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Heide Laser-Case Manager/Program Coordinator for the Brothers in Arms Program

Often, it is the veteran’s pride fied potential inmates with former Approximately 75% of those whom
that is the barrier to asking or service who were then screened to we encountered had never taken
receiving help. Those who served see if they met the essential military advantage of their eligibility status,
in the military are trained to never service criteria. Then, working with the resources available through the
show signs of weakness. They must Henry Molden, the Veterans Justice VA and local community partners,
put on a “gorilla suit” or a tough Outreach (VJO) representative, we or services that could be received
guy façade while housed in general created an orientation that covered while in custody.
population in order to survive. No housing benefits and eligibility We then brought in another key
training has ever prepared veterans for Veterans Administration (VA) player from the Texas Veterans
for the jailhouse social system. benefits. Commission (TVC): Greg Holland, a
For two months, we conducted claims benefits advisor who assists
Reaching the Masses 11 VJO visits of multiple groups justice-involved veterans. He is inte-
In October 2018, I made it my per day, stashing up to 25 men in gral to explaining the claims process
mission to reach as many justice- chapels, classrooms, and the law for benefits, discharge upgrades,
involved male veterans in cus- library. We reached 186 justice- and the intent to file a claim to
tody at Harris County Jail (Texas) involved veterans who were not veteran inmates. He can also assist
as possible. Using the Veterans participating in veteran-specific in starting the process while the
Reentry Search Service list, students programming, located in special veteran is in custody.
from the University of Houston- housing units, or receiving acute We quickly realized the flaws
Downtown (UHD) and I identi- medical or mental health treatment. during these VJO visits.

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