American Legion, coalition urge lawmakers to increase veterans service grant and lift regional staffing rules

Tim Poxon, American Legion legislative chair, told the House Families and Veterans Committee that the American Legion and the Michigan Veterans Coalition provide statewide veteran benefits navigation and asked the committee to increase grant funding and adjust program rules that he said limit how the group deploys staff.

The request matters because the groups say a relatively small state grant enables them to help thousands of veterans apply for and receive benefits that flow back into local communities. Gary Easterling, director of Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation for the American Legion Department of Michigan, said the coalition’s statewide grant provides $4,250,000 and that the coalition’s work has generated tens of millions in benefit awards for veterans in recent months.

Easterling and Tim Poxon described how the Michigan Veterans Coalition — a partnership of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and the Vietnam Veterans of America — uses grant funds to place veteran service officers (VSOs) in communities to file claims, represent veterans at hearings and connect veterans to housing and other services. "We have provided over 3,000 service‑connected claims and more than 500 original claims" this fiscal year, Easterling said, and reported more than $68,000,000 in credits and recoveries in a recent six‑month span.

Committee members pressed presenters for specifics about how the grant is administered and where additional state dollars would go. Easterling said the coalition had 72 VSOs at the start of the fiscal year and had fallen to 64, and that pay has become a retention problem: "I start a brand new service officer out at $18 an hour," he said, adding that several VSOs left for higher pay at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and elsewhere. He asked for higher funding so the coalition could both hire more VSOs and raise wages.

Presenters also criticized a regional-hour requirement tied to the grant. Easterling said the program still requires regional service‑hour targets set around 2014 population figures, even though the state’s veteran population has fallen. He said the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) — which the presenters identified as the grant overseer — recently moved to withhold funds over unmet regional hours, a move the presenters said hurt service delivery. "They're talking about withholding funds from us because we haven't met that regional hour. And that short changes the veteran in the long run because we have no funding to do it," Easterling said, describing an instance in which a VSO was reassigned from a low‑demand county to the Saginaw VA hospital and the coalition was reprimanded for reducing hours in the original region.

The presenters said they had asked the legislature to increase the grant. Easterling said the coalition has requested $5.1 million in the next budget cycle and estimated that roughly $6.2 million would align grant funding with cost‑of‑living increases over recent years; Department of Michigan leadership later characterized a similar cost‑of‑living figure as approximately $6.4 million. Tim Poxon asked that boilerplate language allowing MVAA to deduct administrative dollars from the county and coalition grants be removed so more money remains in the field.

Committee members asked for underlying documentation. Rep. Jim Wolford asked to see emails referenced by presenters describing threats to withhold payments; Rep. Kevin Hensley and others offered to assist with the grant language and oversight discussions.

Discussion points - Grant amount named by presenters: $4,250,000 statewide Veterans Service Provision Grant. - Presenters reported a decline from 72 to 64 veteran service officers and total required hours of 7,208 under the grant paperwork. - Presenters reported recoveries/credits to veterans of $68,000,000 in six months and $138,000,000 year to date (figures reported by presenters). - Presenters requested an increase to $5.1 million (requested) and cited a figure of roughly $6.2–6.4 million to meet cost‑of‑living adjustments.

Directions - Committee members asked presenters to provide the email referenced that threatens withholding payments and to supply additional documentation on grant administration and MVAA deductions.

Decisions - No legislative action or vote on funding was taken during the hearing.

Speakers:[{"name":"Tim Poxon","role_title":"American Legion legislative chair","affiliation_type":"nonprofit","affiliation_name":"American Legion Department of Michigan","first_reference":{"timecode":"289.26","transcript_line_range":[1,5]}},{"name":"Dan Cooper","role_title":"State commander, American Legion Department of Michigan","affiliation_type":"nonprofit","affiliation_name":"American Legion Department of Michigan","first_reference":{"timecode":"358.38","transcript_line_range":[1,4]}},{"name":"Gary Easterling","role_title":"Director of Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, American Legion Department of Michigan","affiliation_type":"nonprofit","affiliation_name":"American Legion Department of Michigan","first_reference":{"timecode":"706.51","transcript_line_range":[1,4]}},{"name":"Chair Schmaltz","role_title":"Committee chair","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"215.73","transcript_line_range":[1,1]}},{"name":"Rep. Thompson","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"1564.72","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Rep. Young","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"235.16","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Rep. Johnson","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"2416.89","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Rep. Wolford","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"230.36","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Rep. Pavlov","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"2363.45","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}},{"name":"Rep. Responiak","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"House Families and Veterans Committee","first_reference":{"timecode":"1838.64","transcript_line_range":[1,2]}}],"authorities":[{"type":"grant","name":"Statewide Veterans Service Provision Grant","citation":"grant administered via MVAA; presenters cited $4,250,000 statewide","referenced_by":["Gary Easterling","Tim Poxon"]},{"type":"statute","name":"PACT Act","citation":"PACT Act (federal) referenced by presenters as reason for increased original claims filings","referenced_by":["Gary Easterling"]}],"actions":[{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Adopt minutes of the March 18 meeting","mover":"Rep. Wolford","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"legal_threshold":{},"effective_dates":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Adopted without objection per transcript."},{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Excuse absent members","mover":"Rep. Young","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"legal_threshold":{},"effective_dates":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Adopted without objection per transcript."}],"discussion_decision":{"discussion_points":["Grant size and administration (presenters requested increase and removal of boilerplate allowing administrative deductions)","Regional hour targets and potential withholding of funds by MVAA","Staffing and retention of veteran service officers (decline from 72 to 64 reported)","Reported recoveries of veteran benefits into communities and need for outreach/advertising"] ,"directions":["Presenters will provide documentation (email) referenced about possible withholding; committee members requested that documentation"],"decisions":[]},"clarifying_details":[{"category":"grant amount","detail":"Statewide Veterans Service Provision Grant amount described by presenters","value":4250000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"},{"category":"grant administrative deduction","detail":"Presenters said MVAA deducts $214,000 from coalition and county grants for administrative staff","value":214000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"},{"category":"service officers","detail":"Number of veteran service officers reported at start of fiscal year and current level","value":"72 to 64","units":"count","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"},{"category":"operational hours","detail":"Total grant hours target reported by presenters","value":7208,"units":"hours per month?","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"},{"category":"recoveries_six_months","detail":"Credits and recoveries reported in a six‑month period","value":68000000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"},{"category":"funding_request","detail":"Presenters said they have requested $5.1 million and estimated $6.2–6.4 million to meet cost‑of‑living adjustments","value":"5.1–6.4","units":"million USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Gary Easterling"}],"proper_names":[{"name":"American Legion Department of Michigan","type":"organization"},{"name":"Michigan Veterans Coalition","type":"organization"},{"name":"Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency","type":"agency"},{"name":"Veterans Administration","type":"agency"},{"name":"PACT Act","type":"other"},{"name":"Saginaw VA Hospital","type":"facility"}],"community_relevance":{"geographies":["Region 6 (Flint/Saginaw area)","Saginaw","Flint","Alpena","Jackson","Hillsdale","Wayne County","Oakland County"],"funding_sources":["State Veterans Service Provision Grant","American Legion membership/subsidy"],"impact_groups":["veterans","female veterans","aging veterans","incarcerated veterans","homeless veterans"]},"meeting_context":{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":10,"duration_minutes":83,"items_count":2},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"1921","note":"American Legion has provided service officers under state grant since 1921 (presenter statement)"}]},"searchable_tags":["veterans","American Legion","MVAA","grant","veteran service officers","benefits"],"provenance":{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"259.17","local_start":0,"local_end":204,"evidence_excerpt":"First, I'd like to welcome Tim Poxton and then Dan Cooper and Gary Easterling to the House Committee on Families and Veterans to give an overview of the American Legion and the Michigan Coalition Service Officer Program. You're welcome to come.","tc_start":"259.17","tc_end":"273.645","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"2915.92","local_start":0,"local_end":121,"evidence_excerpt":"Thank you again. And, give me a call, and if I can, I'll be happy to come and meet with you, unless I'm out of town in Washington, DC or some other place. Thank you again.","tc_start":"2904.775","tc_end":"2915.52","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},