Earlier this year, the RAND Research Corporation published their study on the state of affairs for military veterans in the Metro Detroit area. More specifically, the purpose was to identify and propose solutions to the issues that veterans with mental health issues face when seeking out healthcare.

The most common barrier to treatment shared by veterans was the lack of awareness of available resources and treatment options. Other issues included: the difficultly of navigating the VA health care system; poor public transportation infrastructure in Metro Detroit; negative perceptions held by family members and VA medical staff toward veterans and their mental health issues; and finally lack of awareness that a mental health issue existed in the first place.

Unfortunately, this study was neither innovative nor impressive; it simply offers lofty goals but no plans on how to reach them or how each fits within the Metro Detroit culture. The RAND Corporation should take the study a step further to address issues and propose solutions for each of the three counties that make up Metro Detroit.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1346.html

Fortunately, one Metro Detroiter’s has a simple, yet genius, answer to this problem: “Give them a bike”. It may not sound like much, but Bikes for Vets is the real-deal. It eliminates the one of the largest barriers to employment, transportation. The cost of maintaining and insuring a car is very high in Michigan. If a person cannot afford a car, they have no way of getting to work unless he/she relies on someone else for a ride. When you are dependent on someone else to get you to work, there are always scheduling conflicts that will force you to be late or miss work.

Bikes for Vets aims to solve this money and dependency issue. By providing a vet virtually free transportation, they can arrive to work on a consistent basis. Add this to the large public bus systems of Metro Detroit, and you can provide people with a fast, reliable, rock-bottom priced method of transportation.

Bill Mowder, the creator of the Bikes for Vets program, said the idea suddenly hit him one day as he was watching a person load his bike on to the front of a public bus. As an Americorps Navigator, he is assisting veterans every single day. Yet, he thought there was more to be done, particularly with finding them transportation.

Traditional transportation assistance involves helping veterans with car expenses, but as we know, this can be expensive. For example, for a veteran to get assistance on a car repair he must get two certified estimates and verification of car insurance. Most veterans cannot even afford the mechanic inspections, let alone car insurance payments. On average, the cost of inspection, parts, and service totals to about $900.00.

The Bikes for Vets solution, on the other hand, is cost-effective and easy. Bill found that most people in the Metro Detroit area live within 10 miles of where they work. In addition to this, public busing systems are available in most areas and all Metro Detroit buses are fitted with a bike rack. These circumstances allow for biking to be a realistic option of transportation.

With the help of the local store D&D Bicycles and Hockey, he was able to purchase a reliable bike at an affordable price. At $437.00, a veteran receives a bike, helmet, kickstand, rack, and bike lock so they are ready to hit the road the next day. D&D Bicycles and Hockey has several locations around the Metro Detroit area including Northville and Westland.

The program’s first four participants gave rave reviews of the concept, namely the health and work benefits. One man was able to arrive to work on-time consistently and finally get 40 hours a week. A woman reported her 22 mile-a-day ride allowed her to lose 7 pounds in just a week of work.

Besides the obvious physical health benefits, veterans also reported better mental health from participating in Bikes for Vets. By avoiding car payments and maintenance, their stress levels are significantly reduced. This saved money allows them to pay their bills, building their self-esteem.

Since the first test of concept, he has given bikes to 15 veterans thus far. Private donations have allowed this program to flourish. Bill expects that as awareness increases, the program will quickly spread statewide, and hopefully throughout the country.

If you would like to contribute to this worthy cause, please contact Bill at bill.mowder@yahoo.com.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Many Michigan veterans are eligible for benefits like healthcare and pensions, but may not know this and haven’t yet applied for them.

In a state that ranks in the bottom five in the U.S. for federal spending per veteran, there are hundreds of thousands of Michigan vets who qualify for military benefits, like healthcare and pensions.  Surprisingly, many don’t know they qualify, and others simply haven’t filed for the benefits due them.

Aside from the traditional health-and-pension benefits, other Michigan Veterans Benefits include home loans as well as educational subsidies via the GI-bill; also, vets may qualify for disability claims and life insurance. What’s more, Michigan vets can tap the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund Agency (MVTFA) to receive vocational training at the state and local levels.

Vietnam vets among those who may have chosen not to receive their benefits…

Indeed, Michigan vets, particularly those who fought in the Vietnam war, may have chosen not to receive the benefits due them after their military discharge simply because they received excellent health care benefits and pensions from their employer after they came home.

Back then, that usually meant Michigan jobs in the automotive sector, or other industries, that provided them with a full suite of benefits.

Moreover, as reported in the Detroit News, some of those vets never thought of even applying for their military benefits because they didn’t think they qualified. One vet said he thought he needed to be disabled from war injuries to qualify. Later, though, he learned he could qualify for treatment of his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Small-percentage are using their benefits…

Overall, a mere 22 percent of the state’s 660,800 veterans are using what’s coming to them from the coffers of the U.S. Veterans Administration, according to 2013 figures—about 13 percent do receive a disability check.

For Michigan vets, their rights to these benefits are a head-scratcher and begs the question as to ‘How can this be?” “Who’s looking out after those who gave so much for their country?”

Michigan was on the bottom for average fed spending per vet…

Five years ago, before Gov. Rick Snyder established the MVAA, the state was on the bottom rung among all the states in terms of dollars spent per vet: less than $3,000. Now, as of 2013, that has increased to an average of $5,001 per vet.

In an effort to make things right, the state offers a 24-hour hotline at (800) MICH-VET along with its website (michiganveterans.com) as a center for information on emergency housing to “veteran-friendly colleges in Michigan,” for example.

Rural counties may be out of luck for veteran counseling offices…

Rural counties, unlike metro areas, often lack the services of a veterans counselor who can offer vets information about federal, state and local benefits. Unfortunately, counties once lucky enough to have a veterans office are not only facing staffing shortages and funding cuts

Part of the frustration among vets in the past is simply trying to unravel the complexity of the system, notes The Detroit News columnist, Melissa Burke:

“Vets often have difficulty navigating the process on their own…Certified counselors and veterans service officers often help vets (receive) compensation quicker.”

Community action teams’ help veterans.

As such, and before 2013, about 93 percent of the disability claims submitted by Michigan veterans required more paperwork than was submitted in order to meet eligibility requirements.

But thanks to the state’s renewed focus on educating its vets on how to navigate the system that number has dropped to 59 percent just last fall, according to a spokesperson from the Detroit Regional Office of Veterans Benefit Administration.

A major reason for this success has to do with “regional ‘community action teams’” set up by the MTVFA to open up lines of communication with regional services directly serving its veterans.

Over the past five years, the number veterans in the state have declined, but Metro Detroit remains home to one-third of Michigan’s veteran population.

If you are a veteran and would like to discuss your benefits status, please contact us. We offer experienced counsel in this area as well as in elder law and estate planning.

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