Veterans County Service Officer Association of Texas (VCSOAT) TAC Presentation Galveston, TX October 12, Overview

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1 Veterans County Service Officer Association of Texas (VCSOAT) TAC Presentation Galveston, TX October 12, 2016 Zach Migura VCSOAT President Collin County VSO VCSOAT TAC Presentation Overview Recognize Veterans, Family and Friends of Veterans (participation activity) Texas Veteran Statistics Issues and Strengths many Veterans face Texas s Unfunded mandate for Veterans County Service Officers (VSOs) Services that CSOs provide Texas Veterans Commission s Certification vs Accreditation Benefits of having multiple VA Accreditations Ways that CSOs assist the county and ways the county can assist CSOs VCSOAT overview VCSOAT Associate Membership NACVSO Contract Training in Houston January 8 13, VCSOAT TAC Presentation

2 ecognize Veterans, Family and Friends of Veteran The term veteran means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. (38 US Code SS 101) US Army US Navy US Marine Corps US Coast Guard US Air Force Family Members of Veterans Friends and Acquaintances of Veterans VCSOAT TAC Presentation Texas Veteran Statistics FY ,680,418 Wartime Veterans 1,309,440 Gulf War 655,430 Vietnam Era 541,730 Korean Conflict 116,959 WWII 59,694 Peacetime 370,978 Female 177,075 Male 1,503,343 FY 14 VA Expenditures $14,812,595,000 Compensation/ Pension $7.447B Medical Care $4.744B Education/ Voc. Rehab $1.376B Loan Guaranty $865M Gen Operating Exp. $222M Insurance and Indemnities $119M Construction $36M VCSOAT TAC Presentation

3 ome Issues and Strengths of many (not all) Veterans Issues Readjusting to civilian life after the military Employment, Education, Housing, Transportation, Family and Cultural Adjustments Dealing with issues as a result of military service Physical and Mental Ailments Strengths Discipline and Dedication Resourcefulness and Adaptability VCSOAT TAC Presentation Texas s Unfunded mandate for Veterans County Service Officers (CSO); CSOs are known as County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs) in much of the rest of the US Texas has an unfunded mandate that a county with a population of 200,000 or greater must employ a Veterans County Service Officer (CSO) to assist their residents in the process of applying and obtaining federal and state benefits. (Texas Code ) CSO Eligibility Requirements: 1. Served on active duty in a branch of the armed forces of the US for at least four months or have a service connected disability and been honorably discharged 2. Widowed Gold Star Mother or unremarried widow of a serviceman or veteran whose death resulted from service 3. Spouse of a disabled veteran who has a total disability rating based either on having a service connected disability rating of 100 percent or individual unemployability 4. Spouse of a retired veteran who served a minimum of 20 years on active duty Many counties that don t meet the mandate criteria employ a full time, part time or as needed CSO because of the services that we provide Some counties join together with MOUs for a CSO to cover multiple counties Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Covers most of the cost of one training per year provided by TVC VCSOAT TAC Presentation

4 Services that CSOs often provide Educate, Assist, Represent and Advocate for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits: Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Service Connected Disabilities, GI Bill, Veteran Pension, Dependency Indemnity Compensation, Survivor Pension, Appeals, etc. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Enrolling and navigating through the VA s healthcare system National Cemeteries Administration (NCA) understand and prepare for burial benefits Interactions of benefits between VA, Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), and state benefits Assist in understanding and acquiring Texas benefits: Education (Hazelwood), state veterans homes, state cemeteries, Veterans Land Board, etc. Connecting with local resources: Nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, colleges, employers, healthcare, etc. Re engage Veterans to be productive after their military service: Often we are the first contact a Veteran has after military service It s important to empower Veterans to be productive members of our communities VCSOAT TAC Presentation Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Certification vs Accreditation TVC is the state entity and a recognized VA POA that most CSOs are trained by and interact with. TVC Certification allows a CSO to: assist claimants with VA claims TVC VA Accreditation allows a CSO to: assist claimants with VA claims Access VA IT systems Sign for claimants (once POA is established) Call the VA on the claimant s behalf To become VA accredited representatives, CSOs must be employed by their counties and work 1,000 hours per year (20 hrs. per week). VCSOAT TAC Presentation

5 Benefits of having multiple VA Accreditations More access to assist claimants on their first visit to our offices More options for a county s Veteran population More inclusion for Veterans organizations within the county Diversified training from various sources VCSOAT TAC Presentation Ways that CSOs assist the county and ways counties can assist CSOs CSOs Can Assist Counties: Financial Benefits Awarded Navigating VA and other healthcare options Active in Veteran Treatment Courts Advise on Veteran policy issues Improve county Veteran community cohesion Counties Can Assist CSOs: Provide Adequate Office Staffing Provide IT Equipment Support Training Opportunities VCSOAT TAC Presentation

6 Veterans County Service Officer Association of Texas VCSOAT is an IRS registered 501 c 19 nonprofit organization. We are not funded by federal, state, or county governments. VCSOAT is comprised of CSOs that are employed by their county that volunteer with our association. VCSOAT's mission is to develop professional highly qualified County Service Officers who are dedicated to providing outstanding services, education and support to all eligible veterans, dependents and survivors. Our association is not well funded but has enormous impact across the state. In 2014, CSOs prepared and sent TVC alone over 24,200 VA claims for Texas Veterans and eligible dependents. That s not counting the VA claims CSOs sent using other veterans service organizations (VFW, DAV, NACVSO, American Legion, etc.). VCSOAT TAC Presentation VCSOAT Elected Executive Officers President: Zach Migura, Collin County, Term Exp. Vice President: David Cantu, Harris County, Term Exp. Sep Secretary: Leo Gonzalez, Rusk County, Term Exp. Sep Treasurer: Melissa Castillo, Dallas County, Term Exp. Sep Judge Advocate: James Masters, Brown County, Term Exp. Chaplain: Rev. Kathryn Fasci, Johnson County, Term Exp. VCSOAT Elected Regional Directors and Assistant Regional Directors EL Paso Region Regional Director: Carl Absher, Upton County, Term Exp. Assistant Regional Director: Joe Rickey, Ector County, Term Exp West Texas Region: Regional Director: George Sosa, Val Verde County, Term Exp. Sep Assistant Regional Director: Marcus Romero, Taylor County, Term Exp. East Texas Region: Regional Director: Sonya Broadway, Brazoria County, Term Exp. Assistant Regional Director: Karen Thompson, Montgomery County, Term Exp. Sep 2018 South Texas Region: Regional Director: Sal Castillo, Cameron County, Term Exp. Sep 2018 Assistant Regional Director: Everado "Lalo" Zamora, Uvalde County, Term Exp. Sep 2018 North Texas Region: Regional Director: Tom Belton, Tarrant County, Term Exp. Sep Assistant Regional Director: James Henderson, Dallas County, Term Exp. Central Texas Region: Regional Director: Donna Harrell, Williamson County, Term Exp. Assistant Regional Director: Duane Rawson, Mills County, Term Exp. Amarillo Region: Regional Director: James Peach, Deaf Smith County, Term Exp. Assistant Regional Director: William Dannheim, Parmer County, Term Exp. VCSOAT Officers Appointed by the President Term Expires Legislator at Large: Susan Lewis, Travis County Membership: Alex Figueroa, Willacy County Sergeant at Arms: Tony Ferguson, Bee County Public Relations: Gary Jackson, Collin County Awards Committee: David Cantu, Harris County & Regional Directors Women Veterans Coordinator: Lavette Domineck, Dallas County Information Technology: Gary Thomas, Rains County, James Henderson, Dallas County Mentoring Committee: Kathryn Fasci, Johnson County, KC Hawkins, Bell County, Sherry Riley, Shelby County, Richard Hutchins, Bastrop County Events Committee: Queta Marquez, Bexar County, Maggie Baker, Kerr County,, Tony Ferguson, Bee County VCSOAT Officers VCSOAT TAC Presentation

7 VCSOAT Associate Membership As a 501 c 19 nonprofit organization, we need to maintain a high membership percentage of wartime era veterans (90% wartime era veterans) VCSOAT Full Members are CSOs $20 per year VCSOAT Associate Members those who supports Veterans $25 per year If you are a wartime era Veteran, we invite you to become an Associate Member of VCSOAT and support our association and the Texas Veteran community VCSOAT TAC Presentation NACVSO Contract Training in Houston January National Association of County Veterans Service Officers Jan 8 13 th, at the Houston OMNI Hotel Upon successful completion and VA approval, CSOs become VA Accredited Representatives of NACVSO Several Veterans Service Organizations have MOUs with NACVSO for cross accreditation (AMVETS, DAV, MOPH, TREA, VVA) This is high quality training. VCSOAT is hosting and NACVSO is providing the instructors for the training The registration deadline is November 9, 2016 VCSOAT TAC Presentation

8 Summary No two CSOs operate exactly the same; each county has the flexibility to adjust as opportunities and challenges dictate CSOs are often the first and often the best representatives and advocates for the Veteran community throughout Texas CSOs need support from our counties and vice versa VCSOAT TAC Presentation Questions Please contact me if you have questions. I ll likely have to respond or discuss things before or after normal business hours as I stay extremely busy during the duty day. zmigura@collincountytx.gov Thank you for your time and support! VCSOAT TAC Presentation