Veterans Coalition tells Alamosa City Council it helped veterans access $12.85 million locally, urges more support

Richard Naegley, representative of the Veterans Coalition of the San Luis Valley, told the Alamosa City Council during a regular meeting that the coalition has worked to keep services available for local veterans and continue outreach that has increased benefit access.

“Keeping the Veterans Coalition doors open has been our primary objective while serving veterans,” Naegley said, outlining the group’s work helping veterans enroll in VA benefits and obtain health care and other services.

Naegley said the coalition’s materials show Alamosa County’s veteran population at 752 in the most recent figures he provided, down from 780 in 2022. He said total expenditures tied to veterans in the county were $12,851,000 in the most recent year, up from $10,704,000 the prior year. He also described the coalition’s caseload and service model: “At present, coalition is serving 5 to 8 unique veterans a week. However, we have as many as 10 to 25 encounters per veteran per day per week,” he said.

Naegley reviewed national policy context raised in the presentation, including the VA’s 03/14/2022 Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) report and the 2018 MISSION Act, and said complexity in those systems increased the workload for local assistance. He described the coalition’s teleclaim process, developed with the American Legion Department of Colorado, which the coalition uses to help veterans file benefits claims.

Council members asked clarifying questions during and after the presentation. Councilor Jan Vigil asked for a definition of “unique patient.” Naegley replied, “A unique patient is an actual individual, not the same person coming in…An encounter is anything that you do, and these are VA definitions that they track.”

Several council members thanked the coalition for its outreach and assistance. Councilor Krebs said she respected the “dedication and outreach,” and Councilor Carson offered to meet with coalition representatives and noted community members’ positive feedback about the coalition’s work.

Naegley invited council members to visit the coalition office and said that, without additional financial support, the group is “pretty much maxed out.” No formal action or council allocation followed the presentation during this meeting.

The presentation also recounted historical steps the coalition and local officials took to expand VA options in the San Luis Valley and noted continuing uncertainty tied to federal processes and capacity constraints.

For more detail on the coalition’s figures and programs, council members were provided a VA expenditure form and related materials at the meeting.