Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs
The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) is a department 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.
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 13, 1981 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 1,246 Civil Service Staff 5% Civil Service Exempt |
| Annual budget | $173 million |
| Ministers responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Oklahoma Veterans Commission |
| Website | oklahoma.gov/veterans |
The Department is governed by a nine-member Oklahoma Veterans Commission, who members are appointed by the Governor, with the approval the Oklahoma Senate for three-year terms. The Governor appoints members from names submitted by the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 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 serves 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 as a successor to the Soldiers Relief Commission.
Mission and History
The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs provides resources and services to military veterans residing in the state of Oklahoma. This includes assistance with state and federal benefits, disability claims, burial and survivor benefits, healthcare, employment, education, mental health/suicide prevention, entrepreneurship, veteran-owned businesses, women veteran services and veterans in agriculture. ODVA also operates seven long-term care facilities for veterans throughout Oklahoma. These services include nursing and domiciliary care, financial assistance in emergencies, and field service counseling in the filing of claims for United States Department of Veterans Affairs and state benefits.
The Oklahoma Legislature 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, with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate, from a list of names submitted by the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Guard Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, as well as three at-large appointees. One member of the Commission must be Vietnam War veteran and two shall be veterans of the Persian Gulf Wars. All members serve three-year terms.
As of March 2023, the members of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission are as follows:
- Chairman Robert Allen
- Vice Chairman Dr. Sidney Ellington
- Secretary Heather McEver
- Brett Martin
- Kevin Offel
- Daniel Orr
- Ted Perry
- Military Order of the Purple Heart, Vacancy
- Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vacancy
Budget
Funding
The Department is funded primarily from three sources: yearly appropriations, patient fees, and federal funding. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs 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 an annual budget of $173,783,489 for FY23. The vast majority of that budget is dedicated to employee salaries and benefits.
Organization
- Oklahoma Veterans Commission
- Executive Director, Greg Slavonic
- Deputy Director
- Director of Homes, Shawn Kirkland
- Chief Financial Officer, Lisa White
- Claims and Benefits Director, Randy Law
- Lawton Team
- Muskogee Team
- Central Oklahoma Team
- Northwest Oklahoma Team
- Northeast Oklahoma Team
- Southeast Oklahoma Team
- Oklahoma State Veterans Home Team
- Construction Programs Administrator, Nisha Young
- Regional Veterans Home Administrators
- Ardmore Veterans Home, Amy Sprouse
- Claremore Veterans Home, Carole Kimbrough
- Clinton Veterans Home, Stephanie Taylor
- Lawton Veterans Home, Charles Gladney
- Norman Veterans Home, Mike Russell
- Sulphur Veterans Home, Jeff Livingston
- Talihina Veterans Home (Soon to be Sallisaw Veterans Home), Sarah Breshears
- Human Resources Director, Jennifer Shockley
- State Approving Agency Administrator, Dr. Brint Montgomery
- Veterans Home Outreach, Rob Arrington
- Women Veterans Coordinator, Lisa Mussett
- Veteran Owned Businesses, Daron Hoggatt
- Fleet Programs Administrator, Cherri Higgs
- Mental Health & Suicide Prevention, Aaron Ashworth
- Deputy Director
- Executive Director, Greg Slavonic
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 Claims Office help claimants obtain compensation and pension benefits. Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Service Officers are 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.[1]
| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration | 37 |
| Claims and Benefits | 37 |
| Nursing Care | 1,522 |
| State Approving Agency | 5 |
| Total | 1,601 |
