Thank you.
I'd like to ask a couple questions on case managers.
I've had many conversations with vets who say their case manager is made of gold. They value them so much and they are a crucial part of this whole process, but when I look at trying to make transitions smoother, I see that case managers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They're dealing with veterans and they're dealing with the bureaucracy. A lot of times, with all the transitions taking place in programming, case managers are not educated and are not trained and do not have the authority they could have if given the responsibility to make decisions and show what's available to veterans so that there isn't more delay and a long wait for a response.
One individual got funding to go to school and had a unique ask that her manager hadn't seen before. She took it to the higher-ups. At first they said yes, and then, after she'd enrolled in school, they changed their mind and said he didn't qualify for the funding after all. It then becomes the case manager's responsibility to share that information.
Would it not be better to give case managers the training, responsibility, and authority they need to deal with their clients and take care of the responsibilities within VAC??