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Nonprofits say boot camps and volunteer outreach fill gaps left by understaffed veterans office
Summary
Nonprofit leaders and former VSOs described monthly boot camps and education that help veterans file claims, urged government to partner and fund nonprofit outreach, and warned that VSO accreditation and pay must match duties to avoid service failures.
Nonprofit providers and former government staff used the oversight hearing to underscore how community programs fill gaps left by understaffed government services.
HMI president Anthony Tyrone described monthly boot camps and outreach that he said have reached veterans who otherwise have no place to go. "If HMI is the place for them to find it," Tyrone said, the nonprofit wants to continue offering boot camps and has invited government staff to observe the work.
Tanya Eubanks, a former accredited VSO now with Got Your 671, said the community education provided by nonprofits is valuable but not a substitute for accredited VSO work. She summarized the federal role for accredited representatives: "As a VSO, you have the legal authority to present, prepare, and prosecute," and argued that job titles and pay on Guam do not match those responsibilities.
Speakers recommended practical measures: subsidize nonprofit outreach costs (feeding, printed materials), create clearer VSO job descriptions, increase recruitment and pay to national norms, and improve information systems so veterans and staff can track claims and reimbursements.
No funding reallocation decisions were taken at the hearing; nonprofit leaders said they have submitted documentation and asked the director and lawmakers to consider redirecting unused appropriations to support community outreach.
