Service Officer Training

BY NANCY SWITZER, AVVA PRESIDENT

Many of you have been inquiring about the next service officer training. It probably will be on line sometime after April. VVA has worked very hard to make this happen.

On July 11, 2009, the VA accepted the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America as a service officer organization. We are very proud of this, especially after all the long hours that were put into this effort.

Here’s what’s next: (1) All applicants must be members of AVVA in good standing; (2) Working with VVA, an AVVA application has been designed. This is not a VVA application. Ours is designed differently. We feel that if a person wants to become a service officer for AVVA, he or she needs to know what is expected. For example, reporting on a case load, and the magnitude of and willingness to perform reading, writing, and research. (3) All applicants must go through the NVSLP training course, which is also an online course. If you pass this course and the VVA training program, AVVA will reimburse you.

In order to ensure the quality of AVVA’s Veteran Benefits Program, the essential requirements for admission to the training course are as follows:

• Dedication to helping disabled veterans and their family members
• Organization skills, responsibility, and trustworthiness
• Sufficient financial support

In addition, AVVA must be able to certify to the VA that the candidate is a person of good character and reputation. Please keep these criteria in mind. Applicants who do not meet them cannot be accredited.

The VA Office of the General Counsel, which administers the VA accreditation program, also has a policy of requiring clarifying information for an applicant who is a veteran and has a less-than-honorable discharge. Remember: The VA has the discretion not to accredit anyone, even if the individual is nominated by a veterans service organization.

Applicants who want to attend training to learn how to prosecute their own claims for benefits generally do not serve as service officers very well or very long. Moreover, if an applicant is currently receiving VA or Social Security Disability Insurance benefits on the basis of individual unemployability or for a substantial psychiatric disability, accreditation and employment as a service officer may be considered as evidence to demonstrate that his or her condition has improved.

Such evidence may therefore serve as the basis for a VA rating reduction or for the severance of VA or Social Security benefits. To reduce AVVA liability, applicants who suffer from a service-connected psychiatric disorder rated 50 percent or higher may not be eligible for training. In these situations, it is generally up to the discretion of the nominating State Associates Representative’s/President’s assessment of a candidate’s fitness for training, accreditation, and working as an AVVA accredited service officer. The National Veterans Benefits Program, however, reserves the right to review such assessments.

Nominees for training must be approved and sponsored by the AVVA State Association or State AVVA Representative or the National Service Officer Director of the Service Officer Program of the state in which the trainee resides or will handle claims. Nominees sponsored by an AVVA Chapter must have the approval of its state to send the student for training.

The selection of applicants will be done confidentially and with the utmost respect. The National Board has appointed two special advisors who have many years of experience as service officers. The applicants will be chosen, in other words, not by whom they know or what they wear, but with respect. When the Interim Director receives the applications, the name is crossed out and a number assigned. The applications are then sent to the special advisors for review.

If you would like to receive an application, email me at NSwitzer@avva.org I look forward to hearing from you.