[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E221-E222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

A SUCCESS STORY: ROBERT SNIFFEN AND THE SAN DIEGO VETERANS SERVICES
CENTER

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HON. BOB FILNER

of california

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, February 25, 1998

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, and colleagues, I rise today to recognize
the work of Robert Sniffen, Chairman of the Board of the San Diego
Veterans Services Center in Escondido, California. Mr. Sniffen was
recently awarded the KGTV Channel 10 Leadership Award for his volunteer
service which has made a significant impact on the San Diego County
community.
In his acceptance remarks, Sniffen said:

I am deeply humbled and greatly honored to receive this
significant award. I do so in the name of the scores of
volunteers and hundreds of our supporters. I accept this
award in the name of the San Diego Veterans Services Center
Board of Directors, as well as our Advisory Board Members,
that have made the success of the Veterans Service Center a
reality. Our whole purpose for existence is to be here in any
way possible for this most noble and worthy cause, on behalf

[[Page E222]]

of all veterans of all eras throughout San Diego County.

One way in which the Veterans Service Center is there for veterans is
demonstrated in the following statement by Mr. Sniffen. His statement
describes the collaboration of the Service Center with the San Diego
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in order to provide the VFW-SDVS Claims
Service for veterans. I would like to submit Mr. Sniffen's statement
into the Record.

In February 1996 The San Diego Veterans of Foreign Wars
Service Office joined forces with the local non profit
veterans group, San Diego Veterans Services, to create the
VFW/SDVS Claims Service.
Then Department Service Officer Art Rodrigues LLB-J.D. had
long believed that VA Claims outreach to veterans in the
North part of San Diego County was a concept long over due.
Current demographics indicated that some 150,000 of the
county's 371,000 veterans resided in the numerous cities
north of San Diego. Because of military downsizing, many
discharges from Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps largest
base, have now settled in North County.
The experimental partnership forged by Art Rodrigues and
Robert Sniffen, Chairman of San Diego Veterans Services, is
now a major unprecedented success beyond anyone's wildest
expectations! For the immediate past quarter (Oct, Nov, and
Dec. 1997), 73 veterans received VA claims awards totaling
$646,979. This quarterly monetary awards total was achieved
in only 30 working days. Also during this quarter, 274 vets
were counseled and interviewed with another 80 ``new'' claims
filed.
The SDVS, Veterans Service Center of North County, the home
of the VFW/SDVS Claims Service, has become a magnet for those
wishing to file or refile VA Claims without a major journey
to VA Regional facilities.
Now as the word of success of this one-of-a-kind, claims
project spreads, some 10-12 veterans a day are interviewed
and counseled as to their potential VA claims benefits and
rights.
To illuminate the impact of this innovative program, one
just needs to look at the following statistics:
The San Diego Department of Veterans Affairs Regional
Office serves Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties in
regards to processing VA claims entitlement applications.
This region provides 12,831 disabled veterans with monthly
compensation and pension benefit checks.
Of that number, 315 North County vets and their families
now receive such entitlements as a direct of the Veterans
Service Center of North County's VFW/SDVS Claims. Since
February 21, 1996 through November 30, 1997, this singular
outreach program has interviewed and counseled 1817 veterans,
spouses, widows and survivors to determine potential
eligibility for benefit entitlements. These outstanding
results were achieved in just 179 working days. As a result
of the VFW/SDVS project, 567 vets have filed their VA claims
and 315 vets and their families have already been granted
back pay and monthly entitlement awards now topping
$3,000,000.00 million dollars.
That $3 million dollars improved the quality of life for
vets families, homeless vets, surviving children of deceased
vets, the totally and permanently disabled vets, and those
vets with partial disabilities that impact their lifetime
earnings capabilities.
Veterans and their families in a dozen or more Northern San
Diego County Cities are now enjoying ``new found'' disposable
income that is rightfully due.
When one considers the round trip distance of a 50 mile
plus trip to VA facilities from Escondido, it simply makes
common sense that certain subsets of our veterans are
precluded from taking this ``Magical mystery'' tour to VA
facilities.
This would include an assortment of every disability for a
large number of ``graying'' senior vets suffering from
cataracts to hip replacements, as well as younger vets,
disabled as a result of their military experience. Others
simply are age-affected with fear of such a long trip.
Following are a few other factors that prevent many veterans
from filing their VA claims at any place else, other than the
Vets Center:
Homeless vets without bus fare, and a 2 or 3 hour journey
by bus if bus fare is provided.
The on-going distrust of government among some veterans.
These Vets find it emotionally harming having to deal with
the government. This skepticism is only sometimes justifiable
but is real to the veteran.
Veterans who must be convinced they are not ``unworthy'' of
government assistance or large numbers of vets who feel that
``their buddies'' deserve it and need it more than they do.
Unemployed Veterans and underemployed vets who are busy
with 2-3 menial jobs and cannot afford the necessary cost of
gas if they have a car.
Widows of deceased veterans who for similar reasons cannot
navigate their way to the regional VA office.
Those veterans who come to the center for other ``needs''.
These vets had no intention to file or were unaware of their
rights to file for entitlement benefits. All new Center
Clients are automatically funneled into ``VFW/SDVS Claims
Service'' office.
Vets who are referred to the VFW/SDVS Claims Service by
``Wildfire'' word of mouth from fellow vets whose claims were
successfully resolved.
Vets who might have filed ages ago, were initially turned
down and/or abandoned their claim in the appeal process, out
of frustration, moving, or a variety of other reasons.
Trust and belief in the ``veterans helping veterans'' all
volunteer aspect of all Vet Center programs are also vital
components of this One-Of-A-Kind-advocacy outreach effort.
If there is another volunteer, local non-profit effort as
wildly successful as the VFW/SDVS Claims Service we have yet
to hear about it.
We are so very proud of these contributions of ``new
disposible'' income to our vets which has vastly enhanced the
quality of life for them and their families. Such efforts
benefit our vets, our local businesses, and the community at
large.
These glaring, indisputable, ``bottom line'' numbers touted
by the VFW/SDVS Claims Service has been faithfully assembled
by the Number Two man responsible for all VFW Claims Offices
throughout the State of California, Art Rodrigues, LL.B.J.D.,
the Deputy Director of the California VFW Service Department.
Mr. Rodrigues has single handedly produced each claim award
and has kept such numbers during his 22 years of service at
the San Diego Mission Valley VA Regional office as the VFW's
National Service Officer.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars on the local, state, and
national level have recognized the VFW/SDVS Claims Service as
a unique and effective project worthy of replication. The VFW
recognizes that this effective new method of dispensing
claims services, because of cutbacks of VA personnel and
budget constraints, will result in less services at VA
regional offices. Outreach, one-stop-center efforts will
eventually replace central government services across the
nation. All government services, will, in coming decades,
eminate from one-stop, outreach community centers. This was
made clear by the 1997 VFW National Commander In Chief,
James Neirs in his visitation to the Vets Center in early
1997 when he labeled the VFW/SDVS partnerships as a
``Model For The Nation.''
The VFW/SDVS partnership continues unabated! While Art
Rodrigues has retired as a VFW Department Service Officer, he
remains on the job in his capacity as the Deputy Director of
the California VFW Service Department. As a volunteer three
days a week, Art continues to do wonderful work on behalf of
the VFW and on behalf of the veterans he serves.
``There is no question that the VFW/SDVS Claims Service is
a smashing success. In my twenty two years as a DSO for the
VFW I have not seen anything that compares to this efforts
record of success. It is my hope that my counterparts in all
veterans organization throughout California and the nation
will take a close look at our collaborative outreach project
and seek the replicate such an effort in their area'', stated
Rodrigues.
The team of Rodrigues and Sniffen, representing the good
works of the VFW and SDVS, are not done yet with their
outreach master plan. The 1997 VFW National Convention
allocated a one year $5,000.00 grant to the state VFW which
is intended for increased outreach efforts in North San Diego
County.
``It has always been our intention to open another VFW/SDVS
claims office in Oceanside, California to handle the ever-
increasing numbers of military discharges from Camp
Pendleton, many of whom chose to remain in the beautiful
North County's cities where they have put down roots''
according to Rodrigues and Sniffen.
While awaiting action from the VFW State level, one thing
is certain, Veterans in the Northern environs of San Diego
County are receiving more VA entitlement awards than ever
imagined or would ever have received if not for the existence
of this unique and one of the most, if not the most
successful, outreach projects in the nation.
Indeed, the VFW/SDVS Claims Service is A Model for the
Nation.

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