VETERANS ADVISORY COMMISSION Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, September 16, 2026 2:00 p.m. PRESENT: MYRA J. FIELDS-ROUSE, CO-CHAIR ALBERT NEWMAN, COMMISSIONER DARBY FORD, COMMISSIONER MIKE HILL, COMMISSIONER FRANK McKELVEY, COMMISSIONER DAVID JANNETTA, COMMISSIONER JAMES ROZIER, COMMISSIONER MACK DUNCAN, COMMISSIONER - - -
Good afternoon. This is the Veterans Advisory Commission meeting on September -- I'm sorry, the 6 16th, 2026. Good afternoon. I 7 will now have an opening prayer: 8 Dear Father, give us 9 sense of guidance, give us a sense 10 of engaging, watch over all of us. 11 Bless our families. Bless everyone 12 in the city. Bless our soldiers 13 and the nation. Let them know 14 we're praying for them. And these 15 are our blessings in His name. Amen. (Amen.)
We will now have the Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated.
We will now have our MIA/POW ceremony by Commissioner Frank McKelvey. MR. McKELVEY: The Veterans Advisory Commission will now call for designating a POW empty chair. All official meetings of the Veterans Advisory Commission, as simple as a physical symbol of thousands of American POWs, well unaccounted for all wars and conflicts involving the United States.
You may be seated. The Philadelphia Veterans Advisory Commission is dedicated to honoring and empowering the city's veterans and their families by advising the City Council on policies, programs and services that address their unique needs. We strive to ensure that all veterans in Philadelphia have equitable access to housing, health care, employment and community support while promoting awareness, inclusion and respect for their service and sacrifices. We will now have opening remarks by the Chairwoman Myra Fields-Rouse. Thank you.
Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. This is our fifth meeting of the Veterans Advisory Commission. We're excited to be here. We are working on different things and to bring new ideas. We welcome any ideas and anything that people want to bring to the board. And we're trying to do something different. Just to name a few things, we're going to be doing a lot of different outreach to different facilities where veterans are housed at. We also want to have a couple of fundraisers, try to raise some money and stuff like that for veterans. So we have a lot of things coming up on the horizon. Bear with us. But we are very excited about this being our fifth meeting.
Thank you, Myra. I will now read the minutes from previous meetings. m. The Veterans Advisory Commission had a meeting with the Director of Offensive Affairs, Mr. Gregory Wright. Mr. Gregory Wright had an illness in his family and couldn't attend that meeting. He had his Chief of Staff, Ms. Kat Kirkman, to stand in for him at that meeting. The Commissioners had several questions for the Director, and Ms. Kirkman did a spectacular job in her presentation. The new business that she discussed was the Office of Veterans Affairs updates supporting for additional Office of Veterans Affairs staffing, Office of Veterans Affairs Commissioners, working in coordination with the Office of Veterans Affairs. She updated us on the website and digital resource coordination. She discussed advocacy and recommendations. She put in upcoming priorities, events, and opportunities with collaboration with the Commissioners. I want to thank the Chief of Staff for her presentation that day. And I thought, and as I probably speak for the rest of Commissioners, that meeting went very, very well. The Veterans Advisory Commission, we had a meeting on September 11, 2026. m. and the location of that meeting was the VFW Post 76050. That is the post of Commissioner Hill. At that meeting, we discussed monthly Commission meetings. The Commissioners discussed and agreed that regular meetings of the Veterans Advisory Commission will be held on the first Thursday of each month. And when I say that, that means our meetings, not official meetings as of like today. We're going to meet monthly. Those meetings and times and locations will be communicated with the Commissioners in advance. We discussed Community outreach. The Commissioners discussed establishing regular outreach opportunities at designated veterans locations throughout the city. The purpose of that outreach event will be to provide veterans and their families with information, assistance and referrals regarding available benefits and services. me accounts for set-up and verifications. We also discussed fundraising opportunities. The Commissioners discussed potential fundraising opportunities to support Veterans Advisory Commissioners programs, outreach activities, veterans events and other initiatives benefiting veterans and their families. Commissioners will continue to identify potential fundraising activities, community partners, sponsors and donors. We also discussed a standdown. The Commissioners discussed planning and supporting a future veterans standdown event. The goal will be to bring multiple veterans resources and services for providers together at one location to assist veterans. The Commissioners also discussed ensuring that representatives from recruiters from the United States Armed Forces are available to participate and are available onsite during those events when appropriate. The Office of Veterans Affairs, we discussed an update from the Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs to develop and distribution of the public service announcements. And we also discussed the continuing update on the Veterans website. The Commissioners also discussed preparing remarks on behalf of the Veterans Advisory Commission for the upcoming Veterans Day. The Commissioners' remarks will recognize that the service and sacrifice of veterans and their families and reinforce the Commissioner's commitment to serving the veterans in their community. The Commissioners discussed strengthening collaboration with City Councilmembers. When Councilmembers sponsor or participate in veterans-related events within their respective districts, the Commissioners will seek opportunities to support those events, provide veterans resource information, increase that outreach, and help connect veterans with available benefits and services. And finally, the Commissioners' recognition of the departing Office of Veterans Affairs Manager.
The Commissioners discussed preparing an appropriate retirement and recognition event and honoring of Wanda Dennis, the Manager of the Office of Veterans Affairs. The Commissioners will look to work collaboratively with City Council to recognize the Manager's service, contributions and her commitment to the veterans community and to ensure that the retirement recognition is conducted in an appropriate and meaningful manner. m. Chairwoman, if anyone has any remarks or not.
Okay. All right. So I'm introducing the Director of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Gregory Wright.
Okay. All right. Good afternoon, everybody. (Good afternoon.)
So we had the meeting. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go over there, but Kat represented well. So I appreciate you all taking the time for that meeting. Just a quick update. We're also working on our plan for the future for the office. So once we finish with that, it should be before the end of the year. Once we finish with that, we'd definitely like to introduce that to you guys to make sure that it's in alliance with what you see for the office. We're hoping to also get new personnel before the end of the year as well. So we put the ask out to our HR in regard to the posting of the position. So we're just waiting on a response right now. But that's all the updates that I have for today.
I did have a question, Director Wright, if you don't mind. So I work for DBHIDS and I do get referrals and I don't have points of contact, like phone numbers. Is it possible that we can have the exact phone -- I don't because I walk that work right down the street, so possible phone numbers so I can refer the individuals over to the Office of Veterans Affairs?
We can absolutely get that. I believe all of our staff members have their cards now. And we'll give your office a few cards so that when the referrals come in, you can just hand them the card and then they can reach out to us whenever they see fit.
I have a question, Director Wright. I don't know if you want to expand on any of the renovations or staffing updates that you're looking forward to for the Veterans Affairs Office.
So the renovations are underway. We are hoping that they'll be completed by October. And we have expanded the office with MSW, so the Masters of Social Work interns. We have one -- well, we have two actually. So Elle Zhao is one of our interns and she is helping on the clinical side of things. So assisting with the clinical intake for our veterans when we're doing the assessments, trying to make sure that they have what they need, the space that they need to speak on whatever issues they have. And she's also assisting with answering the phones and making sure that we're putting more of our information into the licensing system that we use for our notetaking, which is Vet Pro. Our other intern Stephen, he will be back in the office I believe next week. And Stephen is helping with data gathering. He is not an MSW -- he is not an MSW student. He's actually data analytics. So with Stephen's work, we'll be able to properly map resources on our website for our veterans to be able to get to quicker, more efficiently and be able to use the website and in a more user-friendly way. So right now the website is kind of outdated. We do have our information up there, current, up-to-date. It is up and running, but we're making improvements. And as far as the additional office staff, that personnel will be designated VSO. So currently we have four or five VSOs in the office. However, everybody can't do everything. So we're trying to make sure that we can have a designated person that's able to keep track of these things, they're full-time, and it will allow for more outreach on the outreach side, because Melissa is also a designated VSO. She does claims, quite a few. And so, if we could free her up from that and that'll offer me to be able to free myself up, particularly my evenings and weekends, to be able to get to, you know, different events or different meetings that I need to attend.
Thank you, Director Wright. Just a quick follow-up. Is there any consideration that you or Kat -- can I say, Kat -- have towards giving the singular training that you folks are doing with key areas, is there any way you could do any kind of cross-training between other staff members so that it isn't one person's functionality to manage just a claim, at least to keep shepherding it through the system if that person is not available?
That's a great question, Commissioner. All of the staff are cross-trained. So everybody in the staff has been trained how to do claims, how to do real estate tax exemption, any intake that we need and really anything, any resource that any of our veterans can -- any resource that our veterans need so they know how to do it. The reason why we segregate the functionalities is because it allows for continuity with the veterans. And it doesn't have too many chefs in the kitchen, right. We are using a system that we all have access to, which is VetPro and we're using a feature of that system that allows for us to track the interactions. So if you're finished working with the veteran, you put in there what you worked with them on and what's needed next. If that veteran comes in and it's your day off or you're on vacation, you're sick, whatever the case may be, they don't have to wait for one of the staff members to come back in. We can assist them on whatever they need.
That's great. I was worried about that because I think ultimately people have to go to lunch, people have to, you know, have lives.
Even you have a life. So we need to keep that ball moving and that claim going. It's important.
For sure. Real estate tax exemption is one of the biggest ones I know between the claims. That's kind of personal for the veteran. So they tend to stick with who they know as they're working through it. But if they call in and it's Darby's day off or it's my day off, we can for sure answer those questions for that veteran without the VSO having to be there for the real estate tax exemption. Tai Johnson has put together a spreadsheet for us to be able to reference at any point in time. She's always updating that spreadsheet and making sure that the veterans have what they need in regard to that program. So if anyone were to call at any point in time and the entire staff has been up to Harrisburg or Fort Indiantown Gap, excuse me, where we have really strengthened our relationship with the state for the real estate tax program. So at any point in time, even if we were somehow to get locked out of the document that has created, we can call up to the state and ask for any information that the veteran is asking about. So everyone is cross-trained. But we do believe that keeping everyone in their designated program is how we allow for the most efficient use of the staff.
I do have a question. I wanted to ask -- go back to the clinical piece because you said you would have MSW interns, correct?
Okay. So as an MSW myself, I heard you talking about assessments. Are they ASAM-certified or is it going to be different? Because I'm hearing -- maybe I can refer some of my veterans there if they're doing clinical assessments. So just some insight on that statement that you made.
So when we're talking about clinical assessments, I'm referring to the veterans intake portion for their claims. So if the MSW is there, they'll be able to learn under, Kat who's been an MSW for the last seven years, about what that looks like and what the process is and how to treat that population in regard to this specific process.
Yes. MR. McKELVEY: I know you talked about interns bringing people in. That office, which everybody knows the office has highly classified sensitive items in there. So my thing is when you bring people in there, I don't know if you do your -- what type of vetting do you do when you bring people there? Who do you talk to? Are these people scammed? Do you follow up on them? Do you do a background check? Take us through what you do.
So for the interns that we're bringing in and for any program that is going to use internships, for the most part specifically social working programs, these schools for, one, our interns are coming from UPenn and that school itself has a rigorous screening process when it comes to their interns. So they do have to get vetted, they get background checks, they get their fingerprints. And when we meet with them, they have to go through the process of being matched to us. They have to do an interview process with myself or Kat or a combination of the both of us and then we have to bless off on it. The information that they're getting or that they'll have access to is always secure. VetPro is a secured licensing system. And we also have our cabinetry files, which are in the office space. But, yes, they do get screened and then Kat and I have a conversation with them and let them know the population that they're dealing with, the information that they're going to be looking at and how their role plays into our office. MR. McKELVEY: Thank you.
Good morning, Director Wright. I just have one question for you. Looking at what's called a PIT Count, a Philadelphia homeless veterans PIT Count, that's the Point-in-Time Count for homeless veterans throughout the City of Philadelphia. And I'm looking at it and it says from 2007 to -- this one is from 2007 to 2024. If you can, I want you to look into this. In 2007, the City of Philadelphia said it was 1227 homeless veterans that year. That number dropped, from 1227 all the way down to 342 in one year. That's 880 veterans that were removed from homelessness in one year. From 2008 to current is still 241 considered homeless veterans. So my question, if you can look into this for me, what was in place in 2007 where they were able to remove 880 veterans off the road? And from 2008 to 2024, which is a 16-year period, they can't remove 234 people. How can you remove 880 people in one year and over years, you can't remove 236 5 people? So what was in the 6 planning in that year that they 7 were able to remove that many 8 veterans? 9 So if you can just look 10 into that and find out what was in 11 place that year. Because to remove 12 that many veterans in one year, 13 they had to have collaboration with 14 somebody. Somebody had to have 15 been working together and removed 16 that many veterans. And you can't remove 200 people in 16 years. So if you could, you can do your due diligence. For me personally, I just want to know what they had in place in that particular year.
If I may, I may add one follow-up point to that, Director. This may be an ideal task for your intern for data mining, because I would be surprised if, as we say in the Army, garbage in, garbage out. And so, it's likely that there was some data miscalculation, fat-finger or something like that, that throw those numbers off. But it might be a good task for one of your interns who's got some free time.
No, I agree. I think we talked about this in the office at some point. And for me personally, I love your optimism, Commissioner, because I don't think there was that much collaboration. I think if there was, we would have heard about it. What I think happened was there were new guidances and new policies on what's considered homeless and they were able to manipulate the data out of there's more than 200 homeless vets out there.
And also, I think that we have to look at how are they collecting this data, the veterans and what time frame are they looking at. What is considered homeless, are you considered homeless after a day. Are you considered homeless after 30 days and how are they classifying these things. It's the same thing as a veteran who we're asking, hey, are you a veteran. And if it's a National Guard veteran who's never deployed. And they say, no, I'm not. No, you are a veteran. But now we're asking the question, have you served. And that in itself has a different response. So I think it's how the questions were asked, how the data has been collected. But I'm willing to bet there's more than 200 homeless veterans out there, and the numbers probably are more staggering than what's being presented and probably more aligned with what the data looks like from 2007.
I can elaborate on that. So I know how the numbers -- because I worked with the shelter system and things like that. So if someone went into a shelter for the evening, they took them off the list. So it wasn't even a permanent supportive housing. So just like you said, the numbers are skewed. They are because there's no way in the world that you go from 1000-something to 200, and it remains in that state for X amount of years. So there was also a big push on getting -- it was like it was a couple of programs, a lot of collaboration, allegedly getting veterans housed. We got to get the 10,000 veterans housed and stuff like that. But a lot of it was how they counted them. So if somebody was there on a PIT Count one day and didn't show up, oh, they got housing. So it's crazy. So it's, I guess, flexible how they modify it and stuff like that. We know the numbers are not nowhere near there, but that was a big push at that time. And I do remember that because in Philadelphia, it's said that we've eradicated homelessness for veterans in Philadelphia. I was like, really. So I remember that because the PIT Count and also if someone was off the street or if they went to a city shelter or they went and grant per diem and other things, they took them off, that's not permanent supportive housing. So I think that would be something very good to look at because who knows, it'd be nice if we can get our hands on those numbers for the PIT Count and how they do it. Because basically in different areas of the city, if you see the ones who are taking the statistics but if another person is out there and they don't get counted, so you have to have X amount of days. That's another dialogue. But I just wanted to say that that's where that came from. All right. Okay. So do we have any more questions for the Director?
If I could ask a quick question. Director, good to see you. You've been in your chair for many months and settled in hopefully. If you had to focus on -- I was just curious in terms of your day-to-day work experience, what would you say is the single area that you have that you spend the most time on each day? The number one and number two maybe.
So what I spend most of my day on, number one, would be claims, which is why we need a VSO. Me doing claims is not a waste of my time by any means, but it consumes a very large amount of my day and that is the number one thing in my day. After that, it's probably workforce development. We are working with a number of organizations and persons to make sure that we are making Philadelphia one of the premier places that a veteran wants to live. And the best place to do that is to secure them financially, to give them financial security. So looking at the programs that's out there for workforce development, for our veterans, looking at the incentives to hire veterans, working with differing consultant agencies to figure out, okay, what have you done to hire veterans, to make sure that our veterans are staying with you, what does this look like, speaking to Human Resources departments and working with the VA itself to see what programs they have inhouse to ensure that the veterans are getting what they need. One of the projects that we're working on now is working with VRE, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Employment program, seeing where there are some kinks in the armor and how they -- of course, this is a federal issue for them, but seeing where the city can step in, how my office can assist with making sure that the veterans who need to utilize this program, they understand what it is, they understand what they're getting themselves into, the process in itself and what the length of time looks like. A lot of times it's looked at as another GI bill, which it's different from that, but it does offer very similar benefits. And the biggest piece of it is the employment. So making sure that that veteran has sustained employment that doesn't impact their disabilities. So I would say claims, I would say workforce development and then depending on what we have going on during that day, we're just switching between the topics. So my Chief of Staff and I are very much in sync with what we want to see and how we communicate with each other. So she is the primary point of contact with making sure that, hey, are we still meeting this goal, are we still on target with this, and being able to collaborate with her and her vast experience and her connections to make sure that we are hitting the right target points. That's everything. I think that when you guys see the plan that we present to you, you'll be very impressed with it. And you'll see that it aligns with what you want to see out of this office for our veterans in the city.
Thanks. That's very helpful and it's informative. And what I would suggest is that at some point we would like to flip and have you spend more of your time on workforce development.
Yes. MR JANNETTA: I mean, the claims are very important, but there are other people that can do those, but aren't a lot of people that can do the workforce development the way you can.
I agree. I think that the claims are extremely important for our veterans. But again, having me do the claims individually -- we have Darby down there and I'm telling you, when he's in there, they're calling and they're asking for Darby, they're asking for Darby. And he does such a great job at what he's doing. And even for just the two of us, it's still an overwhelming amount, which is the need for our VSO, having someone who can steadily work on this, spend eight hours a day, who has the experience working on claims to really sift through it, I think for me personally I take about an hour per claim depending on what's needed, especially if it's a new claim that's being started. But my days look anywhere from starting at 5:00 a.m. If I'm not in the office, I'm at home just working on claims and to an even longer night. So just making sure that I can knock out these claims and then get into the office to do the things that are more macro and strategic.
Can you describe what is the VR? Am I saying it right? The VR program, did I say it right? I'm (inaudible).
The VA is an emergency grant from the state, from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. In order to qualify for that grant, you have to be in an emergent situation and it looks different for everybody. But the easiest way to give the example is if your water heater blows and you need a new water heater and you meet the criteria, which is having served on active duty I believe for more than 30 days and being a veteran in Pennsylvania and having a significant financial need, then you'll be able to apply. Once you apply or once you reach out to us to contact us and let us know like, hey, I'm looking for this, I need this, there's a packet. If Melissa doesn't immediately grab the -- or if they don't immediately go to Melissa or if one of us outside of Melissa gets the contact first, we send the packet to the veteran, hey, this is everything that you need, here's the checklist with the packet, here's the packet that you need to fill out and have this return to us as soon as possible. Once they start flowing in with the information, sometimes it's all in one email, sometimes it comes in the span of emails, and 18 then we'll go ahead and put that 19 packet together. Melissa then 20 looks through it and she makes sure if there's anything missing. Typically, she gets in contact with the veteran between to days after they've turned in that packet. And then once she feels like, okay, this is a cogent packet to send up, we go ahead, we send it up to the state. The state takes anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks to give us a decision and the veteran gets the money directly. It's $1,600 in a 12-month period.
Okay. So is it income-based or not, because you said financial difficulty or financial emergency?
So there is an income portion to it. I wouldn't say that you have to show a financial need. So if your water heater blew and you have $5,000 in your savings account, that may impact your application differently than somebody who has $5 in their savings account.
Okay. Thank you. MR. McKELVEY: You know what, one more thing. I know we're pressed for time, but that's great information. All this is great information. How do we get this out to the public? How do we get this out to the communities? How do we get this information out? It's great information that people can use. They need this. We need to find a way that we can get this information out to the community, to the public so they will know A, B, C and D that you have to do? We got to work on that.
Absolutely, I agree. So one of the things that we're doing outside of outreach there is not a time where I walk into that office and Melissa spends an entire day in that office. She's out there putting the word out for everything that our veterans could need, all the resources. If she's not tabling an event, she's walking into a shelter or she's walking into an organization to let them know like, hey, our office is here, this is what we offer, this is what we're doing. So she's one of our biggest assets to getting the word out. Word of mouth is always great. We also get the word out through the state. It is a state grant program. So a lot of times if a veteran reaches out to myself or to Tai or to Kat or to Derby or to Wanda or anybody besides Melissa, it's because they've seen it from the state's website. Then there's also the updates that we're doing to the website to make sure that we have all the resources without overwhelming the user, to make sure we have all the resources that they need, the more important ones, so VTA tax claims assistance. So we are working on that. We have a four-phase plan for what the website looks like. And we're hoping within the next year, that website has done a complete 180 from what you recognize today. MR. McKELVEY: Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. And I want -- Melissa is working very hard to get that out. I see it when she does these events. She's out there and she doesn't leave until everything is over. She has been doing a great job and I want to acknowledge that right now. She has been doing that. Thank you.
All right. Thank you, Director Wright. We don't have any more questions. Thank you.
So we will now have our first guest speaker. Please excuse me if I butcher your name. Kristi Bergey.
Thank you. This feels so formal to me. Hello. I thank you for having me. My name is Kristi Bergey. I'm an associate broker with Coldwell Banker. I'm the KB experience, and I'm here to offer my services to the veterans. I have helped veterans throughout the years. And I was asked to be here to talk about some of the services that I've provided. And I loved very much hearing what is happening with all of these programs, because one of the things that I do as a realtor for all my clients, no matter what their background is, is educate myself and identify programs such as what you were just speaking about. So thank you for inviting me because I just learned and I will do everything to get this information and help you get it out to the public and other veterans what's available to them, especially in need of home repairs. That's been a big thing with our older veterans as well as they've been in their homes, especially in Philadelphia, for many years. Many generations have been through it. And unfortunately, they don't know how to fix that roof, you know, and these are my neighbors and I help them find those programs in many different ways. So I'm really excited because I actually have somebody that I think could use that program.
So thank you. So I'm here to offer my services in any way, shape or form that I can to help continue to advocate and educate. There are so many folks that don't understand that a VA loan does not have to come from USAA. Heads up, surprise, surprise. And that may not be your best choice. And the process can be completely tedious and it shouldn't have to be. And other brokers, agents are out there. Lenders are out there that can still provide VA loans. I also help educate in the process. I worked with several veterans, still active veterans and active military with helping them identify their portfolio for when they come out of service. So they buy a home, multi-family home. They live in it. They can still use their VA loan because they're living there. It's a primary home, but now they've got equity. So while they're overseas and serving our country, they're able to still have their bills paid. And they're also still building equity for when they're figuring out how to get back into civilian, because that's we all know how hard that is coming out of service. So I've worked both active and not active retired. What else can I say. I sat on the Armed Services Council at the Union League for many years, so I have been very involved. And when we were talking about the 2007 PIT, interestingly enough there was a veterans home that was expanding in West Powelton Village area. And I don't even know if he still is existing. I was helping him at the time. I've been in real estate in some way, shape or form for well over years, I won't date myself, I'll stop there, and nationally as well. So this gentleman had a group home and he had rules and regulations and I don't even think it exists anymore. I'm curious if it does. And then I don't know if many of you are familiar with Dana Spain, but I know that she, right around that same time, started picking up some buildings that also were happening in Sharswood area, the school that was supposed to be turning into veteran housing. I don't think that ever finalized. It was an old high school. So she's no longer in the Philadelphia region. But I do think -- it would be interesting to see what has happened between 2007/2009 to today, let alone our current climate and the pandemic. I'm sorry. I think I've taken up too much time. I was only given a few minutes, but you guys asked so many great questions. Now, I'm curious.
Yes, I have a quick question for you. With the housing market so high, do you see veterans just being priced right out of it?
Not at all. And here's why. 0% down is what your loan allows for you. That's number one. Number two, you also have a lower interest rate than most of the folks. So as long as your debt-to-income ratio is within reason, ideally under 40%, would 18 be fantastic, you are not going to 19 be priced out. But the biggest 20 issue in Philadelphia is if you 21 wanted to put 3% down in any -- and 22 I'm going to say this, no, not just 23 be a driven. In order to close on 24 a home, you need 10% with only 3% down on your mortgage. You need 10% of the actual purchase price to close in cash. So $300,000, 3% down, to get to closing, you need $30,000 in cash to close. When you work with me and you're in a situation, you're going to get seller's assist. That helps take that number down. If you're negotiating the sale of your house and you're in a very low-income situation, which I'm dealing with a lot of seniors right now, there's no way that we can lend because there's no income or there's no pension, it's just Social Security, we're asking for the sale of the house, the buyer to pick up the full transfer tax, which is basically 5%. So that helps reduce some of that cost coming out of the pocket of the seller as well, negotiations also on agency fees as well. So no is the short answer. MR. McKELVEY: I have a question. What's the number that the VA will pay for a home? I want to buy a house. Is there a certain set of number you can't go over? Is it 400,000; 300,000?
No, no, it's what you qualify for. You're just like everybody else in the sense of the VA is going to approve you for what your income is to what you can afford. But they definitely take in the other considerations that you may have coming in depending if you're active or not. If you're being deployed, that happened to me last year that we got stuck in the middle of one because it was a deployment situation and we just were too afraid to sign. Oh, that's the other thing. I know how to sign the sales package overseas. I know how to get the deals done, how to put in the PO, if necessary, if you are thinking you're going to be deployed in a short period of time during that sale process. I also work with the legal side of that as well as depending on where you're likely to be deployed. I can also dispatch to -- it's usually the Embassies, the U.S. Embassies that you go in and get your notary there. So I work with that. It's called clearing title and taking care of the bank lending side of things. So I take care of that as well. Thank you.
Just a quick follow-up. Do you have any contact information you would share with the group just in case?
Yes, I'd be happy to leave this with you. I just gave you some of my rack cards. They're actually more towards people who are looking to invest and have multiple properties and don't want to deal with them anymore. And I am in the process of making new ones. But I brought these for you. So, yes.
Do we have anyone else that wishes to speak today? Rebecca, are you here? Come up. How are you doing?
My name is Rebecca Chalson, founder and Executive Director of Brave Connections doing business as Veteran Concierge. Last year, I stood before the Commission to introduce the first phase of our mission, our nationwide Veteran Concierge Resource Directory. Today I'm here to share what comes next. But first, I want to tell you why it matters. My younger brother Ben served six years in the United States Navy. He completed his service. He came home and months later, on June 14 27, 2022 we lost him to suicide. 15 As I tried to understand how this 16 could happen, I discovered 17 something devastating. 18 According to the VA's latest national data, veterans ages 18 to 34 had the highest suicide rate of any veteran age group in 2023. Ben was 30 years old. He was right in the middle of that age group. So when I hear that statistic, I don't hear a number. I see my brother. And there is one question I have asked myself over and over since losing him. What if someone had consistently called in to check in on him, someone who understood the challenges of transitioning back into civilian life, the challenges of rediscovering your identity, of finding community again, of rebuilding a sense of purpose after coming home from such a structured, high-control environment. Not someone calling because Ben was already in crisis. Someone calling so he knew he wasn't navigating the transition alone. Another veteran who could simply say, hey, how are you doing, how's civilian life going, what do you need, let me help you find it. I can't change what my brother didn't have, but we can change what the next veteran does. And that is why we built BridgeBack this fall. Veteran Concierge is preparing to pilot BridgeBack, beginning with veteran-to-veteran service members can enter the program up to -- oh, sorry. Let me say BridgeBack is specifically designed for service members. During that critical first year of transition out of the military, service members can enter the program up to 180 days before their expected discharge, so the connection can begin before ever taking off the uniform. The pilot program will launch with 150 transitioning service members, matched with 150 trained veteran mentors one hour a month. Think of it as a big brother, big sister model for the veteran community. And for those watching who may not be familiar, TAP is the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program, designed to prepare service members for civilian life as they leave the military. I'm clarifying that because it's important to understand where BridgeBack fits. BridgeBack is not designed to replace TAP, the VA or the extraordinary veteran organizations already doing this work. We're trying to build the bridge between them. TAP helps prepare service members to leave the military. BridgeBack is designed to walk alongside them through that critical first year, after they do with support from a significant grant, from just a mere foundation. We are building the infrastructure to make that possible and scale nationwide. Our Veteran Concierge mobile app will facilitate the entire experience, from mentor matching and monthly check-ins to transition milestones and trusted resource connections, including connecting participants with their local VA. And we're building measurement into the program from day one so we can provide summary reports and prove what works while protecting participant privacy. Because we don't want to tell people BridgeBack works. We want to prove it. And there's another reason I believe this is the year to do it. This year America celebrates its 250th birthday. For 250 years, Americans have raised their hands and volunteered to serve this country. Think about what we have built in that time. We know how to recruit them, we know how to train them, and we know how to deploy them.
But 250 years later, we still don't have one universally scaled system that ensures somebody personally follows up and says, welcome home, how are you doing, are you connected to support. Maybe it's time we change that. Maybe the next chapter of America's commitment to service isn't about how we send people to serve. Maybe it's about how we welcome them home. And that is why I'm here today. I'm not asking this Commission for a check. We have applied for grants and we are actively speaking with sponsors and community partners about funding. I'm asking for collaboration. I'm asking for an ongoing conversation about how Philadelphia can help us recruit veteran mentors and participants. Help us reach service members preparing to transition. Help us find veterans while willing to give one hour a month to the next generation. Help us connect participants with VA and trusted organizations already serving this community, and help us demonstrate what happens when we stop waiting until a veteran is in crisis before we reach out, because that's really what BridgeBack is about, connection before crisis. And for everyone watching today, you don't have to be a veteran to be part of this mission. You can participate, you can volunteer, you can become a referral or community partner. You can make an introduction. You can support the mission, and you can donate for the veterans watching. I invite you to learn how you too can become a mentor. org/support to learn how you can get involved. So whether you give your time, your connections, your resources or simply help us share this mission, there is a place for you on this bridge. m. for our inaugural BridgeBack Home Gala. org to receive an invite. This event will bring together veterans, families, community leaders, partners and supporters as we celebrate the people helping us build this bridge and raise support for the next chapter of our mission. Because ultimately, this isn't something Veteran Concierge can build alone. It takes a community to welcome veterans home. I can't change what my brother didn't have, but we can change what the next veteran does. So as America celebrates 250, I believe we have an opportunity to set a new standard. For 250 years, we have thanked Americans for raising their hands to serve. Now, let's raise ours to welcome them home. That's my ask today. 150 veterans willing to raise their hands. 150 transitioning service members who know someone is walking beside them. 300 people impacted through our soon-to-launch Veteran Concierge mobile app. And perhaps someday, a model that reaches far beyond Philadelphia, because thank you for your service shouldn't be where our responsibility ends. It should be the bridge home begins again. org/support. Thank you again to the Commission for providing this opportunity today. I'm happy to take any questions.
You said you were looking for volunteers. Have you reached out to the American Legion, the VFW, where the veterans actually are to see if those veterans can give you that one hour of time?
Yes. So thankfully a lot has changed since the last I presented. I actually have a board now with veterans represented. I have community director, government development people involved in the board, and we are actively reaching out to bases, veteran centers and centers of influence such as colleges that you mentioned. And one of the reasons I'm here today is to officially raise awareness to Philadelphia and the people watching as well. So, yes, thank you for that recommendation as well.
Your flyer is still in my Post, my VFW Post. But I appreciate the work you're doing and trying to carry on and coming up with another way. I see this, as my colleague says, my comrade, you know, the VFW and the American Legion, we're always looking for new members to come back and we can't always plug into them. And this may be a really good way to do it. One, because it benefits the veteran who's coming home, that they have a home. And, you know, the VFW and American Legions, they've transitioned over time as well.
Absolutely, yes. And I would welcome continuing conversations with the Commission about how we could potentially collaborate to raise awareness. I have a team, but we are still launching. We have done a lot within the last year. We have about 15,000 visitors to our veteran concierge directory. And I can also provide the Commission with our impact report. But that being said, we're actively engaging referral partners, but having the Commission as one of those referral partners would be a huge opportunity for us.
Yeah, absolutely. MR. McKELVEY: Thank you. Leave some brochures.
Hi. My name is Alice Worthington (inaudible). I joined the military in 1964, and that was the (inaudible) at that time. And I'm going to start off by saying, like Jeremiah said, I'm just a boy. Jeremiah in the Bible, when he was asked to go preach, he said, but I'm just a boy. Well, I'm just a veteran and I appreciate y'all giving us this time to heal, but we're not. I'm not going to go through the extra details of what happened. But if one of you pull up HR 7976, then you could understand where I'm coming from and where are we trying to go. Congressman Don Bacon, Congressman Carbajal, they initiated that bill, they put it in in order, but it hasn't been passed yet. When that bill be passed, every male, female that was raped during their military service will be retroactive back to that date. But that is a little time. I've been carrying this burden with me since 1965. I will be 81 years old this year and I pray only thing I ask Jehovah and Jesus Christ able me to live long enough so I can put happiness and pride on my three children face because they saw me at my worst. They didn't know what was going on. When I used to go to family gatherings, all the men, women, they drank cold-blooded alcohol, homemade stove Whiskey. I only drank beer. And I always wondered why I drank the less and I always got the drunkest. But when I started going 2014 to this class for military sexual trauma, then I was able to see what would happen all those years and stuff. See, people on the outside see the joy. But only the heart knows the bitterness that's on the inside of it. I didn't come here today for no pity party. I came here for justice, liberty, and I wanted all of us veterans that this terrible thing happened to. Now, I'll take your questions if you all want to ask. If I didn't give you all enough, I'm willing and ready to answer some questions.
I was trying to hear what bill that was, who sponsored that bill, who co-sponsored it. And as of right now, do you know how many other Congressmen have attached themselves to that bill?
We constantly asked our Dwight Evans for help. We haven't gotten no 3 help. Congressman Don Bacon, if you all watch CNN, y'all seen Don Bacon and Salud, those two. Don Bacon is a Republican from Nebraska. And I forget what Carbajal is from, but he is a Democrat. Those two initiated that bill. First, it was all Restitution of Justice Act, but it was a legal formality. They renamed it MIRRA, Moral Injury Recognition and Restitution Act, because that is a mental health. And that way they figured that we can get the recognition and whatever is owed to us by reinstating that bill and we thanked them for it. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So can I interject to help her out a little bit?
Yes. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: There are at this moment, Congressmen and women that have cosponsored this bill and it is HR 7976. It's called the Moral Injury Recognition and Restitution Act. And this would change the effective date of a veteran's claim to allow veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their service to receive retroactive disability benefits starting from the date after their discharge from service rather than the claim file date. And this is sponsored by Salud Carbajal and he's a Democratic Congressman from California. Representative Don Bacon, he's a Republican out of Nebraska. And they too are bipartisan sponsoring this bill 22 here. I have met with the latest Congressman Thomas Kean from New Jersey, met with his staff members and he just co-sponsored on. So when I was here back in March sitting before you guys and I read my testimony story, there were only Congressmen and 6 women. We're up to 18 now. Thomas 7 Kean, he just signed on with us as 8 well. And we also have Senator 9 Cory Booker, he's interested in 10 supporting us. So we're working, 11 working hard. 12 For those, I don't know, 13 that wasn't here in the past, this bill when I came before you before, it was HR 6023. It has now -- that closed on in the Senate, on the floor. Now, it's renamed, it's reintroduced as of March 18th this year under HR 7976. And it's called now the Moral Injury Recognition and Restitution Act. And it provides a retroactive VA benefits for veterans with mental health or physical conditions resulting from military sexual trauma, effective from the day after the discharge and not when we filed a claim. I came out in 1982 and for 40 years I was not allowed to get my health care or anything as a veteran because it was no name. There was no MST back then. There was no diagnosis. So now since 2021, I'm just now receiving my benefits. They're recognizing me as the veteran that served and have a service connected disability. If I could, Salud Carbajal, I'm not sure if you all are familiar, and Don Bacon, he is on CNN and C-SPAN and all different places political. But this was their statements themselves: Sexual assault in our military is a grave injustice. And it is long past time for the VA to expand benefits for those who carry this trauma back home. And this was Representative Carbajal's statement in quotes: "The Moral Injury Recognition and Restitution Act was inspired by a Central Coast veteran who faced the same inexcusable hurdles that far too many survivors encounter when seeking help from the VA. I'm proud to close the gaps in our system -- I'm sorry. I'm proud to join my friend and fellow veteran Congressman Bacon in introducing this bill to close the gaps in our system and finally deliver the justice our veterans deserve." And then Representative Bacon wrote, One sexual assault in the military is one too many. Sexual assault in the military leaves behind a wake of trauma, anxiety and depression. As Wing Commander at Ramstein, I established the best sexual assault prevention program in the Air Force because I recognized the importance of keeping our service members safe from this kind of violence. For those service members who do tragically experience sexual assault, we should ensure that they receive payment for treatment to help them recover. Changing the effective date from when veterans receive payments is the right thing to do. So, yeah, I'm trying to meet with anybody that will listen, trying to get into the virtual rooms, the courtrooms of any and every Congressman and woman we can, if we had a list of those that you may advise us to direct us toward, I'd be more than grateful. We do also have the -- I heard someone mention the VFW. They are in favor of this, of supporting this Act. It's now right now in the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Health Division. So it has moved a little. But thank you for the time.
Thank you. I just wanted to add something. As a survivor myself and going through the system, the VA system, it was very difficult for me several years ago. Now, it's a lot easier. So I'm a staunch advocate for people, whether male or female, that have been victims of sexual assault and things like that. And it sounds like, because I know the other -- when you were here last time you talked about it, I know it was tabled. Hopefully, this will get some, you know, momentum. Because like you said, with the initial claim being filed, they could go from that date. However, the incident or incidents could have occurred like ten years prior. So that would mean really something for veterans to get that back pay quote. It would really mean something, but also would open the door for a lot of different things because a lot of people don't really understand military sexual trauma. They don't understand how trauma stays in your cells. And it has a detrimental effect on your life if you don't seek assistance. And a lot of times we as veterans don't know how to seek assistance. There is that friend that tells you, you need some assistance. And stuff like that may take five years, five months, 20 years, but it's never too late. So again, thank you for speaking out. Thank you for your courage. We really appreciate that. Thank you so much. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you.
Just one question. That HR bill that this young lady and I was speaking on, could you give me that bill number again? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: HR 7976. And I do have some printouts of the letters that I'm emailing to the different legislators' offices, so as a template. And I have the bill 15 actually on there. I do have a copy of the bill itself.
Oh, okay. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I'll leave it here or can I give it --
Thank you so much. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I appreciate that. Thank you.
We appreciate you. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Is there a list or any contacts? Because I did send this information to Congressman Senator Evans, Dwight Evans (inaudible). COUNCIL TECH SUPPORT: Please speak into the mic for the