WASHINGTON: About 100 veteran service officers gathered at the Blue Water Convention Center this week to learn the ins and outs of veteran benefits.
The Spring Education Conference from Tuesday through Friday brought veterans’ agencies from around the state to Port Huron. The service officers attended the conference to maintain their accreditation with Veterans Affairs. Veterans service officers are accredited by the federal VA to assist veterans in submitting benefits claims and appeals to the VA.
“There’s different regulations and rules that change throughout the year so having these different meetings throughout the year is helpful,” said Chris Smith, director for the St. Clair County Department of Veterans Affairs. Smith, who attended the four-day conference, said the event also served as a networking opportunity. “One person or one group isn’t going to be able to serve all the veterans; so being on the same page makes it a lot easier to make that connection,” Smith said.
“Knowledge is great but knowing who to talk to is really where things get accomplished.” Veterans services officers are required to get 16 continuing education credits each year to maintain their accreditation with the VA.
The four-day conference at the convention center counted for 16 continuing education credits, said Rob Price, director for targeted outreach at the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. Though their numbers are few, the service officers are integral in assisting Michigan’s 600,000-plus veterans with benefits applications.
“There are only 200 of us in the state of Michigan who are accredited,” Price said. James Redford, interim director for the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, said he would love to expand that number.
Redford, who was appointed as head of the agency in February, spoke to the service officers gathered at the convention center Friday. “I would love to see many more service officers,” Redford said, in an interview with the Times Herald.
After taking over the state agency in February, Redford said his immediate goals are to address issues identified in a recent audit of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans; increase communication with the federal VA, legislature and the governor; and increase outreach to veterans not currently utilizing the benefits available to them.
He hopes to connect veterans to various local, state and federal resources through centralized systems like (800) MICHVET, or (800) 642-4838. “Our motto or theory, among other things, is ‘no wrong door,’” he said.
