The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) is a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families. The Department is governed by a nine-member Oklahoma Veterans Commission, who members are appointed by the Governor, with the approval the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

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Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Guard Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, as well as three at-large appointees. The Commission in turn appoints the Executive Director of the Department, who serve at the pleasure of the Commission and is responsible for administration of the Department. The Department was created in 1981 during the term of Governor

George Nigh George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...

as a successor to the Soldiers Relief Commission.

Mission and History

The Veterans Affairs Department is charged with ensuring all Oklahoma veterans and their families receive all possible benefits and provide health services and long-term skilled care in a residential environment to all qualified veterans residing in the state. These services includes nursing and domiciliary care, financial assistance in emergencies, and field service counseling in the filing of claims for

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

and state benefits. The

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 sta ...

created the Soldiers Relief Commission in 1947. It was later replaced by the Department in 1981.

Leadership

The Department is administered by the Department's Executive Director. Oversight for the Department is provided by the nine member Oklahoma Veterans Commission.

Oklahoma Veterans Commission

The Department of Veterans Affairs is administered under such rules, regulations and policies as may be prescribed by the nine-member Oklahoma Veterans Commission. The members of the Commission are appointed by the

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

, with the approval of the

, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Guard Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, as well as three at-large appointees. Three members of the Commission must be

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

veterans. All members serve three-year terms. As of March 2022, the members of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission are as follows: *Chairman Larry Van Schuyver *Paul D. Costilow *Mike Jackson *Dr. Andrew Lasser *Jerry Ball *Bill Kokendoffer *Heather McEver *Gary Miles *Merline LeDay-Mauney

Budget

Funding

The Department is funded primarily from three sources: yearly appropriations, patient fees, and federal funding. The

provides the Department a federal per diem payment per veteran in each Department Veterans Center. Each of the three funding sources makes up roughly one-third of the total budget of the Department.

Expenditures

The Department has annual budget of just over $130 million. The vast majority of that budget (over $100 million) was dedicated to employee salaries and benefits.

Organization

*Oklahoma Veterans Commission **Executive Director ***Deputy Director ****Director, Veterans Services - responsible for providing outreach and services to veterans and their dependents *****Mental Health Liaison *****Education *****Employment ****Chief Financial Officer - responsible for overseeing all finances of the Department ****Claims and Benefits Manager - responsible for providing as complete rehabilitation as possible to disabled veterans and their dependents *****Lawton Claims Office *****Muskogee Claims Office *****Oklahoma City Hospital Office *****Muskogee Hospital Office *****Tulsa Hospital Office ****Regional Veterans Centers Administrators - responsible for providing medical, nursing and domiciliary care to veterans *****Ardmore Veterans Center *****Claremore Veterans Center *****Clinton Veterans Center *****Norman Veterans Center *****Sulphur Veterans Center *****Tahlihina Veterans Center ****Administrative Programs Officer - responsible for overseeing the central administrative and personnel operations of the Department *****Program Administrator (Construction) - responsible for overseeing all construction by the Department *****Program Administrator (Safety) - responsible for overseeing all public safety issues for the Department *****Program Administrator (Information Technology) - responsible for overseeing technology use by the Department *****Program Administrator (Human Resources) - responsible for overseeing all human resource issues for the Department ****State Approving Agency Administrator - responsible for approving criteria for veterans' professional and educational assistance needs

Claims and Benefits

The Claims and Benefits Division provides many different services to the veterans and their dependents. The primary function is to assist veterans and their dependents with their claims before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Claims worked through the

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

Claims Office help claimants obtain compensation and pension benefits. Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Service Officers nationally accredited through the Department of Veterans Affairs to represent the claimant with their claims and appeals. The Service Officers will assist in the appeals process, and if necessary, represent the claimant at a personal hearing before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Hearing Officer. The Muskogee Claims Office handles lifetime hunting & fishing permits, state benefits requests, and the Financial Assistance Program.

Staffing

The Veterans Affairs Department, with an annual budget of over $130 million, is one of the largest employers of the State. For fiscal year 2010, the Department was authorized 1,998 full-time employees.FY 2011 State Budget

Oklahoma Office of State Finance The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) is a government agency which manages and supports the basic functioning of the government of Oklahoma. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Secretary of Agency Accountability, OMES ...

References

External links

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs, Department of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...