It helped me get through one of the roughest times of my life,’” Molden continued. The information and support you gave me really made the difference. “Just to be a part of such success stories and to have someone calling you and say, ‘Thanks. Now receiving VA medical and mental health care, this Veteran is also enrolled in the VA housing program and working in VR&E.
He said the information I gave him helped him have a seamless transition coming out of prison.” When he got out, he called me to thank me. He memorized my telephone number just as many others have done,” Molden said. “I had one Veteran incarcerated in the Harris County Jail, and worked with him for about five months. “Helped me get through roughest time of my life” Helping Veterans create a Community Re-entry Plan with goals, objectives and solutions to barriers are critical elements of the process. He coordinates with attorneys to redirect Veterans from jail to VA residential treatment programs and VA contracted programs, and connects Veterans with Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E). Molden has spent countless hours educating and assisting Veterans with their VA benefits, coordinating assistance in jail, such as medications, mental health treatment and substance abuse counseling. The gold standard is for an individual to have a place and know where they’re going before they’re released.”ĭue to COVID-19, Molden continues his outreach with virtual one-on-one meetings. “Now, we solve that issue before a Veteran gets out. “In the past, if you were going to be homeless when released, the jail officials would say, ‘Hey, take the number to the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans,’” Molden explained. To fix this problem, Molden works with VA transitional housing programs, VA residential treatments and VA contracted residential treatment programs before Veterans are released.
Many Veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness after release from jail or prison. That ensures Veterans are enrolled with VA before they are released. This included working to have jail officials send enrollment forms directly to the VA eligibility office to streamline the process.
The program also builds and maintains partnerships between VA and the community’s criminal justice system.Īs a member of the team building this new program, Molden played a significant role in developing innovative strategies to assist incarcerated Veterans. The Veterans Justice Program identifies and works with helping justice-involved Veterans access VA services at the earliest possible opportunity. The Veterans Justice Program had not been established so my Vet Center experience thoroughly prepared me for this position.” “At the Vet Center, my focus area was working with incarcerated Veterans. “The work I’m doing now is like a dream job for me,” Molden said. Veterans Justice outreach specialists are responsible for coordinating with local justice system partners on direct outreach, assessment and case management for justice-involved Veterans in local courts and jails. He immediately knew this was what he was meant to do. “At the time I learned about the job, I didn’t even know VA was trying to help these Veterans,” Molden said. At the five-year mark, he learned about a new Veterans Justice Outreach Program and applied for a position. As a Veteran, Molden felt drawn to work with other Veterans and started at a VA Vet Center in 2007.
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