Posted on Aug 5, 2020
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Join us live on August 13th from 3-4PM ET for a live Q&A focused on Minority Veterans on RallyPoint. You can ask questions to the VA Center for Minority Veterans, Tribal Relations, and State VA (NASDVA).

*RP Staff will be monitoring this Discussion. Please be advised that comments that don't adhere to our discussion conduct guidelines (https://rly.pt/RPguidelines) will be deleted.*

You can ask questions to the following people:
Col Dennis May, Deputy Director, Center for Minority Veterans
Stephanie Birdwell, Director, VA/OPIA, Office of Tribal Government Relations
LTC Tony Davis, Veterans Experience Office, Veterans, Family and Community Engagement
MCPO Eric Faulkner, Veterans Experience Office, Veterans, Family and Community Engagement
State Department of Veterans Affairs Directors, Commissioners, and Representatives.

Center for Minority Veterans -
https://rly.pt/VAcmv
The Center for Minority Veterans was established by Public Law 103-446, in 1994. CMV serves as an advocate for minority Veterans by conducting outreach activities to promote the awareness and use of VA benefits and services. The center’s activities include:
- Promote the use of benefits authorized by this title by Veterans who are minorities and the conduct of outreach activities to Veterans who are minorities.
- Disseminate information and serve as a resource center for the exchange of information regarding innovative and successful programs which improve the services available to Veterans who are minorities.

The VA Office of Tribal Government Relations (OTGR) -
https://rly.pt/VAtribal
The Office of Tribal Government Relations was established in 2011 within the VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. The OTGR team assists the VA secretary and designated senior VA leadership with implementing the VA tribal consultation policy as part of the government to government relationship that exists between the United States and 574 federally recognized tribal governments. VA works to cultivate trusting, collaborative working relationships with tribal leaders in order to develop informed, culturally relevant policies and programs that will effectively serve Veterans living in Indian country.

Veterans Experience Office-
https://rly.pt/VEO
To enable VA to be the leading customer service organization in government so that Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors Choose VA. VEO implements solutions based on Veteran-centered designs and industry best practices while aligning VA services with the secretary’s priorities. The Veterans, Family and Community Engagement Directorate supports Veterans through coordination and integration of local VA and non-VA services Veteran Friendly Communities Initiative working with the Community Veterans Engagement Board (CVEB) and leading federal advisory committees.

State Department of Veterans Affairs -
https://rly.pt/StateDVA
In the aftermath of World War II many Veterans earned state and federal benefits which required coordinated efforts to assure that veterans received these entitlements. Thus, states developed a department or agency specifically to manage Veterans affairs and carry out the responsibility for Veteran services and programs.
Edited >1 y ago
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PVT Mark Zehner
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18
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Thank you for the information!
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SGT Carl Watson
SGT Carl Watson
>1 y
Hoped that it helped and if you still have more questions, be certain to ask.
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MAJ David Stokes
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I want to know why there are racist and discrimination benefits being giving by the VA. A VET IS A VET. Are you telling me that because of the color of my skin my life is not as important as another person’s? I did not go through the same thing as the person to my right or left? I was not being fired apon like a black or Indian? When I apply for VA benefits you are telling me that because the color of my skin I am being JUDGED? I AM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE OF MY RACE? What do I have that gives me more than any other person? Please tell me, EXACTLY what are these benefits. VA and this organization are in direct violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. I’ve added the definition of two dictionaries Oxford and Merriam-Webster to “refresh your memory” on Discrimination.

THIS IS IN YOUR FACE DISCRIMINATION!!!

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e and following) prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin (including membership in a Native American tribe). It also prohibits employers from retaliating against an applicant or employee who asserts his or her rights under the law. Title VII prohibits discrimination in all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including hiring, firing, compensation, benefits, job assignments, promotions, and discipline. Title VII also prohibits practices that seem neutral but have a disproportionate impact on a protected group of people. Such a practice is legal only if the employer has a valid reason for using it. For example, a strength requirement might be legal—even though it excludes disproportionate numbers of women—if an employer is using it to fill a job that requires heavy lifting. Such a requirement would not be valid for a desk job, however.
Title VII applies to employers that fit into the following categories:
• private employers with at least 15 employees
• state governments and their political subdivisions and agencies
• the federal government
• employment agencies
• labor organizations, and
• joint labor-management committees and other training programs.

THIS IS IN YOUR FACE DISCRIMINATION!!!

From the Oxford Dictionary
NOUN
discrimination (noun) · discriminations (plural noun)
the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
"victims of racial discrimination" · "there is widespread discrimination against women"
synonyms:
prejudice · bias · bigotry · intolerance · narrow-mindedness · unfairness · inequity · favoritism · one-sidedness · partisanship · sexism · chauvinism · racism · racialism · anti-Semitism · heterosexism · ageism · classism · ableism · apartheid

THIS IS IN YOUR FACE DISCRIMINATION!!!

Merriam-Webster
Definition of discrimination
1a: prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment
racial discrimination
b: the act, practice, or an instance of discriminating categorically rather than individually
2: the quality or power of finely distinguishing
the film viewed by those with discrimination
3a: the act of making or perceiving a difference : the act of discriminating
a bloodhound's scent discrimination
bpsychology : the process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are responded to differently

THIS IS IN YOUR FACE DISCRIMINATION!!!
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SFC David Rose
SFC David Rose
>1 y
Maj. Stokes- can you give a clear example of the discrimination you are experiencing- each case is totally different!
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SFC David Rose
SFC David Rose
>1 y
I do not believe that the VA is in direct violation of Title VII- from experience
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SFC David Rose
SFC David Rose
>1 y
Each claim is decided on a case by case and needs 3 items to be approved- those who do not have the three items of record, usually get denied. That is where a VSO can assist with obtaining missing elements of your claim.
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Col Wanda Wright
Col Wanda Wright
>1 y
Well said LTC Davis!
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LCDR Herndon McMillan
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10
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Good afternoon. My question is: I am rated with 80% VA disabled. Can my spouse be considered my Caregiver; and if so, what must I do to apply for this? Thank you. Herndon ‘Mac’ McMillan
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LCDR Herndon McMillan
LCDR Herndon McMillan
>1 y
Thank you for your insight. Respect and much appreciated.SGT Carl Watson
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MSG Tim Walden
MSG Tim Walden
>1 y
Sgt Arthur Bustamante - How long have you had that 10% rating? You really need to apply for an increase!! Some things are quite easy to get increased just by time, meaning a historic issue.
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SGT Carl Watson
SGT Carl Watson
>1 y
LCDR Herndon McMillan - I need to make a correction: SMC (Special Monthly Compensation) and not the letters that I gave pay additional monetary benefits on top of a rating.
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MCPO Eric Faulkner
MCPO Eric Faulkner
>1 y
Thank you for your service Herndon! I am sharing the VA Caregiver Support Line [login to see] for you to get your question answered directly from the subject matter experts. Again thank you for your service and have a great Navy day!
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