How has U.S. Navy veteran Derek Rose served other veterans since coming to CalVet seven years ago? Let us count the ways.

Rose served four years in the military which included a two-year assignment in Bahrain. He separated in 2011, and used his Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to earn his undergraduate degree from Sacramento State.

In 2016, he joined the Human Resources staff at the Veterans Home of California-Yountville as a personnel specialist. Rose commuted from Orangevale each day to work with other employees who care for the veterans and their spouses living at the nation’s oldest and largest veterans home. 

He also got to know many of the Home’s veterans who “really reminded me of my grandfather,” Rose said. “It really did inspire me to make this my new mission.”

That’s one.

When the opportunity came to work at CalVet headquarters in Sacramento, thus shortening his commute, Rose took it. As an Associate Government Program Analyst, he joined CalVet’s Veterans Services Division, which oversees numerous programs including the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention (VHHP) program. VHHP works with public and private partnerships to create funding for affordable housing, including supportive housing and services, for veterans who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness or those who have extremely low incomes—assisting veterans to achieve housing stability and improve self-sufficiency.

“I worked in outreach,” Rose said. “My favorite part was being able to see these developments as they were completed, and opening their doors to the veterans who were in much need of stable, affordable housing.” 

He also assisted developers in finding and locating certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise, or DVBE, companies to participate in the construction.

That’s two.

Then, in 2019, he became a training coordinator in the Veterans Services Division’s California Transition Assistance Program (CalTAP). CalTAP visits military installations to assist servicemembers who are about to separate from service in understanding their earned benefits and how to access them. CalTAP coordinators also work with veterans returning to school using their GI Bill education benefits, or their dependent children who are eligible for college tuition waivers. During the pandemic, they quickly switched to webinars to reach veterans; still hosting them today, even though the team has returned to on-site visits.

“What makes that exciting for me is that everything we do in CalTAP—every time, it’s something I’ve done myself,” Rose said. “Going to school on the GI Bill, getting a Home Loan … things I’ve personally experienced. It gives me the ability to connect with veterans. They’re always appreciative. During the trainings, they’ll say, ‘I didn’t know about (CalVet) Home Loans.’ Or school benefits, or (college tuition fee waivers). They’re always appreciative of learning something new, and it’s always rewarding to me.”

That’s three. With just seven years with CalVet, he’s hit the trifecta as a veteran serving veterans.

---

This is one of a series of CalVet Connect posts introducing you to CalVet employees who are veterans of the United States Armed Forces—thus “Veterans Serving Veterans.”

CalVet’s California Transition Assistance Program is designed to inform and connect veterans of all eras to their earned federal and state benefits as well as provide continued support and assistance as their needs change over time. Learn more about the program by visiting the website at www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/California-Transition-Assistance-Program.aspx.

Would you like the opportunity to serve veterans in your work? Join the CalVet team! We are dedicated to ensuring that veterans from every era, along with their families, receive the state and federal benefits and services they have earned and deserve due to their selfless and honorable military service. At CalVet, we prioritize serving veterans and their families with dignity, compassion, and a commitment to helping them achieve the highest quality of life. See our current job openings at www.calvet.ca.gov/jobs.