December 4, 2008 at 7:14 a.m.
Following veteran's program head's recommendation; the van will be replaced
Following veteran's program head's recommendation; the van will be replaced
Chisago County Veterans Service Officer Jim Halstrom made the recommendation to trade-in and acquire a different veterans transport vehicle saying he "regrets everything" about delays in purchase, about how the process was handled, and shortcomings in the program attributed to this vehicle.
Halstrom stated, "I would like the opportunity to revisit and find different ways to look at" this issue. "We could do this better."
The veterans' transport van originally purchased in 1998 was wrecked in an accident in spring 2007. The new van, however, has left riders dissatisfied, Halstrom explained.
The new van is a 2007 Chevrolet Express passenger RWD 3500 model. Some of the complaints center on no headroom and difficulty getting into and out of the vehicle.
Halstrom said he was trying mightily to do his best in developing specs and ordering this vehicle. Anecdotally, he added, out of 10 or 15 county transport vans you might see parked outside the VA Hospital in the Twin Cities on any given day, most would closely resemble Chisago County's new vehicle. "It was not unusual to have gone the way we did," he said.
"All this aside," he acknowledged there are enough veterans and others, such as the Chisago City donor who contributed the entire base purchase price, who have "understandable concerns."
The veterans van is driven by parttime county employees, who in 2007 made 130 trips transporting county resident veterans to medical appointments. Halstrom said nobody has any issues with the service provided; adding that his drivers sometimes get up at 4 in the morning to collect all the riders and many times are still waiting to head home from the VA at 4:30 in the afternoon. The drivers are an incredible group of basically volunteers, he added. "There are never any complaints about my scheduler or drivers," Halstrom stressed.
As for complaints about delay in taking delivery of the new van, Halstrom said in retrospect the manufacture timeframe was "a calamity of errors...the delay was regrettable, but it was what it was."
The van was wrecked in April 2007. Within two weeks a $32,000 donation was received from a party who wants to be anonymous. The County Board authorized the purchase in June and the order was placed, according to Halstrom.
The county didn't have the new veterans van operational until November. The Isanti-Chisago County Heartland Express transit system stepped up to fill the several-months gap.
In approving the motion to move forward and rectify the issues, the county commissioners also advised those involved in the veterans' van program to assemble an advisory group to oversee the new vehicle purchase. Chair Lynn Schultz requested also to view legal research specifically into any "implications as to liability" that the county could be exposed to by not having a "medically trained" person accompanying the van.
Halstrom says there's a balance in the dedicated van account of $22,925. This, along with proceeds in the trade-in, can be used to replace the vehicle.
FYI
As Veterans Service Officer, Halstrom is the go-to person for 4,500 county veterans. He is involved in overseeing access to and claims made for about $10.5 million in VA budget expenditures for resident veterans in fiscal year 2007.
Halstrom said this includes $5.3 million funding pension and compensations claims, educational and vocational rehab programs, VA insurance, and over $4.7 million in health care services. His office in North Branch will field calls about everything from burial benefits to home loan needs to service injury-related compensation. He is also the county's Emergency Services Director.
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