Employees at the St. Thomas-St. John district Veteran's Affairs Office continue to function despite lack of budget, supplies and equipment.
The VAO, which is charged with preparing applications for compensation and pension claims, burial benefits, education benefits, home loans and headstone markers for more than 6,000 veterans, is limping along without computers, desks or even stamps, according to the Daily News.
The lack of equipment and supplies has created a huge backlog, with veterans waiting six months or more for a response on reimbursements.
"I saw them (officials) praising them on Veterans Day at Emancipation Gardens, and we don't even have the basic supplies to help them," said Jodeen Dawson, an employee of the local VA office.
Dawson and her co-workers have decided that instead of exchanging Christmas gifts this year, they'll buy items for the office.

Two senators have criticized Gov. Roy L. Schneider for vetoing legislation in July to create a Year 2000-complaince task force, then seeking a $32.4 million loan last week to ensure Y2K compliance.
On Monday the governor warned senators that the territory's computer system would "shut down" without immediate action on his loan request. But last summer when he vetoed Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg's legislation, he said everything was under control, according to Sen. Lorraine Berry.
Schneider said in July that the administration already had a Y2K compliance task force working on an action plan, according to the Daily News. His veto did not address any urgency in developing or funding the plan.
According to Nicole Bollentini, Donastorg's public affairs director, when Donastorg said in July that "failure to make necessary changes would result in chaos," his immediate concern was establishment of an oversight committee. Research indicated this had helped other states solve their Y2K problems, Bollentini said.
She said Donastorg would not support Schneider's request for a special Senate session on the Y2K loan.

Virgin Islands law met the will of the people head on in November's election and the law won. The V.I. Attorney General's Office on Friday announced the winners for two disputed Board of Elections seats. George Blackhall, who finished fourth, and Yvonne Tharpes, who received six write-in votes, were both seated — Blackhall because he is a Republican and Tharpes because she is a St. John resident. The V.I. Code states that no more than four people from the same political party may serve on the Board of Elections. It also requires that two residents from St. John be on the board. If the top three vote-getters had been seated, the board would have had five Democrats. No one was on the ballot from St. John, leaving Tharpes the legal winner. Elections Supervisor John Abramson Jr. said this is one area of the law that the Legislature needs to review and change. Others suggested the snafu was due to Abramson and the Board of Elections failing to spot the problem and properly notify the candidates. "They allowed three of us (Democrats) to get on the ballot from St. Thomas; all three went through the primary," said Democrat Gaylord Sprauve, who with more than 5,000 votes lost his bid over the AG's ruling. Sprauve and Blackhall said the problem should have been ironed out during the primary election. In a phone call to WVWI, Sprauve said he sought a seat on the Board of Elections due to his longstanding belief in the need for election reform and this is just one issue that needs to be addressed.

In a move to broaden its membership base and therefore its political clout, the St. Thomas-St. John has changed its name to the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association. "We need to make the structure of the organization more far-reaching and inclusive," said Beverly Nicholson, executive director, in a story in The Daily News. The association has also formed an alliance with the National Restaurant and Bar Association that enables restaurants and bars to hold dual membership at one cost. The members also designated seats on the Board of Directors for members of various groups: restaurants and bars, transportation, retail and attractions activities. Longtime St. Thomas hoteliers Dick Doumeng, Lorette Resch and Nick Pourzal were given permanent seats on the board of directors as honorary members with a vote.

More than 12 dads and 35 children met Saturday at Coral World to address issues and concerns facing fathers in the territory. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands sponsored the focus group designed to bring men back into the conversation about parenting and the family, according to a story in Monday's Daily News. "While the role of mothers is essential to the family unit, fathers are frequently excluded from the dialogue," said Dee Baecher-Brown, executive director of CFVI. CFVI was established in 1990 through a $500,000 endowment to assess long-term needs and find ways to improve the quality of life in the Virgin Islands.CFVI's main focus is on children and families.
The project coordinator for the fatherhood initiative, Richard Brown, who has two grown children, said fathers would like to be more involved in their children's upbringing but aren't given the opportunity or don't know how. Vernon Monsanto, a father of three who participated Saturday, said, "Some women think fathers don't take care of their kids but we do." Monsanto thinks one challenge facing fathers is constantly battling a society with a fixation on deadbeat dads. Brown said future focus groups will be held to look at some of the institutional barriers interfering with men becoming the types of father they want to be. For more information call CFVI at 774-6031

Gov. Roy L. Schneider is asking the Legislature to approve a $32.4 million loan for a Y2K Compliance Project. Scheneider said his timing is dictated by the urgent need to upgrade the government's computer system to avoid potential disaster, according to media reports. Among the agencies that would shut down without the massive computer upgrade: hospitals, the Internal Revenue Bureau and the Finance Department.
Senate President Lorraine L. Berry said she received the request and assigned it a bill number. Berry expressed some concerns, including how the money would be spent and why only one company is slated to get the contract. The Daily News quoted Schneider as saying Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and IBM Corp. Jointly submitted loan proposals with terms of seven years for IBM and 10 for Banco Popular.
"I personally don't see it being acted upon in this Legislature," Berry said. She also said the Turnbull administration should have some say before action is taken.

Varlack Ventures of St. John has pleaded guilty to negligently discharging oil into Red Hook Harbor, St. Thomas, in March 1995 and failing to notify federal authorities.
Varlack will pay a fine of $50,000 and be on probation for five years, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney James A. Hurd Jr.
As a condition of its probation, Varlack must spend $300,000 above and beyond normal maintenance costs to upgrade and maintain its boats.
Varlack also must institute an environmental training program for its officers and employees, modernize its oil handling and waste-oil disposal systems, and publish a full-page apology to the community in local papers, Hurd's release said.
The violations happened March 26, 1995, during the M/V Venture Pride's regular ferry run.
Hurd's release did not say when Varlack entered its guilty plea before District Court Judge Thomas K. Moore.
Agencies that investigated and prosecuted the Varlack case included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Justice Department's Environmental Progection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, and the V.I. Planning and Natural Resources marine pollution enforcement operation.
"This guilty plea should be a message to those who pollute the marine environment of the Virgin Islands that their conduct will not be tolerated," Hurd said.
Hubert Fredericks, the ferry boat captain on the Venture Pride the day the violations occurred, was found guilty Oct. 16 by a District Court jury of failing to notify the National Response Center about the oil discharge. His sentencing date has not been set.