The Role of the Veteran Service Officer

Published 10:20 am Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Erin Osgood

Did you serve during World War II or the Korean War and suffer an injury? You may have been treated at the time, but many years later, health-related problems can surface.

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In Vietnam, you could have been exposed to Agent Orange and are now suffering from prostate cancer, or possibly diabetes mellitus type II. Or, you are a returning Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a roadside bombing, or maybe a returning veteran who, fortunately, did not endure any trauma, but needs direction in obtaining educational benefits under the GI bill.

Is there any help available to you through the Veterans Administration? Where do you begin to seek assistance and obtain guidance in pursuing benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs?

The answer: Your local County Veterans Service Office.

If you haven’t met with your county veterans service officer, the first step is to call Erin Osgood, your local officer, at 541-575-1631 for an appointment, and bring in your military discharge (DD214 or Report of Military Separation,) as this document is required in order to receive VA benefits. If you have lost or misplaced it, Osgood can assist you with obtaining a new discharge record from the National Personnel Records Center.

Under Oregon state law, every county is required to have a County Veterans Service Office. In Oregon’s larger counties, the agency consists of a service officer and support staff. In smaller counties, such as Grant County, you may find just one or two people to assist you. The veterans service officer has a compassionate understanding of the problems which confront veterans, widows and dependent children. Through meetings and annual training, your veterans service officer is aware of laws passed by the U.S. Congress in the interests of veterans and their dependents, and they are familiar with the rules and regulations adopted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify and implement those laws. Your veterans service officer is well-versed in state laws as well, from veterans’ real property tax exemptions to the Oregon state parks pass.

County veterans service officers act as a liaison between veterans and their families, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Service officers assist veterans in filing service-connected disability claims with the VA. They also assist veterans in obtaining benefits relative to vocational rehabilitation, VA home loans, education, burial benefits and non-service connected pension benefits.

Are you a veteran of a wartime period, or the widow of a veteran of a wartime period about to enter a nursing home? Osgood may be able to assist you in obtaining a non-service connected pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Basically, she can take care of veterans’ needs from their date of discharge until their date of death, and in many instances, she provides assistance to eligible dependents long after the veteran passes.

Your veterans service officer can also assist you in obtaining VA Healthcare. Whether you are a military retiree or the spouse of a military retiree, a family member of an active duty reservist, a widow of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability or a dependent of a veteran who was 100 percent service-connected at the time of his or her death, medical benefits may be available to you, and your service officer will assist you in filling out the paperwork.

Finally, the ultimate job of a veterans service officer is to simplify what can be a very complex undertaking; that of obtaining eligible benefits from the Veterans Administration. As a veteran, you served your country honorably, and your local veterans service officer wants to say “thank you” by ensuring you obtain all of the benefits to which you or your family members are entitled.

The Grant County Veterans Service Office is located in the southwest corner of the County Courthouse in Canyon City. Office hours are from 10 a.m.-4p.m. Monday and Wednesday, with appointments available at other times.

If the flag’s flying, Osgood is there to assist you.

Serving those who served,

Erin Osgood is the Grant County Veterans Service Officer

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