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will have the opportunity to recognize. does any member have a question about the conduct of this hearing? right, i will now recognize myself for an opening statement. i want to thank all of you for joining us virtually today as we continue our work on the house veterans affairs economic opportunity subcommittee. covid-19 might be changing the way we operate, but it will not stop the work of this committee. the purpose of today's hearing is to improve the transition process for service members by identifying gaps in coordination and opportunities for synergy, and the plethora of resources available to veterans and governmental and nongovernmental entities. the transition process can seem like a tidal wave of information crashing onto our service members as they prepare for service let -- civilian life. it can be difficult to navigate, illustrating the need for a centralized hub and a no wrong door approach. , along why i introduced with other colleagues, navy seal chief petty officer improvement , thisown as hr 2326 legislation which passed the house over one year ago would establish a grant program for organizations to provide multiple transition o assistance services, including job recruitment training, from a central source. it would create transition sides to bring in more outside resources and make the process more accessible for veterans who have already transition out of the military. trend data to the department of labor so they can make their resources more responsive to veterans' employment needs. , wouldtion hr 5516 authorize federal funding for county veterans service officers, that help veterans understand and access a variety of resources at their disposal. with coronavirus making the transition process harder for our veterans and the economic downturn threatening their livelihoods, our work is more important now than ever before. the fact it has shifted to an entire online format further complicates things as it impacts the quality of learning in a program that many argue was already too low. let us be clear, one way or another, we will be supporting our veteran community. it is my goal support will focus on proactively providing veterans with economic opportunities rather than reacting after they reach crisis. testimony from our witnesses will determine how we can do so in a collaborative manner. with that, i recognize my friend, for five minutes, for his opening statement. >> thank you. i appreciate it so much. i thank you for holding this discussion to focus on transition resources, service members and veterans. we are talking about the topic at our lastsaid virtual event, this is my substitution for the bipartisan oversight that in person hearings provide. i look forward to working with you to safely return to that best practice moving forward so that the witnesses can be part of the discussions. i believe that improving the transition process is one of the best ways to set service members up for long-term success and i know you agree with that. you working with me on all of this. as the old saying goes, one ounce, an ounce of prevention is worth one pound of a cure. so true. if we can get the transition process right, we can help mitigate any of the other issues that some veterans face later in life. i have been working on one of our presenters today. we have been working on this and other issues. while we are in the midst of one of the longest transformations of the federal government's transition assistance program in recent memory, thanks to the work done by the subcommittee we know therman, an government programs are not a silver bullet. we know that transitioning the service members and veterans can benefit from innovative sector programs at the community levels. i am glad that representatives from these types of community programs are with us today so that we can learn from their experiences and help coordinate their efforts. mr. chairman, i thank you for inviting my friend and fellow floridian brian anderson, who is a hero in his own right, to testify today. mr. anderson is a tireless advocate for veterans and his organization, the veterans alternative, i am familiar with, provides evidence-based treatments and therapies to veterans in need. i am excited he is here with us today to share his experience and recommendation. --ould be remiss veterans11, the recovery act of 2020 which contains the chairman's bill and my bill to help provide additional resources for organizations like the ones joining us here today. it is really part of the solution. inant to thank the chairman sending a letter to the house leadership. when those talks resume and i understand that they have resume , hopefully our efforts are successful. one of the most important byproducts of a coordinated successful transition is a reduced risk of suicide. 20 service members and veterans die by suicide each and every , probably more than that. the senate unanimously passed the bill as amended, commander care the veterans health improvement act of 2019. this is a multifaceted legislation designed to help be a community provider. like the one specifying again before us today, a better support of veterans at risk of suicide. the san diego veterans coalition joined 30 other veteran community organizations from across the country and signed a letter encouraging the chairman to work with house leadership to pass this bipartisan bill and send it to president trump's desk without delay. mr. wilson, who represents the san diego veterans coalition is here today and i look forward to hearing more from him about this letter of support and why we must act now on senate bill 785. that letter of support followed one from four of the oldest and largest veterans organizations. the disabled american veterans practice, the paralyzed veterans of america, the american legion and the vfw's. one was sent by one of the newest organizations as well. asking for similar action. ask we submito percent at letters 785. withk forward to working my friend and ranking member on veteransing issue of health. i thank them for sharing the letters and look forward to continue to working together -- continuing to work together in the spirit of collaboration. i share your hope that we will be able to get over the finish line. i know we are working on it. i am so encouraged by the recent successes we have had. i am sorry we are not altogether. areink you are -- thank you -- think you are with us, joining us from florida. there are two witnesses from the san diego area. that brings us to our witnesses. theydisappointed that declined to participate in today's hearing. we have a great group of witnesses today as i mentioned, including our communities in florida and california. joining us on the panel, we have mr. marise wilson, vice president of the san diego veterans coalition. great to see you, mr. wilson. romero, thedaniel senior director. thank you so much. we have my good friend and , general,t, paul thank you for joining us fo and for all you do. and we have mr. brian anderson. are all goingou to have five minutes for your oral statements today. your full written statement will be added to the record. with that, i now like to hat, i now like to recognize mr. wilson for five minutes. >> good afternoon, mr. chairman. the san diego ,usiness cord -- coalition veterans and spouses, i am pleased to testify at this hearing concerning coordinating transition. ine were founded 2009 and incorporated in 2012 as a premier convene her of san diego county. we bring together over 150 unique organizations, businesses and agencies. we support them in their activities as well as in a field what we call action groups in areas such as physical and emotional health, veterans empowered successful and thriving as well as our education appointment and entrepreneur action group. with the intent to improve collaboration and coordination among community services in all sectors and nonprofit community state federal, formal councils. the heart and soul of it. every year, two hundred 50,000 military service members embarq on the transition of active duty to civilian life. for many, this is a difficult process. it is not just a vocational change but it is a multifaceted, monumental life change. while it is critically important to provide guidance to our service members, it is equally, perhaps even more important that they also receive support to transition their identity from requiredlife through psychological and cognitive support. we are not looking to supplant -- we are looking to complement what goes on with cap. -- tap. it is what we call the transition integration process or tip. it is an industry driven initiative. focusing on key integration issues and the challenges, tip will help close the gaps of veterans by orchestrating a pipeline from military service to priority sectors throughout the region. leverage local resources across florida key transition domains. engagement, transition, workplace and community integration. tracking is managed through a cloud-based community information that monitors and tracks hearts as they move from one service invited to another. more recently, several workforce studies have revealed that veterans paralyzed as we pull -- paramountvid-19 as we pull out of the covid-19. congress must support the rapid implementation of house resolution 2320 six, introduced -- 2326,evin introduced by mike levin. will orchestrate resources, coordinate training with local institutions, engage employers and build a viable, local economy. it will help veterans and their families successfully reintegrate into a new life, choosing -- of their own choosing. i leave you with this quote from the offers of the chairman of the joint chiefs staff of reintegration in september of 2015. as a nation, we cannot meet our full potential of reintegrating veterans and their families unless the military, government, servicet and veterans organizations collaborate around a neutral agenda and partner to address the challenges facing veterans as they move into civilian life. thank you, mr. chairman, for the opportunity to share our viewpoint on transition. >> thank you mr. wilson and thank you for your great work. before we go further, i was informed that the ranking member with his opening remarks -- was here with his opening remarks. i am sorry, gus. i want to go back to you so you can finish your opening remark. >> i will be brief. i appreciate it. don't worry about it. of what i wanted to say. when you have bernie sanders and ted cruz agreeing on something, that means it is a good bill. know they are working on a bill over here. time is of the essence. we have to get this done. we don't want to have to start all over again session. lives are at stake. heroes.e our get them as much help as soon as possible. with that, i will be yield back. >> thank you. i appreciate it. with that, i want to recognize mr. romero for five minutes. thank you for joining us. you are on mute. unmute yourself. there you go. much,nk you very chairman. and thank you for the opportunity to speak today. my name is daniel romero. i work for san diego in a variety of contexts. it is a civilian based nonprofit helping to support families. one of the commodities they support is the military veteran community. mr. wilson indicated, san diego is a special place where collaboration is a part of history and making sure no one is left out of the conversation. through our work, we have been able to convene with the san diego military collaborative. .hey have 10 years of history along with 10 years of service in the community, we have had the opportunity of reaching out -- relations but also bringing in nonprofits and more. definitely a community collaborative that allows opportunities for members to be recognized. to not only inform the community but engage with different providers sharing their expertise. 2014, --g said, in particular, this particular project allows transition to be focused on in terms of what was happening -- versus what's happening in the committee. we have learned that not only service members felt the crunch of time to successfully navigate the transitional practices but to the south, the military partner was not always involved in that process in knowing what was available to them. they started bringing in local communities to create a workshop. course wasthat the times --s that often interjecting on what the career path may look like when they retire or separate. workbook was created of resources and a one-day briefing was provided. this was more so to be a precursor to be an extreme course so that when a servicemember enters, they are well-informed of the different parts of transition. i bring that to your attention today to let you know that there have been opportunities to connect. we have partnerships that have been established through. we have brought in the military blunt force. we have had people come in and better informed so that as we discussed a little bit earlier today, the amount of prevention can be dealt as they make the transition into the veteran space is so imperative. that being said, these workshops are definitely something that we want. we have had representatives come in and are well-informed, creating warm handoffs as we want to make sure that that exchange with these workshops are intended to have a follow-up process, for not only the servicemember but the family can receive the information. often times, service members are dealing with their own transition, working to prepare the person who will take their job and perhaps are not able to dedicate the amount of time to think about things like education, employment and their own well-being. it was an opportunity for us to showcase that partnerships are needed to thrive when it comes to transition. suchhat shared visibility as being a part of the committee and engaging in community events does matter so that we can create more connection. more importantly, we want to make sure that service members are well-informed. .hat often is the premise we want to share that there are more aspects including employments that need to be considered. often times, that loss of identity fractures your connection into the veteran state. with that being said, i would like to thank you all for the opportunity and remind you that put forthossible, additional support. thank you. i appreciate that very much. i now would like to recognize my friend. i would like to thank him for his three decades of service and his continued leadership and for joining us here at this hearing today. general, you are now recognized. >> good morning and thank you for the invitation to testify today. my service include seven combat tours. i am not part of a government entity and my testimony is based on my experiences during my service and now in retirement. fromnk the impetus came the veteran suicide awareness summit that was hosted by congressman levin that included many that included many of the local stakeholders in the san diego region. i was asked to present some of the best practices from my active duty experiences in preventing suicide to be introduced in the local veteran community. what i believe because the most interest was my comment on what i considered to be one of the biggest issues concerning prevention of veteran suicide and i did this from drawing on my two years serving in afghanistan where the united states and nato did not meet the timeline they anticipated. i used a 2009 powerpoint slide to illustrate my main points. the -- livesng on draw on the practices -- similar to afghanistan with v.a.ds to veteran suicide, has a 10 year national strategy. conducts high-level conferences. there are numerous ongoing new programs through the v.a. and your legislated initiative to refine congressional hearings last year. roadmap that was recently released. similar to afghanistan, it is certainly not a resource issue based on the last decade of increased congressional funding to prevent suicide. not a seemingly corresponding reduction to the number of suicides. organizations are lined to fully impact the issues surrounding veterans. in afghanistan, there was never one clear u.s. leader in charge. the military was in charge of security issues. they wouldope that cornet to best maximize the efforts on the ground but without the ability for one leader to set the course and be held accountable for their decisions, defining what was best led to many diverging actions which impacted the ability to timely bring the maximized effects possible to establish an independent government in afghanistan within a reasonable timeline. likewise, at the regional and local level, -- there is an array of interested parties and stakeholders, including v.a., nonprofit organizations and profiting organizations. many would say there is ample coordination. theuld contend that given resources, a better rate -- framework of accountability [indiscernible] however, without a prolific approach to measure the effectiveness of a regional or local area, successful action in tocific instances, seem not improve as much as they should considering all of the compliance efforts that are being made. there may be a number of options for how best to coordinate in a structured way. build -- isl is to to have structure have the authority to have some type of accountability. needsf the organization to include an inspector general i.t. type of function that only focuses on how organizations are performing in a defined range to ensure the goal of overall synergy is not being subtracted in its execution. it just seems beyond higher guidance, program and resources, there needs to be a better execution of framework for regional accountability. thank you for the opportunity to testify today. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you, general. i appreciate those comments. it certainly informed my perspective. i know we will have more questions for you. i would like to recognize mr. anderson for five minutes. mr. anderson. >> thank you, chairman levine. i found myself standing on the edge of a structural hole. potential for greatness. communities across the united states want to see the full potential of our returning service members. these communities are actively trying to solve the unfortunate reality of transitions. rates have an established transition model. it can be like a factory line. it is the reality of transitioning 200,000 plus service members a year to local locations. each is unique. we have a shared understanding of committee. when i left the military, i was sure i was ready for my next chapter. i did not retain everything i needed in transition with the ground. what help me was a program developed by community-based nonprofits. i would nist extraordinary civilian leaders take the time to show and guide warriors down a path to post military. my transition was a community effort, earning a bachelors degree from saint leo university. trying to reduce veteran homelessness around tampa bay. creating the veterans alternative and graduating with a masters degree from columbia university, all were community efforts. people cared about my success and these peers and mentors helped me find success in transition. was in all of those successes. i did not have a checklist to tell me what was met. i had to find it. looking out at the tampa bay community and committees across the nation, i have seen multiple community-based organizations and universities streamlining. assisting warriors in their transition from military service. can you imagine what it would be like for a warrior to have the power of connection through shared networks? these opportunities need to be created if we plan on solving the multitone -- multitude of difficulties. i focus on helping warriors navigate posttraumatic and transitional stress. veterans -- primarily combat veterans. the majority of difficulties stem from transition. over the last four years, utterance alternative has partnered with florida to provide warriors with alternative therapies. this committee has made collaboration of care hospital beyond what we have cut -- accomplished so far. in 2016, the cover act was passed. commission andd sent 18 v.a. regional hospitals for alternative therapies through community-based organizations. it took three years of grinding to get it passed. it has taken four years to get to the point of executing pilot programs. but it is a step. florida has a similar bill, alternative treatment options for veterans. collectively, we work with 17 other nonprofits and community-based organizations to provide alternative therapies. we, the veterans alternative university of south florida department of veteran affairs will sit down with leadership. [indiscernible] the builtd through commander john scott -- improvement act, which improves local groups working to help veterans. for the intended purpose of serving our veterans and committees in which they live. this is where we should find innovation. bridges connecting networks for good over the current structural holds we operate around. i encourage you to think through the significance of transitional stress as part of the grant process. thank you for your time, i am prepared to answer any questions you might have. >> thank you very much, mr. anderson. i appreciate you joining us and all of your good words. i will now recognize myself for five minutes for questions. we will jump right in and i want to start with the general. i share your concern that the current resources for veterans, including suicide prevention initiatives are too siloed within individual government agencies and not cover mental organizations. in your testimony, you suggested local v.a. health care systems take -- for reducing federman suicide in their region. general, what enforcement mechanisms or other message do you envision v.a. employing in order to receive this synergy? >> in san diego, they have a one v.a. board which includes all of the community leadership that meets with the v.a. leadership which is great. it encompasses all issues. what it makes sense based on their mission that they are responsible for the leadership of these issues particularly. what i would envision perhaps would be a smaller organization that, as i said, would basically enforce accountability in some sort of framework manner. how would you do that? many of these organizations that are involved in these issues are taking some form of government funding. i think that to ensure the fact that everybody is in the right lanes and are not stepping on top of each other and not necessarily when we use the word coordination, really matching the resources to the entity that we would use that. that is why i was referring to an i.t. type of function that would ensure nothing but the fact that based on that board like arrangements that through funding, to ensure the all viewer organizations -- that all viewer organizations are cooperating. >> do you think we need to assign roles and responsibilities for federal, state, local and nongovernmental organizations to conduct better evaluations of their programs? >> that is exactly what that would do. major rolebe the would be to look at the framework of an area. obviouslype from, there is conflict -- that is not necessarily the right word. i would hope that they would be able to be set up to be able to ensure the fact that we are doing tog what we are ensure the fact that you get -- government entities and all those that are in the nonprofit world and in the profit businesses that support those types of programs. >> what data do you think we need to track better in order to better inform decision-making at every level going forward? if you read through the bills , part of all of the bills had some sort of metrics on if what they are doing is effective. what i would say is [indiscernible] build internal metrics of how that coordination is doing and how it is not. that is why that independent function is so important. they go down and look at the training and they see what is happening. they see what groups are doing and they provide feedback to getting folks in the right lane. in afghanistan, when i served there on my second to were as a general officer, i would say to , i read mr. sako's reports and he was the ig of afghanistan. he had the hard job amid how much information he was able to glean out given his situation. it was not always perfect and right on the mark, it certainly provided a base for people to have an understanding of what we were doing. and what happened in the past and afghanistan. that the analogy here without that type of function that all of the organizations doing all of these sorts of individuallyying for those that are battling and .heir families sorry for going on too long. >> thanks, general. don't worry. the others have questions for you later. we will come back to you. rankingo recognize the member for five and it's for his first round of questions. -- five minutes for his first round of questions. >> my first question is for mr. maurice wilson. think the san diego area might be number two in the country. number one is tampa bay. i don't think you agree with that. number two for sure. >> we have some other colleagues. in any case, i thank you so all you do for the nonprofits and working for the v.a. is so good. last week, mr. wilson, your organization, the san diego veterans coalition, signed a letter of support for senate bill 785. it urged the house to quickly pass this bill. can you please elaborate on your support for this piece of legislation and why you believe it should be passed for the house as soon as possible? >> thank you for the question mr. ranking member. let me say that for all of the ,easons the bill represents that is part of the cause for why it needs to be passed. we recognize that health care coordination is a key element. let me add one spin to that. i think that as we look at this challenge here, we have to be careful of how much of a burden we place on the veterans administration and other organizations. even the community-based organizations where we try not to leave out the one critical person who is equally as important in this whole equation which is the veterans. which is one of the reasons why we did some studies in that. and we started looking into the concept of what we called the veterans metrics initiative, which was a study that was done by the jackson foundation for the past five years. what they found is that if we start focusing on the individuals overall wellness by allowing them to participate in what they call a self assessment, we can get more information about where they are with regards to their readiness and then take more affirmative action there. things we discovered which solidifies why we need to have something like this is that over 70% of the veterans out there are not engaged in anybody's system. despite the amount of work that we do, if we don't have a process to capture them, we will be forever spinning our wheels. one of the things we are discovering is that no matter what, we still will not have enough resources to do this unless we involve the most important person, the most important player on the field, which is the actual veterans and engage them in what we call self assessment which is what i like about this hen rejection -- henry jackson foundation study. the veteran participates in a wellness study that predicts their overall readiness for reintegrationd -- and determines what their levels of stresses are. if we can get them in that position where they can begin to self assess and see that information into other supporting organizations, we can deliver our services better. we think it is the right thing. it is a smart move. we are fully behind it. >> thank you very much. very well put. i appreciate it. the next question is for mr. brian anderson. can you elaborate on the success of veterans alternative and how interpersonal relationships can be key in preventing service members from experiencing a turbulent transition? the veterans alternative, we have been around for five years. welfare, basically well-being type services. the goal is to build a healthy theector to veterans -- to veterans population. we have done that across the tampa bay area. trying, i think san diego is great, that there is a coalition. it is crazy how many coalitions seem to pop up on a consistent basis. they all want to solve something. between all of our organizations, there is a gaping hole. that is where all of the warriors, we say replace them first, that is where they are at, in this gaping hole where our networks are not shared. we are not bridging across these communities to be able to connect. not a hit on the v.a. or the department of defense. a beautiful base and they have a transition assistance program there. most of our committee organizations cannot get involved with that transition process. it is very exclusive. when you are bringing it down to the community level and you are able to provide resources to community-based organizations that follow guidelines for how they report their financials and how they served the warriors to show that they are actually solving a problem, when you bring it down to them, you are involving the community in which these warriors are moving to or transitioning to. you are involving them in their transition process. i can tell you we have some phenomenal leaders across tampa bay. i guarantee you there are communities like this across the united states. they want to work in partnership. we can't do it all. there is a commission that the veterans affairs has to serve our warriors. our county veteran service the bill thatow shows them being able to work with community organizations. that is a great way to bring those efforts together. just by connecting our networks. >> i yield back. >> i thank the ranking member and i would now like to recognize my friend and thank her for her two decades of service in the navy and her great representation in the state of virginia. >> thank you mr. leven for holding the hearing. that we have san diego, tampa bay and the hampton roads area, we have covered some of the largest areas in the country. bases in the major hampton roads area of every service. we want to see them be successful. we have a lot of huge economic growth opportunities happening in this region. i continuously see a gap between the information that the veterans receive through the transition process and the needs of the community and how to link those together. one of the things that has been highlighted a lot in our work on this committee and the subcommittee within our services v.a.h the dod and the we talked about the increasing number of women who have served. my first question is for mr. anderson and for your program. inhas been documented that certain areas, women received , they are challenges concerned about their financial situation. 60% of women veterans say they had difficulty during the transition financially. i just wanted to hear specifically from you, mr. anderson, about veterans alternatives. are there any specific programs that have been successful? i would love to bring those to the community. >> thank you very much for that question. the veterans alternative, we focus on transitional stress and posttraumatic stress. provided weeklong wellness programs for combat veterans. we have done that with full veterans,only female which has been exciting to see that group. we have partnered with several organizations across the state of florida. we actually have a license plate just for female veterans. it has kind of been something over the last five years that has been taking off, the recognition for our female fighters who have transitioned into the area. so, it is quite amazing to see that. haver as services that we as the veterans alternative, it is transitional stress that we work with. it is posttraumatic that we work with and provided services for. i wish i could have more information for you. i know i can follow up with some of the services that seem pretty robust across the tampa bay community. involved saintas pines and some of the programs they provide for female veterans. >> thank you. i would love to hear follow-up from you or anyone else on the panel for specific programs in the region or the area that we need to look at more broadly. it is the largest growing demographic. general to shift to levit -- the general. you talked about veterans broadly. i think the transition is those who separate after a few years or those who separate after a full -- and those who separate after a full career. i don't know if you have any thoughts from your own experiences or your work, are there additional things that we ?hould be working at they are not broadly available across the country. excellent point. almost every year, it should be made. clarification between those who serve one term or two terms and retirees. it is just a different set of circumstances when they are now transitioning to their next lives and what their problems will be versus our younger veterans and what their issues are. you are spot on. words, that is what i was referring to in a sense of silos and how to coordinate. if you take an area like san organizations have the resources for that -- for the retirees versus those who are first-term. ? you that when you jr. for example, our officers sitting with the transition tax program, the jr. officer will be turned off in an hour. it is insulting to them given what they had to do in that since to get the commission versus those who are coming. i don't mean it in any type of way except that is where people stationed -- are stationed in life. it is something that has to be addressed in a sense of what programs are providing those types of services. so, i absolutely concur with you. one of the problems we face with all of these issues is that one side does not fit all in the sense of their life experiences and they can turn people off by sitting them in a room and telling them what color of tie to wear in an interview. , mr.ning to everyone today anderson, just listening to him, he got a lot of help but he is also mr. anderson. what i mean by that is he is a successful person. he will make successful divisions. when he was separating what color tie to wear. i would say to you that that is part of the issue that i think they face. how do you coordinate some sort of accountability to keep people in the right lane for whatever area of the country they are working in to maximize them and not overlap them to the extent i don't know if it is a great analogy, but let's face facts in the sense that what we are talking about are not new issues. if they were solvable, they would have happened a decade ago. if we don't have some sort of accountability mechanism at the , mr. anderson, mr. romero, mr. wilson coordinated to get the best effects. i think that there is probably some -- believe me, i am not trying to dissect it, i am saying there could be a lot of overlap. that is a long answer, i apologize. >> thank you. in thise so may people field, trying to help veterans through their transitions. anything we can do to sink in eyes and make the effort more makes it well worth having this discussion. bennett --k, several several minutes past my time expiring. >> absolutely fine. i appreciate your comments, general. i had a few more questions of our other witnesses that they didn't get to ask. we will start with mr. romero. yearsanization like started to get faction as a one-stop shop for military and veteran families. tohink we need to do more support that kind of work. if we look at hr 23 and 26, part of the idea is to provide grants for organizations like yours that are using the hub model. how can we evaluate the effectiveness and promote the best practices when it comes to connecting veterans to resources across the sector? federal, state, local and nongovernmental? how specifically should we be evaluating effectiveness and promoting those practices? >> good question. this is one of those things where no one-size-fits-all. in certain accords, there are certain key factions of transition that ultimately determine whether or not a military family transitions successfully. the bill we have been discussing in a lot of ways focuses on the employment and finances. that is crucial. i think that one of the things is the are looking at underperforming of veterans and .eterans families we need to find jobs that have stabilit -- job placement is always one metric that we look at. we are also looking at the ability to access certain resources. in some ways we have a checklist as part of our workshops to see has an individual connected to health care benefits? do they understand the process of their final move? but also, as i was mentioning earlier in my testimony, there are some things that are hard to quantify such as emotional wellness. identity of an individual as a servicemember, as they transition into that, they lose a lot of support they had garnered over the years. isnkly, i hate to say there one magic bullet to measure the effectiveness. are so, i think that there maybe core metrics across transition that needs to be looked at in terms of the families preparation overall and their awareness. their awareness of the resources that exist. >> thank you for that. another question for you, is the current transition process transitioning out with the information about resources within his or her community which might be halfway across the country, does that matter in another part of the world? closing theested gap by creating an online repository of all of these resources. if the federal agency were to undertake such a project, what steps would you suggest they organizations listed on the site are reputable and provide high-quality services? >> great question. organizations are transparent, that is the first key step. i think that demonstrating that transparency and the --ectiveness wheneverally, i think possible, any relationships where a nonprofit or community with a dod connected --municatin the purpose of the hub is that individuals in san diego have a choice. am i going to stay or relocate? the cost of relocating in places such as san diego is too high. they may have to go to michigan or another location that actually is able for them to make a living. some of these locations may or access to a local v.a. as robust. i should preface virtually with the ability to have. eerigators -- p navigators will be vital in the success of the hub, virtually or in person. you.ank i have a few quick questions for mr. wilson and then we will be done and i will tear -- turn to the ranking never for his final questions. mr. wilson, thank you for joining us. government federal support that type of collaboration? >> great question. thank you. we actually started about six years ago, working with what was called the v cap model -- the cat model. it spoke to how committee organizations work together. how do they monitor themselves and how do they clout success? using -- plot out success? using that, that is where the gan --ion bec we are already referring to one another. we have a pretty strong insight into what they are doing and what is going on. so now, what we are moving , our transition integration process, we have now ofen the whole idea transition reintegration and we thatput it into a process is balanced against several s.own reintegration earlier, the question was raised -- raised, how do you know you're being successful? the report put out by the veterans administration back in 2019, which was the transition and integration of studies listed elements that typically continue to come up as reintegration challenges or issues. we isy we structured healt began to identify the committee assets we had in engagement, transition, workplace integration and community reintegration. and then we began to engage in what we called community asset mapping to find out specifically which one of our partner members were operating within that area and how can we make sure that it gets referred to them and then go from there to the next service. and then, probably most importantly, how do we track and quantify, which is why we are keyed up in san diego with san diego 211 and the community information exchange. the community information exchange is that we all buy into regulation. we all buy into sharing data. we all buy into the fact that we are working for the same cohort. you have to have a reintegration system in process. that is what we put together. i can send you the matrix that is pretty sophisticated and identifies the areas that need to be overcome, who are the organizations that provide that unique service and what other metrics ensure that we get the job done that we moved to person to the next -- move the person to the next level. >> that would be great if you could share thatyou mentioned iy monitor use a cloud to the transition integration process. how does the exchange track information that protects veterans but allows service providers to identify and reach out to at risk veterans? platform that has been extensively studied for the past six years. we have gone through major iterations of oversight. we have talked to multiple partners in terms of compliance, vetting.re for we relegated that responsibility to the system which that is what they do, which is data. version but it goes deeper, because it gives you more insight or data on the individual, as well as allows share keyto information without breaching confidentiality. everyone that gets on the platform has to go through several players of verification documentation before they are allowed to touch the system. >> thank you mr. wilson. i apologize for going long. i wanted to turn it over to the ranking member for any final questions or for a closing statement or whatever else you would like. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i've got a couple questions as well. wilson come and mr. with progress on combating the suicide crisis, do you agree that commerce should focus on approaches and therapies to help combat this epidemic and other transition therapies? do you think you should hold off and wait on a perfect solution to the veteran suicide crisis? todayact what we can do to get help as quickly as possible. thank you for the question. let me start with the last question, because i think it is probably the most depressing ones, which is what can we do today it was we have in existence? i mentioned earlier we are not including the most important aspect in the process, which is the individual servicemember -- how do we get their feedback and support, which is what i mentioned the veterans metrics initiative. it is a process that is cap based solution where the individual can make their own self-assessment. that information can be stored ofa database that has sort like a warning level that says, if the person assesses themselves personally to >> we have been attacking this in the state of florida. we have alternative treatment options and a state bill that looks at five alternative therapies. measure. inventory to we did that and now we are looking at combining the efforts. thisis really unique about is it is allowing more community-based organizations to grab a hold of these warriors and make them a part of it. we don't have that ability at the hospitals. through the community-based organizations, you have a support environment that is conducive to help a warrior walk forward and find that fellowship they had of people that are supporting them along the way. that is extraordinarily important. when you make bills like the senate bills where it brings down dollars to community-based organizations to not only help out with transition but also help out with well-being. we are talking about posttraumatic stress. there are other things that the transitional threat that warriors go through just leaving the military can be worse and more traumatic than some of the post-traumatic stress that warriors go through. we finditical that opportunities to involve the community-based organizations to help combat suicides across the united states. wellness is the key when we engage individuals in the process. we haven't engaged them in the process at this point. we are waiting for it to happened so we can respond to it versus prevention. >> i agree. mr. wilson, mr. anderson, or anyone else would like to add on to this question. in your written statement, mr. wilson, you layout the reallocationcing of jobs and the need for rescaling. would you support a proposal set provide it post 9/11 g.i. bill benefits to 35,000 unemployed veterans for rescaling? >> absolutely. all of the research points to a -skill. re-skill there was an article that came out from google that speaks to the need for certification as a quick turnaround to reskill the traditional pathway. this could be an accelerator that could fill the job void. the issue is that because of the turnover of jobs, we will see turnovers every few years. get up solutions to skills. at the same time we need tools to help match veterans with their skills so we can put them in the right training. just offering training is not enough, because we will end up top-heavy. we have to and -- we have to take it another level for skill matching and training to fill the gap. you that hereell in this area, we have initiatives for manufacturing -- other initiatives to give get warriors employed when they leave the service. i spoke at a lot of different universities and i mentioned that some of the certificate-based programs that are outstanding at universities are not covered by the g.i. bill. programs atgh to stanford university, outstanding . i paid for that out of my pocket. it is not chief to go to stanford. i did have partnership with another nonprofit which helps warriors transition. they helped support one of those hearing i really appreciated that, because it was on the entrepreneurship program. generalzza rice and mattis helped us do that process. , we broke ground for the veterans alternative. that is how impactful that program was but it is not covered by the g.i. bill. i learned more about becoming a civilian and how to communicate with other civilians. -- on ourat veteran shoulder all the time. wearing the military uniform anymore and we are a civilian. so those opportunities to get educated and learn how to interact with people outside the military, i think it is imperative. if there is an opportunity for g.i. bill to help with some of those programs or certificate-based programs, i think it is the best way we can actually serve more warriors. >> my suggestion is we look into this. you have to have a good start. it looks like this is definitely worthwhile. going to go, i am to the general. hear that we should fund the v.a. and increase the v.a. funding, there is no question, but we must increase our positive outcomes as well. in your written statement, you remarked that the large sums of money being spent with little to no change in daily suicides. do you believe that it would be important to focus on innovative community driven programs that can reach those veterans? for a new transitioning veterans, the v.a. has made a great deal of adjustments. they aren't tracking where they are going. the health care, they ,re able to get to that v.a. they generally know where the younger veterans are. according to that, there is supposed to be a handoff between those having difficulty in active-duty, whether mental health or others to the v.a.. i said that to you because as i see it, where i think something is itbe done immediate has been mentioned today numerous times about peer-to-peer. what i think is for a minimum cost sponsored through the v.a. part-time where they are screened and we can put together teams of ages and genders and they would go out veterans,t our younger veterans that are most at risk and using that peer-to-peer at different levels themteams to help guide into the programs and provide that support to them, because in my view and my experiences, which are numerous, in great sadness, are veteran suicides, , it isnger veterans we dissecty sad when it back in some regard and truly the issue might have been over a failed personal relationship or just inability to be employed are substance abuse. v.a.they connect with the and who they put for high risk, it is a larger problem underneath that on the peer to peer end, which brings in all the nonprofits in trying to get to the other core issues that can help them bridge the gap to get them through that period of time. even issues such as when you get to know folks about helping them talk about storing their weapons. it isn't going to happen through legislation, it will happen through people like maurice wilson talking to folks that it thatgood idea understanding and getting the weapon and turnover uncle jack for a while. i think it is proactive and it has to be veterans. i see it is all ages and genders and they are screened and work for the v.a.. if we can pay folks to park cars i think they can figure out how to do something that would help with the most at risk cases. way -- thisanother thenteer program where veterans that up in successful but gone through these experiences, the transition , to link up and call that person a sponsor with a initiated andybe facilitated and make sure similar environments and how that person can help? i know quite a few veterans who would want to participate in something like that. they are successful and they want to help their brothers and sisters. does anything like that exist? go ahead, sir. >> i know in long beach they have a program that's -- that does somewhat what i have described. back to you answer move that is that why we it into hourly pay is become second comes with accountability, and you have to have that in the training. they have to be trained in the sense of what is trying to be why,plished, and that is in my view, i know a lot of veterans around my age that would give their time freely. but for the good of the organizing -- organization, they need to be paid because and i can ask where are your reports on a, b, c. the problem with some of it is they are volunteers and goodhearted, there has to be an accountability in their performance. training is important, but there are a lot of professionals that i know and i could think of many that would love to help their fellow veterans and they would report. it is just a suggestion. onyou have any comments something like that? >> we have a couple of programs in tampa that do just that. when i was talking about standing at the edge of a structural hole, when we connect our organizations, throughout the v.a., they have a peer support program, a very robust peer support program that has been old out to the crisis center of tampa bay and 211 across the state of florida. it is robust and helps warriors with suicide prevention getting into counseling. the more we are able to combine forces across the structural pools and build these bridges, the more we will be able to -- structural holes and build up these bridges, the more we will be able to fill the holes. alsoeventing suicide, but experiences and sharing stories, i think it would be very valuable. >> i yield back. >> i think the member come if there are no further actions, we will bring this to a close. i really want to think our witnesses. this has been an excellent discussion. i just sent a text to my staff saying we have to keep this dialogue going. you are all incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable and i have no doubt that we can continue to work together in a collaborative way and we can make real positive change here. for the lastttee couple of years has had great success and gotten results, and i think we are going to have more success in the next several months, hopefully before the end of september when we all get back to washington. a time where there is so much division, this is an area where we generally come together and get things done for our veterans. i want to thank you all. members. thank all without objection, the subcommittee stands adjourned. i don't have an actual gavel. thank you very much. great to see you all. take care, everyone. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> c-span's "washington journal," we hold us -- we will discuss policy issues. a senior analyst discusses camping 2020. and then a foreign policy analyst and author talks about his latest book on american dominance in space. watch c-span's "washington journal" this morning. be sure to join the discussion. this is president trump and other states and local officials looking over storm damage in lake charles, louisiana, where hurricane laura hit thursday morning. it was the most powerful ever to make landfall and thousands remain without power in the area. [indiscernible] [indiscernible] [indiscernible] [indiscernible] >> later, the president moved on to orange county, texas about 30 miles from lake charles and met with officials including governor grade -- greg

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