MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Members of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Board raised concerns Wednesday over what some called a lack of engagement from state lawmakers over impending structural changes to the board and department.
Legislation is expected this year to put the ADVA more in line with other state executive branch agencies in how its commissioner and board are appointed. Unlike many other agencies, the ADVA commissioner is not appointed by the governor, but rather the ADVA Board, and board members are nominated by veterans service organizations.
Board members on Wednesday said they have not been engaged with or asked for input from lawmakers or the governor’s office on the impending changes.
“I would really appreciate it if they sought some input or briefed us ahead of time,” said board member Tony Berenotto, speaking at an ADVA Legislative Committee meeting. “There’s almost a feeling like we don’t know what we’re doing, or we don’t know the veteran community or something.”
Legislation to restructure the ADVA has been expected since last fall after the months-long controversy surrounding the ADVA and its former commissioner, Kent Davis, who was removed from his position by Gov. Kay Ivey after being accused of mishandling federal grant money. Davis has denied the allegation, and a majority of ADVA Board members ultimately sided with him in defiance of Ivey’s wishes.
Casey Rogers, director of external affairs for Ivey’s office, was present at the meeting representing Ivey, who is president of the board. She said that she had not yet seen a bill, but suggested that it was all but certain to be filed soon.
“As far as potential Board ADVA changes go, we’ve heard a lot of the same that you guys have seen in the media, and so I haven’t seen an official piece of legislation – I do think there will be (one),” Rogers said. “(We’re) kind of watching that to see when it will drop, but I do not think it’s a secret that changes will probably be made.”
With the 2025 legislative session fast approaching on Feb. 4, however, some board members criticized the lack of communication and engagement from lawmakers, with ADVA Board member Matt Gaff calling it “a slap in the face to everybody on this board.”
“For people to make assumptions that a change has to be made… based on what?” Gaff said. “When was the last time any of the legislators actually came and sat down at the board table and discussed some of these legislative issues, instead of us getting an email?
Recent references to the impending legislation were made in late December by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, and Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, both the chairs for their respective chambers’ military and veterans affairs committees. Speaking on Capitol Journal, Jones confirmed that the governor’s staff was working “through the process on developing the legislation,” and championed the proposal, calling it a mechanism to “bring (the ADVA) fully into the fold of state government,” and to make the commissioner “a member of the governor’s team and cabinet.”
In November, Jones told Alabama Daily News that in his role as chairman, he’s enjoyed speaking to veterans groups and hearing from veterans all over the state about what is important to them in a possible transition.
“I look forward to continuing those discussions in the lead up to our legislative session,” he said.
The suggested changes to the ADVA, however, did not go over well during Wednesday’s meeting.
“I find it a little bit offensive whenever politicians get on a TV talk show, or with a reporter, that never sat in this room or even talked to anybody on this board, (suggest) that we maybe aren’t doing the right thing,” Gaff continued. “And it’s even more disturbing when one of them is a veteran. I can tell you right now, I haven’t had any of them reach out to me as a board member and say ‘hey, what do you think?’”
Scott Geddling, the chair of the board, said he hoped lawmakers would engage with board members before filing a bill, and expressed his own concerns about a lack of communication as it relates to veterans service organizations, who in Alabama are responsible for selecting ADVA Board members.
“The veterans service organizations are still in the dark,” Geddling said. “I’m only part of one organization, but there haven’t been a lot of conversations with the veterans service organizations about things going forward. I know organizations don’t want to lose their representation.”
It is still unknown who will carry the impending legislation or when it will be filed. Whenever it’s filed, however, it will likely be vetted through the military and veterans Affairs committees, which are both chaired by supporters of changing the ADVA.
Gaff, who served on the ADVA Board for eight years, further suggested that the lack of communication on the impending bill was not an isolated incident, and that systemic issues with communication have persisted between lawmakers and the ADVA Board for years.
“We’ve made suggestions as a board about legislation because we interact with the veteran community more than most of them ever will, and it’s completely ignored,” he said.
“We give our input, however, if they read it, I would be shocked, or if they even value the input from this board. We’ve seen bills go completely against everything that we’ve said before.”
“They’ve always ignored our input for the most part,” Gaff said.