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The House Committee on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs met on July 20 to hear updates Operation Lone Star, the Texas Law Enforcement Support Office, and to hear invited and public testimony on the following interim charge:

  • Examining programs and funding streams connected to services that improve mental health outcomes for servicemen and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

A video archive of the hearing can be found here.

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

Opening Comments:

  • Chair Raymond – Hard to say we’ve been at war for 20 years, but we have; many veterans suffer from PTSD; need to do more to help them

Operation Lone Star Update

Major General Thomas Suelzer, Texas Military Department

  • Continuing to work with multiple agencies to protect the border
  • OLS mission is dynamic and complex; requires agility from service member
  • 5,000 migrants apprehended over 4th of July weekend alone; over 290,000 migrant total apprehensions
  • TMD makes tangible contribution to OLS
  • Guards supporting OLS contributed to 115,000 surrenders and 20,000 turn-backs
  • Conducted internal assessments to evaluate efficiency; decided to reduce support staff and streamline efforts
  • Sent 700 support personnel home
  • TMD constructed more than 47 miles of fencing and 23 miles of wire
  • Expanding boat capacity and increasing unmanned aerial systems
  • Working diligently on improving; transitioned base camps to dorms and added amenities between March and June to improve living qualities
  • Installed satellite terminals at all base camps to provide internet access
  • Can detect pay discrepancies at 99.98% due to new program
  • Recognize that border crisis will continue
  • Chair Raymond – What is the status of Title 42?
    • Initial order on March 21, 2020; on May 20th court issued a preliminary injunction on blocking Title 42; injunction still in place
  • Chair Raymond asks about local county governments
    • Counties don’t have authority to declare an invasion but request it from the governor
    • 3 or 4 counties have done this
  • Chair Raymond – Have migrant numbers gone down?
    • In June they were down to 207 million across the entire border; from May to June to July we went up in Texas
  • Chair Raymond asks about operating budget
    • Anticipate closing out fiscal year at a cost of $1.325 billion; requested for additional grant to make it to end of fiscal year
    • Received amount needed; remaining tranche due at the end of July
    • We’ve made efforts to cut spending
  • Chair Raymond – Have you cut payrolls?
    • We’ve shut down a base camp and taken logisticians off pay roll
  • Chair Raymond – Have you made requests for next fiscal year?
    • Still in planning; will be made soon
    • We have projections for $1.375 billion
  • Tinderholt – Are you concerned with federal vaccine mandates?
    • The drop off date for federal pay was July 1
    • If still unvaccinated, will not receive federal pay
    • In army national guard over 3,400 members not fully vaccinated
    • Air national guard 230 not fully vaccinated
    • Within OLS, 305 army and 87 air unvaccinated
    • Under State Active Management, OLS employees don’t get the federal pay anyway
  • Tinderholt – Does the state have any impact?
    • DOD & federal decision
  • Tinderholt – What are the numbers of national guard in the state?
    • 19,407 in army national guard; 7% of air national guard are unvaccinated
  • Buckley – Are we prepared to redeploy basecamps in the future to provide NWR necessities to guardsmen?
    • It hasn’t been stood down; we’ve gone from 6 to 5 base camps

 

General Win Burkett, 36th Infantry Division & Border Task Force

  • Chair Raymond asks for an update on day to day in OLS
  • 5,400 guardsmen on the ground for OLS; 2,800 said they’d volunteer for another year
  • 5 maneuver task forces and one engineering task force
  • Maneuver task forces 600-800 in size; 4 task forces at river
  • Can conduct apprehensions in concert with LEOs
  • Guardsmen are eyes and ears; tell migrants crossings are not legal
  • Guards relay back to security points
  • All operations in direct support of DPS
  • Chair Raymond asks about why certain areas have had an increase in migration
    • We don’t engage in intelligence
    • There is an argument that cartel conflicts have caused migration in the area
    • Operations in Hidalgo County effective; shifted migration to other areas
  • Chair Raymond asks about illegal drug movement
    • We still see it; trying to present multiple dilemmas
    • Don’t encounter drug trafficking as much as migrant crossings
  • Chair Raymond – How do you handle drug trafficking?
    • Report to DPS and border control; follow their request for support
  • Chair Raymond – Are our troops more involved in the migration aspect?
    • Yes, in apprehensions; we are working to provide multiple dilemmas to deter migration and drug and human trafficking
  • Chair Raymond – What percentage are eagle pass south?
    • Heaviest concentration in Rio Grande Valley; Del Rio the space opens up
    • Beyond Del Rio migrants trying to go undetected
  • Tinderholt – Is TMD still doing resiliency training?
    • In last 3-4 years, increase in reports to behavioral health
    • Finally created an environment where soldiers know they can ask for help and command teams that embrace it
    • Monthly resiliency training
  • Tinderholt asks about family readiness groups
    • They aren’t a new concept; have gone under different names
    • All volunteer groups
    • Contractors fill the role of a family readiness coordinator
    • When troops are ready to deploy, coordinators create family readiness groups
  • Tinderholt – These help with mental health issues; creates resources and networks for families
  • Morales asks about transportation of migrants back to border
    • As migrants cross over, our initial responsibility is to secure the area
    • We huddle them together and go through protocol to prepare them for transportation
    • Transportation comes to the location; from DPS or border control
    • Taken to processing center; this is where our involvement ends
    • Since Governor’s policy of returning them to border, border patrol gets overwhelmed because don’t have enough resources
  • Morales – How many weeks has this been going on and what are the numbers?
    • There’s no authority to return migrants back to Mexico
    • Understood order as ensuring migrants are processed by border control instead of letting them stay in the state undetected
    • Already apprehended 20,000 in July
    • Processed between 10,000 and 12,000 since Governor made comment
  • Gervin-Hawkins – How can we help expand mental health services?
    • Can check with behavioral health community for specifics
  • Chair Raymond – More information will be provided by witnesses
  • Buckley – What is the country of origin most encountered?
    • DPS will have a more formal breakdown; it’s all over
    • Central and South America, Eastern European countries, Haiti
    • We don’t screen migrants for country of origin
  • Buckley – Need to focus on pre-diagnosis mental health care
    • There are a lot of programs out there; what was missing is the courage to ask for help
  • Gervin-Hawkins – How is the guard working with DPS and other law enforcement on the border?
    • Communicate between agencies daily; DPS has an assigned representative to work with guard task forces
    • Work with different field agencies
    • Coordinate which border points to manage daily; rotates based on trends and activity
  • Chair Raymond – Local law enforcement focuses more on drugs than migration
    • That is correct
  • Gervin-Hawkins – How have you addressed morale issues?
    • Much of it has been addressed
    • Over the last 8 months, mission continued to mature; understanding of importance at individual level increased
    • Working with the state, soldier care provided has increased
    • We are doing better, but not done
  • Gervin-Hawkins – When can we reduce manpower and expenses?
    • Chair Raymond – Better question for the Governor
    • We are always looking to become more efficient
    • Chair Raymond – You need what you need; operation needs to be prepared
    • Most members in legislature don’t know much about the military; you inform us of what you need

 

Update on military equipment available to local governments through the Texas Law Enforcement Support Office

Rolando Yalla, Texas Law Enforcement Support Office

  • Texas Law Enforcement Support Office allows law enforcement agencies to receive property under the National Defense Authorization Act
  • Emphasis on anti-drug and anti-terrorism
  • 379 agencies have property under the program
  • Serves state and local agencies
  • Report to headquarters in Battle Creek, MI
  • Must submit yearly application and be vetted
  • Agencies must attend training and conduct electronic 100% inventory by each August
  • Only authorized equipment can be awarded; depends on how many officers each agency has
  • Requests for equipment must be justified in writing
  • Conducts yearly site visit inspections
  • Federal LESO conducts biannual report of states; randomly selects agencies to inspect
  • Two types of equipment, controlled and uncontrolled
  • Controllable equipment must always be accounted for and returned when no longer needed
  • Uncontrollable accounted for one year and then becomes property of agencies
  • 140 million worth of controllable equipment such as aircraft and night vision
  • Chair Raymond – We compete with other states?
    • Yes
  • Chair Raymond – How much has Texas gotten?
    • Normally receive 10-12 million a year in equipment
    • Controllable equipment we use for a long time
  • Chair Raymond – How long has this program ben in place?
    • Since 1990
  • Chair Raymond asks if Laredo has participated; requests a breakdown by county and city
    • Fluctuates daily as equipment is returned
  • Chair Raymond – What’s an example of return equipment?
    • Rifles; goes to DOD
  • Chair Raymond – How many agencies?
    • 429 participate
  • Advertise equipment to agencies currently enrolled
  • Chair Raymond – How many agencies have applied in Texas?
    • Over the years around 1,200
    • Anywhere between 400-520 enrolled at any time

 

Examining programs and funding streams connected to services that improve mental health outcomes for servicemen and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

 

Tom Palladino, Texas Veterans Commission

  • Veterans Commission works with HHSC and Department of Housing and Community Affairs on statewide mental health program for veterans; highlights homelessness, issue faced by many veterans

 

Blake Harris, Texas Veterans Commission

  • Veterans’ mental health department made up of professionals and experts; former service members or family thereof
  • Charge to provide training, technical assistance, research, and coordination to veteran services across the state
  • Broadest definition of service members and family to include as many people as possible; broader than the VA
  • Department restructured around risk needs responsivity model
  • Risk principal says to direct biggest resources to biggest issues; in mental health focus on most salient issues
  • Need to focus on dynamic risk factors
  • Responsivity principal dictates offering responsive services dealing with military cultural competency and individual differences
  • Justice involved veteran program works with national state and local partners at every intercept of criminal justice; provides training to law enforcement, works with jails, provides supports to veterans peer network
  • Chair Raymond – What’s the dynamic happening now with veterans and mental health? How many veterans are homeless? How many have criminal charges?
    •  A lot who get arrested are homeless
    • 8% of homeless in shelters are veterans; higher for unsheltered
  • Chair Raymond – Can the homeless veterans not hold a job?
    • Everyone has different circumstances but mostly that is correct
  • Chair Raymond – How do you measure success?
    • Write reports on work with other agencies
    • Works with community reentry efforts
    • Discusses community partnership efforts
  • Veteran’s suicide prevention efforts; provide gatekeeping training
  • Provide training on lethal means prevention
  • Chair Raymond – Do most veterans who need help have PTSD?
    • To be diagnosed, there are strict criteria needed to be met
    • Not all those who are suffering meet the criteria
    • More helmets and equipment are working to decrease TBIs
  • Chair Raymond – How many veterans need help? What is the situation today in Texas?
    • Services are all busy; a lot of veterans don’t know all the available options
    • Anticipates an increased and continued need for mental health services
    • Workforce shortages mean less available resources
    • A lot of veterans don’t ask for help until its too late
  • Chair Raymond asks for a specific request detailing how legislature can help; need to focus on veteran mental health in Texas
  • Biedermann – Need to tell us specifically what to do; recommends including second or third degree outreach
  • Biedermann asks how to improve telehealth and online services
  • Raymond – We can move forward, nothing else for us to do
    • Doing what we can, can do more
  • Lopez – Need you to tell us what to do to help as well, not just the typical solutions; need programs to support loved ones of veterans as well, will know what to do to help veterans
  • Lopez – How are the online programs working? How high is the mobility concern for veterans?
    • Highlights ability to find services through the community, try and know everyone in the care network
    • Mobility issues highest in veterans who are homeless and who are involved in the justice system
    • Many are able to be served through telehealth, know it works & moved through hurdles during the pandemic
  • Lopez and Harris discuss discharged members and need among this population, difficult to identify as people will not identify as veterans
  • Buckley – Do we have a mechanism in TX to look at programs that may look different to what we’ve historically supported? Do grants reflect the more innovative programs?
    • Want to promote early access, preventative things, general mental health
    • Things like crisis lines, etc. don’t lend to collecting data, but we know promotion and connecting services is effective
    • Grants are looking for top-tier evidence-based practices
  • Buckley – Is there a process for reviewing evidence-based programs?
    • Yes, always looking to at new programs, collaborative work groups, etc.
  • Buckley – Have we looked at what type of services a veteran would access first?
    • Yes, asking individuals and conducting surveys on barriers to entry
    • No one practice will help every veteran
  • Tinderholt – Difficult for veterans to reintegrate, embarrassing to discuss PTSD; difficult to determine who has needs; those who experience trauma need someone close to spur them on, should get families more involved to speak up

Courtney Harvey, HHSC

  • Link to presentation
  • Appreciates Rep. Tinderholt’s comments, important to be able to speak about issues
  • Provides overview of Office of Mental Health Coordination & veteran’s mental health arm, uses local, state, and federal partnerships to help form behavioral health policy and improve system
  • Highlights programs on slide 4, Mental Health Program for Veterans, Texas Veterans + Family Alliance Grant Program, Long-Term Action Plan to Prevent Veterans Suicides
  • Tinderholt – How do you intercede when all the VA does is give drugs to someone?
    • Case manager’s role includes things like looking at medications, can’t force clients to give authority to contact other medical professionals, but do encourage this & provide info on care HHSC is providing
  • Tinderholt – Important to have a program that reaches out to veterans receiving large numbers of medications
    • Agrees
  • Harvey highlights mental health first aid, designed to identify behavioral health issues even without a diagnosis, have training modules for specific populations like veterans
  • Would like the ability to reimburse mental health first aid training outside of schools
  • Not many restrictions on what type of services can be provided through the Texas Veterans + Family Alliance Grant, allows for tailored & local services; what to look at interventions provided to family members of veterans as well
  • Raymond – Asks for examples of who HHSC is working with
    • Contracts with MHMR, Ecumenical Center, Emergence Mental Health, etc.
    • Have a two-pager on TVFA grants
  • Raymond – Is this through a rider?
    • Yes, $20m through the biennium
  • Also have a project to look at MDMA, psilocybin, etc. for the treatment of PTSD
  • Raymond and Harvey discuss split between HHSC and TVC in provision of care, HHSC came in possibly due to relationships with LMHAs
  • Tinderholt – Would be nice to get some sort of doc to the committee on gaps for veteran care and huge shortfalls of funding & how to get services/cost for rural veterans

 

Michelle Erwin, HHSC

  • Speaking on Institutions of Mental Disease and Rider 34, provides overview of HHSC program
  • IMD includes both facility- and community-based services, primarily referring to facilities with more than 16 beds
  • Federal law generally prohibits use of FFP for individuals 21-64 who are patients in an IMD, but can provide services through acute care hospital
  • MCO does allow in-lieu of for acute care hospital stay up to 15 days, but voluntary for MCO to offer
  • Rider 34 directed HHSC to submit an 1115 waiver, but not sure if it would be a net savings to the state
  • Raymond – If we had done it, would it apply to all patients, not specific to veterans?
    • Correct, included, but not focused on veterans
  • Raymond – MCOs can offer at their discretion?
    • It is voluntary
  • Raymond – Because we didn’t get the 1115 waiver?
    • This is outside of the waiver, allowed to do it now
  • Raymond – Can you tell us how many have been served through this & how many are veterans
    • Do not have this data, can get total served, but veteran tag is optional
  • Raymond – Concerned on how MCOs determine who can access these services, probably plenty that need this help, likely veterans in this population; wondering if we could ask them to help the veterans in this population
  • Raymond – This is putting up state dollars to pull down federal dollars?
    • In some cases
  • Raymond and Erwin discuss the rider
  • Raymond – How did you determine it wouldn’t be a net savings to the state?
    • Looked at costs, waiver also requires us to add additional services, monitoring, oversight, etc.
  • Raymond – Asks after the cost split, FMAP?
    • Usually 60/40, correct that it is FMAP
  • Raymond – Would like some guidance from HHSC on what we could get for $5, $10, $15m, etc. & want to put an emphasis on veterans
  • Raymond – Confident we will be doing something on mental health care next session, most without a federal match, but in this case we have an opportunity to get a federal match
    • Will be happy to discuss this through next session appropriations
  • Raymond – Wants to have a discussion on what is available given certain amounts invested
  • Tinderholt – Can you mandate that they check the veteran box instead of having it optional? Won’t be able to tell how many are served without checking the box
    • Unsure, can check with Access & Eligibility
  • Raymond – My guess is that we can make sure box is there & state employees ask, but likely can’t make them check it

 

 

Public Testimony

Alan Peterson, University of Texas Health San Antonio & STRONG STAR

  • Retired air force clinical psychologist
  • STRONG STAR Director
  • Focusing on combating PTSD and comorbidities
  • Rare that PTSD exists in isolation
  • Lack of literature on PTSD while was in service; retired from active duty to address
  • Received DOD grant to start STRONG STAR; largest research center for PTSD
  • Reached out to experts around the country to partner with STRONG STAR
  • 150 top scientists work with STRONG STAR on combat PTSD
  • Chair Raymond – What are your sister institutions? Do you work with them?
    • We work with UT, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M
    • Most of our research takes place embedded in military institutions
    • Large research initiative at Fort Hood with 30 employees; largest clinical trials in country take place here
    • 2008 received 25 million dollars from DOD to establish research consortium; funded 14 projects
  • Cognitive behavioral treatments most effective on PTSD; medications don’t work as well
  • Research impacted clinical practice guidelines
  • Trained over 70 providers that have gone around the country to deliver evidence based PTSD treatments
  • Established STRONG STAR training initiative; program to train civilians
  • Publishes research in scientific journals
  • Provides representatives with publication detailing trials and results
  • Chair Raymond – How can more veterans benefit from this?
    • We are working with federal officials; funding from DOD ended in 2020
    • Can only conduct one study at a time
    • Training programs for doctorate level individuals missing; need PTSD specific program
    • San Antonio ideal location to establish PHD program for PTSD treatment; military needs quality individuals

 

Sergeant Robert Jones, Self

  • Diagnosed with TBI and PTSD prior to leaving military
  • Became emotionally numb and distant; experienced nightmares
  • Was addicted to medications and overdosed
  • Started with Canines for Warriors; has a service dog
  • Has lost friends to PTSD
  • Chair Raymond – Do you want to talk about Canines for Warriors funding?
    • I am a recipient of a service animal so came here to talk about that

 

Mike McKim, Self

  • Former U.S. Navy Veteran
  • Suffered from PTSD; experienced insomnia and anxiety
  • Worked with counselor but couldn’t settle mind; turned to alcohol
  • Last legislative session made PTSD allowed for medical cannabis
  • Allowed for first full night of sleep in decades
  • Veterans with chronic pain not eligible for medical cannabis; recommends they be added
  • Chair Raymond – How do you get medical cannabis
    • I live close to a dispensary so I can drive easily to get it
    • Harder for rural veterans
  • Tinderholt – What are the side effects of medical cannabis compared to prescribed medication?
    • I don’t take it regularly so I don’t feel addicted
    • Original prescription was for daily usage but I don’t need it
  • Tinderholt – How expensive is it? Is it covered?
    • Not too bad, $100-120
    • Not covered
  • Tinderholt asks for more feedback on medical cannabis
    • Just started using it this year
    • Largest benefit is not being addictive
    • There’s a stigma around cannabis, but I’m not using it recreationally; need to help people understand
    • Comes as a gummy
  • Tinderholt – Can you work while taking medical cannabis?
    • There are very small doses you can be prescribed to not alter your state of mind that relieve anxiety
  • Buckley – How long is your prescription for?
    • You’re prescribed a certain amount of milligrams of THC; a council recommends your dosage
    • THC affects everyone differently; the first 90-120 days I had regular meetings to fine tune my prescription
    • 30 gummies in a bottle each of the same dosage
  • Chair Raymond – Used to not support medicinal marijuana; now does

 

Damian Cook, K9s for Warriors

  • Canines for Warriors largest provider of service dogs to veterans
  • 20 veterans take their lives each day
  • 500 Texas veterans take their lives each year
  • Provides service dogs and wrap around services
  • Dogs taken from shelters and trained
  • No cost to veteran
  • Service dogs supplements PTSD treatments
  • Service dogs trained to sense anxiety and distress in PTSD victims
  • Researches benefits from service dogs
  • Benefits include greater self-sufficiency, less dependence on medication, and less anxiety
  • Need for service dogs continues to grow
  • Built largest training center for service dogs
  • Serves veterans across the U.S.
  • Invested over $4 million for facilities; will invest $3 million for more veterans in Texas
  • Partnered with UT Austin to provide services for families of veterans
  • Chair Raymond – How many Texas veterans do you serve?
    • We have over 50 Texas graduates and 50 more on our waiting list
    • Goal to build up to 100 Texas graduates each year
  • Chair Raymond – How are you funded?
    • Predominantly privately funded; receives some funding from DOD and the State of Florida
    • Chair Raymond asks for a written letter requesting state funding
  • Chair Raymond – What are the ages of the dogs?
    • We rescue dogs in the 2-year age range
    • Takes 6-8 months to train them
  • Chair Raymond – How does training work?
    • We have professional trainers on staff
    • When dog is ready, warrior comes to campus for three weeks to bond and learn commands
  • Buckley – Most of your dogs are rescues?
    • Yes
  • Buckley – Your institution is legitimate and going good work
  • Tinderholt – What’s the cost per dog?
    • Our program is a lifetime program; we are with veterans and their families for life
    • We will pair warriors with dogs if theirs pass
    • We provide wrap around supports; developing program with UT Austin
    • $25-30,000 per dog
    • Of 700+ graduates in program, we’ve only lost one to suicide
    • Investment happens in a fiscal year but results carry on for longer
  • Tinderholt – How do veterans get away from work to come to camps for three weeks?
    • Many PTSD veterans do not have a full-time job; their doctors are supportive of this most of the time
    • If the doctor is supportive, they can make it work
    • If there are financial challenges, we will work with them to address it
  • Tinderholt – What percentage of Texas dogs stay here?
    • 100%
  • Tinderholt – What percentage of people get accepted into the program?
    • Don’t know specifics; want to accept everyone we can
  • Tinderholt – How much do you get from Florida?
    • $750,000 for operations; capital appropriation for $2.5 million to complete facility

 

Robin Gardner, Texas Military Department

  • Principal psychological health advisor to joint staff
  • Develops standard operating procedures for behavioral health for military in the state
  • Behavioral health team for the TMD is a 22 person team
  • PTSD and TBIs challenge veterans
  • Offers clinical assessments and connections to treatment providers
  • Programs coordinate with units and command teams to monitor progress and make recommendations; provides prevention, education, treatment and outreach
  • All TMD members have access to suicide prevention lines
  • National suicide prevention lifeline launched 988; links to trained mental health professional
  • Overviews state mental health services for national guard
  • TMD has personnel serving in OLS; OLS behavioral health team created last fall
  • Team made up of one military behavioral health officer and six specialists
  • Each OLS task force has a wellness team
  • TMD conducts monthly wellness support visits to OLS teams
  • Needs are great and increasing
  • Increasing referrals to TMD programs
  • Chair Raymond – What are the mental health issues?
    • 5% of army referrals and 4% of air referrals are PTSD
    • Most are adjustment disorder and anxiety
  • Chair Raymond clarifies behavioral health team size for OLS
    • Every base camp has a medical team that coordinates with behavioral health
    • The behavioral health team connects them to care; in person or telehealth
  • Chair Raymond asks about suicide and OLS
    • Suicide is complex; of the 9 Texas Military suicides last year, 2 were on OLS orders and the rest were not on mission
    • Taking all steps to not normalize suicide
  • Tinderholt – What can we do for mental health? How can we provide military medical assistance to them other than their 3 weeks of guard time?
    • Federally funded behavioral health programs fill the gap
  • Recommends increasing TMD funding for counseling programs
  • Tinderholt – Need to track the guard getting kicked out for being unvaccinated

 

Major Cameron Albin, American Odysseus Sailing Program

  • Medically retired in 2011 for TBI and PTSD
  • Offers services to veterans and first responders
  • Provides sailing community; therapeutic and builds relationships
  • Requests funding for adventure therapy programs
  • Evidence based treatments (EBTs) great but not the only option
  • According to RAND, 63% of veteran suicides were persons not seeking EBTs
  • Significant barriers to EBTs such as availability, time, quality, stigma
  • Adventure therapy and other peer led programs are other options to deal with veteran mental health; part of a multi-faceted approach
  • UK already supports these programs
  • We are one example of adventure therapy
  • We fund ourselves and use private donations; we don’t get paid
  • Goal to build team from within
  • Would like to sail more but don’t have enough money
  • Most of these adventure therapy organizations are ineligible for grants
  • Tinderholt – Recommends partnering with a university to collect data
  • Chair Raymond recommends partnering with other organizations
  • Chair Raymond – We will write a bill to set up a program to allow you all to receive funding

 

Taylor Grieger, American Odysseus Sailing Program

  • Started program three years ago
  • Out of navy in 2016; hard time assimilating
  • Body accustomed to adrenaline when deployed; doesn’t just go away when returning home
  • Tried to commit suicide
  • When constantly stressed, size of prefrontal cortex and hippocampus shrink; conducted research on how to grow it back
  • Studied UK adventure therapy programs; able to regrow hippocampus
  • Tried to bring adventure therapy to federal level; created documentary
  • Tinderholt – How many people operate your program?
    • The two of us and we will have two boats
    • 6 other volunteers
  • Tinderholt – How long does it last?
    • Program varies; our main program is a week to two weeks long in the Gulf
    • Started doing programs during the day on the weekends for veterans with families
  • Tinderholt – What’s the cost?
    • We pay for veterans so it’s no cost to them
    • $200 for the day and $1800 for the week trips
  • Tinderholt – Program needs to be larger scale
  • Chair Raymond – Who started adventure therapy?
    • I filmed an expedition on adventure therapy and chose sailing
    • Adventure therapy is getting outside in a group of peers in an environment where adrenaline and endorphins are running
    • There’s a horseback and hiking program called Heroes and Horses in Montana
  • Chair Raymond asks about his journey to recovery
    • Sailing made me better

 

Kristy Dean, Endeavors

  • Variety of programs for veterans
  • Since 2017, received HHSC funding for Stephen A. Cohen family clinics; vital to provided services
  • Importance of letting veterans decide who family members are
  • Served over 8,900 clients with TVFA funding
  • Cohen clinics use EBTs and cognitive therapies
  • Treatment model focuses on removing barriers to care
  • Endeavors behavioral health programs funded by Texas Veterans Commission
  • Grateful for funding; emphasizes importance
  • Funds restrict outreach and marketing; need to change
  • Recommends making grants have standard approval processes
  • Funded to provide services amongst 3 VA regions under TVFA
  • Would like to be able to offer telehealth services between regions
  • Tinderholt – Recommends talking to TVC; not a legislative issue
    • Spoke with Texas Veteran Family Alliance
    • We can provide the service but it’s not funded by grants
  • Buckley – The TVFA grant comes from HHSC?
    • Yes
  • Would like marketing and outreach plan approved at start
  • Recommends focusing on providing both alternative care and EBTs; need to increase telehealth services
  • First 90 days out of military are most deadly; need more support services
  • Importance of TVFA funding cannot be overstated
  • Would like to provide more substance abuse support
  • Chair Raymond recommends following up with written specifics; need to mention PTSD and TBI

 

Charlie Malouf, Texas Care

  • Provides support to incarcerated veterans suffering from PTSD
  • Need to identify veteran status of incarcerated
  • Veteran status must provide treatment even in jails
  • Encountered incarcerated veterans cut off from benefits
  • Veteran’s need to be automatically enrolled in Medicaid; state guard doesn’t fall under Title 10
  • Created youth ambassadors group for children of incarcerated parents; subgroup of dependents to veterans
  • Need to coordinate efforts to TDCJ
  • Chair Raymond – What percentage of the 14,000 incarcerated benefits have PTSD or TBI?
    • Not sure exactly how many have PTSD; from encounters a significant number do
  • Chair Raymond and Malouf discuss need to identify and provide support to incarcerated veterans
  • Chair Raymond met will law enforcement officials to discuss reality of legal system behind closed doors; will bring up with judicial system in Laredo
  • Discusses failure of the judicial process
  • Recommends crating incarceration training for prosecutors