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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson hosted local veterans leaders and Department of Veterans Affairs officials at a Monday roundtable in an effort to find out how the agency can be improved to better serve its veteran clients, including the thousands of veterans who reside in Lake County.
The meeting took place on the same day that Thompson’s office announced that he had secured commitments from the VA that it will make improvements at the VA Oakland Regional Office, one of the slowest regional offices in the nation for claims processing.
The Monday afternoon roundtable at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport featured representatives from veterans’ organizations around the lake – Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, United Veterans Council and the Military Funeral Honors Team – as well as Lake County Veterans Service Office staff, county Supervisor Jim Comstock, staff from the VA Clinic in Clearlake and the Employment Development Department.
Making the trip to meet with the vets and local leaders were Lawrence Carroll, director of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and VA Oakland Regional Office Director Douglas Bragg.
“I can't tell you how important this is to the community,” said Thompson, who along with the VA officials had held a similar roundtable with veterans in Sonoma County earlier in the day.
Approximately 11 percent of Lake County’s total population – or 7,293 people – are veterans, according to Thompson’s office.
“Generally a veteran doesn't call my office until they're at their wits' end,” said Thompson.
The VA has a large number of claims pending nationwide, “and the numbers reflect even worse in our area,” Thompson said.
However, at a meeting he and Congressman Wally Herger had with VA officials last month, he said the VA came forward with what he believed was a good proposal – including training for staff – to address that claims backlog.
“They’re making some very substantial efforts to clean that backlog up,” he said.
Carroll, who like Bragg is a veteran, told the vets they would try to get them answers to their issues.
He said they work for a big bureaucracy. While that’s not an excuse, it helps to understand their challenges.
Carroll said they were going through some transformational changes, and as a result sometimes it looks like things are getting worse.
He also shared with the group that a family member of his, a three-tour Vietnam veteran, had fought for years to get health services through the VA, which did not believe the man had served in Vietnam.
Bragg, a 36-year federal employee, arrived in Oakland six months ago, and said he is there to fix the problems.
Thompson told the vets Monday that the training that VA staff is scheduled to be given is meant to make the Oakland Regional Office more responsive and help them catch up on claims processing.
“I want everyone to know we're here as allies, not adversaries,” Thompson said.
Bragg said the VA is going to train more people in more skills, which will give them flexibility.
“We are going to get better,” he said.
Addressing a larger problem
Thompson, a Vietnam veteran, said he and Congressman Wally Herger met in Washington, DC last month with VA Under Secretary for Benefits Brigadier General Allison A. Hickey to discuss the VA’s claims processing issues, which the agency said has resulted from workload and performance issues.
Hickey oversees all nonmedical benefits and services provided to veterans and their families, including all operations at the VA Oakland Regional Office.
Oakland has 30,765 pending disability claims, according to the VA. On average, the wait time on these claims is more than 263 days, 50 days longer than the national average. Of those disability claims, more than 9,200 have been pending for more than a year.
On Monday Thompson shared a copy of a letter from Hickey, who outlined the elements of a plan to improve services delivery that began at the Oakland Regional Office on March 27.
“Our goal is to achieve significant improvements in the quality and timeliness of claims processing,” Hickey wrote. “We have also made it a priority to enhance our communications with congressional stakeholders.”
The performance improvement plan will include “Challenge” training for the entire regional office in June to improve employee skill levels and decision quality, as well as technical, team, supervisory and communications training. It’s the first effort to retrain an entire regional office, according to Hickey.
The VA also is shifting 27 employees to the Rating Veterans Service Representative position and four employees to the Decision Review Officer position to increase the number of employees assigned to its congressional liaison staff in order to improve service and responsiveness to congressional inquiries, Hickey reported.
A new Simplified Notification Letter process (SNL) is being recently implemented at the Oakland Regional Office as part of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Transformation plan, and the office also is establishing a Quality Review Team to eliminate errors at the earliest possible stage of the claims process, according to Hickey.
In order to reduce its pending claims inventory, Hickey said the Oakland Regional Office is receiving brokering assistance from other VA regional offices in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Muskogee, Oklahoma, an effort that began in March.
Hickey said Bragg, the new Oakland Regional Office director, also will engage in face-to-face discussions with each of the 21 Northern California congressional district offices over the coming months.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Need a fun friend for your home or office?
If so, meet “Chloe,” a 9-month-old gray tabby.
She is playful – she especially likes to play with pens and pencils, and other office supplies – and also likes to hang out.
Chloe has green eyes and a short coat, and she has been spayed.
If you would like to meet her, you can find her in cat room kennel No. 63, ID No. 32327.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – When it comes to traffic safety, some actions bear repeating.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds all motorists to safely share the road and look twice for motorcyclists.
California is home to more than one million licensed motorcycle riders and an environment that lends itself to near perfect riding conditions year round.
For this reason, it is important that every motorist remain vigilant while traveling on the state’s roadways.
“Whether a driver is at an intersection or changing lanes, they should always keep an eye out for motorcyclists. Because motorcycles have a much smaller profile than other vehicles, it can be difficult for drivers to judge the distance and speed of an approaching motorcycle,” said Commissioner Joe Farrow.
In 2010, the most recent year for which data is available from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, 361 people died in California and nearly 11,000 others were injured as a result of a crash involving a motorcycle.
“In addition to outfitting themselves with the necessary safety equipment and riding gear, it is highly recommended that motorcyclists seek proper and professional training before beginning to ride,” added Commissioner Farrow.
Administered by the CHP, the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) offers the Basic RiderCourse for beginning motorcyclists and Basic RiderCourses 2 for riders who are interested in improving their skills.
The CMSP expects to train 65,000 motorcyclists this year and operates more than 120 training sites throughout California. Course information and locations may be found at http://www.ca-msp.org/ .
Helping the CHP spread the word about motorcycle safety awareness throughout the month of May, the California Department of Transportation will display an important message statewide on their changeable message signs: “Share the Road, Look Twice for Motorcyclists.”
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- Written by: John Jensen
Note: This story has been updated - KPFZ is online
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Community Radio KPFZ 88.1 went offline for unknown reasons Wednesday, and the station’s manager identified the problems and got the station back on the air at approximately 3:30. Earlier in the day the issue was believed to be related to the transmitter site on Buckingham peak but it was later found to be a localized issue that has been resolved.
The station went off the air at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Station Manager Andy Weiss said later in the afternoon that an estimated time for resuming broadcasts was unknown.
Weiss also reported that the transmitter is not believed to be at issue. “We don't know what it is, it's up on the mountain," he said, referring to the transmitter location on Buckingham Peak on top of Mt. Konocti.
Weiss said the station was still fact finding. “I think it's pretty serious."
He said station's technical support may be able to resolve the issue remotely and is hopeful that the station will be back online promptly.
Weiss speculated that it might be a major piece of equipment that "had run its course.”
Unsure of how long it might take to repair, he said he was canceling Thursday's programming.
"I've never had to do this before, so that's how serious it is,” he said.
Despite regular fundraisers the station does not have extra money or equipment to address the situation.
“Inevitably this was going to happen,” Weiss said.
He hopes to have the station restored quickly. “This is an important asset to the community."
A wide variety of programs will be affected should the station remain offline for a prolonged period.
Buck Bouker, who produces the Thursday show “Senior Moments,” said he was disappointed his show would not be on the air tomorrow night.
Other live programs scheduled for Thursday broadcast include:
7 a.m.: The Bluegrass Traveler/Hitchhiker – Don Coffin or Buck Bouker
9 a.m.: Women’s Voices – Lenny Mathews, Rae Eby-Carl, Loretta Macarthy and Kay Vohren
10 a.m.: Gorilla Radio – Conrad RadicalJusticeMan
11 a.m.: Esoterica – Linda Schreiber and Deon Pollett
2 p.m.: New Dimensions – Michael and Justine Toms
3 p.m.: Easy Rollin’ – Tim Hoff
7 p.m.: Lost Treasures – Pop
9 p.m.: Karma Cola – Andy Weiss.
Lake County Community Radio has been broadcasting since 1996. It began originally as pirate radio and low power FM station before transitioning to a full-power license in April 2008.
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