Montgomery County, Maryland Commission on Veterans Affairs Annual Report 2016

 

 

 

 

Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 12 

DAR C

OMMEMORATES

 V

IETNAM

 50

TH

 A

NNIVERSARY

  

WITH

 W

REATH

 L

AYING

 C

EREMONY

 

The President General, of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), asked that chapters 

host an activity on March 29, 2016, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to mark the end of Vietnam  

engagement (in country). Montgomery County Daughters of the American (DAR) chapters hosted a wreath laying  

ceremony at the new Fallen Heroes Memorial, which was dedicated in November 2014, at the Judicial Center Annex in 

Rockville, MD.  

 

Two members of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)  

Chapter 641 in Silver Spring  lay a wreath. 

Dale Boggs, DAR, gives remarks at the  

wreath laying  

From left to right: Ken Reichard, Wayne Miller, Conrad A. Bousquet, Larry Gray, Jane McCarthy,  

Bill Bennett, Bill Highland, Steve Campanella, Bill Gray, Stanley Miller, Roland Kauffman 

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Commission on Veterans Affairs 2014 Annual Report  Page 13 

M

ONTGOMERY

 C

OUNTY

, MD E

MPLOYMENT

 D

ATA

 

ON

 H

IRING

 

OF

  

V

ETERANS

, D

ISABLED

 V

ETERANS

, 

AND

 P

EOPLE

 

WITH

 D

ISABILITIES

 

The Commission on Veterans Affairs and Commission on People with Disabilities worked with the County’s Office of 

Human Resources (OHR) to establish employment initiatives which include hiring preferences for veteran, veteran with 

a disability, and person with a disability and a non-competitive hiring process for persons with disabilities, which was 

passed into law by Montgomery County voters in 2012. 

 

Karen Hochberg, OHR, has reported that since the hiring preferences and non-competitive hiring process were  

implemented approximately: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Better Bottom Line - Montgomery County Government video  

regarding the employment of people with disabilities and Veterans.  

Jonathan Pruziner served in Iraq and Afghanistan and came home to  

Become hired as a police officer with the Montgomery County Police  

Department. (YouTube): 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-2A_PbxrqA

 (6:27 version) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWOYNkEWE5s

 

(11:42 version)

 

 

August 30, 2016 

October 20, 2016 

August 30, 2015 

New employees cumulatively hired 

235 

241 

211 

Non-competitive hires 

18 

21 

16 

People with disabilities 

21 

26 

29 

Veterans with disabilities 

8 

9 

13 

Veterans 

159 

172 

178 

Not identified 

7 

10 

 

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Commission on Veterans Affairs 2014 Annual Report  Page 14 

FY18 O

PERATING

 B

UDGET

 P

RIORITIES

 

 

Commission on Veterans Affairs Budget Priorities FY18 

Meeting with B/C/C and HHS Committee of County Council 

October 19, 2016 

 

Dan Bullis, Chairman 

Randy Stone, Vice-Chairman 

 

 

  Funding for public outreach to Veterans/community regarding suicide prevention, sexual assault, County 

Firearm Safety Initiative and a Deflection Model in criminal justice system - Substance abuse, Post-

Traumatic Stress, and other mental health disorders are a significant contributor to sexual assault numbers in the 

military, as well as in the community at large.   On the other end of the spectrum, substance abuse, PTS, and other 

mental health disorders are significant contributors to the relatively high suicide rates being experienced by  

Veterans.   Consequently, the Commission supports the development and implementation of a Sexual Assault  

Response Team (SART) and for public outreach to educate and reach Veterans and the community at large about 

sexual assault, suicide and a Firearm Safety Initiative to ensure proper firearms storage in the home and  

elsewhere.  Concurrently, the Commission recommends that the STEER and Sequential Intercept Model be used 

in the new Mental Health Court, but it can also functional independently, be used to identify Veterans and refer 

them to needed services.  The goal of the Deflection Model project is to deflect low-risk individuals with  

substance use disorders (SUDs) away from the criminal justice system and directly into community-based  

treatment. This deflection model presents an evidence-based approach to providing individuals treatment for  

substance use and will have many benefits not only for the affected individuals, but also for their families and our 

communities, as well as Montgomery County's overburdened expensive criminal justice system. The County is 

moving forward with an initial smaller scale implementation that will be funded for 12 months.  To ensure that all 

Veterans receive this model, and because it is anticipated that this model will be expensive and far beyond  

available resources the Commission recommends to fund $250,000 to provide 2 staff positions to support this  

effort specifically to serve Veterans that have a diagnosis of substance abuse and /or mental illness/Post Traumatic 

Stress.  

2.  Continue County funding for Ending Homelessness for Veterans - $500,000 per year to be able to serve those 

who do not qualify for Veteran Administration Supported Housing (VASH) vouchers. 

 

 

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