Jason Maciejewski (00:00):
Welcome to Inside The Senior Alliance, a podcast exploring resources and issues in the field of aging. I’m Jason Maciejewski, CEO at The Senior Alliance, the Area Agency on Aging serving Western Wayne and the Downriver area. Joining me today is Steve McCartney from the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency. He’s a health and wellness analyst. Steve is retired as a Command Sergeant Major from the US Army after serving 27 years. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Recruiting Excellence Medallion. Steve, thanks for joining me today on Inside The Senior Alliance.
Steve McCartney (00:41):
Thank you, Jason. I’m excited to be here also today.
Jason Maciejewski (00:43):
Could you start by sharing an overview of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and the types of services you provide for veterans and their families?
Steve McCartney (00:51):
Absolutely. The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency is the central coordinating agency providing support, care advocacy, and service to veterans and their families. As a state agency, the MVAA works to identify and break down barriers veterans face in employment, healthcare, and quality of life. Our goal within the agency is to make Michigan a great place for veterans and their families to call home. Some of the key services that we provide through the agency, one of them is the Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center. Our resource center helps veterans and their families navigate benefits, find accredited service officers throughout the state, and provide DD-214 discharge documents to veterans in the State of Michigan. Another key service that we provide is the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund. The Trust Fund provides emergency financial grants to veterans and dependents experiencing temporary hardships. We also provide benefits, claim assistance. We do community outreach and regional core engagement.
Steve McCartney (01:53):
We provide suicide prevention and mental health support. And lastly, we provide advocacy. The agency advocates for veteran-centric policies at the state level to improve the overall quality of life for veterans and their families.
Jason Maciejewski (02:08):
It’s certainly a wide range of services that your agency provides for veterans. When you’re talking with veterans and their family members nowadays, what are some of the most common needs and challenges you see amongst the Michigan veteran population?
Steve McCartney (02:24):
There’s a plethora of challenges and needs, but some of the most common needs or challenges we face are disability and health-related needs. Many veterans struggle with mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and other stresses from transitioning from military to civilian life. A chronic pain is also a concern, particularly with our older veteran population and our combat injured veterans. Another key challenge is our aging veteran population in the state, Jason. Michigan veterans are older. 55% of our veteran base in the state of Michigan are age 65 or older. So with this aging demographic comes increased demand for home modifications, long-term care, and health services. We also face key challenges with financial and benefit access. Some veterans, you know, are unaware of the benefits that they qualify for and the programs that could help them support themselves and their families. There’s also the key challenge around suicide risk and mental health.
Steve McCartney (03:24):
You know, access to mental health care can be difficult, especially in rural areas or where our veterans who do not know how to navigate the VA healthcare systems or the local community supports that we have out there for them. And last but not least one of the key challenges is transitioning to civilian life. Many veterans feel disconnected or unsupported when you’re transitioning, particularly if they don’t have strong local veteran networks or resources to lean on, Jason.
Jason Maciejewski (03:50):
Yeah, I thought it was interesting, the statistic you mentioned about Michigan having an older average age amongst its veteran population, and that also is probably a factor in why it’s a little bit hard for people to identify resources. And it’s something we experience at the Area Agency on Aging as well, is getting the word out about the valuable and impactful resources and services that are out there can be a struggle at times. So when you connect with veterans, getting them connected to benefits and housing and employment or mental health resources, how do you go about that work when you’re actually engaged?
Steve McCartney (04:22):
When we’re out there, you know, we’re fortunate. I’m part of the strategic outreach team within the agency. And our partners and our partnerships are critical. Some of the key resources and how we facilitate connections is, like I said, through our resource center, grant programs and community partnerships, regional coordination with a no wrong door approach with our partners across the state. Veteran navigators, peer support programs, and mental health and crisis support really helps us connect to those resources. And we have a mobile app, which is our MI Veteran app that really connects with veterans and helps veterans connect to services and benefits that are available to them throughout the state.
Jason Maciejewski (05:01):
Great. Those are good resources for people to utilize. Are there recent initiatives or programs that the agency has launched to better serve veterans across the state?
Steve McCartney (05:09):
We do, and there are. The MVA rebranded its suicide prevention efforts under a new name Linked to Life. These services include peer support, education on suicide risk, benefit coordination, emergency assistance, and outreach. We also have community health technicians that provide ongoing support to veterans and their families via this program. As part of our suicide prevention strategy, our team offers training to staff and community partners in applied suicide intervention skills training, which is assist training and safe talk. The Link to Life program, it’s open to veterans, veterans who have served on active duty, and were discharged under conditions other than honorable. You can have an honorable discharge. You just can have a dishonorable discharge. Family members who are 18 years of age or older can participate. Only if the veteran is enrolled and engaged in the program. There is a screening requirement. Veteran program participants must be screened to complete a risk assessment and have to be screened as low risk or high to join the program.
Steve McCartney (06:06):
But family members of the veteran do not require a screening program. We also have the Veteran Homelessness Prevention Grants. And FY25, the MVA awarded $1.5 million to the Michigan Veteran Homeless Prevention Grant to six nonprofits across the state to help prevent and end veteran homelessness. We also have the Michigan Vector Connector Program. Connectors are local touchpoints who can identify veterans or veteran families in their networks to help refer them to MVA resources and reduce isolation before crises can arise.
Jason Maciejewski (06:40):
Steve, I want to touch on housing a little bit for a minute. Homelessness is a big piece of the veteran housing puzzle. We see that in Wayne County. Could you talk a little bit more about how you work with veterans who need housing assistance and maybe characterize the issue a little bit?
Steve McCartney (06:58):
Within our team, within the agency, one of my colleagues, Cassie Smith, she is our homelessness coordinator for the state agency, for the MVAA. She works directly with state programs to identify the needs, identify the challenges that we have in the state, and with the veterans. As you indicated, you know, the Detroit metropolitan area through our prosperity region is Region 10, which holds the largest veteran base that we do have in the state. My colleague, Cassie, works directly with agencies and organizations to identify those challenges, and she advocates through the agency to our leadership to identify these challenges. And we work with partners to try to resolve or find ways to connect to these partners to address the issues and help resolve some of those challenges that we have.
Jason Maciejewski (07:48):
Issues like housing, just one example of collaboration, right? You talked about partnership and trying to solve and address these issues. And I know that the Veterans Affairs Agency collaborates with local organizations and community groups, area agencies on aging, like The Senior Alliance, to reach veterans in need. So how do you do that kind of outreach and collaboration?
Steve McCartney (08:09):
Our agency relies on our local partnerships, and we are so fortunate and blessed to have strong partnerships across the state. Training, you know, we train, we share resources, and coordinate outreach to ensure veterans are identified and supported wherever they live, particularly those who might be older, isolated, or in need of specialized services. So in doing so, like you talked about, we have partnerships with community-based veteran organizations. We work with local nonprofits. We work with our partner coalitions across the state and fellow veteran service organizations. As you mentioned, work with the, AAAs. You know, I had the privilege of providing a military cultural awareness briefing to all the 16 AAAs across the state. And it’s particularly valuable for older veterans who may face those mobility issues, chronic conditions, or isolations. So providing that military cultural awareness opens, you know, the eyes and ways of communication so that the AAAs can better serve that aging veteran population.
Steve McCartney (09:04):
We also have collaborations with our Veteran Connector Program. Through regional networks, the MVA incurred is a no-wrong door system where veterans can approach any partner organization and still be connected to a full range of state and federal resources. This includes referrals between the MVAA, our community groups, hospitals, and mental health providers. We also do training and support for local staff. You know, we provide training to local organizations and volunteers to include our veteran service organizations across the state, to the AAAs, like I mentioned, on veteran benefits, mental health resources, and crisis intervention. Programs like Veteran Connector, they train community members to identify at-risk veterans and refer them to the NVAA, where we can then refer them to resources that we need. We also do joint outreach events and community programs. You know, we work with our community and local organizations to co-host workshops, job fairs, and resource expos to educate veterans about benefits and services.
Steve McCartney (10:04):
This really helps reach veterans who might not otherwise engage with state or federal services.
Jason Maciejewski (10:10):
What kind of events would we see you do this outreach at? Are, you at aging-related events or what kind of appearances do you guys make?
Steve McCartney (10:19):
We do across the state with our partners that we have. There are coffee with veterans. We do veteran expos. I work directly with the AAAs. If they are having events with the older adult population, I focus on, you know, the older adult veteran population. And had tables at seminars, at expos, at career fairs, at veteran servicing events. We partner with our local VAs at our CBOX across the state to provide services for veterans. It’s unique because the federal VA provides a plethora of services to our veterans, but the state does a great job of providing services to our veterans as we work hand in hand at these opportunities to communicate with the veterans at these local events across the state to provide not only the resources that the VA provides to connect them to that, but also connect them to the state resources is critical.
Jason Maciejewski (11:17):
So if somebody is listening to this podcast is interested in having the MVAA come out to an event they’re having, maybe a conference or workshop or something, who do they call? Who do they get ahold of to arrange that?
Steve McCartney (11:28):
The best way to connect with us is our resource center, 1-800-MISHFED. 1-800-642-4838. Connect to our resource center. Tell our techs what you’re looking to do, what assistance you need, and they will guide them and get them connected to our regional coordinator. They can get them connected to our outreach supervisor. You can go to the MVAA website. There’s a link on there for events. You can request MVA’s assistance at any of these events. Those are probably the two best ways to go ahead and do that.
Jason Maciejewski (12:01):
Going back to accessing resources, a lot of people encounter barriers when they’re going through the process of trying to identify services and programs they may qualify for. What are some of the common things that veterans run into in terms of barriers?
Steve McCartney (12:16):
Jason, veterans face a mix of logistical, financial, health, and social barriers when assessing earned benefits. The MVAA and partner organizations work close to reduce those barriers through centralized support, peer programs, mobile apps, grants, and local collaborations. Here are a few examples that veterans face. Lack of awareness. Some veterans are simply unaware of the full range of benefits available to them, including state-specific programs in Michigan, administration hurdles, obtaining a DD-214, which is a service member service record. Without that, nothing can start for a veteran. Our agency is the only agency in the state that if you are a Michigan residence where your home of record was, we have a database where we can provide that DD-214. And by getting that document, that starts the veteran’s path to getting the benefits that they’re entitled to. Another obstacle we face is transportation geographic barriers. You know, rural veterans face difficulty traveling to VA offices, clinics, or service centers.
Steve McCartney (13:21):
Limited public transportation can make it hard to attend, you know, appointments, job programs, or, you know, social groups. Health-related barriers, mental health issues, PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, or other physical disabilities may prevent veterans from seeking services. You know, there’s a stigma around mental health treatment, and that can discourage some veterans from assessing counseling, peer support, or substance abuse programs. We also have challenges around economic barriers. Some veterans experience financial strain, housing insecurity, or unemployment, which can make it hard to navigate benefits or prioritize long-term support programs, cultural or trust barriers. Trust and credibility is one of the most important things that veterans face, especially our largest population of our Vietnam veterans. You know, some veterans still to this day distrust government agencies or feel uncomfortable seeking help outside military or veteran communities. You know, minority veterans are, or those from underserved communities may experience additional barriers, too, due to the lack of cultural competent services that are out there.
Jason Maciejewski (14:28):
Older veterans are a big component of the veteran community. You just mentioned the Vietnam era veterans, the Korean era veterans. That population typically is dealing with disabilities, challenges when it comes to activities of daily living. They have long-term care needs. How does the Veterans Affairs Agency work with people who may be living with those kinds of disabilities and needs?
Steve McCartney (14:51):
The MVAA ensures, Jason, that older veterans, caregivers, and those with disabilities have access to long-term care, community support, healthcare, housing, and social services, often through partnerships with local agencies and VA programs. Our goal is to maintain both health and quality of life for our veterans as they age or face long-term medical challenges. And we achieve this by connecting them to our partners, like the Michigan Veteran Homes. You know, under the direction of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Michigan operates state-run long-term care facilities in Grand Rapids, Marquette, and Chesterfield Township. These homes provide skilled nursing care, memory care, and rehabilitation services for veterans who need ongoing medical care or custodial care. They offer also recreational activities to maintain that quality of life. As we mentioned earlier, Jason, our collaboration with the AAAs, providing military cultural awareness training to help break down communication barriers when assisting older adult veteran populations across the state.
Steve McCartney (15:57):
Disability benefit and service coordination. Veteran service officers across the state help veterans apply for disability compensation, pension, and healthcare benefits that are tailored to those with long-term medical needs. And the MVA also helps veterans access home and community-based services through VA programs like aid and attendance, pension, or veteran-directed care. We also work with mental health and wellness programs. You know, older veterans or those with disabilities may face isolation or depression. One of our key jobs is to be the bridge, Jason, that connects them to peer support programs, counseling services, and veteran support programs across the state. You know, programs like our Link to Life that I mentioned earlier, and our Buddy-to-Buddy Mentorship program, and Veteran Connector program networks across the state. We help really maintain those social connections and provide crisis intervention if needed. Housing assistance. For veterans with mobility limitations or long-term care needs, the MVA helps locate accessible housing, subsidized apartments, and transitional housing programs.
Steve McCartney (17:06):
And last but not least, transition and transportation support. We work with local agencies to provide transportation to medical appointments, social events, and VA facilities. We work really, really hard with our partners to be the bridge that connects those veterans to those services that reduce those barriers for disabilities or mobility challenges.
Jason Maciejewski (17:28):
What can people do or organizations do to help support your work with veterans and their families?
Steve McCartney (17:34):
Community involvement, you know, involvement in general. You know, it could be hands-on, like volunteering or mentorship. It can be organizational through partnerships or hosting events that we spoke about earlier, or supportive by, you know, awareness campaigns. Every effort helps ensure veterans and their families can assess benefits. It can help them maintain wellbeing and stay connected. A couple ways is become a veteran connector. Participate in programs like the MVAA’s Connector Initiative, where trained community members can identify veterans in need and connect into state resources. Volunteer or partner with your local veteran organizations. Support housing and homeless programs. Help with employment education support. You know, employers can participate in the Veteran-Friendly Employer Program, offering job opportunities, flexible accommodation, and skill building programs throughout the state. Schools can become veteran-friendly schools, offering tailored educational resources, tutoring and mentorship programs for veteran students. Another key thing is raise awareness and share resources.
Steve McCartney (18:36):
You know, spread the word about available benefits. Community organizations can host resource fairs, workshops, or information sessions that connect veterans and their families to these services. Provide social and peer support. You know, organize veteran-focused social events, recreational activities, or peer mentorship programs help with emotional support and community engagement. They’re essential for older adult veterans, especially with those with disabilities or those veterans at risk of isolation.
Jason Maciejewski (19:04):
Well, The Senior Alliance looks forward to working with the Veterans Affairs Agency to further build those relationships and make sure people are aware of all these resources. What are some of the goals for the Veteran Affairs Agency and priorities for the next few years?
Steve McCartney (19:19):
Jason, our focus, our strategic focus is to strengthen, expand, and maintain our outstanding partnerships across the state. We want to make sure we do that, because it’s important we maintain services. We want to make it more accessible, coordinated, and impactful for veterans and their families. And we can accomplish this by expanding suicide prevention and mental health support, preventing and reduce veteran homelessness, increasing access to state and federal benefits, leverage technology to improve service delivery, and like I said, strengthen partnerships and veteran leadership. You know, foster, you know, more, no wrong door coordination with local nonprofits, veteran service organizations, the AAAs. And we do that because we want others to reach veterans wherever they are. The Michigan veteran landscape, it demonstrates strong infrastructure, dedicated partners and programs, and measures progress and connectivity and employment. However, you know, demographic decline in aging trends present significant long-term challenges.
Steve McCartney (20:23):
The next decade’s success will hinge on modernizing outreach, diversifying engagement, and strategically investing in programs that adapt to the shifting veteran demographics that we have in the state. But I’ll tell you, with our strong leadership and dedicated team with the MVAA and our outstanding partners across the state, I believe we will rise to the challenge, and we will continue to meet the needs of our veterans and our families today and in the future.
Jason Maciejewski (20:49):
Steve, I’ve really enjoyed talking with you and learning more about the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and the work that you and your colleagues do there. The Senior Alliance looks forward to continuing to build that relationship as we go forward. And thank you very much for taking the time to join us on Inside The Senior Alliance today.
Steve McCartney (21:08):
Well Jason, thank you for the opportunity. And once again, to the listeners out there, if you have any questions or want help to connect a veteran or yourself to any of your benefits, please call 1-800-MISHVET, 1-800-642-4838. Our dedicated team is waiting to help you and assist you. Thank you very much, Jason.
Jason Maciejewski (21:29):
If you have questions about services or programs The Senior Alliance offers, you can call us at 734-722-2830. Email us at info@thesenioralliance.org. Information about our agency or the programs and services we offer can be found on our website, thesenioralliance.org. Finally, on Facebook, we can be located by searching for The Senior Alliance. I’m Jason Macchiewski. Thank you for listening to this episode of Inside The Senior Alliance.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Inside The Senior Alliance is a production of The Senior Alliance and Blazing Kiss Media.
