Photo By Cmdr. Desiree Frame | Lt. Arabia Shanklin, director of constituent inquiries, Navy Office of Legislative...... read more read more
The Navy Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) hosted its first in-person congressional caseworker workshop since the COVID-19 pandemic, 8-9 Feb.
Navy OLA’s caseworker workshops help congressional caseworkers gain a greater understanding of Navy facilities, operations, and perspectives, and provide caseworkers the opportunity to tour ships, squadrons, or facilities; meet Sailors and leadership; and discuss various topics that affect constituent casework.
"Given that this session has attracted the most congressional caseworkers in-person attendance in more than five years, we're ecstatic to provide a platform for these caseworkers to connect and foster relationships with Navy representatives who are masters in their field, equipped to answer their constituents' most pressing questions,” said Lt. Arabia Shanklin, Navy OLA director of constituent inquiries. “Forty-two top-notch caseworkers from across the nation had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness and learn about the remarkable efforts of the Navy in serving our Sailors' families and this great nation."
This year’s two-day workshop included multiple briefs by subject matter experts covering recruiting, naval records, funeral honors and legal services. Participants also had the opportunity to tour the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWCEN) in Coronado, Calif.
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pacific Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Phillip Ujiie informed caseworkers how the Navy has changed its methods to aid recruiting efforts; explaining in great detail the outreach to communities, as well as the qualification requirements for prospective recruits.
“You don’t see a lot of commercials on TV these days, because we’re not trying to recruit 40-year-olds,” Ujiie said to the room, getting laughs. Instead, he offered, recruiters are busy in the social media landscape, finding potential recruits where they already are.
Hal “Dave” Honegger with Navy Recruit Training Command increased caseworker knowledge on the latest changes to Boot Camp in Great Lakes. After showing a NRTC video, he discussed updates to the 10-week training curriculum that turns civilians into Sailors to include additional training on warrior toughness and mental health, to gender-integrated berthing and training.
The caseworker workshop has occurred for years, and each year caseworkers bring new questions on the topics of the day. Justin McEwen, a field representative for Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), has been handling casework for six months, and said he was interested in coming to the workshop to learn about the Navy’s new initiatives on how to tackle administration delays and backlogs.
“I primarily work with retirees and veterans,” McEwen said. “Ninety-nine percent of the people I speak with need access to their records so they can receive their entitlements.” As an Air Force veteran himself, he takes the cases very personally, finding great satisfaction when a case is resolved.
Representatives from Navy Personnel Command and the Board for Correction of Naval Records were able to provide many details on the timeline and procedures for requests, and inform caseworkers what they can do to streamline the process for their cases.
“I think [the briefs] had really good information; they were very concise and provided general awareness” said Spencer Vehegan, constitution services representative for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Beyond the briefs, Vehegan was very impressed with Navy OLA’s options to solicit feedback, and the ability to make connections at the workshop.
Aboard the aircraft carrier where part of Top Gun Maverick was filmed, USS Abraham Lincoln, caseworkers said they were thrilled to expand their knowledge on the mission of aircraft carriers, while also interacting with Sailors during a tour of the ship’s medical facilities, hangar bay, berthing, and flight deck.
The workshop wrapped up on a high note for the caseworkers, with a trip to NSWCEN, and a chance to hear from the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Adm. Keith Davids, who thanked the caseworkers for what they do for our country, and told them of new initiatives taking shape.
“We are transforming our tactics, techniques and procedures to make our Navy more lethal and survivable,” Davids said. “We are focused on real long-term threats, and how we support the broader joint force. We play a very important role for integrated deterrence in today’s strategic competition.”
In addition to receiving briefs on the NSW community’s organization, training, deployment cycle, and improvements to their capabilities, caseworkers were able to learn how NSW takes care of their number one asset – their people.
“We offer a plethora of resources and embedded care throughout their deployment and training cycle, to include pre and post-deployment retreats for families, and third location decompression for 42 – 78 hours when returning from deployment,” said Steve Gilmore, NSW Command’s program manager for the Preservation of the Force and Family.
When asked if the resources offered were mandatory, Gilmore said, “Our goal is to make it so good, that it’s voluntary.”
Caseworkers who were unable to attend the workshop can contact Navy OLA at navy_constituent@navy.mil to receive briefs and additional information.
Navy OLA plans, develops, and coordinates relationships between representatives of the Department of the Navy and Members of the United States Congress and their Committee staffs, which are necessary in the transaction of official government business (except appropriation matters) affecting the Navy. For more information about Navy OLA, visit Navy Office of Legislative Affairs.
| Date Taken: | 02.10.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2023 15:03 |
| Story ID: | 439659 |
| Location: | CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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