Kat Miller, “Speaking of Veterans!”

By Chuck N. Baker

In the world of sports journalism, the late Howard Cosell was named the All-Time Best Sportscaster in 1993. A former Army major, when broadcasting news items he famously opened his reports by saying, “Howard Cosell, Speaking of Sports!” I sometimes think about Cosell’s words when Kat Miller, the Director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, stands up to deliver a speech. I’m tempted to blurt out, “Ladies and gentlemen, Kat Miller, Speaking of Veterans!” The lady knows her stuff.

Miller spoke to veterans recently at Sun City Anthem, a senior living neighborhood in Henderson. Anthem boasts a veterans’ club that has several hundred paying members. The veterans (and family members) were not fully unfamiliar with issues after military life. But Miller was able to hold their attention and provide highlights and additional information about benefits, regulations and details concerning the Department of Veterans Affairs and her own department, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.

She began by relating a personal incident she observed when she was a Colonel in the U.S. Army. A Private First Class (Pfc) had lost her legs in combat and was successfully outfitted with prosthetics. The soldier was asked to give a keynote speech to a group of military police, all of whom were Army officers. Miller said she has no recollection of what the speech was about. But when it was over, the Pfc was asked to dance by one of the officers. In a matter of minutes, she was inundated by others who also wanted to dance with her. The experience was a microcosm of what Miller’s Army career encompassed. “The military is a family,” she told the Sun City residents. “When I was on active duty, the Army was my family.”

Continuing from that poignant start, Miller was able to segway into an informal briefing of veterans’ statistics, condensing into a few words some of the many benefits her department offers.

She reported the median age of a veteran is 64, compared to 44 for non-veterans. Veterans are more likely to own a home, own a vehicle, be married, and have at least some college level education. Nevada has approximately 218,000 veterans, plus spouses and adult children, some of whom receive VA benefits. Because many older veterans are passing on, and the current level of active duty servicepeople is decreasing, the number of living veterans is trending lower nationally, Miller explained.

But because Nevada maintains a magnetic pull on residents from other states, we are experiencing only a slight downward slope in the number of veterans residing in the Silver State. 

Miller explained her department’s mission is to, “Advocate and provide superior service to Nevada’s veterans and their families, and to provide communities and partners the opportunity to contribute to those endeavors.” Miller said her department oversees four major programs: Prepare and submit claims for benefits; provide skilled nursing care; provide burial support; and successfully reintegrate veterans into local communities.

Like a sportscaster who must accurately report the action on the field, Miller is charged with constantly staying on top of numerous activities that fall under her purview. There are two State veterans nursing homes, community outreach programs, two memorial cemeteries, a State Veterans Advocacy Support Team, a Veterans Advocate program, a Veterans in Care program, Veteran of the Month and Veterans Support of the Month programs, a Patriot Employer Program and much more.

She relayed to the Sun City group that even though there is a wealth of beneficial information always available, many veterans are not aware of opportunities their service has earned them. Just because most veterans have not served in combat, it does not make their service “less worthy,” she pointed out. “What makes them unique was their willingness to serve the country, and the people of this great nation,” she offered.

She stated she works to ensure that “Every Nevada veteran understands that they are extraordinary and worthy of the very best support and care we can give!” If she were a sportscaster, she would have ended by saying, “That’s our story for tonight folks. Tune in again next week for more details on how we never stop supporting veterans!” 

Miller’s presentation before the Sun City group was requested through the NDVS Speaker’s Bureau. The Speaker’s Bureau is a free resource provided to the community and veterans organizations. Learn more or request a speaker by going here: https://veterans.nv.gov/speakers-bureau/