Funding for the Michigan Veteran Coalition Service Officer Program So That It Does Not Lapse To The General Fund At End Of The Fiscal Year
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________The State of Michigan needs legislation for funding to maintain the Michigan Veterans Coalition (MVC) Service Officers Program, which performs the tasks of filing claims and appeals on behalf of Michigan veterans and their families. Assure that it is a standard appropriation, as is allowed for county Veterans Affairs operations.
Fiscal year 2023, the work of the Michigan Veterans Coalition and its 72 certified Veteran Service Officers resulted in $660,000,000 of benefits for Michigan veterans and their families. That is a major return on investment to the State of Michigan and its veterans. Fiscal year 2024 (ending September 30, 2024), the Michigan Veterans Coalition Service Officers Program was cut by just over $200,000 and was out of money in August. Fiscal year 2025, the program is cut by $211,000 and will be out of money even sooner.
The Michigan Veterans Coalition Service Officer program is operated by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled America Veterans(DAV) and the Vietnam Veterans of America. These groups are all non-profit veteran groups and do not have the ability to ask for a millage increase to make up this difference. They must take the funds from other parts of their efforts, such as their homeless programs or suicide prevention programs, to support veterans in need. The grants should reflect that the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans and the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency are not authorized to cut funding from the grant in any way.
Michigan Veteran Coalition Veteran Service Officers are leaving the program due to lack of competitive pay and benefits, compared to their counterparts in the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency and the county Veteran Service Officer programs. The Coalition Service Officer program vacancies cannot be filled due to the cuts.
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