America and prominently California are sliding down the path of a deepening crisis among our veteran population.  Nationally, 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness.  On any given night, approximately 40,000 veterans are homeless.  Veterans are now 50% more likely to experience homelessness, and approximately 45% of the 1.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are seeking disability compensation, which include mental health-related claims.  Projections indicate that for a number of reasons, only about 50% of veterans will receive the mental health care they need.

San Diego, known as America's Finest City, has become one of the leaders in America's not so fine veteran homeless population.  The military and veterans fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.  The worsening conditions of our veterans indicates a necessity for public examination and accountability.

Last year, homelessness among veterans in San Diego increased by 24% under Congressman Scott Peters.  For the first time, incumbent Rep. Peters is being challenged for his congressional seat by someone with a military affiliation and a national security background: Captain Omar Qudrat, U.S. Army Reserve.

Qudrat's campaign has declared the state of our veterans in San Diego "a domestic humanitarian crisis."  "No one wants to call it that, but that's what it is, and we need to respond to it in accordance with the reality that this is a crisis."  The number of homeless veterans in San Diego is large, but what's counted does not account for the full scale of the problem, such as the problem of those who live in their cars or in shelters.  If there is a front line for the crisis afflicting our modern-day veteran population, it's San Diego's 52nd District.

Qudrat's plan addresses multiple components interrelated with veteran homelessness: pre-separation mental health assessments, treatment, access to quality health care pre- and post-service, family reintegration, therapy, meaningful employment, housing, accountability, and a continued culture of purpose.

An important measure Mr. Quadrat would introduce is an affordable housing model that can also have cross-purposes for the broader homeless population as well as even at-risk families seeking sufficient living standards but unable to afford the current rent and real estate market in places like Southern California.

He would form a private-public task force that includes tech industry leaders to bring technology and innovation to bear to increase accountability and transparency, to develop apps.

Such as an "Uberlike" app with veterans using a star rating system for the personnel who handle them, with resulting statistics being released to Congress and the public appropriately carving out privacy protected and medical specific information.  If the rated personnel fall below four stars, they are reviewed by dedicated and independent accountability enforcement personnel under clear and defined review standards.  "It sounds a little chilling to think a veteran could rate someone on an app and there could be consequences to his job.  But think of it this way: regular people have more power to hold their Uber drivers accountable for their rides than veterans do for their life-and-death health care.

Among aspects of a detailed preventive plan Qudrat authored, Qudrat would require the Department of Defense to conduct "real and meaningful" mental health assessments before servicemembers are separated from the military.  Qudrat served in Afghanistan as a Department of Defense civilian official for approximately a year and half.  He worked side by side with the U.S. military, diplomats, law enforcement, the Intelligence Community, and a range of inter-agency civilians.  Omar saw firsthand the effects war had on U.S. personnel.