Document Type

Cal State Document

Publication Date

5-15-2012

Abstract

Governor Edmund G. Brown created the Interagency Council on Veterans (ICV) to improve how veterans’ services are coordinated across local, state and federal governments. To that end, the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) brought together governmental organizations in December 2011 and nongovernmental organizations in January 2012 to help CalVet do some preliminary planning for the ICV. In February 2012, CalVet Secretary Peter Gravett and Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Marty Morgenstern convened the inaugural conference of the ICV to discuss – among other topics – veterans’ service needs, gaps in veterans’ services, and obstacles to meeting veterans’ needs, as well as establishing priorities, next steps and potential solutions.

This white paper presents the California Research Bureau’s (CRB) findings from the qualitative discussion data produced at the February 22-23 conference. During several rounds of discussions about veterans’ needs and services, four key themes emerged. Conference participants identified the need to improve the transition process from military to civilian life; the need for better public relations/outreach; the need to improve data capture and data sharing; and the need for more funding as the key areas in which improvement would make the biggest difference in veterans’ lives.

This white paper provides a concise overview of CRB’s analysis of the data gleaned from discussion rounds during the two-day ICV conference. After a brief description of the facilitation process, we discuss our methods of data collection and analysis. We provide several options for ICV’s future steps toward improving veterans’ services in California. Finally, we present our findings followed by a discussion and brief conclusion.

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