The State Board of Veterans Affairs met July 10, 2020 virtually. at 11:00 am.
Meeting Summary –
The Homes Committee of the State Board of Veterans Affairs held its regular quarterly meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 2020 via teleconference and video conference. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was established. The only action taken by the committee was to approve the minutes from quarterly meeting held on January 3, 2020 and approve the minutes from the special-called meeting held on May 14, 2020. The only new business to come before the committee was the naming of the 5th state veterans home. The committee members were sent the Policy on Naming a State Veterans Home and was asked to review the policy for future reference. Ms. Kim Justice, Executive Director of State Veterans Homes, gave reports on the capital improvement projects and updated the committee on the 5th state veterans home. Each of the homes’ directors gave their report on what has happened in the last quarter. For much of the quarter the COVID-19 emergency was the focus at the homes. Each home had to adjust to a new way of taking care of the residents and keep on top of ever-changing guidelines and circumstances in the homes. After reports from HMR and the VA representative, Kelli Puhnaty, Commissioner Davis gave his report. He thanked everyone associated with the homes including the staff at the homes, HMR management and ADVA employees. Commissioner Davis also stressed the assistance received from the VA, Alabama National Guard, Alabama Department of Public Health, CDC and others and thanked them for their guidance, support and assistance during this unprecedented time.
The meeting was then adjourned.
The State Board of Veterans Affairs held its quarterly meeting at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 2020 via teleconference and video conference. Roll call was taken to establish a quorum. The first order of business was to approve the minutes from the January 3, 2020 quarterly meeting and the May 14, 2020 special called meeting.
After approval of the minutes the board heard reports from the Cemetery Committee, the Legislative Committee and the Homes Committee.
The board approved to delay the election of the committee chairs until the next in-person meeting. The current committee chairs will continue to serve until the election.
Finally, Commissioner Davis gave his quarterly report. There were three ADVA employees that were ready to be confirmed: Mr. Nathan Tidwell, Mr. L.C. Thompson and Ms. Shanea Wallace. The board voted unanimously to confirm those employees. Commissioner Davis then reviewed the employee update that was sent to the board which included employee losses, new hires and promotions since January 2020. Finally, Commissioner Davis reviewed his yearly goals and gave an update on his goals from this past year. Those goals include to continue to tackle the pressing needs at the state veterans home including challenges with COVID-19 and the renovation projects at Tut Fann and W.F. Green. Additional goals include continue to improve efficiency of office operations, improve outreach and engagement, boost the number of veteran service offices, and continue improvements at the state veterans cemetery.
The members were reminded that the next regular meeting of the board was scheduled for October 2, 2020, time to be determined.
The meeting was then adjourned.