OXFORD – Recent government cut backs have placed a full-time position at the Department of Veterans Affairs on the chopping block, and state and local officials have said the cut could equal lost revenue for Chenango County.
A proposed state cut would eliminate the full-time secretarial position at the office, cutting the one full-time employee in the Oxford office and placing the brunt of the labor on a counselor who spends approximately 15 hours a week there.
Former Veterans Affairs Counselor Terry Bresina said in previous years, Chenango County had a full-time counselor and a full-time secretary, but in 2004, changes were made that required the counselor to spend three days a week in Binghamton and two days a week in Oxford.
“Here, we got to the point that we had enough business with the local veterans to tie up [the counselor’s] time two days a week. The full-time secretary scheduled appointment, took care of files, did the leg work of the office and collected information and documents for pension claims for the Veterans’ Home residents,” Bresina said. “The part time guy doesn’t have time to do that and cover the office for the local vets.”
Bresina said the situation may become even more difficult for one part-time person to handle as the number of veterans coming back from combat zones increases. “There’s more demand now than there was three or four years ago,” Bresina said.
The staffing cut was proposed to save money, Bresina said, estimating a total savings in salary and benefits of approximately $60,000 a year. Bresina said the cost to the state could be much more than that if there is not adequate time to keep up with the work that the secretary was responsible for.
Bresina explained that the secretary devoted a majority of her time to compiling VA pension files for residents at the Veterans’ Home. Without the pension funds, many of the residents would rely on Medicaid to cover the costs of care, and while VA benefits are funded entirely by federal dollars, 25 percent of Medicaid costs are covered by the state.
“If just 20 percent of those residents fall through the crack, it’s going to cost the state twice as much money as it is saving,” said Bresina, “and in all likelihood, it would be more than that.” Bresina clarified that the veterans counselor does a great job, but explained that the work load would be difficult to carry with only 15 hours a week.
“From a state standpoint, anything that brings in Medicaid savings is a huge benefit to the state. With the Veterans’ Home in Oxford, that makes this the last place the state should be eliminating positions,” Bresina said. He explained that there are approximately 4,000 veterans in Chenango County, not counting the spouses and children who may also be eligible for veterans benefits. “Chenango County Veterans are being short changed if the counselor is only here two days a week, even with a full time secretary,” he said.
Assemblyman Clifford Crouch said he thinks the proposed staffing cut needs to be rethought. “I understand that the secretary handles a lot of people and with veterans coming into the home, this might be something we need to look at,” Crouch said. “We can’t be foolish in how we make cuts. We need to look at the value of the position.”
Crouch said he plans to reach out to the Governor’s office and discuss the value of the secretarial position. He was unsure when a final decision on the matter may be reached.