1999 annual report

State of Georgia Department of Veterans Service
1999 Annual Report
Pete Wheeler Commissioner

PETER WHEELER COMMISSIONER
(404) 656-2300 FAX (404) 656-7006

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VETERANS SERVICE BOARD
BARBARA J. AARON. Chairperson. Warner Roe HORACE BORDERS. Vice Chairman. Rockmart BEN PURCELL. Secretary. Clarkesville C. C. DUDLEY. Member. Royston FRED T. FINCHER, SR.. Member. Lagrange W. D. HARRELL. Member. Bainbridge HUGH MITCHELL, Member. Hiawassee

January 19, 2000

Governor Roy Barnes Members of the General Assembly Members of the Veterans Service Board Citizens of the State of Georgia

Greetings:
Section 38-4-11 of the Code of Georgia reads:
"The Commissioner of Veterans Senhce shallfurnish to the Governor, the members ofthe General Assembly, the Veterans Service Board, vet erans' organizations and the public generally an annual report with ref erence to claims presented on behalf of veterans of this state, concern ing veterans aided underfederal, state, or local legislation, and to oth erwise report activities and accomplishments ofthe Department of Vet erans Service."
In compliance with the above Section, I have the honor to present herewith the Annual Report of the Department of Veterans Service for the year 1999.
ctfully submitted.
'PETE WHEELER Commissioner

Contents

Veterans Service Board/Organization............................... 5

Mission.......................................................................................6

Information Division..............................................................7

Education And Training Division....................................... 8

Monetary Benefits................................................................... 9

Statistical Data.......................................................................10

Financial Report................................................................... 12

Commissioner's Activities.................................

14

Supermarket of Veterans Benefits....................................16

Service Officers School.........................................................17

War Veterans Nursing Home, Augusta........................... 18

War Veterans Home, Milledgeville...................................19

State Veterans Organizations............................................ 21

Veterans Leadership............................................................22

Directory................................................................................. 35

Veterans Service Board
The Constitution of the State of Georgia specifies that the State Board of Veterans Service be composed of seven members. Each member must be a veteran of the armed forces of the United States and must have served honorably during wartime.
The Governor nominates members who are subject to approval by the State Senate. Board members terms are staggered and are for seven years. From its membership, the Board annually elects a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary. Every four years the Board elects a Commissioner, through whom it controls the overall policy of the Department of Veterans Service.

1999 Board Members

Barbara J. Aaron Horace Borders Ben Purcell Calvin C. Dudley Fred T. Fincher, Sr. W.D. Harrell Hugh Mitchell

Chairperson Vice Chairman Secretary Member Member Member Member

Warner Robins Rockmart Clarksville Royston LaGrange Bainbridge Hiawassee

Organization

Veterans Service Board

Pete Wheeler Commisstoner
Charles Willey Director, Public Information

Lawrence N. Brockway, Jr. Assistant Commissioner

A.W. Tindall Director
Administration Division

James Jackson Director
Education/T raining

Max Cotter Assistant Commissioner
Field Service

Robert Morris Assistant Commissioner
Claims

Phil Youngblood Supervisor Area 1

Supervisor Area 2

Robert Turner Supervisor Area 3

Ray Masneri Director
GA War Veterans Home Milledgeville

Charles Esposito Administrator
GA War Veterans Nursing Home Augusta

Mission
...to serve those who have served
6

The mission of the Department of Veterans Service is to serve the 660,900 veterans (as of July 1, 1999) residing in Georgia, their dependents and survivors in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits. This responsibility falls into two basic tasks: informing the veterans and their families about veterans benefits; and directly as sisting and advising veterans and their families in securing the ben efits to which they are entitled. To support these missions, the department maintains a claims staff, field offices, an information division, and a central office. The claims staff is located at the Atlanta regional office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 730 Peachtree Street. The claims staff mission is to process claims and appeals of Georgia veterans. The field offices, located throughout the state, provide direct assistance to veterans at the local level. The Department represen tatives provide counsel and assist veterans in gathering the docu ments and infonnation required to document their claim. The infonnation division's mission is to keep Georgia veter ans informed about issues and how they impact on them. The central office is for the administration of these services. The uninfonned may be prone to use the phrase "duplication of effort" when referring to the functions of the Department of Vet erans Service and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; nothing could be further from the truth. To a veteran seeking benefits from the VA, the role played by the Department of Veterans Service might be compared to that of an attorney representing a client in court. The necessity for personal assistance in filing and pursuing claims and in maintaining a continuing infonnation program results from the legal principle that veterans benefits are not awarded auto matically--all must be applied for. The VA pays a veteran exactly what he or she asks for when they are entitled, and no more. The aim of the Department of Veter ans Service is to obtain for a veteran or dependents the benefits to which they are entitled, to tell them when they are entitled, and to assist them in gathering and preparing evidence needed to justify a claim and prove their entitlement. The advancing age of World War II and Korean War veterans, and the frequent changes that occur in veterans benefits legislation, will necessitate the continuance of a variety of veterans programs in the years ahead. As Congress continues to seek ways to reduce the deficit, vet erans benefits will continue to be in a state of flux. This means veterans will continue to need assistance in inter preting the changes and determining how they impact on their per sonal situation.

Information Division

The information division collects, evaluates, and dissemi nates information to veterans regarding benefits, changes in laws, and proper procedures to be followed in the filing of claims. When appropriate, the division mails news releases concern ing veterans affairs to more than 450 newspapers, radio and televi

sion stations throughout Georgia.

The releases are used to inform veterans about the latest changes

regarding veterans affairs and to provide information on the status

of proposed or pending legislation which may affect them.

Field personnel promote the Department and the services it pro

vides by their frequent contacts with the news media in their respec

tive areas.

The Department publishes the Veterans Bulletin which con

tains information about veterans programs, VA actions and deci

sions, new rules and regulations, and news from various sources.

A quarterly publication, the Veterans Bulletin is distributed

throughout the state to veterans organizations, VA hospitals, pub

lic officials and other interested groups and individuals.

Public speaking forums are an important ingredient of the

Department's overall infonnation program. All Department per

sonnel are encouraged to accept speaking engagements at meet

ings of veterans organizations and civic clubs. These personal

appearances provide excellent opportunities for telling the vet

erans benefits story.

Department personnel also participate in local radio talk

shows and make presentations at local schools.

The Infonnation Division maintains a Department Web Site

that is part of the Georgia On Line Network.

The web site contains information about Commissioner

Wheeler, state veterans benefits, the Georgia War Veterans Nurs

ing Home in Augusta, and the Georgia War Veterans Home in

Milledgeville. Recent press releases, selected articles from the

Commissioner Wheeler talks with a re- Veterans Bulletin and other items of interest to veterans can also

porter at the Brunswick Supermarket.

be accessed at the site

The site address is http://www.state.jJa.us/Departments/Veterans.
The information division compiles, edits, and publishes a se ries of pamphlets explaining in detail the various benefits available to veterans, their dependents, and survivors. These pamphlets are updated as changes occur in laws, regulations, or benefits.
Through an aggressive internal communication program, the Division keeps the field offices informed about changes in the law and policy interpretations that impact on veterans.

7

Education And Training Division
.....State Approving Agency
8

By law, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service is des ignated as the State Approving Agency, responsible for approving and supervising all institutions and establishments in Geor gia, which offer education and training under the provisions of the Veterans Educational Assistance Program. The State Approving Agency has the function of ensuring that institutions and establishments meet and maintain acceptable stan dards so that eligible persons who attend may receive educational assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes all public and private schools and all establish ments offering apprenticeship and other on-the-job training. The satisfactory performance of these duties requires extensive knowl edge in education administration and understanding the laws and regulations that govern and control the Veterans Educational Assis tance Program. Georgia veterans enrolled in college degree and professional programs, technical career programs, vocational programs, to in clude flight training and on-the-job training programs peaked at 12,103 during 1999. Increases in enrollments are expected to continue as more vet erans participate in the Montgomery GI Bill education program. Initiated in 1985, the Montgomery GI Bill program has proven to be a great success. The veterans' response to this program was such that it subsequently was made a permanent benefit for the military and now enjoys a huge participation, which continues to grow. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded the veterans education benefits program to include vocational, techni cal, correspondence and apprenticeship training for reservists and flight training for both reservists and veterans. One of the most recent innovations was the approval of Chapter 30 educational ben efits for college and graduate school exam preparatory courses. In 1999, the approval of educational institutions and training establi shments for the education of Georgi a veterans resulted in the processing of 7,826 individual actions in the approval, reapproval, withdrawal and compliance survey process. The State Approving Agency also conducted regular inspection visits to ensure that ap proval criteria and schools ' standards of progress are being followed as prescribed by law. During 1999, personnel assigned to the Edu cational and Training Division conducted 493 visits for the purposes of approval, reapproval, inspection and compliance surveys. Cur rently, the department monitors 765 educational institutions and train ing establishments. Laws recently enacted require stringent regulatory compliance in order to maintain controls on all approved types of educational establishments. The responsibilities of administrative approval, annual inspections, and ensuring corrective action where necessary, constitute a vital function of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service.

Monetary Benefits

The following is a report of the monetary benefits received by the veterans and the dependent survivors of deceased veterans in Georgia during fiscal year 1999 (October 1, 1998 - Sep tember 30, 1999). The figures were provided by the U.S. Depart ment of Veterans Affairs.

Compensation and Pension Insurance Readjustment and
Vocational Rehabilitation Construction General Operating Expenses Total

$ 695,037,165 44,199,682
54,034,248 2,864,941
469,986,990 $1,266,123,026

Monetary Report Definitions

Compensation and Pension: Represents returns in dollars for veterans compensation for service-connected disability, com pensation for service-connected deaths for veterans dependents, vet erans dependency and indemnity compensation for service-connected deaths, pensions for nonservice connected disability for veterans, pensions to veterans surviving spouses and children, and burial ex penses allowance for veterans.

Insurance: Estimate of VA payment of death claims, mature endowments, dividends, cash surrender payments, total disability income provision payments, and total permanent disability benefits payments. The data is provided by the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center in Philadelphia. The estimate is based on statisti cal allocations using the veteran population to disperse amounts to geographical locations.

Readjustment and Vocational Rehabilitation: Represents returns in dollars for automobiles and adaptive equipment for cer tain disabled veterans and members of the Armed Forces, specially adapted housing for disabled veterans, dependents education assis tance (Chapter 35), vocational rehabilitation for disabled veterans (Chapter 31), post-Vietnam Era veterans educational assistance (Chapter 32), and the Montgomery G.I. Bill for Selected Reserves (Chapter 106).

Construction: Represents returns in dollars concerning ma jor and minor construction projects.

General Operating Costs: Amount spent by the VA to oper ate the regional office, hospitals, nursing and domiciliary facilities and clinics in Georgia.
9

Statistical Report
The following is a report of the number of cases and types of services rendered by the Georgia Department of Veter ans Service during 1999. Contacts.............................................................................. 718,052 New Case Files ...................................................................... 7,153 Letters Written.....................................................................40,001 Compensation and Pension............................................. 23,962 Education................................................................................ 6,305 Medical.................................................................................. 12,865 Insurance.................................................................................. 1,229 Loans....................................................................................... 5,366 Power of Attorney................................................................ 7,170 Notices of Disagreement and Appeals Filed................ 11,205 VA Claims Folders Reviewed..........................................15,493 Drivers Licenses....................................................................8,429 Business Licenses..................................................................... 189 Other Fonns and Evidence........................................... 138,941 Miscellaneous.................................................................. 706,919
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Statistical Report Definitions

CONTACTS: Requests for service or infonnation (in person, by telephone or by letter).
NEW CASE FILES: Cases brought to the attention of the Veterans Service Department for assistance requiring representa tion.
LETTERS WRITTEN: Outgoing correspondence originated in the Department on behalf of claimants in developing their claims.
COMPENSATION AND PENSION: Claims for monetary benefits submitted by veterans, their dependents or survivors.
EDUCATION: Applications for educational assistance for the veterans and/or wives, widows and children of veterans.
MEDICAL: Applications for treatment of a medical or dental condition; for admission to health care facilities; and vocational re habilitation.
INSURANCE: An application for insurance, conversion, re instatement, waiver of premiums, total disability income and death proceeds.
HOME LOAN APPLICATION: Applications for direct home loans from the VA and guaranteed loans from private lenders.
POWERS OF ATTORNEY: The appointment of a service organization as a claimant's representative.
NOTICES OF DISAGREEMENT AND APPEALS FILED: Written briefs and statements prepared in support of a claim where there is disagreement with the VA decision rendered.
VA CLAIMS FOLDERS REVIEWED: Claims obtained from the VA adjudication division and reviewed and rating boards conducted by claims staff personnel.
DRIVERS LICENSES: Certificates issued to veterans, their spouses, or to widow's or widowers of veterans for obtaining a veteran's or honorary driver's license.
BUSINESS LICENSES: Certificates issued to certain dis abled veterans exempting them from the payment of business li cense taxes.
OTHER FORMS AND EVIDENCE: Documents completed and transmitted in support of applications filed for claims.
MISCELLANEOUS: Assisting in arrangements for military funerals, burial in national cemeteries, obtaining flags and grave markers, ambulance service guardianship for incompetent veterans and orphans; replacement of lost or destroyed discharges and mili tary records; review and change of discharges and military records; employment, reemployment, civil service preference, social secu rity, welfare and related benefits; claims from the field reviewed and released to the VA; actions pertaining to HV and DV auto tags, hunting and fishing licenses, tax exemptions, state park discount cards and change of addresses; vocational rehabilitation; and nurs ing home applications.
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Financial Report

(From the State Auditor's report for the period July 1,1998 - June 30,1999)

FUND BALANCE - JULY 1. 1998 Surplus

$ 825,647.55

ADDITIONS Adjustments to Prior Year's Accounts Payable Excess of Funds Available under Expenditures Exhibit "B"

$ 75,224.69 s -15.014.99

60. 209.70

DEDUCTIONS Unreserved Fund Balance (Surplus) Returned to Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services Year Ended June 30, 1998

825.647.55

FUND BALANCE - JUNE 30. 1999

$ ; 60,209.70

SUMMARY OF FUND BALANCE Surplus

$ 60,209.70

FUNDS AVAILABLE
REVENUES
State Appropriation Federal Revenues Other Revenues Retained

BUDGET
$ 20,445,381.00 8,980,741.00 5.000.00
$ 29,431,122.00

ACTUAL

VARIANCEFAVORABLE (UNFAVORABLE)

$ 20,445,381.00 8,319,502.00 5.000.00
$ 28.769.883.03$

$

0.00

-661,238.97

0.00

-661.238.97

12

BUDGET

FUNDS AVAILABLEEXPENDITURES

Personal Services

$ 5,209,684.00

Regular Operating Expenses

271,905.00

Travel

105,245.00

Equipment

173,265.00

Computer Charges

35,100.00

Real Estate Rentals

250,711.00

Telecommunications

76,850.00

Per Diem, Fees and Contracts 14,626,684.00

Capital Outlay

200,000.00

Operating Expenses/Payments To

Medical College of Georgia

7,558,178.00

Regular Operating Expenses for

Projects and Insurance

918,500.00

Year 2000 Project

5,000.00

$ 29,431,122.00

Excess of Funds Available under Expenditures

ACTUAL

VARIANCEFAVORABLE (UNFAVORABLE!

$ 5,213,254.82 277,187.19 102,789.20 170,076.99 35,641.46 249,352.18 73,255.98
14,231,022.23 199,990.00
7,309,068.82
918,259.15 5,000.00
1 28.784.898.02
$ -15,014.99

$ -3,570.82 -5,282.19 2,455.80 3,188.01 -541.46 1,358.82 3,594.02
395,661.77 10.00
249,109.18
240.85 0.00
$ 646.223.9S
$ -15,014.99

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Commissioner's Activities

"The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and the Members of the Board are directed to conduct

education programs by personal appearances before veterans organizations, service clubs,

fraternal groups and other such organizations so as to acquaint the public generally with the work

of the department and the rights and privileges of veterans," -Georgia Laws 1945, p. 324.

Commissioner Wheeler addresses the crowd at the Veterans Day Ceremony in Valdosta.

Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Pete Wheeler was ac tive throughout the state participating in veterans activi ties and speaking in support of veterans issues during 1999. He appeared before veterans organizations, civic groups and at professional meetings stressing the country's requirement to sup port its veterans. He spoke about the Department's service to veter ans, the recent changes and challenges to veterans benefits and pro vided his recommendations regarding the future of veterans ben efits and health care. The Commissioner was active in overseeing the effort to get a state veteran's cemetery constructed in Milledgeville. Current plans call for construction to begin in the Spring of2000 and comple tion is expected in late 2000. When finished, Commissioner Wheeler has stated that the cemetery will be the nicest state veterans cem etery in the country. Commissioner Wheeler continued his work with the mem bers of Georgia's Congressional delegation to get a national veter ans cemetery build in the metro Atlanta area. He personally visited several proposed sites and met with local officials and developers regarding their plans for the site's development. Commissioner Wheeler continued his active role as Chair man of the World War II Memorial Advisory Board. The Board's mission is to advise the Battle Monuments Commission on building a national World War II Monument on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He continued working on the new U.S. Department of Veter ans Affairs Regional Office that is being built next to the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur. VA officials plan to occupy the new facility in early 2000. In June, Commissioner Wheeler was honored by the Georgia legislature when the Plaza entrance to the Floyd Veterans Memo rial Building was named "The Pete Wheeler Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza." The Plaza houses the Georgia memorials for all the major wars or conflicts of this century. Each monument con tains a listing of the Georgians killed in that particular conflict. The Commissioner participated in the dedication ceremonies of the Northeast Georgia Outpatient Clinic in Oakwood in July and the new state headquarters for The American Legion in May. In September Commissioner Wheeler served as the master of ceremony for the naming of the recreation center at the Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville. The center was named the Kenneth W. Birdsong Recreation Center in honor of Georgia Rep resentative Birdsong, Chairman of the House Defense and Veter ans Affairs Committee. The Commissioner also served as the master of ceremony for the dedication of 1-75 and 1-16 interchange in Macon. The inter change was named the Major Bobby Jones M.D., POW/MIA Inter change. Maj. Jones, a native of Macon, has been listed as missing since the plane he was in disappeared from radar in Vietnam in

1972.

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On December 13, Commissioner Wheeler (secondfrom left) participated in a press conference at the Floyd Vet erans Memorial Building regarding the status of getting a national cemetery built in the metro Atlanta area. Others participating in thepress conference are (from left) Congressman Bob Barr, Commissioner Wheeler, U.S. Senator Max Cleland and U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell.

The plaza entrance to the Floyd Veterans Me morial Building was named "The Pete Wheeler Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza " during a dedica tion ceremony on June 15.
U.S. Representative Nathan Deal cut the ribbon officially opening the Northeast Georgia Outpatient Clinic in Oakwood on July 9. Others participating in the cutting are (from left) Oakwood Mayor Pro Temp Sam Evans, Veterans Integrated Service Network 7 Director Larry Deal, Congress man Deal, Georgia Commissioner of Vet erans Affairs Pete Wheeler, Atlanta VA Medical Center Director Robert Perreault andAtlanta VA Medical Center ChiefofPri mary Care Service Line W. Virgil Brown.
15

Supermarket Of Veterans Benefits

The 1999 Supermarket of Veterans Benefits was held at the Brunswick Air National Guard facility on December 7. Commissioner Wheeler estimated that more than 2,480 veter ans and their families attended and approximately 1,241 claims were processed. The annual event is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Veterans Service in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veter ans Affairs and 20 federal, state and local agencies that are directly or indirectly involved with veterans benefits. The one-day program provides attendees the opportunity to gather information about a multitude of veterans benefits at one lo cation. Since its inception in 1966 in Columbus, more than 133,739 veterans have been helped at the Supermarkets. The Supermarket's location rotates among Georgia cities.

Brunswick Mayor Brad Brown holds the proclamation he signed on November 23 proclaiming December 7 as '`Supermarket of Veterans Benefits Day" in Brunswick. Standing next to Mayor Brown are Georgia Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Pete Wheeler and Barbara Aaron, Chairperson of the Georgia Veterans Service Board. Seated behind Chairperson Aaron is Board Member Fred Fincher.
In the right photo, a medical technician from the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin checks the blood pressure of an attendee at the Supermarket.
16

Service Officers School

More than 400 individuals involved or interested in veter ans issues attended the 1999 Service Officers School held at the Buccaneer Inn on Jekyll Island, May 25-28. The Georgia Department of Veterans Service in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the state's veter ans groups sponsor the annual conference. The Service Officers School is the Department's primary train ing tool. It is designed to provide attendees with up-to-date infor mation regarding federal and state veterans benefits. The event brings together the veterans benefits counselors from the Department's field offices, the leadership of the state's veterans groups and national officials involved in veterans issues.
"Our most basic tool is our knowledge of veter ans benefits," is how Commissioner Wheeler explains the event's mission. "Our people must keep current on the issues affecting veterans, if we are going to provide quality service."
Participating in the 1999 conference were Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober; Robert Spanogle, National Adjutant, The American Legion; Joseph A. Violante, National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Elizah D. Clark, Chair man, Board of Veterans Appeals; John J. Farley, III, Judge,U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Jill Cochran, Democratic StaffDirector, Subcommittee on Benefits, U.S. House of Representatives; and Joe Dorolek, Assistant Director of the Atlanta VA Re gional Office.

In the top photo, Commissioner Wheeler (center) listens as Mike Roby (left), Area II Supervisor and Office Manager of the Department's Griffin office, talks with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Hershel Gober at the Service Officers School.
In the right photo, Harry Heard (left), Service Officerfor the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and James Blaylock, former National Com mander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, were among those at tending the Service Officers School.
17

Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, Augusta

t;'he Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home is a 192-bed skilled nursing care facility located ad jacent to the Medical College of Geor gia Hospital and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta. It is operated under a contractual agreement with the Medical College of Georgia. Primarily a facility to provide care to aged and infirm Georgia veterans, the GWVNH also serves as a teaching fa cility to acquaint medical and allied health students with medical conditions and diseases that confront the aged. This provides the students with practical experience and helps them gain expertise in treating the elderly. The facility also houses the Georgia Department of Veterans Service field office, which services Columbia and Richmond coun ties. Dedicated in 1969, the facility was the first of its kind in the nation to be built with financial assistance from the federal govern ment. It is one of a select group of such institutions in the United States that has been accredited by the Joint Commission on Ac creditation of Healthcare Organizations. In 1999, the GWVNH provided 65,017 days of care to Georgia veterans. There were 198 admissions and 197 discharges, and the average length of stay was 301 days. The average age of residents in the facility is 76 years of age. The GWVNH provided 43,583 physical therapy treatments and 5,926 occupational therapy procedures in 1999. To help provide care and treatment, the federal government provided financial assistance totaling $2,792,352 during 1999. In addition, $497,000 was appropriated in 1999 by the State of Geor gia to build a multipurpose therapy room that will enhance the thera peutic services provided to veterans. Throughout the year, veterans organizations, civic and frater nal associations, and religious groups demonstrated their concern for the well being of ailing veterans through numerous donations and the continuing sponsorship of frequent veteran-related activi ties.

18

Georgia War Veterans Home, Milledgeville

the best words to describe the at T mosphere at the Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville are a "feel ing of family." It's not unusual to hear a staff mem ber say, "I love these veterans as much as I love my family. They, in a way, are my family!" In return, one can hear a veteran say, "Why, these folks treat me just like fam ily. And I feel as close to them as I do some of my own family members." The family atmosphere continues to grow with the introduction of The Eden AlternativeTM, a philosophy of added qual ity to individual lives through the introduction of plants, children and pets in the nursing home environment. When Priva-Trends, Inc., a private Georgia-based company, assumed the management for the Georgia War Veterans Home in July 1996, there were many questions in the minds of the veterans and the many new em ployees. But together they made a commitment to: improve the quality of care and services; add innovative new programs; and provide information about the Georgia War Veterans Home to veterans throughout Georgia who may be in need of domiciliary or skilled nursing care. What they didn't know was how many caring relationships would be formed over the next few years. Quality First! Quality care and quality of life continue to be high priorities for the medical and nursing staff. In 1999, the Georgia War Veterans Home received excellent state and federal surveys in the Russell, Wood and Vinson Buildings. The Wheeler Building, which houses domiciliary care patients, is not subject to the same surveys as are the nursing facilities. Some quality indicators used by the Georgia War Veterans Home include: There are no restraints being used anywhere throughout the Geor gia War Veterans Home; Use of antipsychotic drugs is 45 percent less than the national average; Unplanned weight loss is as much as 80 percent less than state and national averages; and The use of indwelling foley catheters continues to be minimal. The opening of a new medical clinic on the Georgia War Veterans Home campus has dramatically reduced the number of trips veterans must make to medical specialists at VA hospitals. Now the specialists come to the veterans. Dr. John Lane continues to provide outstanding dental services. There were more than 1,200 dental appointments in 1999 requiring dental fill ings, extractions, cleanings and denture services. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language patholo-

19

gists and respiratory therapists continued to provide services to veterans. Also, restorative aides provided thousands of treatments to veterans throughout the year.
Staff training remains a high priority and Carolyn Leeder, RN, conducted seven nursing assistant classes with 63 students graduating. Also, she conducted 354 hours of staff inservices. Also, 143 staff members were certified in CFR, and she conducted 24 general orien tation sessions.
Turnover in nursing homes across the nation is particularly high during this time of a shortage of people in the work force. Employee turnover in long-term care averages more than 100 percent across the nation. For tunately, turnover at the Georgia War Veterans Home was only 42.9 percent.
"One of the reasons for our high quality of care and services can be attributed to the stability of our key staff. Our employee turnover is less than half the national average," commented Ray Masneri, Execu tive Director for the 450-bed campus.
Also, Masneri attributes the low turnover to the "team effort" of the employees. Not only do they work hard, but they participate in the "Spirited" committee and compete in the "Go for the Gold" quality recogni tion program.
Because of their efforts, each of the four build ings received either a gold or silver award in the "Go for the Gold" corporate awards program.
Innovative New Services
Since Priva-Trends assumed management, inno vative new programs have greatly improved the qual ity of care and services and life in general for the vet erans. Renovations are currently continuing through out the campus. They include refurbishing the inside and outside of the Wheeler Building and updating showers and bathing facilities in the Vinson Building. Heating and cooling systems have also been updated and/or replaced.
Veterans Are Special
Veterans continue to benefit from the generosity of various veteran service organizations, civic associa tions and church groups through the sponsorship of numerous activities throughout the year.
Volunteers were recognized in April during Na tional Volunteer Appreciation Week. Overall, there were 1,562 volunteers who collectively volunteered 3,253 hours.
Added to that is the $73,127.90 that was donated in cash money and the $78,301.74, which was the esti mated value of donated items.
A campaign for a new custom built bus for trans

porting veterans to recreational activities brought in $54,000 in donations. Governor Barnes has recom mended the remaining $53,000 be appropriated in the current fiscal year amended budget, which will be voted on during the current legislative session.
Activities Abound
Kenneth W. Birdsong, local representative to the Georgia House of Representatives, was honored for his many efforts on behalf of veterans. The GWVH recre ation hall was renamed the "Kenneth W. Birdsong Recreation Hall" in the fall of 1999. There was a spe cial dedication ceremony in which state and local dig nitaries participated.
Another highlight of the year was Veterans Day. Col. Lawrence Brockway (Ret. USA), Assistant Com missioner, Georgia Department of Veterans Service, was the keynote speaker. Georgia Military College cadets paraded, a platoon of veterans marched and there was musical entertainment. An Air Force plane flew over to close the ceremony. Following the ceremony, everyone enjoyed a great lunch at the pavilion.
The War House Museum displayed military items dating back to the Revolutionary War and soldiers from Ft. Benning, Ga., displayed Humvees and high tech military weapons.
Approximately 2,000 school children from four Baldwin County schools entered a Veterans Day col oring contest.
Community Relations
Throughout the year, various organizations, schools, colleges, groups and individuals participated in a variety of community relations programs. It's ob vious that the veterans are loved and respected by the community!
Media support continues to be excellent with out standing coverage of special events and many special feature stories on individuals residing at the home.
The eight-minute video, "Serving Those who Served" continues to be a "feature film" at veteran or ganizations throughout Georgia.
If you have a group or organization that would like to use the video, please contact Ray Masneri or Jenny Roach at the Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville at 888-453-6836. Or you may contact the local Department of Veterans Service field office.

20

State Veterans Organizations

In rendering service to the veterans of Georgia, the Depart ment of Veterans Service works closely with the state's vet erans organizations and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Commanders of the veterans organizations in Georgia, who so generously give their time, energy and expertise in conduct ing the Department Commanders Conference, are due the sincere appreciation of this Department. The group meets periodically and when called upon, advises and assists this Department in its pro grams and activities.
Appreciation is also expressed to the auxiliary presidents of the Georgia veterans organizations for their cooperation and assis tance in our programs and activities.

Representatives of the State's Veterans Organizations, Veterans Day Proclamation Signing ceremony on October public officials, military representatives and other interested 29. The proclamation proclaimed November 11 Veterans persons gathered at the State Capitol for the annual Day in Georgia.
m
^ Three Medal ofHonor recipients who reside in Georgia attended the dedication ceremony for "The Pete Wheeler Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza. " They are (from left) General (USMC, Ret) Ray Davis, Desmond Doss and Colonel (USA, Ret) Robert Nett. Doss and Nett received the medal for their actions in World War H. Davis received his medal during the Korean War.

Veterans
Leadership
American Ex-Prisoners of War
Commander Theron Powell 3236 Poplar Drive Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4131
American Veterans of World War IIKorea-Vietnam (AMVETS)
Commander J. C. Williams 1314 Willow Way Valdosta, GA 31601 Auxiliary President Mabell Blackmon 207 Campbell Circle Hephzibah, GA 30815
Blinded Veterans Association
President John W. Brown 4252 Colony East Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Disabled American Veterans
Commander George Fletcher, Sr. P.O.Box 473 Blue Ridge, GA 30513 Auxiliary Commander Naomi Oates 1136 Boxwood Blvd. Columbus, GA 31906
Jewish War Veterans
Commander Joseph Kraut P.O. Box 207 Fairmount, GA 30139 Auxiliary President Betty Simcox 4692 Cedar Parkway Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Military Order of the Purple Heart
Commander Charles Turner 7187 Wills Road Gumming, GA 30130-6253 Auxiliary President Mary Callahan 2211 Hill Park Ct. Decatur, GA 30033-2716
Military Order of the World Wars
Commander Robert Poydasheff 3575 Macon Rd., Suite 12 Columbus, GA 31907-2573
22

Reserve Officers Association
Commander Col. David Richards 232 Falcon Crest Warner Robins, GA 31088-7547
The American Legion
Commander Charles Wessinger 4409 Highway 5 Douglasville, GA 30135 Auxiliary President Janet Clotfelter 4185 Union Road College Park, GA 30349
The Retired Officers Association
President Jim McGrath 503 Connie Drive LaGrange, GA 30240
United Spanish War Veterans
Auxiliary President Marie Cruise 414 East Avenue North Augusta, SC 29841-3837
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.
Commander William R. Johnson 9112 Hopewell Rd. Lizella, GA 31052 Auxiliary President Vicki Shemery 3425 Plantation Drive Albany, GA 31707
Veterans of World War I
Auxiliary President Betty McKnight 5920 Avenue of Redwoods College Park, GA 30349
Vietnam Veterans Alliance, Inc.
President Marvin Myers 3607 East Bay Street Duluth, GA 30096
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.
President Wayne Watkins 396 Gray Fox Road Hinesville, GA 31313

William R. Johnson State Commander
1999-2000

y&zitxzm of tfjoretgn liars of ftfr ISnitrb flairs
department of (Georgia
Fax: (912) 474-6853 Phone (912) 474-3737

9112 Hopewell Road Lizella, GA 31052
Home: (912) 935-8604 Fax: (912) 474-6853

December, 1999

Honorable Pete Wheeler, Commissioner Georgia Department of Veterans Service Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Dear Commissioner Wheeler:

On behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Georgia and its Ladies Auxiliary, I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for the assistance provided to our veterans throughout Georgia.

I know that you are committed to do what is necessary to preserve the earned entitlements of our veterans. As always, we will work diligently with you until the battle is won.

We especially want to thank you for your assistance in helping us convince the Georgia Legislature of the need for a State Veterans Cemetery. This was long overdue and now will become a reality for interments in November or December 2000.

It has been an honor and privilege serving with you caring for our veterans and their families.

Please do not hesitate to call on the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Ladies Auxiliary if there is anyway that we can assist you.

With warmest personal regards,

A*

William R. (Bill) Johnson State Commander

`pppjring i\\t |tnmns
23

fit jWflttarp rber of tfie purple Heart
COMBAT WOUNDED

Honorable Pete Wheeler Commissioner, Dept, of Veterans Services
Floyd Veterans Memorial Bid. Suite E970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334

December 1999

Dear Commissioner Wheeler
I would like to take the opportunity on behalf of the Combat Wounded Veterans of Georgia and the Nation to offer our heartfelt appreciation to you and your staff for the untiring work you do to provide our Veterans with the highest quality of care.
You have kept us aware of anything you felt would help or hurt the Veterans of The Great State of Georgia.
We appreciate your present effort to have a National Cemetery located in the Atlanta area, this is well past due.
Thank you for being there for the Veterans of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and for all Veterans of Georgia.

Charles Turner Commander
Department of Georgia Military Order of the Purple Heart

2211 Hill Park Court Decatur, Georgia 30033
PURPLE HEART--Women's Auxiliary
December 29, 1999 Honorable Pete Wheeler Commissioner, Department of Veterans Services Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Dear Commissioner Wheeler: Serving this year as State President of our women's auxiliary. I have been impressed with the feedback about the outstanding service you and your staff provide to Georgia's veterans and their families. My female collegeaues and I remain grateful for your leadership of the state's veterans programs. You are giving our husband and sons a chance for meaningful rehabilitation and recuperation from the adversities of war. It is good that we have you as our Commissioner of Veterans Services. Keep up the good work. Sincerely,
25

THE AMERICAN LEGION
DEPARTMENT OF GEORGIA
20 December 1999
The Honorable Pete Wheeler, Commissioner Georgia Department of Veterans Services Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia Dear Commissioner Wheeler: On behalf ofthe Legionnaires, Auxiliary and SAL members of Georgia, I would like to take this opportunity to extend to you and your staff our sincere appreciation and thanks for their commitment to improving the quality of life for our Georgia Veterans. The support and assistance that has been provided our Department over the years has been outstanding and proven to be immeasurable and invaluable. It is gratifying and personally rewarding to know there are individuals that care enough to make a difference and go the extra mile to do so. Our Veterans can be assured their concerns are heard and if needed corrective action taken. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and wish for much success in the future. For God and Country,
Charles F. Wessinger Commander Department of Georgia

"In Service To Veterans, Their Families, and Community" January 15,2000
Commissioner Pete Wheeler Department of Veterans Services Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite 970 Atlanta, GA 30334
Dear Pete,
It has been another good year for the veterans of Georgia.
We are excited that we are closing in on the reality of the Georgia Veterans Cemetery. It has been a learning experience for all of us in the veterans community to see our Georgia government at work on this project. You and your staff have taken the lead as the legislature, the governor's office and veteran leaders focused their energy on the final resting place for our veterans. It is something we can all point to with pride and a very positive accomplishment on behalf of veterans of our state.
We thank you for your part in this worthy endeavor. It is very important to all of us as you know from our conversations. Please thank your department for your efforts in all activities that benefit the veterans of Georgia. On behalf of Vietnam Veterans know that we appreciate the premium placed on all our veterans. We are fortunate to live in a state that places such a high value on those who have served their country.
Sincerely. O
Marvin Myers President

5879 New Peachtree Road, Doraville, GA 30340 (404) 458-1985

27

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Regional Office
730 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, GA 30365

December 27, 1999
Pete Wheeler Commissioner of Veterans Affairs State Department of Veterans Service Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334

In Reply Refer To: 316/00

Dear Commissioner Wheeler:

As the end of 1999 draws near, I would like to update you on the progress of our new building as well as the strides we are making to improve service to the veteran.
REGIONAL OFFICE - NEW BUILDING Under an Enhanced UseAgreement, theVA and DeKalb County, Georgia, entered into a partnership to provide a 4 story office building and parking garage to house theVA Regional Office, several national service organizations, and otherVA elements in one building.The new VARO building is located at the corner of Clairmont Road and Southern Lane, adjacent to the grounds of the Atlanta VA Medical Center. We plan to open for business at the new location on February 22, 2000. When we move in, VA will be able to provide one-stop service to area veterans. VA anticipates that the new Regional Office will deliver services to over 685,000 veterans and family members in the State of Georgia. The formal Groundbreaking Ceremony fora new VARO office building was held on December 8,1998, attended by the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, however, actual "'earth moving"began in January, 1999. Since then, we have had a busy year preparing the co-location of the Atlanta VA Regional Office with theVA Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia. As each level of the building rose from the ground, we began to see the new office building and parking decks take shape on the north end of theVA campus in Decatur.
VETERANS SERVICE CENTER The pending workload did increase over the past year. From October 1, 1998 to October 1, 1999, the total number of pending compen sation and pension claims, including special reviews, increased by 3,000 cases. Incoming original compensation claims increased over that period, although incoming claims in other areas did not. Increased hiring authority will position us to show improvements in our pending workload in the next few months. In late July, 10 veterans service representatives (VSR's) were hired under authority of Opportunity 99. Three additional veterans service representatives were added to this group through internal merit promotion, giving us 13 VSR's in training. We also began training 10 new rating specialists to augment our cadre of rating specialists. Additional hiring authority was recently received which should add 6 to 9 more veterans service representatives as well as clerical support. In August of 1999, the Atlanta regional office telephone service was brought into the (NARS) National Automated Response System. WARS generally serves as the point of entry for telephone customers seeking information and services from any VBA activity. The automated system is a menu-series of programmed messages that allow a caller to access general benefits information, and includes an interactive voice response capability. As a result of this system, the percentage of callers who experienced a busy signal when they called, was reduced from 45 % in October of 1998 to 6 % at the end of September 1999! The Georgia PARDS Program was initiated on January 9, 1998. The program is designed to allow' Service Officers and others, to expedite fully developed claims. VA provides training for the service officers in developing these claims which helps them work with the claimant in determining what is the necessary information to complete each claim. The Service Officers from various Service Organizations working in Georgia have responded to the training and the Program with such great enthusiasm, we are considering not only providing refresher PARDS training but expanding the training into other important areas which affect their constituents, such as the appeals process. We are averaging approximately 75 informal PARDS claims each month and we are able to complete an average of 37 of them, or about 45 percent. The ones that aren't completed fall into three basic categories. The first category is where we get an informal claim but the formal claim or completed paperwork is not submitted, and the claim gets canceled. The second and largest category is where the claim submitted doesn't meet the requirements for PARDS claims in that either more development is needed, an exam is required or there already is another claim pending on the cases. These cases are moved into the regular processing area and dealt with appropriately. The final category is where the claim was submitted recently and hasn't been processed by the time the data for this review was gathered. Currently, we process PARDS claims on an average of 9.5 days. One of our goals for 2000 is increasing the total number of cases submitted under the PARDS banner from the present average of 75 per month to 125 to 150 per month. Additionally, we want to work with

the Service Officers to reduce the percentage of cases which'ffali oiff'of the Program. We intend to accomplish these goals through providing more specific training and support to the Service Officers and reviewing the Program to determine if the types of PARDS-approved claims can be expanded.
The Pre-Discharge Program continues to be very active at Ft. Benning, Ft. Gordon, and Ft. Stewart. During FY 1999, nearly 500 claims were completed. Our records show that of these decisions, only one has been appealed so far.
We have expanded the staff at the Ft. Stewart office by hiring two veterans service representatives to assist with briefings, assist servicemembers in filing their claims, and ultimately, completing award action on final rating decisions.
EDUCATION Improving the quality and timeliness of service to the over 100,000 service members, veterans and their families who are receiving educational assistance benefits has been the focal point behind many of the changes within the Atlanta Regional Processing Office (RPO) this past year. The National Automatic Response System (NARS) also serves education benefits recipients by giving them the opportunity to obtain general information and eligibility criteria for all VA education benefits, or to obtain detailed information concerning their individual award, such as the amount of the last payment and the date it was processed, and other information. For those seeking more detailed information, nearly 1,000 of their phone inquiries are handled by our Education Benefits Specialists each day. The number of calls that we lose due to the caller hanging up has steadily reduced from 35 % of the total number of calls received earlier this year to a more modest 17 percent. Next year, we hope to introduce to Chapter 30 recipients in Florida a new Interactive Response System where students can call a toll-free number to verify their monthly Student Verification of Enrollment. Use of this system will eliminate the need for the student to sign and return theVA Form 22-8979 every month.The new system offers several advantages: it will be available 24 hours a day; it will allow us to process education benefits faster; there will be no need to worry about a lost form or lost mail; and the call takes only about a minute. If successful, this option will be made available in other states soon. We have made tremendous strides this past year in processing the incoming work on a more timely basis. While it took us 50 days to process an original claim last November, it has taken us just 28 days to process an original claim this November. It also took us over 21 days to process a supplemental claim last November, but this November we handled supplementals in an average of less than 18 days. What this means is that our education benefits recipients are getting paid at a faster rate now than at any other time in the past two years, thus, reducing the number of phone calls to check on claims, and improving our customers'overall level of satisfaction with how we handle their education benefits.
LOAN GUARANTY Early this year the Loan Production and Loan Administration functions from Columbia, SC, and Winston Salem, NC, were transferred to Atlanta. These States join Tennessee and of course, Georgia to make up the Atlanta Regional Loan Center (RLC). For us. this completed our part in a nationwide effort to consolidate work processes and provide better service to veterans and our business partners. Homeownership continues at the forefront of the American dream and VA continues to play an important part in helping veterans achieve this goal and enjoy the pride for them and their families that comes from homeownership. The Atlanta RLC guaranteed almost 50,000 home loans this year as interest rates continued at very modest levels. One of the highest priorities of the home loan program is to work with veterans who have suffered temporary economic setbacks and are in danger of losing their homes. We work closely with veteran homeowners and loan holders to provide alternatives to foreclosure. Every success story benefits VA, the community and, most importantly, the veteran and his or her family.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND COUNSELING In our vocational rehabilitation program there were 194 veterans rehabilitated last year. With the addition of a new VRC for the Augusta office, we have improved service in that area. Case management services have improved and we have received fewer complaints from veterans in that area. Contracting for services to our veterans is continuing to grow. We have initiated smaller, more specific contracts, which allow us to provide more timely services. These changes will result in reducing some of the paper work counselors have been handling, while providing them with assistance in staying current in their counseling case load. In closing, I want to let you know that it has been rewarding to work with you and your staff in serving Georgia's veterans and their dependents. As we move into the year 2000,1 look forward to continuing our spirit of cooperation and service.
Sincerely,
P. K. COURTNEY Director
29

INC.
Department of Georgia, P.0. Box 3567, Macon, GA 31205 (912) 781-7336
January 26, 2000
Honorable Pete Wheeler, Commissioner Department of Veterans Service Floyd Veterans Memorial Building, Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Commissioner Wheeler
The 19,000 Disabled American Veterans in the state of Georgia express their appreciation for your continuous dedication and devotion to you and your staff for the outstanding services provided to our veterans and their families.
It has been my honor and pleasure to be associated with you as an individual so concerned with preserving the rights of the Georgia Veterans and to see they received all the entitlements they have so richly earned.
It is with great admiration that you champion the cause to provide services to all those veterans that made it possible for our national freedom as well as many countries around the world and at the same time supporting those that paid the ultimate price for freedom.
The Disabled American Veterans motto: "Building Better Lives for America's Disabled Veterans" is certainly what you and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service has and continues to accomplish.
Thank you, God Bless America.
Sincerely
George D Fletcher Sr Commander Department of Georgia Disabled American Veterans
30

Department of Georgia P. O. Box 47751 Atlanta, Georgia 30360
December 29, 1999
Mr. Pete Wheeler, Commissioner Georgia Department of Veterans Services Floyd Veterans Memorial Building Suite 970 E Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Pete:
In these waning days of 1999, we reflect upon another successful year of service to the veterans of the great state of Georgia. On behalf of AMVETS Department of Georgia and its Ladies Auxiliary, I would like to express our appreciation to you and your staff for the cooperation that has been extended to our organization.
I would also like to express to you our appreciation for the fine leadership that you provide in administering the state benefits that the grateful citizens of Georgia have bestowed upon our state's veterans. Because of your leadership, we can look forward in 2000 to the opening of a "state" veterans cemetery in Milledgeville.
Please know that AMVETS Department of Georgia is ready to stand with you in your efforts to convince Congress and the Veterans Administration to place a "regional" veterans cemetery in the Atlanta metropolitan area. With the advancing age of our WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans, many additional burial sites will soon be needed.
In an extended era of peace and an era when fewer of our elected lawmakers are themselves veterans, it should be our job to educate them that veterans benefits and veterans burial plots are a "price of peace."
Pete, please call upon us at anytime that we can be of assistance to you or your Department. We know that we can count on you for assistance.
Sincerely,
James C. Williams Commander
31

department 0/ the Southeast
Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America
COMMANDER
Joseph W. Kraut, Commander P.O. Box 207 Fairmoimt, Georgia, 30139 December 28, 1999 Honorable Pete Wheeler Commissioner Department of Veterans Affairs Floyd Veterans Memorial Building Atlanta Georgia 30334 Dear Commissioner Wheeler, As Department Commander, of the Department of the Southeast, of Jewish War Veterans of U.S.A. and joined by our Auxiliary, I would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to you for your endless dedication and effort on behalf of all veterans and their families throughout the state and for the fifty two years you have served us so well. I have heard it so many times, when problems arose. CALL PETE , and sure enough you were there and we are so grateful. We thank you and your staff and wish you many more years of continued success. I thank you on behalf of all Veterans and as always my personal regards to you ,and your wife. Yours in Comradery,
y C- A~
Joe Kraut

The Patriotic Voice

of American Jewry

32

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR
DEPARTMENT OF GEORGIA
Commander: THERON POWELL. 3236 Poplar Drive, Lawrenceville. GA 30044-4131 770-923-2762 E-mail: powluft@aol.com
December 15, 1999
Honorable Pete Wheeler, Commissioner Georgia Department of Veteran Affairs Floyd Veterans Memorial Building Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Dear Commissioner Wheeler: The Department of Georgia American Ex-Prisoners of War wish to express our appreciation for your and your staff s untiring efforts on our behalf. The Open House you hosted in Gainesville gave the attending Ex-POW's access to the many excellent benefits available. These benefits become more valuable each day. You and your staff show your compassion and appreciation for the service performed by these service people through your many actions. The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs increased its funding for the state veterans cemetery in Milledgeville by $1 Million to $3.3 Million. The additional funds will be used to enhance the initial plans for the facilities at the cemetery. Opening this cemetery is greatly appreciated by the Ex-POW's and their families. Georgia's Ex-POW's and their spouses appreciate Mr. Bruce N. Rooney and his staffs attendance at our get-together in Perry on September 30th and October 1st, 1999. All Ex-POW's present reinstated their claims before departing Perry. I wish to express my personal appreciation for the honor of representing Georgia's Ex-POW's at the 1999 Veterans Day Proclamation Ceremony, October 29, 1999, held inside the State Capitol Building. The dedication of the I-75/I-16 Interchange (Macon, Georgia) as the Major Bobby Jones, M.D. POW/MIA Interchange is a daily reminder to motorists from all points in this country that the POW/MIA and all other veteran issues are a pri mary concern in the State of Georgia. The Ex-POW's and all other veterans residing in the State of Georgia look forward to the future, secure in the knowl edge that their sacrifices are appreciated. The execution of your programs to assist our veterans is successful and com passionate. Thank you.
Sincerely,
t
Theron Powelll, Commander Department of Georgia AXPOW
33

CITY or BRUNSWICK
POST OFFICE BOX 550 BRUNSWICK, GA 31521-0550 (912)267-5500 FAX (912) 267-5549

Bradford S. Brown, Mayor Doris A. Davis, Mayor Pro Tern
Roosevelt Lawrence Harold E. Jennings
Jonathan L. Williams

January 28, 2000

City Manager Roosevelt Harris, Jr,
City Attorney Lynn Frey, III

The Honorable Pete Wheeler Commissioner Georgia Department of Veterans Service Floyd Veterans Memorial Building Suite E-970 Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4800
Dear Commissioner Wheeler:
On behalf of the City of Brunswick, I want to thank you for all your efforts in arranging the Supermarket of Veterans Benefits Program at the Air National Guard on December 7, 1999. Veterans residing in or near Brunswick were able to meet and talk with necessary Officials of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service in order to apply for Benefits or receive information. This was accomplished with a great deal of convenience since these essential people were available in one location to take care of their needs.
The interest was evident by the number of attendants. I believe this Supermarket event certainly proved worthwhile and should continue. Service of this kind extended to Veterans is of the utmost importance in light of their valuable service to our country.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office should I be of any further assistance in this or any other matters.
With warm regards, I remain
Sincerely,

BSB.gm

Bradford S. Brown Mayor

Gateway To The Golden Isles

34

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M F H

OFFICE

Field Offices
ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

COUNTIES SERVED

Steve Shaddix, Manager Bill Cash, VBC Brenda Rachel, VBC
Vicki King, VBC
Carol Phagan, VBC

102 N. Washington Street, Suite 402 Albany 31701 Phone: 912-430-1797, 1798 FAX: 912-430-1796
500 W. Lamar Street, Room 28 Americus 31709 Phone: 912-931-2546 FAX: 912-931-5151
Courthouse, Room 107 Cordele 31015-4216 Phone: 912-276-2366 FAX: 912-276-2734

Dooly Dougherty
Lee Macon Marion
Sumter

Schley Terrell Webster Wilcox Worth

Crisp

See Albany-Americus-Cordele Division

Gary W. Locke, Jr., Manager Harry Evans, VBC Joe Massey, VBC
ATLANTA-WEI Max Cotter, Asst. Commissioner -
Field Service Rick Roby, Sr. Claims Counselor Lenora Evans, VBC Robert Morris, Asst. Commissioner -
Claims Jim Frederick, Principal Assistant

Jefferson Professional Park, Suite D-l 855 Sunset Drive Athens 30606-2285 Phone: 706-369-5630,5631 FAX: 706-369-5998

Courthouse, 12 S. Oliver Street Elberton 30635-1800 Phone/FAX: 706-213-2040

lisSwiSVll

S'1,*

'j

Floyd Veterans Memorial Bldg., E-367 Atlanta 30334-4800 Phone: 404-656-5940 FAX: 404-657-1288

730 Peachtree Street, NE, Room 215 Atlanta 30365-6701 Phone: 404-894-5213 FAX: 404-853-3098 VA Phone: 404-347-3484, 3227, 3129

[For a complete listing of Claims Staff Personnel, see Special Services Units following this directory.]

Note: VBC is abbreviation for Veterans Benefits Counselor

Barrow Clarke Jackson

Madison Oconee Oglethorpe

Elbert

Fulton
Clayton Fulton

35

OFFICE

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

AUGUSTADIVISION

Johnny Langham, Manager Lamar Faircloth, Asst. Manager Angela Old, VBC Diane Shirey, VBC

1101 Fifteenth Street Augusta 30901-3196 Phone: 706-721-4301, 4302 FAX: 706-721-6015

Gerald Clayton, VBC

Burke County Office Park, Room 107 713 West 6th Street, PO Box 93 Waynesboro 30830-0093 Phone: 706-554-3874 FAX: 706-554-4496

COUNTIES SERVED

Columbia

Richmond

Burke

Craig Couturier, Manager Terri Hudgens, VBC

V- v < , - 7

f

"

' V ' /, ^

:

121 North West Street Bainbridge 31717 Phone: 912-248-2599, 2663 FAX: 912-243-5362

Baker Calhoun
Clay Decatur
Early

Miller Mitchell Quitman Randolph Seminole

Roy E. Hamby, Manager Barbara Collins, Secretary II

Courthouse Annex, 301 School Road PO Box 782 Blairsville 30514-0782 Phone/FAX: 706-745-6341

BUI NSWICK
Terry Smith, Manager Christine Herring, VBC

Office Park Bldg., Suite 109 1803 Gloucester Street Brunswick 31520-6904 Phone: 912-262-2345 FAX: 912-261-3937

<ANTON

Walter Pinyan, Manager Rita Barnhart, VBC

130 E. Main Street, Suite 108 Canton 30114-2729 Phone/FAX: 770-720-3538

CARROLLTON

See Rome - Cedartown - Carrollton Divison

CARTERSVIIXE
See Dalton - Cartersville - LaFayette Division

Fannin Rabun Towns

Union White

Camden Glynn

McIntosh

Cherokee Cobb

Gilmer Pickens

36

OFFICE

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

See Rome - Cedartown - Carrollton Division

COUNTIES SERVED

B-C. Fowler, Manager William Tucker, VBC
Hazel Walters, VBC
Quincey Horton, Manager Toni Fox, VBC Mary Poole, VBC

120 E. Louise Street pQ gox 2135 Clarkesville 30523 Phone/FAX: 706-754-4316
Courthouse Annex, Room 100 101 West Tugalo Street Toccoa 30577 Phone: 706-282-4525 FAX: 706-282-4800
185 W. Franklin Street Courthouse Annex Hartwell 30643-1594 Phone/FAX: 706-376-4461

Banks

Habersham

Franklin

Stephens

Hart

Jackson Square, 15th Street Bldg. A, Room 2-B Columbus 31901 Phone: 706-649-1264 FAX: 706-649-1726

Chattahoochee Muscogee

Stewart

Tommy Clack, Manager Mylene Brett, VBC

1329 Portman Drive, Suite A Conyers 30094-6619 Phone: 770-388-5075 FAX: 770-785-6868

Rockdale Newton

Walton

See Albany-Americus-Cordele Division

Robert S. Turner, Supervisor, Area 3 Judy Johnson, VBC
Jack Goodwin, Manager

City Park Annex, 210 Thornton PO Box 1104 Dalton 30722-1104 Phone: 706-272-2355 FAX: 706-272-2335
McEver Street, Suite 1 Cartersville 30120-3324 Phone/FAX: 770-387-3746

Catoosa Murray

Whitfield

Bartow

Paulding

37

OFFICE

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

DM hjn cutiEKsvim: j^afave/hedivision{comM)

Anita Boxall, VBC

Judiciary Annex, 108-E Villanow Street LaFayette 30728-2519 Phone: 706-638-5544 FAX: 706-639-2046

DUBLIN:

DIVISION

Ben Hitson, Manager Bob Moye, VBC
Mike Martin, VBC
KMiKKION

Carl Vinson VAMC, Room 124-6, Ward 6A 1826 Veterans Blvd. Dublin 31021-3699 Phone: 912-272-4266 FAX: 912-274-7802
506A Oak Street, SE Eastman 31023 Phone: 912-374-6977 FAX: 912-374-6551

See Athens-Elberton Division CAIM-SVIU K

Stephen R. Deitz, Manager Jean Waller, VBC

311 Green Street, NW, Room 307 Gainesville 30501-3764 Phone: 770-531-6060 FAX: 770-531-6061

<>.F,NN VII.LK

Clarence R. Adams, Manager Teresa Bigelow, VBC
GREENSBORO

Glennville Multi Office Complex 705 N. Caswell Street, PO Box 444 Glennville 30427-0444 Phone: 912-654-5159 FAX: 912-654-5179

See Washington-Greensboro Division GRIFFIN

Mike Roby, Supervisor, Area 2 Ron Pierce, VBC

235-A E. Slaton Avenue Griffin 30223 Phone: 770-412-4023, 770-467-6099 FAX: 770-412-4023

HARIWIU

See Clarkesville - Toccoa - Hartwell Division

COUNTIES SERVED

Chattooga Dade

Walker

Bleckley Johnson Laurens

Pulaski Treutlen

Dodge

Dawson Forsyth Gwinnett

Hall Lumpkin

Appling Bryan Long

Tattnall Wayne

Butts Fayette Henry
Pike

Spalding Talbot Taylor

38

OFFICE LAOIUNGF A1 Rivera, Manager Silas Vance, VBC
1 ,YONS ~ MCRAE DIVISION
Jay Howell, Manager
Loran Bryant, VBC
MACON Robert A. Lindsay, Manager George Canavaggio, VBC Clay Harrell, VBC
MCRAE See Lyons-McRae Division

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

COUNTIES SERVED

189 S. Davis Road LaGrange 30241-2819 Phone: 706-845-4095 FAX: 706-845-4485

Harris Heard

Meriwether Troup

126 West Grady Avenue, PO Box 833 Lyons 30436 Phone: 912-526-8860 FAX: 912-526-4285
411 W. Oak Street McRae 31055 Phone: 912-868-6391 FAX: 912-868-4972

Coffee Jeff Davis Montgomery
Telfair

Toombs Wheeler

653 Second Street, Room 203 Macon 31201-2817 Phone: 912-751-3186,3187 FAX: 912-751-6594

Bibb Crawford
Jasper Jones

Lamar Monroe Twiggs

MHXEJKJKVfLl E
Ernie Simons, Manager Vivian Howard, VBC Coy Tisdale, VBC
, VBC
MOUUmiK

Georgia State War Veterans Home Carl Vinson Bldg., PO Box 741 Milledgeville 31061-0741 Phone: 912-445-4751, 912-445-1709 FAX: 912-445-3139

Baldwin Hancock Washington

Putnam Wilkinson

See Thomasville-Moultrie Division

XEWNAN - `1HOMAS TON DIVISION

Ken Mills, Manager

22 E. Broad Street Newnan 30264 Phone: 770-254-7260 FAX: 770-254-7339
250 E. Lee Street Government Administrative Complex Thomaston 30286-0461 Phone/FAX: 706-646-6035

Coweta Upson

39

OFFICE

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX

ROME - CEDARTOWN ~ CARROLLTON |>I VIS

Ray Rollins, Manager Denise Frix, VBC
Hope R. Mincer, Manager nwannah .J,;*

201 Calhoun Ave. Rome 30162 Phone: 706-295-6026, 6280 FAX: 706-802-5520
Courthouse #2, Room 108 100 Prior Street Cedartown 30125 Phone/FAX: 770-749-2209
408 N. White Street, Room 202 Carrollton 30117 Phone: 770-836-6760 FAX: 770-836-6844

George Foley, Manager Carl Wilson, Assistant Manager Jewel Middleton, VBC

440 Mall Blvd., Suite E Savannah 31406-4823 Phone: 912-356-2537 FAX: 912-356-2539

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Richard Dunlop, Manager Elizabeth Hunnicutt, VBC

39 N. Walnut Street Statesboro 30458 Phone: 912-871-1104,1270 FAX: 912-871-1270

Jo Ann M. Collins, VBC

Emanuel County Office Bldg. 101 N. Main Street, Room 3 Swainsboro 30401 Phone: 912-289-2617 FAX: 912-289-2704

SWAINSBOUO

See Statesboro - Swainsboro Division 1HOMASTON See Newnan - Thomaston Division

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COUNTIES SERVED

Douglas Floyd

Gordon Haralson

Polk

Carroll

Chatham Effingham

Liberty

Bulloch Candler Evans
Emanuel

Jenkins Screven

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Jerry Poole, Manager

Larue Calhoun, VBC

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101 S. Broad Street Thomasville 31792 Phone: 912-225-4050 FAX: 912-225-3998

County Gov't. Bldg., Room 210 1220 S. Main Street, PO Box 386 Moultrie 31776-0386 Phone: 912-891-7135 FAX 912-891-7098

Grady

Thomas

Colquitt

40

OFFICE
TIFI'ON
Ed Irby, Manager Sandra Wood, VBC

ADDRESS - PHONE- FAX
Tift County Admin. Bldg., Suite 111 225 Tift Avenue, PO Box 534 Tifton 31793-0534 Phone: 912-386-3856 FAX: 912-386-7386

COUNTIES SERVED

Ben Hill Irwin

Tift Turner

See Clarkesville-Toccoa-Hartwell Division

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Ed Kent, Manager Joyce Boyd, VBC Phil Youngblood, Area 1 Supervisor
WARNER ROBINS Mike Bates, Manager
WASHINGTON-w
Perry Morgan, Manager Jan Callaway, VBC

2517-C1 Bemiss Road Valdosta 31602-1938 Phone: 912-333-2178,2179 FAX: 912-259-5583
Valdosta VA Outpatient Clinic 3123 N. Ashley Street, Room 102 Valdosta 31602 Phone: 912-293-0152 FAX: 912-293-0162
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City Hall, Room 206 700 Watson Blvd. Warner Robins 31093-3414 Phone: 912-929-1126 FAX: 912-929-1124
Edward B. Pope Community Center 48 Lexington Ave. PO Box 891 Washington 30673-0891 Phone/FAX: 706-678-3144
Green Co. Admin. Services Bldg. 201 N. Main Street Greensboro 30642 Phone/FAX: 706-453-7455

Berrien Brooks Cook

Echols Lanier Lowndes

Houston

Peach

Glascock Jefferson Lincoln McDuffie

Morgan Taliaferro
Waren Wilkes

Greene

Ed Chancey, Manager Glenda Lee, VBC

378 State Street PO Box 172 Waycross 31502-0172 Phone: 912-285-6340 FAX: 912-285-6341

See Augusta - Waynesboro Division

Atkinson Bacon
Brantley Charlton

Clinch Pierce Ware

41

i 42

NAME / TITLE Robert C. Morris, Assistant Commissioner Jim Frederick, Principal Assistant Frank Boykin, Sr., Claims Counselor Tom Cook, Sr. Claims Counselor Charla Jones, Sr. Claims Counselor George Langford, Sr. Claims Counselor Jim Randles, Sr. Claims Counselor Lance Williams, Sr. Claims Counselor Bruce Chillion, Claims Counselor Dave Glass, Claims Counselor Linda Worthy, Secretary III Angela Carmichael, Secretary II Annie Eason, Secretary II
David Price, Claims Counselor Marilyn Ferguson, Hospital Contact
Representative
Larry Samuel, Manager
Ben Hitson, Manager Bob Moye, VBC

ADDRESS / PHONE Claims Division 730 Peachtree Street, NE Room 215 Atlanta, Georgia 30365-6701
VSO: 404-894-5213 FAX: 404-206-5165 VA Phone: 404-347-3484
VA Hospital - Atlanta 1670 Clairmont Road Room 1C210 Decatur, Georgia 30033
VSO: 404-728-7611 FAX: 404-327-4995 VA Hospital: 404-321-6111
Ext. 6357, 6358, 6359
VA Medical Center - Augusta 950 15th Street Room 2D-149 Augusta, Georgia 30914
VA Hospital: 706-733-0188 Ext. 2218, 3916 1-800-836-5561
FAX: 706-733-0188, Ext. 3843
Carl Vinson VA Medical Center Room 124-6, Ward 6A 1826 Veterans Blvd. Dublin, Georgia 31021
VSO: 912-272-4266 FAX: 912-274-7802 VA Hospital: 912-272-1210
Ext. 2562

Georgia Department of Veterans Service
Floyd Veterans Memorial Building Suite E-970
Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4809