Bridging the Gap: Kayla Arestivo on the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation's Mission to Support Virginia Veterans

Unlock the secrets of how Virginia is transforming veteran support through the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation (VSF). Join us as we sit down with Kayla Arestivo, the Executive Director of VSF, to uncover the foundation's pivotal role in bridging funding gaps and providing essential services to over 700,000 veterans across the Commonwealth. Kayla demystifies the distinctions between the Virginia Department of Veteran Services (DVS) and VSF, detailing the foundation's independent operations, funding mechanisms, and how they manage a significant budget to prioritize vital services like employment assistance, family support, housing initiatives, and behavioral health care. This episode promises to highlight the behind-the-scenes efforts that keep our veterans supported and thriving.

We also tackle veterans' specific challenges in underserved rural areas, especially in Shenandoah and southern Virginia, and discuss innovative strategies to reach those without internet access or reliable transportation. Get the latest updates on the much-anticipated Puller Center, where administrator Brock Bakos shares his vision for creating a vibrant, supportive environment for veteran residents despite delays and regulatory hurdles. From claims assistance to housing support, this episode is packed with valuable insights and updates that will give you a deeper understanding of the ongoing efforts to serve Virginia’s veterans better.

Transcript

Larry Zilliox: 0:15

Good morning. I'm Larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run. Today we have with us Kayla Arestivo. She's the Executive Director of the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation and I've been looking forward to having her come out to the retreat, sit down with us and really explain what the foundation is, what it does, how it supports veterans in the Commonwealth, because I think a lot of our listeners just aren't really aware of the foundation sort of working in the background. When they think of veteran services here in the Commonwealth they think of the Department of Veteran Services, which is a full Commonwealth agency, and you and the foundation work right beside them. I really appreciate you coming out and welcome to the podcast.

Kayla Arestivo: 1:09

Hey, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here and tour around this beautiful property. I'm excited.

Larry Zilliox: 1:16

We're really excited about being able to sit down and ask some questions about the foundation. The first one is what do you all do?

Kayla Arestivo: 1:28

That's the million dollar question, and I hear it a lot. You're absolutely correct. So there is the Virginia Department of Veteran Services, which a lot of folks kind of get confused as wait a minute, is that the? Is that big VA? And so we, the DVS Department of Veteran Services for Virginia, often has to kind of make that correction. No, no, no, we love the VA, but we are not big VA, we are small VA, we are Virginia VA. And so what happens is DVS, as a state, serves the entire Commonwealth and the 700,000-plus veterans within it, has general funds from General Assembly. And what happens is, of course, with 700,000 veterans, there's more of a need oftentimes than that funding can support, and so we can't just halt the operations, we can't just shut the doors in the benefits offices or, you know, cease to support with our housing initiatives if we run out of funding.

Larry Zilliox: 2:33

Yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 2:34

Because that's real life. That's real life for people, sure. And so what happens is the foundation, virginia Veterans Services Foundation that I'm the executive director for, comes in and is able to fill the gaps. So a lot of our kind of language, the way that we talk about the foundation on our website and our marketing, is just fill the gaps. Great, we've got the general funds, and then what else do we need to hit the most efficiency that we can in serving our veterans across the Commonwealth Right. And so VSF, the Services Foundation, is a state agency. It's a 170, so it's charitable.

Larry Zilliox: 3:10

Right.

Kayla Arestivo: 3:11

So we go out and I have the honor of being able to talk to different community partners, corporate sponsors, and get them to buy in and support, and their impact can go, obviously, to regional support, local support and Commonwealth-wide, and so that's what the foundation does really. In short and simple terms, we fill the gaps so that we can extend the reach even further to all those veterans.

Larry Zilliox: 3:35

How long has the foundation been operational?

Kayla Arestivo: 3:41

veterans. How long has the foundation been operational? That's a great question and it's really. It's been kind of a tricky independence movement, if you will, because the foundation, the accounts, if you will, the bank accounts have existed for quite some time and at some point there were people you know in the offices in Richmond that decided, ok, it's a little messy to have donated funds within DBS.

Larry Zilliox: 4:05

Yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 4:06

And so branched it apart, started making that independence movement, hiring separate leadership, having its own board of trustees that is completely independent and separate, independent and separate. And so VSF comes alongside and is sistering to and parallel to the Department of Veteran Services now separate entities. However, the only funding that VSF puts out is to DVS. So a lot of times people say well, virginia Veteran Services Foundation, can you support some other service organizations? We have so many veteran services organizations in Virginia.

Larry Zilliox: 4:42

Yeah, oh yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 4:43

Which is such a blessing. Yeah, and can be a little overwhelming. Where should I put? Where should I put my support to? Yeah, and so VSF in its entirety exists solely to support the state agency DVS.

Larry Zilliox: 4:57

How much? What's the budget look like? What do you spend helping the Department of Veterans Services in an average year?

Kayla Arestivo: 5:07

Right. Well, in an average year, our allocation, our appropriation limit is typically somewhere around $800,000.

Larry Zilliox: 5:16

Okay.

Kayla Arestivo: 5:17

Very small.

Larry Zilliox: 5:18

Yeah, yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 5:19

When we think 700,000 veterans.

Larry Zilliox: 5:21

Right right.

Kayla Arestivo: 5:22

And part of my, I came on board in January. Hundred thousand veterans and part of my I came on board in January. Part of my initiative is to really make sure that we are. The more money we bring in, the more the state's going to allow us to spend, and so appropriation should be up to $5 million rather than 800,000. And how much further we could extend with that reach if we had that. However, to your point in the beginning when we started this conversation, is well, if we don't know that it exists and we don't know what it does, how can we fund it?

Larry Zilliox: 5:48

and reach more of our veterans yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 5:50

And so with such a small, I mean, I guess it's all relative right, but for $800,000, we're looking at $850,000 for this upcoming year supporting DVS and all of its initiatives is quite a challenge.

Larry Zilliox: 6:06

Yeah, it's not much money.

Kayla Arestivo: 6:07

Where do we divide up? So where are those gaps? And a lot of my work comes with, you know, the Board of Trustees, myself and the commissioner, who is Chuck Singler, and figuring out. Okay, mr Commissioner, where do you want to prioritize the gaps? What gaps do we, as the foundation, need to be focused on funding? Is it veteran employment and transition, right Right. Is it family and support, the housing initiatives? Is it behavioral health care, our fantastic veteran care centers? And so where do we want to prioritize?

Kayla Arestivo: 6:39

And that will kind of shift around sometimes. Of course we want to prioritize all of our veterans, but it really that collaboration piece, hand in hand with Commissioner Zingler and the directors within the service departments at DBS, to figure out what are we seeing, what are the boots on the ground throughout the Commonwealth, in the benefits office, who are face-to-face, eye-to-eye with these veterans, what do they need? And then come back every year and say, okay, well, based on what we have, this is where you want to see the funding go. Here's the funds Go out and try to extend your reach as best as possible.

Larry Zilliox: 7:13

So, looking at 2023, where did most of the funding go?

Kayla Arestivo: 7:18

Great question, I will say notoriously Virginia Veteran and Family Support. So that is a service area, that is a department within DBS that tends to be our largest expenditure, primarily with behavioral health care and the housing initiatives, which is emergency sheltering, first month rent or security deposits. Those are huge initiatives and tend to take up the bulk of our funding.

Larry Zilliox: 7:49

And wouldn't issues surrounding veteran suicide fall under the mental health aspect of it?

Kayla Arestivo: 7:55

Right, the behavioral health care piece? Absolutely yeah, and so much ofDVS rolled out the SOS program last year, which is a grant that supported multiple VSOs, a good amount of VSOs I think it was about 80 partners through the Commonwealth that were really focused on suicide prevention, and so we know that DVS is prioritizing that. But, to your point, with veteran and family support within DVS, which is our biggest expenditure, health care, homelessness or housing initiatives those things are directly related to suicide prevention as well. Right, a lot of it is a web Sure which comes first. It all kind of interacts together, yeah, and it really depends on the individual circumstances, and that's why getting to know your veterans, that's why the benefit, the local benefits offices with DBS, those boots on the ground, are so important because they can actually understand individual cases rather than statistics.

Larry Zilliox: 8:52

Thinking about the Commonwealth geographically, where do you see most of that funding ending up? What section of Virginia? Where does it land mostly?

Kayla Arestivo: 9:03

Sure, we, you, you know notoriously northern Virginia, the central region which is Richmond, and then of course we're very military dance down in the South Side area. So Virginia Beach, chesapeake, norfolk, portsmouth, hampton Roads, right, so often rural areas, the western region of the state kind of gets left off to the side. I can tell you that I know Governor Youngkin right now, commissioner, chuck, chuck Zingler, they're very focused on getting out to the western parts, to the Shenandoah, and making sure that those veterans are plugged in. I know that Commissioner Zingler focuses right now on, I think it's one-third of the state's veterans are either utilizing or knowing about the services within DDS right, and so we have to be able to reach those folks.

Kayla Arestivo: 9:48

But the the more concentrated areas like Northern Virginia higher population hired to me well, and you even think about so much of everything is online these days yeah, yeah who's got an internet. You know, I live in a farmhouse down in Virginia Beach area and some of our roads down there don't even have internet access. So we're thinking about the older demographics, maybe those who are struggling with finances, those who don't have or don't care to have technology.

Larry Zilliox: 10:14

Yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 10:14

Transportation issues. Can they get to benefits offices?

Larry Zilliox: 10:17

Yeah Right, it's all intertwined. You know, if you don't have a car, you can't get a job.

Kayla Arestivo: 10:23

Right.

Larry Zilliox: 10:24

You know, if you marriage you end up divorced Right, and then you just throw into that quagmire substance abuse.

Kayla Arestivo: 10:35

Right.

Larry Zilliox: 10:36

So many veterans that just need to hear the message that these benefits are available to them. There's a lot of veteran service organizations out there that will help veterans find these Sure Navigate the process, which is huge. I do use the Department of Veterans Services for services, especially when it comes to claims. I have an appeal on a PAC Act claim right now. That's handled through DVS offices in Manassas and they have a great direct connection to the VA and so it only makes sense to reach out to them.

Larry Zilliox: 11:13

The other thing I think veterans here in the Commonwealth don't understand is the breadth of the services offered by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. It's huge. Pretty much almost everything that the VA offers the DVS offers on a state level, absent the financial benefits of a claim. So there's no process to get money from the state for your disability claim. But you can get treatment, you can get counseling, you can get housing assistance. You can get so many services from the DVS here locally. I'm really happy to hear that there's a focus on Shenandoah and the ruler areas of the state, especially down in the southern part. What a lot of people don't know is if, when you're in Northern Virginia and you want to go to Bristol, Virginia, you got to get in your car and drive for eight or nine hours. It's a big state. It is, and it's always been, that these rural areas have been underserved. Correct, they're underserved when it comes to the VA. You don't find vet centers out there. You don't find regional clinics out there.

Larry Zilliox: 12:31

So that is really good to hear Talk a little bit about. I know our listeners are wanting me to ask what's up with the Puller Center.

Kayla Arestivo: 12:46

Another million dollar question.

Larry Zilliox: 12:49

So I just happened to look at the webpage which, by the way, we're going to have the webpage for the foundation in the show notes. I don't want to give it to you right now because I don't think I can get it right. There are a lot of S's in there and I don't want to give you some bad information and then you just bounce because what I said didn't work. So just click on the link in the show notes and it'll take you to the foundation's web page. But I noticed there that under the Polar Center it said opening in 2022. And we're a little bit past that. Sure are, and there's some rumors out there that there were some construction issues. But I'm really wondering and hoping that you might have some information for us about the Puller Center.

Kayla Arestivo: 13:42

Yeah, I can give you the scoop.

Larry Zilliox: 13:44

Yes, please.

Kayla Arestivo: 13:46

Oh yeah, we are very excited. So the Puller Center has a twin sister, jones and Cabocoy, down in Virginia Beach Right, which kicked off this last Veterans Day weekend. It's fantastic. I visit there often. They're doing great and the Polar Center coming up here the building. I'm excited. I hope you get to go visit it or get to the Grand Opening when the time comes.

Larry Zilliox: 14:10

I would love to go to the Ribbon Cutting. I can't wait.

Kayla Arestivo: 14:24

I want to go pick out my room. Yeah, oh, Larry, it is exciting Now I can tell you that, yes, there were indeed some construction issues. It was just a you know kind of we need to rework some of these things and, of course, there are so many codes, you know. You know that with the buildings over here, there's so many codes. We're just trying to that with the buildings over here.

Larry Zilliox: 14:35

There's so many codes. We're just trying to get a permit for a barn on the property. It's been six, eight months.

Kayla Arestivo: 14:40

Right, right. So you know, and between codes for the VA, codes for the state, codes for all of it, we are inching closer and closer. I do know that there will be a grand opening, really exciting, and then from there they'll kind of waterfall in. You know, our veteran residents. We'll start with tier one, you know, maybe that's less than five to ten and then, you know, within the year, hopefully be up to, you know, operational status, right Along with you know we've got staffing and all that. So Brock Bakos is going to be the administrator up there and he's a fantastic administrator.

Kayla Arestivo: 15:15

All of our care centers I've met with all four care center administrators and they are some passionate people. And Brock handed me God bless him, handed me a list the other day of all of the exciting things that he wants funded for the Polar Center. This man has been sitting on ideas for years, waiting for it to open, wow. And I know there's going to be ponds and he's want fishing equipment and he wants, you know, we need storage sheds outside and pavilions and different like activity things for these residents. I mean, when I read the activity list and what he wanted funded the wishlist, I was like sign me up, I want to go there.

Larry Zilliox: 15:54

Yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 15:54

Yeah, the thought and the intentionality that our DBS employees put into their job. Specifically. I'm talking about the administrators now, the activity coordinators at the care centers. They love our veterans and it impacts me and I get emotional about it because it is really really cool to see and it's not just a place where people go to sit and spend out the rest of their time. I mean, they've got a bump in a hobby lifestyle. I would encourage, while we're on this conversation, anybody who's in the area or in the Commonwealth or across the nation that wants to support Polar Center and says hey, I want to support some of those ticket items. We're going to be pushing a wish list out pretty soon to start funding those things so that when our veterans get in there, so much as a welcoming package, you know in their rooms, stuff like that needs to be funded.

Kayla Arestivo: 16:47

And just really make sure that people feel like when they're going there, they're going home. Much like your focus here, this is home.

Larry Zilliox: 16:53

Yeah.

Kayla Arestivo: 16:57

Right, it's the intentionality between the s'mores goodie bags when people walk in. Yeah, you know, the fire pits, the, whatever it is. So, just you know, I'm really excited for Polar Center and so, yes, we are waiting patiently, but it's coming up here and when it is, it's going to be absolute perfection.

Larry Zilliox: 17:10

So along those lines, a steady theme that we have here on the podcast is donate. Every organization comes on. We're going to talk about their Web page, for a veteran service organization is the same. There's a donate button up in the right-hand corner. I'm not sure how it happened, but they're all the same. The foundation is no different. I want everybody to click that link in the show notes. Take a look at all the different aspects of the webpage. Read about the mission, look at the partners. All of the organizations and people that donate are listed on there in various tiers, and I'm assuming the tier fives are the ones that donate the most money. But there is a donate button up there and you can give money to support the Polar Center and a lot of the different activities that the foundation supports. But also there are operational expenses that this foundation needs to just exist and these big companies that come along. You know the Smithfield Foods, these companies, god bless them. They give sizable donations, but it's almost always restricted.

Kayla Arestivo: 18:21

Sure.

Larry Zilliox: 18:22

And it's the small donations the $100, the $50, the $5, the $10. I don't care what you got, what you can spare, what you can donate, but then that's going to go into a fund that they then can direct where it's needed. And what we find when we look and really look closely at like the studies from Blue Star Families they get out there and they do that survey of 9,000 military service members it turns out that the things that we think that they need aren't quite what they need. And a lot of times these companies, they donate money for things that they think are needed and they probably are, but maybe not needed as much as some other things. And that's where these unrestricted general funds come in. And I guarantee you, I guarantee you that your donation is going to be managed properly. It's not going to be thrown away on expensive trips for the trustees to take to Hawaii to have a meeting, but it's going to go towards veterans and it's going to go towards veterans here in the Commonwealth, in your state, in your hometown. The Puller Center is just a phenomenal example of that and the sister center down in the Tidewater area. That makes four. There were two existing, they're bringing on two online two brand new Then this one is going to have over 100 rooms short-term as well as long-term stay, and it's so needed because there are a lot of veterans out there that need care.

Larry Zilliox: 20:10

They're in their homes that are deteriorating around them, they can't afford what they need, they can't get the help that they need and they can't afford $15,000 a month for a private nursing home. And this is really going to make the lives of some elderly veterans and some not elderly veterans that are struggling because of their injuries, their combat injuries and they're going to have a place to go and it is going to be like home, and it's because of your donations. So please bang on that donate button and give what you can, because it's really, really important. What is the one thing that you want our listeners to know about the foundation? What's the most important thing that they should know?

Kayla Arestivo: 21:07

The most important thing they should know is that it is our responsibility to care for our neighbors. Much like this place runs on the community involvement, DVS runs on the support of our entire Commonwealth and when the directors of Virginia Veteran and Family Support Department within DDS came to us in March and said that they needed an extension of upwards of $200,000 to complete their support for our veterans until the end of fiscal year, which is June 30th, we needed to rise to that occasion. We can reach so many more people if we have the funds. It's not a matter of oh, can we spend the money? With 700,000 veterans, we can spend the money. And when a mother walks in and she's a veteran and she's got two little ones in there on the street, Just unacceptable.

Kayla Arestivo: 21:58

It is, and it's not some far off story that you've heard on a podcast. It's really real and so, like you said $5, $10 a dollar it works us towards that goal of supporting that mother to not feel like there's no way out.

Larry Zilliox: 22:12

Yeah, yeah. Well, listen, I really appreciate you taking the time. I know you drove all the way up from Richmond, which is a pretty drive, but it's not all that fun. I really appreciate you coming up and educating us on what the foundation does, how we can support it and overall, just the amazing work that the Department of Veteran Services does. So please let everybody know there that we appreciate what they do. I know they probably don't hear it that often, but it's not an easy job because you have finite resources and almost every VSO out there and the VA and DVS that balance isn't aligned and they work hard and I'm sure they're overworked. I know you probably have a staff of like 20, 25 people that work for you. Why are you laughing?

Kayla Arestivo: 23:14

I got two.

Larry Zilliox: 23:17

Okay, so that means you guys are working extra hard. I get it. But yeah, let everybody there know that we do appreciate the work that's done by the Department of Veterans Services and thank you so much for coming out.

Kayla Arestivo: 23:30

Thank you, larry. This was not only fun, but I do appreciate you doing this. Your passion to like get the word out. Yeah, it's important, and so thank you for having me.

Larry Zilliox: 23:41

Well for our listeners. We'll have another podcast, another episode, next Monday at 5 am. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at podcast at willingwarriorsorg. Until then, thanks for listening.