[1:25] I I would encourage you that are
[1:26] going to be here next year and
[1:27] in the years to come that
[1:28] the veterans that we have
[1:32] in the chamber
[1:34] as well as here in this
[1:38] that they they look at what
[1:45] problems that a lot of veterans
[1:46] are going through in your
[1:47] district
[1:50] and try to look at that through
[1:51] a lens as to what can I
[1:54] the
[1:56] the problems
[2:04] guests that we bring in sort
[2:05] of that
[2:12] things that we did and the
[2:14] reason that I wanted to do that
[2:15] was so
[2:26] cc es s to those to help
[2:34] how would be remiss if I didn't
[2:37] make comments that we there's a
[2:38] gentleman that's in the in the
[2:40] audience right now there was he
[2:41] was the chairman
[2:42] during my freshman year my
[2:47] Chuck Basie was
[2:50] he was the chairman I was the
[2:51] vice chair and he got promoted
[2:54] jobs and became the chair of
[3:12] I had a talk with the speaker
[3:13] elect yesterday we met
[3:18] and I put a bug in his ear as to
[3:20] who I would like to see
[3:22] appointed the chair and vice
[3:23] chair of
[3:34] I don't have any idea who
[3:35] it's going to be
[3:36] but I did give him
[3:38] two names of
[3:42] at his leisure he'll do it
[3:46] name of veterans and armed
[3:47] forces
[3:48] I think that
[3:51] Victor Patterson
[3:54] did I think was really it was
[3:55] a good
[3:58] eterans
[4:02] but look at active duty military
[4:03] to look at our reservist
[4:08] re legislation that would be
[4:14] year and the bills that we had
[4:16] that we got passed that really
[4:17] benefited the National Guard
[4:20] and quite frankly
[4:24] in afghanistan and Iraq
[4:28] our reservist and National Guard
[4:30] many of them were over there a
[4:31] lot more times than
[4:36] look at what they're going
[4:36] through and
[4:45] I did want to have
[4:48] p re s ent ative Job and I are
[4:49] on the
[4:50] and
[4:54] I want to bring in the director
[4:55] of the
[5:00] retired colonel Paul Kirchhoff
[5:01] and have him kind of give you an
[5:04] update as to what's going on
[5:05] with our veterans
[5:08] homes the veterans cemeteries
[5:09] the veteran service officers and
[5:14] give him an opportunity so you
[5:15] can take
[5:20] American leggions DA
[5:24] Colonel and when you're ready
[5:25] you can proceed.
[5:28] right for the record Paul
[5:30] Kurchoff, executive director of
[5:30] the Missouri's Veterans
[5:31] Commission
[5:34] now know how my dad was a
[5:35] preacher now I know how he felt
[5:36] because everybody's in the back
[5:40] right so anyways so hey I want
[5:43] to thank each of you for
[5:44] everything that you've done to
[5:46] help veterans and the armed
[5:49] services over the last at least
[5:51] a couple of years it is it is
[5:52] making a difference you all are
[5:54] making a difference. I was just
[5:56] saying you know it's kind of a
[5:57] team game to care for veterans
[5:58] whether it's you all whether
[6:00] it's the governor's office,
[6:02] whether it's the Missouri law
[6:04] clinic whether it's the the the
[6:06] veteranservice organizations it
[6:07] all it takes
[6:09] all of us to care for veterans
[6:10] and we all have to work together
[6:12] and I'm seeing a lot more of
[6:15] that going forward in the last
[6:16] couple of years seeing more of
[6:20] that teamwork of let's let's do
[6:21] whatever it takes to help
[6:22] veterans so thank you for doing
[6:23] that
[6:26] would start with the with the
[6:29] homes the we are you know
[6:31] continuing to have difficulty
[6:33] with a couple of ones fiscally
[6:35] we're we're we're making making
[6:36] do but we're not thriving we're
[6:37] kind of doing
[6:40] that surviving mode particularly
[6:42] in the homes and a lot of that's
[6:44] due to you know we're still
[6:46] having difficulty retaining
[6:48] staff. We can recruit them we're
[6:50] doing a great job of recruiting.
[6:51] we've got great recruiting
[6:54] efforts but if you you probably
[6:56] know working in a in a veteran's
[6:58] home or a nursing home of any's
[7:00] it's difficult work and so
[7:02] retaining them is the difficult
[7:03] part and it's you know part of
[7:03] it's the what we pay but
[7:06] you know in many ways we're
[7:08] we're very competitive there but
[7:10] it's just you combine the
[7:12] difficulty of the work the
[7:13] mandation which is whenever
[7:15] somebody calls in sick we we
[7:18] have to make somebody stay
[7:20] overpass their their regularly
[7:22] scheduled hours and we have to
[7:24] do that because the VA requires
[7:26] a certain patient to to
[7:28] caregiver ratio where you don't
[7:31] find in private homes so as a
[7:32] result of that we're looking at
[7:33] several options. One is
[7:34] increasing
[7:38] what what is being charged in
[7:40] room and care rate we're we're
[7:44] currently about $1600 a month
[7:46] that's well well below what
[7:49] you'll find anywhere else so we
[7:52] have a we made a proposal to the
[7:54] commissioners
[7:56] we have more work to do as far
[7:58] as whether or not that'll be
[8:00] approved and how it'll be
[8:03] approved but I foresee that
[8:03] there will be
[8:06] we have to do something to
[8:06] increase
[8:10] veterans and keep in mind
[8:12] there's a difference so there's
[8:15] the full cost of care who are70%
[8:17] or above their they're they're
[8:18] free they don't have we don't
[8:19] charge them
[8:23] but if you're below70% we have
[8:26] to charge a an amount currently
[8:30] around $100 to to the veterans
[8:32] and we're looking at increasing
[8:34] that amount we're also
[8:35] haven't talked about this to the
[8:36] commissioners but one of the
[8:39] things we we need to look at is
[8:42] reducing our our beds with that
[8:44] we are certified for with the
[8:45] VA.
[8:46] we haven't been able to meet our
[8:50] bed count for well at least
[8:52] seven years and part of that's
[8:53] due to you know if we don't have
[8:54] the staff we can't bring in the
[8:55] veterans
[8:58] and also there is a reduced
[9:00] number of veterans on our
[9:02] waiting list. we see what we're
[9:03] seeing is more veterans waiting
[9:03] longer to come into the homes
[9:09] we're also seeing that that a
[9:10] reduction of the number of
[9:12] veterans on our waiting list so
[9:14] we have less to less to choose
[9:16] from we're also seeing a an
[9:19] increase in memory care veterans
[9:22] which have a higher number which
[9:23] require a higher number of of
[9:23] caregivers so
[9:27] a lot of things go into that and
[9:30] by reducing our our count our
[9:32] bed count with the VA it
[9:34] increases our our reimbursement
[9:36] from the VA right now we're not
[9:38] meeting the minimum requirements
[9:39] so we're we're losing money that
[9:39] way
[9:44] talked about the home staffing
[9:46] particularly we see that in in
[9:48] St. James and Warrensburg but
[9:50] occasionally you know the start
[9:52] of school and holidays we see
[9:54] that reduction of staffing
[9:54] people
[10:00] time frames in all of the homes
[10:02] but primarily in St. James and
[10:03] Warrensburg
[10:07] so that's the homemes I like to
[10:10] say that we're in we've done
[10:14] year two of our veteran suicide
[10:16] prevention that's one person
[10:17] doing that. I'll keep that in
[10:18] mind so we have made
[10:20] recommendations in our left to
[10:22] boom report if you haven't read
[10:24] that I'd encourage you to to
[10:26] read the Left aboom report
[10:28] because first year kind of laid
[10:29] the groundwork second year we're
[10:30] given recommendations and we'll
[10:32] continue to do that going
[10:33] forward in the next
[10:36] year. I will saylindsay is our
[10:38] veteran suicide prevention
[10:40] coordinator but we've also she's
[10:42] our our women's veterans
[10:43] coordinator. We just started
[10:46] that this year and rejuvenated
[10:47] it we hadn't had one in several
[10:48] years and it's the right thing
[10:49] to do
[10:56] when it comes to the cemeteries,
[10:59] huge leaps forward thanks to you
[11:02] in that our our equipment has
[11:06] been updated our staff are you
[11:08] know it's amazing the equipment
[11:10] being updated did more to
[11:12] increase the staff morale than
[11:14] pay raises and mean they were so
[11:15] frustrated with the equipment
[11:16] and that has done so much our
[11:18] cemeteries are among the finest
[11:21] when I travel my wife hates it
[11:22] but when I travel I stop at
[11:23] Veterans cemeteries throughout
[11:26] the the country and I don't find
[11:28] any better than ours guarantee
[11:30] you that. Please stop at one,
[11:31] talk to the staff, thank them
[11:32] for what they're doing if you
[11:34] haven't because they're they're
[11:35] doing they're doing God's work
[11:35] out there
[11:38] when it comes to our our
[11:40] veterans service officers we
[11:42] have about50 veteran service
[11:44] officers which is equates to a
[11:48] 3000 to1 3000 veterans for every
[11:50] service veterans service officer
[11:52] whether it's ours the American
[11:56] Legion DAV VFW all those so that
[11:58] tells you their workload our our
[12:00] veteran service officers worked
[12:02] very hard and they have to know
[12:04] everything from law to medicine
[12:05] to you name it they got to they
[12:05] hear about it so
[12:10] it is it is tough we've we've
[12:12] stopped the we were losing a lot
[12:14] of veteran service officers we
[12:16] stopped that thanks again to
[12:20] their pay increases
[12:25] in part to just we we've our
[12:27] team has done a good job of
[12:30] increasing that morale but you
[12:34] will see going forward the
[12:36] claims agents are in claims
[12:36] shark bills at least I hope so
[12:40] and what I would ask is that
[12:44] and I think there's progress
[12:45] to it let's let's come up with
[12:45] one
[12:46] one
[12:53] if we have too many to too many
[12:55] bills out there it muddies the
[12:57] water makes things a lot more
[13:01] difficult and for everyone but
[13:04] mostly our veterans and I want
[13:06] to point out that that money if
[13:08] it's a claim shark that money's
[13:09] going out of state it doesn't
[13:09] stay in Missouri
[13:12] that's money thousands of
[13:14] dollars that are going to
[13:14] someone else other than our
[13:15] veterans
[13:19] and then this is not a this is
[13:22] not a problem that is new this
[13:24] is something we've we saw after
[13:26] the revolutionary War after the
[13:27] Civil War
[13:34] I'm not saying that claims
[13:35] agents are bad. I'm just saying
[13:36] I want you to think about that
[13:38] there's there there we need to
[13:41] come up with some way of putting
[13:44] guidelines in place to to to
[13:46] make sure that we're we're
[13:48] taking care of the veterans in
[13:52] Missouri also bring up property
[13:53] tax exemptions I don't know one
[13:55] way or the other. I know it's I
[13:56] know it's it would be best for
[13:58] Missouri's veterans to have have
[14:00] that. I know that that's
[14:01] probably the number one
[14:04] call I get from veterans who are
[14:06] who are wondering about
[14:08] veteran's benefits they don't
[14:08] ask about the homes they don't
[14:10] ask about the cemeteries they
[14:12] ask what do we have for property
[14:13] tax and they do that because
[14:14] when they're getting out of the
[14:16] military they they shop around
[14:19] they shop of states and
[14:20] whichever one is going to be
[14:22] their best interests a lot of
[14:22] them are going to go to that
[14:25] state so that that's food for
[14:26] thought if we don't do something
[14:28] we're going to we are falling
[14:29] behind other states
[14:37] again want to thank you all for
[14:38] everything you do Representative
[14:40] Griffith, I feel like I'm
[14:40] losing my right arm.
[14:44] can't tell you how bad this
[14:44] hurts to
[14:50] you're no longer you know be
[14:52] part of the commission itself
[14:53] howlle
[14:56] invaluable to us thank you for
[14:58] what you've done keeping us
[14:59] informed keeping him straight
[14:59] probably most of the time
[15:04] but thank you all for
[15:04] everything you do for Missouri's
[15:05] veterans with that all
[15:07] One thing
[15:10] colonel if you would
[15:12] kind of give an update on the
[15:13] veteran's home in St. Lou
[15:17] So we had we've had quite a bit
[15:20] of construction go on in in St.
[15:21] Louis
[15:25] going to say it's we're a victim
[15:28] of our process in that lowest
[15:30] bidder isn't always best bidder
[15:34] and so whenever you you know
[15:36] I was an army engineer one of
[15:38] the things I knew was if you
[15:39] have a drain you have fall to it
[15:42] it should drain to the drain
[15:46] right evidently the construction
[15:47] company in St. Louis didn't
[15:48] believe that or know about that
[15:50] and so the the drain this is
[15:52] just one example of the problem
[15:54] the drains were draining to the
[15:56] room away from the drain the
[15:57] water was from the showers
[16:00] so so that's that's just an
[16:02] example probably the most
[16:04] egregious example of the
[16:05] problems that we had in the
[16:05] construction
[16:09] in St. Louis we finally got rid
[16:09] of that contractor
[16:11] started anew
[16:15] and we have 22 wings that are
[16:17] under construction. One is under
[16:18] construction that's the one with
[16:20] the improper fall and one that's
[16:22] being getting ready for
[16:24] construction we're we're on the
[16:26] right track now but from the
[16:28] time I started this that that
[16:30] construction of that those wings
[16:32] in St. Louis has been going on
[16:34] since before I've started and
[16:35] I've been here7 years
[16:38] and think about this that's
[16:40] money lost to the eteran's
[16:42] commission because that's money
[16:44] and reimbursement that's
[16:46] veterans who aren't in a home
[16:48] who could be because oddly
[16:49] enough St. Louis is one of them
[16:50] that I could staff but I can't
[16:51] because
[16:56] I feel like we're on the
[16:58] right track. I said as I said in
[17:00] St. Louis we've got a good
[17:02] contractor we are getting
[17:04] support from OA FMDC now
[17:08] and so I'm'm I see that going
[17:10] well but we we still have
[17:12] construction problems
[17:13] Warrensburg's kind of going
[17:15] through that same thing of what
[17:16] we went through in St. Louis but
[17:18] just on a different project it's
[17:20] not all the contractors but
[17:23] there are some problems when it
[17:25] comes to lowest bidder
[17:26] requirements and construct
[17:32] And I think it's
[17:36] it's just a shame that we got we
[17:38] have we have the veterans who
[17:40] can get into these these homes
[17:41] especially in
[17:46] paul and his staff have kind of
[17:47] moved some people around
[17:50] get the numbers up to where they
[17:51] need to be
[17:52] but
[17:56] is a timeline when this is going
[17:57] to be
[18:00] And I even though I'm not going
[18:01] to be here
[18:06] kind of segues into the next
[18:07] thing I
[18:11] if you have not been to a
[18:11] veteran's home
[18:19] one thing you're gonna notice
[18:20] that when you walk into
[18:24] if we're going into a nursing
[18:25] home
[18:28] I won't say all of them but the
[18:29] big majority of them
[18:34] and you will not find
[18:38] that's there
[18:42] the care that's there the people
[18:44] that are there that are the
[18:44] staff that are working there
[18:50] we are blessed to have them with
[18:51] us and have them
[18:54] of them could leave us and go to
[18:56] work somewhere else and get paid
[19:02] but it's their way of and when
[19:03] you talk about public servants
[19:03] it's
[19:06] iv back to those that have
[19:06] served
[19:12] I'm glad that we the leg
[19:14] help keep them
[19:18] same thing is true with the with
[19:19] the cemeteries if
[19:24] memorial Day is a great day
[19:24] to go to those
[19:32] any questions from the
[19:42] thank you for the work that you
[19:44] have done and you continue to do
[19:46] there was a the baptist home had
[19:47] a
[19:49] bought a facility and was
[19:50] putting in a veteran's home in
[19:52] the Kansas City area which runs
[19:54] a part of that or did was you
[19:56] aware of any of that? No sir to
[19:58] either one I was not aware and
[20:00] we're not a part of that OK I
[20:03] didn't know be quite frank7 is
[20:03] enough
[20:08] and we're we're blessed with
[20:10] that mostst states only have one
[20:12] if they have any at all so no
[20:14] wasn't aware of that but I'm not
[20:17] looking to I would not look to
[20:20] increase our thank you very much
[20:21] the only thing I'd like to add
[20:22] is thank you chairman for the
[20:25] job you have done and it's been
[20:28] a pleasure to serve the last two
[20:30] years on this committee and you
[20:32] set the bar pretty high for the
[20:33] next the next person so thank
[20:34] you Mrr Chairman.
[20:35] Boykin
[20:42] to inquire good morning so you
[20:44] said there were50 VSOs is
[20:46] that across the entire state?
[20:49] correct so there's50 of the
[20:51] Missouri eteran's Commission VSs
[20:53] and then the organizations have
[20:56] VSos as well but if I think
[20:58] there's about 137 total but many
[21:01] of those don't do claim work or
[21:03] they do part time claim work so
[21:05] what you'll find is and they do
[21:05] great work
[21:08] in the in the veterans
[21:10] organizations but a lot of times
[21:12] they're in the in the urban
[21:14] areas so you'll find them in St.
[21:15] Louis, Kannessee, Springfield
[21:16] but you don't find them in the
[21:18] rural areas so we're one of the
[21:20] things that we we try to do is
[21:23] get to veterans who would would
[21:24] would not otherwise have one
[21:25] close by
[21:26] you ma'am
[21:28] d questions
[21:33] I want to close up this the
[21:34] hearing and thank you Paul
[21:34] for being here
[21:40] I do want to encourage you that
[21:41] are going to be back here again
[21:41] next year
[21:43] they're we're gonna have a
[21:43] veteran's caucus
[21:45] it's going to be made up
[21:49] of both Democrats and
[21:50] Republicans and the caucus is
[21:51] going to be
[21:52] kind of the
[21:57] looking at bills that we're
[21:58] going to be able to present
[21:58] forward and
[22:02] and have one voice on bills and
[22:03] not have
[22:06] 9 bills all for the same thing
[22:10] we can't unfortunately we can't
[22:11] have our analysts
[22:16] they're limited as to what they
[22:17] how much they can tell you
[22:20] tell you that
[22:22] referee Brimley already fi filed
[22:24] that same bill so you can you
[22:25] don't have to file it
[22:28] but if we've got a caucus we
[22:29] can talk about those
[22:35] and when it comes to veteran's
[22:38] bills that's also a segue is to
[22:39] try to limit the number of
[22:40] bills that we have
[22:44] if they're all all the same bill
[22:46] let's get behind one and
[22:46] cosponsor it if you
[22:50] But I would encourage you that
[22:53] and vice chair
[22:54] that you
[22:55] talk with them
[23:01] we all are we're all on the same
[23:01] page
[23:04] any other comments from the
[23:04] committee
[23:10] that concludes the veterans and
[23:11] armmed Forcesittee. We now stand
[23:11] an adjourn