also expressed the same sentiment.

"They need to realize that you don't treat people like that, especially our veterans," she said.

The couple was talking about the recent changes in financial assistance programs and veterans office personnel. These changes were explained to the veterans during the regular meeting of the Fort Defiance Agency Veterans Organization.

Earlier in the meeting, John Wilson, an administrative service officer for the Fort Defiance Agency, explained that the department changed its process for financial assistance. This type of assistance includes emergency funding, transportation costs, traditional healing ceremonies, burial, honor or color guard services and self-help housing materials.

As Wilson spoke, he held up a copy of the new check-off list for financial assistance for the Veterans Trust Fund. He told the audience that each assistance request submitted since Jan. 5 will need to include copies of a financial assistance request form, chapter voter registration, a W-9, driver's license or identification, a DD-214, Certificate of Indian Blood, Social Security card marriage license, three price quotations or invoices, and death certificate, if needed.

In addition to copies of the veterans' organization meeting agenda, sign-in sheet and meeting minutes, along with a Navajo Nation budget form.

Under the old system, a veteran submitted only a request for direct payment, a financial assistance request form, a W-9, a DD-214 and three price quotations from vendors, Wilson said.

"That's too much information going to the division," he said, alluding to concerns about protecting veterans' private information.

In an interview Wednesday at the Division of Human Resources, which oversees the veterans office, Division Director André Cordero debunked Wilson's explanation of what forms need to be submitted.

Cordero clarified that each check-off list is only accompanied by a financial assistance request, which explains the need for help, and three price quotations from vendors. A copy of a death certificate is needed only if the request is covering a veteran's burial.

Each agency should have copies of the other documents in the veteran's folder and that information is not forwarded to the central office in Window Rock. Unless the veteran is a new client, then that information would not be needed.

"It is not additional documents, it's just a revision to the request," Cordero said.

The reason for the new check-off list is to comply with the corrective action plan that was approved in September 2007 by the Budget and Finance Committee, after the auditor general conducted an audit of veterans office.

On Dec. 28 the auditor general's office issued a follow-up review of the veterans office's corrective action plan for the 2007 audit. That review found 80 percent of the corrective measures from have not been implemented. Implementing that corrective action plan is something Cordero and the veterans office are working on.

Before the new checklists were developed and implemented, each agency had its own forms. Now there is one standard form to increase the turn\around for each veterans' financial request, he said.

Cordero also wants to reassure that veterans' information continues to be filed with privacy and that veterans should become familiar with the new financial request process and to contact their agency with questions.

Another concern the veterans expressed was why Cordero needed to approve each financial request before it goes to the Division of Finance for payment processing.

Cordero said that was a temporary oversight and a result of the corrective action plan.

At the Wide Ruins meeting, Wilson explained that the changes were established after Cordero became division director Dec. 28 after previous director Lawrence Oliver resigned.

Another personnel change that Wilson mentioned was the delegation of Evangeline Logg as program manager for the veterans office. That announcement was made in a Jan. 11 memorandum that was signed by Cordero after the previous program manager, Leo Chischilly, retired Dec. 31.

Some veterans were vocal about their displeasure with Logg because she is not a veteran and not qualified for the position.

"We have lots disabled veterans across the nation who did their time and assignments. Why did this new agency director create more bureaucratic and red tape amongst us," Navy veteran Alvin Blackgoat said. "We are treated as second class already."

Among the dissenters was Marine veteran Jerry Lee. Lee, 66, told the audience that he supports Logg because she may have veterans in her family and could be an advocate for veterans.

"A lot of us, veterans, can't speak for ourselves," Lee said. "At least she wants to help us."

Cordero explained that he delegated Logg because she was the best person for the job and that she is temporarily in place while the department advertises the position which opened Tuesday.

"I put that on the fast track because our program needs a manager," Cordero said.

He called Logg's appointment a "special assignment" and that she is there to "maintain the office."

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