FAQs

The Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative is now meeting in a NEW LOCATION in downtown Los Angeles. The collaborative meets at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, located at 431 W. 7th Street, 3rd Floor.

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Parking for the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative meetings can be found at the garage adjacent to the Los Angeles Athletic Club. For the meetings, $7 validated parking is available at the garage, located at 646 S. Olive St.

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The Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative is a diverse group of stakeholders, both public and private. Anyone interested in helping veterans and military families in the Los Angeles area is welcome to attend the collaborative meetings. There are eight working groups — Behavioral Health, Career Advancement, Faith-Based, Families & Children, Healthcare, Higher Education, Housing & Homelessness, and Legal & Re-entry. Stakeholders and participants choose a working group and work together to accomplish the action items and goals each working group identified.

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Yes. Due to the large amount of people that attend the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, we ask that all people RSVP online. You may find the RSVP link for an upcoming meeting on the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative page.

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Welcome! As part of an effort to help you get involved easier, we have started an intro working group to go over the findings of “The State of the American Veteran: The Los Angeles County Veterans Study” and an overview of the working groups and their action items so that you can settle in where you see fit. Unless specifically asked by one of the co-chairs, all first-time members and visitors will attend the introductory working group.

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Each month, the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative begins with the Engagement and Access working group from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. This working group, composed of peer supports, outreach organizations and co-chairs, is actively working on solving engagement and access issues. The large gathering at 10 a.m. begins with important updates and announcements relevant to all the working groups’ interests. Immediately following, the working groups break out to work on action items relevant to veterans and service members throughout Los Angeles County. The meeting concludes when the whole collaborative reconvenes and the working groups’ co-chairs report topics discussed, action items identified and follow-up actions planned.

For more information on working groups and upcoming meetings, visit Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative page.

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You can sign up through CIR’s mailing list. Once you enter your email address, you have the option of receiving emails based on interests. Make sure “Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative” is marked among your options.

If you already receive emails from CIR, you may update your profile through the same process. Visit our mailing list site and enter your email address. Since your information is already in our system, a page will display giving you the option to update your profile. Hit “Submit” and a separate email will be sent with instructions. Follow the link provided and make sure “Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative” is marked among interest areas. Save your changes.

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Visit the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAVeteransCollaborative for the latest information on events and programs from collaborative member organizations.

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Send a link to post an event on the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/LAVeteransCollaborative

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Read our latest publication on the theory and idea behind leading and hosting a veterans collaborative in your community. For more information, contact Nathan Graeser, Community Liaison/Analyst, at 213-821-3616 or .

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There are two distinct opportunities to help support veterans and military families.

(1.)  The Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families relies on charitable donations to further its work with veterans and military families. In order to meet its core objectives, CIR’s most pressing financial need is for ongoing operational support of approximately $1 million per year. While the fundraising focus, is on creating an endowed fund for the center, philanthropic gifts of all sizes are needed to sustain its operations. Beyond that, there are other costs associated with CIR that would benefit from additional endowed funds. These include endowed funds for the center’s directorship, special research projects, enhanced technology efforts and endowed professorships that focus on military curriculum training and development.

(2.)  The Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program is a scholarship “match” system in which the United States Veterans Administration (VA) matches the amount awarded by the participating academic institution. The School of Social Work awards eligible veterans $10,000, which is matched by $10,000 from the VA for a total award of $20,000 per academic year. These funds can be used to cover all charges related to tuition, fees and any additional costs directly related to educational expenses, and the scholarship is renewable for both of the two years of the full-time Master of Social Work program. The Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Fund is also designed to provide scholarships for military spouses and for select veterans who do not meet the eligibility requirements of the VA match program.

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When you make a gift in support of veterans and military families, you have tremendous flexibility in determining how the funds will be used, as well as many options for making your gift. Unrestricted gifts to our military social work program are among the most valuable because they allow the School of Social Work to allocate funds wherever the need is greatest and to take advantage of unique opportunities as they arise. Your unrestricted contribution may be used to support costs associated with financial aid for veterans/military families; innovations in curriculum development and military cultural competency training; research on issues related to successful transitions for veterans and their families, among others.

Restricted gifts allow you to designate your gift to either CIR or the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program. You may also direct your gift to specific populations, geographic areas and branches of the service.. When you make a restricted gift, you will have the personal satisfaction of knowing you are supporting a program that is especially meaningful to you.

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One hundred percent of your gift to the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program is designated to a veteran or military spouse. For gifts restricted to CIR, 70 percent goes directly into research, education and community initiatives, and 30 percent is allocated to administrative overhead.

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 Yes! To learn about deferred or planned gifts, including bequests, life-income plans and other options for your estate — and for information about increasing your income, earning valuable income-tax deductions and reducing your estate taxes — please contact the Advancement Office at the USC School of Social Work at 213.740.7205.

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An easy way to double or even triple your donation to support our nation’s veterans is to take advantage of your company’s matching-gift program. Such programs typically match all or a percentage of employee contributions to charitable organizations, making the employer a partner in employees’ personal philanthropy. Simply obtain a matching-gift form from your employer’s personnel office, fill it out, and send it to the Advancement Office at the USC School of Social Work:
1150 South Olive Street, Suite 320
Los Angeles, CA 90015-2483

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Yes. USC is classified as a private non-profit organization, and charitable donations are tax deductible. Our IRS Tax ID number is: 95-1642394.

 

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 If you are a social media user, you can follow us on FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn and help us spread the word about important veterans’ issues or by posting an update to your profile. Plus, you can sign up for CIR’s mailing list to receive periodic news and updates.

If you are a community stakeholder and represent an organization committed to issues affecting local veterans, you may be interested in attending a meeting of the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative or joining its mailing list. For details, contact Nathan Graeser at .

If you are interested in supporting CIR’s goals and are seeking employment opportunities, check the USC jobs portal frequently for open positions. If you’re an MSW student at USC, you may be eligible to complete your field internship here or help on a research project.

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We need your help to share the survey with clients, veterans and service members in your agencies. Post the survey information flyer on your community bulletin boards and Facebook pagers, and share the link to the survey (www.LAvetsurvey.org). For information on obtaining flyers and postcards, or to learn more about the survey, contact Margaret Thomas at .

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We need your help to get the word out. Share the link to the survey (www.LAvetsurvey.org) on your Facebook page. Ask your friends in the military to complete it. Or if you or your loved one has served, complete the survey yourself.

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To learn more about research studies that are actively enrolling participants, visit the Research Projects page. If you are interested in participating in an active study, contact the designated person for the specific project. For general information on participating in future studies, contact Sherrie Wilcox at or visit uscsocialwork.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bfKSoyJPhAdBQup to complete a brief screener that will match you with a research study.

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If you are interested in having CIR evaluate a program or conduct research for your organization, complete the Research Project/Evaluation Inquiry Form and return it to Sherrie Wilcox at .

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Join the mailing list or check out CIR’s Events page or Facebook page.

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Yes. CIR offers several online courses for behavioral health providers. These courses are an ideal way for behavioral health care providers to improve their effectiveness in working with military populations. CIR also offers an online course for employers and hiring personnel discussing why and how to hire veterans. Additionally, on-site workshops are offered from time to time. For the latest on course offerings and trainings, visit CIRlearn page.

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For information about CIR’s online continuing education (CE) and other courses, visit the CIRlearn pages or join the mailing list and be sure to check “CIRlearn Announcements.” To register for a specific class, visit CIRlearn How to Enroll page for specific instructions.

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Yes. Licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) and licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) may earn continuing education (CE) credit hours through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) by completing CIRlearn courses. For other states, check with your accrediting organization to determine if your state accepts BBS-accredited courses. CEUs earned vary by course offering.

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After enrolling in the course, you can access the course online for six months.

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No. However, the USC School of Social Work offers a specialization in military social work for Master of Social Work (MSW) students interested in treating military-impacted populations. CIR plays a critical role in supporting this academic program by developing the curriculum’s specialized content, new and innovative teaching technologies, and sophisticated evaluation and research strategies to improve learning outcomes.

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The Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative meets on a monthly basis on the second Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. To register for an upcoming meeting, please Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative page.

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