Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs
Encyclopedia
The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) is a department
of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs
charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families.
The Department is governed by a nine member War Veterans Commission, who members are appointed by the Governor, with the approval the Oklahoma Senate
for three year terms. The Governor appoints members from names submitted by the American Legion
, Disabled American Veterans
, and Veterans of Foreign Wars
. The Commission in turn appoints the Executive Director of the Department, who serve at the pleasure of the Commission and is responsible for administration of the Department.
The Department was created in 1981 during the term of Governor George Nigh
as a successor to the Soldiers Relief Commission.
and state benefits.
The Oklahoma Legislature
created the Soldiers Relief Commission in 1947. It was later replaced by the Department in 1981.
, and the Department's Executive Director, currently Martha Spear. Oversight for the Department is provided by the nine member Oklahoma War Veterans Commission.
, with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate
, from a list of names submitted by the American Legion
, Veterans of Foreign Wars
, and Disabled American Veterans
. Four members are selected from the American Legion, three from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and two from the Disabled American Veterans. Three members of the Commission must be Vietnam War
veterans. All members serve three year terms.
As of 2010, the members of the War Veterans Commission are as follows:
Currently, one member of the Commission is vacant. The seat will be held by a member of the American Legion.
provides the Department a federal per diem payment per veteran in each Department Veterans Center. Each of the three funding sources makes up roughly one-third of the total budget of the Department.
Claims Office help claimants obtain compensation and pension benefits. Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Service Officers and Claims Officers are accredited with a number of service organizations in order to better represent the claimant with their claims and appeals. The Claims Officers will assist in the appeals process, and if necessary, represent the claimant at a personal hearing before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Hearing Officer. The Muskogee Claims Office handles lifetime hunting & fishing permits, special veterans license plates, and the Financial Assistance Program.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs
The Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor...
charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families.
The Department is governed by a nine member War Veterans Commission, who members are appointed by the Governor, with the approval the Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
for three year terms. The Governor appoints members from names submitted by the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
, and Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
. The Commission in turn appoints the Executive Director of the Department, who serve at the pleasure of the Commission and is responsible for administration of the Department.
The Department was created in 1981 during the term of Governor George Nigh
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
as a successor to the Soldiers Relief Commission.
Mission and History
The Veterans Affairs Department is charged with ensuring all Oklahoma veterans and their families receive all possible benefits and provide health services and long-term skilled care in a residential environment to all qualified veterans residing in the state. These services includes nursing and domiciliary care, financial assistance in emergencies, and field service counseling in the filing of claims for United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
and state benefits.
The Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
created the Soldiers Relief Commission in 1947. It was later replaced by the Department in 1981.
Leadership
The Department is administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, currently Rita AragonRita Aragon
LaRita A. "Rita" Aragon is a retired United States Air National Guard two-star general who is currently serving as the 4th Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Her final active military post was as the Air National Guard assistant to the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel...
, and the Department's Executive Director, currently Martha Spear. Oversight for the Department is provided by the nine member Oklahoma War Veterans Commission.
War Veterans Commission
The Department of Veterans Affairs is administered under such rules, regulations and policies as may be prescribed by the nine-member War Veterans Commission. The members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor of OklahomaGovernor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
, with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
, from a list of names submitted by the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
, and Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
. Four members are selected from the American Legion, three from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and two from the Disabled American Veterans. Three members of the Commission must be Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veterans. All members serve three year terms.
As of 2010, the members of the War Veterans Commission are as follows:
- Chairman Wesley Hull - Disabled American Veterans
- Vice Chairman Ray Penrod - The American Legion
- Secretary Dean Derieg - Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Michael Taylor - The American Legion
- Art Besa - The American Legion
- Jay Bjorgo - Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Jerry Riley - Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Dennis Parrott - Disabled American Veterans
Currently, one member of the Commission is vacant. The seat will be held by a member of the American Legion.
Funding
The Department is funded primarily from three sources: yearly appropriations, patient fees, and federal funding. The United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
provides the Department a federal per diem payment per veteran in each Department Veterans Center. Each of the three funding sources makes up roughly one-third of the total budget of the Department.
Expenditures
The Department has annual budget of just over $130 million. The vast majority of that budget (over $100 million) was dedicated to employee salaries and benefits.Organization
- War Veterans Commission
- Executive Director
- State Accrediting Agency - administratively attached only, responsible for approving criteria for veterans' professional and educational assistance needs
- Deputy Director
- Chief Financial Officer - responsible for overseeing all finances of the Department
- Claims and Benefits Manager - responsilbe for providing as complete rehabilitation as possible to disabled veterans and their dependents
- Lawton Claims Office
- Muskogee Claims Office
- Oklahoma City Hospital Office
- Muskogee Hospital Office
- Tulsa Hospital Office
- Regional Veterans Centers Administrators - responsible for providing medical, nursing and domiciliary care to veterans
- Ardmore Veterans Center
- Claremore Veterans Center
- Clinton Veterans Center
- Norman Veterans Center
- Sulphur Veterans Center
- Tahlihina Veterans Center
- Administrative Programs Officer - responsible for overseeing the central administrative and personnel operations of the Department
- Program Administrator (Construction) - responsible for overseeing all construction by the Department
- Program Administrator (Safety) - responsible for overseeing all public safety issues for the Department
- Program Administrator (Information Technology) - responsible for overseeing technology use by the Department
- Program Administrator (Human Resources) - responsible for overseeing all human resource issues for the Department
- Deputy Director
Claims and Benefits
The Claims and Benefits Division provides many different services to the veterans and their dependents. The primary function is to assist veterans and their dependents with their claims before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Claims worked through the Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
Claims Office help claimants obtain compensation and pension benefits. Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Service Officers and Claims Officers are accredited with a number of service organizations in order to better represent the claimant with their claims and appeals. The Claims Officers will assist in the appeals process, and if necessary, represent the claimant at a personal hearing before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Hearing Officer. The Muskogee Claims Office handles lifetime hunting & fishing permits, special veterans license plates, and the Financial Assistance Program.
Staffing
The Veterans Affairs Department, with an annual budget of over $130 million, is one of the largest employers of the State. For fiscal year 2010, the Department was authorized 1,998 full time employees.| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration | 35 |
| Claims and Benefits | 32 |
| Nursing Care | 1,926 |
| State Accrediting Agency | 5 |
| Total | 1,998 |