NACVSO Member Monthly Spotlight - Jan
NACVSO Member Monthly Spotlight
Name: James “Jim” Zenner
County/State: Los Angeles County, California, Military and Veterans Affairs
Location: Los Angeles, CA
How long? Aug. 2022
Branch of military and YEAR JOINED-YEAR SEPARATED (if applicable): US Army, 2004-2008; US Army Reserve, 2008 - 2011
How did you get involved in veteran’s advocacy?
My journey into veteran’s advocacy started when I was struggling with my transition out of the military and a recent move to Los Angeles without a social network. I was attending the MSW program when I ended up in a GPD program. The organization that helped me out asked me to speak about veterans' needs across the county, which eventually led to an offer to help pilot a facility for fellow Global War on Terror veterans with 48 beds in Hollywood, Ca. Initially, I thought I would be working in a more clinical role, but I quickly realized that creating the right environment for veterans was often more effective in addressing their needs than just treating the symptoms. That experience opened my eyes to the larger impact I could have through advocacy and system-wide solutions.
What do you enjoy most about the work that you do?
What I enjoy most is the incredible support I receive from my board and their enthusiasm for innovation. It’s not just about serving the 232,000 veterans in LA County—it’s also about leading the way and sharing best practices across the country. Knowing that our efforts can have a broader impact beyond our local community is both inspiring and rewarding.
How, if at all, has being an advocate changed your view of VA?
My view of the VA has evolved significantly over time. Early on, I found it frustrating when veterans weren’t getting the support they needed because I didn’t fully understand how decisions were made. However, the more I learned about the VA’s processes and challenges, the more I developed respect and empathy for the role it plays.
Initially, I had a somewhat myopic view of the VA, focusing solely on outcomes without considering the broader context. But as I got more involved, I began to appreciate it from a service provider’s perspective—the complexities of delivering care and benefits on such a large scale. Personally, I’ve had excellent access to VA resources, and from a service provider’s perspective, I’ve always been extremely grateful for these services. That dual perspective has deepened my understanding and appreciation for what the VA does.
Without divulging any personal information, can you discuss one of your most memorable experiences?
One of my favorite stories involves a veteran who initially struggled to navigate the claims process. He was a surfer from Wisconsin, with that classic thousand-yard stare—hesitant to open up and share his story. He came through our combat veteran group in Santa Ana, but at first, he didn’t even want to identify as a Marine. What he did embrace, however, was physical fitness, and that became his entry point into connecting with others.
Over time, as he interacted with other veterans, he started to open up. He got into school, where he was exposed to new thoughts and ideas, and that really helped him begin to thrive. His discharge story was a reflection of many unaddressed issues, particularly around untreated mental health. When his disability claim finally came through, it was a vindicating moment for him. The cause of his discharge had been tied to his mental health struggles, and this recognition allowed him to move forward in a meaningful way.
He did face a setback at one point, but by then, he had come so far that he was able to bounce back. If that setback had occurred earlier in his journey, we might have lost him. Last I heard, he had gone on to study at Columbia and was surfing off the coast of Spain. Watching him rediscover his Marine identity and rebuild his life was incredible. It’s stories like his that remind me why this work is so important.
What would you want people to understand about CVSO’s or what misunderstanding would you like to see corrected about CVSO’s?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that people think we are the VA or that we’re responsible for the VA’s decisions. I take the perspective that if the VA fails, we fail, and if the VA succeeds, we succeed. I see us as one team working toward the same goal: achieving the best outcomes for veterans. While there are instances where we may need to step in and guide a veteran through a process, I believe we should embrace the idea that we’re all part of the same effort, rather than drawing lines between the VA and us.
As a community, we need to focus on collaboration and sharing information across different departments that veterans interact with. Integration is key to reaching veterans where they are. For instance, we need to do a better job of screening and expanding our reach across departments—whether that’s healthcare, housing, or education—to ensure no veteran falls through the cracks.
This also means finding ways to connect with the thousands of veterans who might not even know about our office or the services we provide. Take the veterans in our county as an example: how many of them have been reached by our office? How do we create an outreach campaign that finds and engages all eligible beneficiaries? And it’s not just about veterans—it’s about their spouses and families too. We need to do a better job of reaching everyone who can benefit from what we offer.
If you had one request for your legislators to impact the lives of veterans or advocates, what do you believe would be most beneficial to request?
The passage of the Elizabeth Dole Act-- which included language from the CVSO Act-- is an incredible step forward, but we shouldn’t stop there. Expanding funding tied to these laws would have a tremendous impact, and part of that expansion needs to include developing robust tracking mechanisms to demonstrate how the money is spent and the results it achieves. Accountability is key to ensuring these laws are implemented effectively and to demonstrating their full value.
One initiative I’m particularly passionate about is the Fellowship Program we’re piloting here in LA County. It’s designed to raise the bar for advocacy by providing specialized training and experience for CVSOs. Programs like this could be scaled nationally to further enhance the quality of service for veterans.
Another area worth exploring is leveraging funding from organizations like the CDC to address issues like suicide prevention. Veterans’ needs are interconnected, and finding innovative funding methods could strengthen the support network available to them.
I’d also like to see the development of a national pilot program like LA County’s Veteran Peer Access Network (VPAN). VPAN is rooted in the community and has been instrumental in increasing benefit utilization. By allowing counties to opt into something like a Medicaid waiver for peer access networks, we could track referrals and measure not only how this benefits veterans, but also the counties and the VA itself. This kind of program has the potential to create meaningful change for veterans and their families across the country.
Anything else you would like to add or let others know about CVSO’s?
Veterans are not just the responsibility of VA—they’re the responsibility of everyone. No veteran integrates into their community through a VA hospital; they integrate through their local communities. That’s where CVSOs come in. We are the transition hub, the local connection that helps veterans reintegrate into civilian life. As I tell the VSO’s here in LA County, the buck stops with you.
Local government plays a critical role in this process. We can provide support in ways that state and federal governments simply can’t. However, veterans often get overlooked because many people see them as solely a VA issue. That mindset needs to change. For advocates and community leaders, it’s vital to recognize the importance of local government and the community in serving veterans. Nothing we accomplish is possible without that foundation.
This is a call to action: advocate for the role of local government in supporting veterans. Together, we can ensure that veterans are not just seen, but truly served, in the communities they call home.