Templeton selects new VSO
Eryn DionNews Staff Writer
TEMPLETON —When he first came before the Board of Selectmen on March 3, John Caplis was a man on a mission. A retired Army Sergeant 1st Class and combat veteran, Mr. Caplis is no stranger to adversity. But when he appeared in front of the board that day, it was not on behalf of the U.S. or their interests — but on behalf of his fellow veterans who he believed were being underserved.
In the state of Massachusetts, each city, town, or region has a Veterans Service Officer, or VSO, who works with veterans within their community, educating and signing them up for the resources and assistance programs they are eligible for. The position also conducts outreach and community development projects. Presently, Templeton and four other towns are grouped into the Northeast Quabbin District for services, with a shared VSO based out of Athol.
According to Mr. Caplis, there are over 500 veterans in Templeton alone — more than any of the other Quabbin communities — and yet, due to the regionalized arraingement, they only received about five hours a week from their assigned VSO to the tune of about $37,000 per year of taxpayers’ money. The town stands to find a considerable savings in hiring their own in-town VSO Mr. Caplis explained.
In addition, he told the board, an in-town VSO could work 19.5 hours a week amounting to a 400 percent increase from the assistance they receive now, allowing for better outreach and more education. Currently there are only eight veterans receiving assistance under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 115, however, Mr. Caplis has insisted that he could bring more under the fold by simply being available.
“I think a better service can be provided to the veterans of Templeton,” Mr. Caplis said.
Initially, Mr. Caplis said he was hesitant to put himself forward as a candidate for the position, saying that the town needed to explore their options. But when veterans — not just from Templeton but from other Quabbin District towns — told him about their struggles in recent years getting assistance, he knew he was the man for the job. In his last seven years with the Army, Caplis worked as the Non-Commissioned officer for a Massachusetts brigade, overseeing their health and dental needs. Part of that, he explained, included handling their veteran’s benefits, making him extraordinarily knowledgeable about the various assistance programs offered by the government — including free oil for veterans, free financial planning services, excise tax abatements, pensions, and burial services.
“There’s a whole slew of assistance out there for veterans,” he explained.
As Templeton’s VSO, Mr. Caplis said he could keep veterans informed and, most importantly, empowered.
“Knowledge is power,” he commented. “I’m just a conduit to make sure they get what they need.”
On his third visit in front of the board, Mr. Caplis made his move — explaining that the town only had until the end of March to sever their ties with the Quabbin VSO before they were committed for another year.
He asked that he be appointed as Templeton’s VSO to work out of an office first in Scout Hall and then in the new senior center. On Monday night the board unanimously voted to give him the position.
One of the big changes Mr. Caplis hopes to make is accessibility. While he will only be working part-time, Mr. Caplis said he hopes to purchase a cell phone so he can be available at any time for a veteran in crisis.
This decision comes at a time when suicide rates among service members are skyrocketing and a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Veteran’s Affairs stated that in 2010 an estimated 22 veterans committed suicide every day.
In that same report, the bureau said that the Veteran’s Crisis Line received well over 15,000 calls in 2012, with 20 percent listed as repeat callers. For a veteran in crisis, having access to their VSO 24 hours a day, seven days a week, could literally be the difference between life and death.
Mr. Caplis will begin working immediately and said he hopes to start getting in touch with veterans around town, identifying them, learning when they served, and getting their discharge papers on file in either his or the Town Clerk’s office for easy access.
He will operate under the town’s Council on Aging to eliminate the need for a new department and work out of an office in the new senior center.
When I was about ten or eleven my dad got real sick. He had one part of a lung taken out, and no more than a year later had to have the other side done. The doctor said if he did not have the surgery, he would not live to see my youngest sister graduate from school. Dad would go to work sick, how he did it I'll never know. It was a very difficult operation to recover from, and I remember him being home trying to recover. A simple thing like the cold a kid would catch, almost killed him, so we would drag him to the doctor for a shot of penicillin, and hope for the best. Things must have been pretty desperate because he went to see Mr. Hayes, who was the Vet's agent at that time. Well, he would not give dad any help at all and I know dad was upset. Years later dad had a problem and went to see Mr. Grout from winchendon. He was our VA until he passes. What a difference, there was not enough this man could do for my dad. Mr. Grout was not a big man in structure, but he had a bigger heart than anyone I have ever met. I happened to meet him one day, and was able to tell him how much I appreciated what he had done for my father, and others like him. Hiring this young man will be good for all the veterans in our town, who don't have to hunt down a agent in another town. Good job BOS members !! Bev.
ReplyDeleteThanks John for moveing Templeton in the right direction for the sake of our veterans. The service you will provide is the least we as a town can provide them for their sacrifices. My father served 20+ years in the service and the need for the services only grows as they age. Even in the end the VSO stands to help the family with the end tasks of burial. I only wish we had John to rely on for my fathers. I thank the select board for this appointment and the courage to change what needs to be changed as the town moves in the right direction ASAP. After the contact made last year by our select board the harsh treatment of the VOS/former VSO showed our town was not being treated right and my guess is the veterans were in the same boat. Standing behind every veteran is our duty and they should not have to think twice that it is.
ReplyDeleteCongradulations John and Welcome to Team Templeton!
You've already made a difference in our ability to help our own who give the most.
Thank you!