Veteran Service Officer en Collier County, FL

About the Department

Assists the veterans of Collier County and their dependents in the presentation of their claims for benefits before the various boards and adjudication officials of the Veterans Administration.

Position Duties

• Perform client intake and conduct interviews in-person or by telephone to determine applicable benefits and entitlements for their circumstances.
  
• Processes, develops, and presents claims for federal entitlements; advises veterans on the re-evaluating of their claims; reviews Veterans Administration (VA) decisions as they apply to claims when submitted on behalf of the veterans.
  
• Act as veterans’ advocate in liaison with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
  
• Perform case management including responding to clients’ inquiries pertaining to the establishment and status of disability compensation claims, payments, survivor’s benefits, non-service-connected pensions, education benefits, home loan guarantee, burial benefits, healthcare services, tax exemptions, appeals, a correction of military records or an upgrade of character of separation from the service, and other Veteran state and federal benefits.
  
• Maintain professional and calm demeanor while handling sensitive cases and people experiencing trauma.
  
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with all the requirements of the data privacy laws and HIPAA.
  
• Provides information in public, veteran-specific, and general community forums regarding benefits and programs offered by the Veterans Administration and the services of our Veterans Office; address veterans groups and media inquiries concerning the regulations, changes, trends, and services we provide related to veterans’ benefits; must be able to represent the County in a professional manner.
  
• Maintains a comprehensive, current knowledge of government regulations, programs, technical procedures, professional journals, and periodicals in support of client cases.
  
• Provides guidance as the veterans’ representative when required to go before a hearing officer at the VA Regional Office.
  
• Prepare and maintain records within client management software.
  
• Exercise judgement and discretion as well as gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze information to devise solutions to problems and to prepare correspondence and reports.
  
• Maintains an awareness of changes in law, regulation, and applicable programs in support of clients; attends workshops and training.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Two (2) year degree from an accredited university, college, or community college OR High school degree equivalency diploma and four (4) years of administrative experience.
  
• Experience with public speaking, case management for sensitive clients and working with Federal and State Veterans benefits and services is preferred.
  
• Fingerprinting required.

• A county or city veteran service officer must be a veteran who served as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States during a period of war, as defined in Title 38, U.S.C.; who served at least 18 months’ active duty in the Armed Forces; and who was separated from such service under honorable conditions, or the surviving spouse of any such veteran. Any honorably discharged wartime veteran who was so discharged for service-connected or aggravated medical reasons before serving 18 months of active duty; who completed a tour of duty other than active duty for training, regardless of the length of the tour; or who satisfied his or her military obligation in a manner other than active duty for training or reserve duty shall be eligible for employment as a county or city veteran service officer.
  
  
  LICENSES/CERTIFICATES
  
  
• Must attain and maintain the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs Veteran Service Officer certification/training within three (3) months from date of hire.
  
• Must possess and maintain a valid Florida Driver’s License with any applicable endorsement(s) to drive a County vehicle as provided in CMA 5805.
  

Other Qualifications

• Salary offers above the minimum pay grade may be considered based on qualifications. 
• Essential Employees may be required to work during an undeclared or declared emergency.  The County’s Administrative Office will determine who will be required to work on an incident-by-incident basis.
• This job posting is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills, or working conditions associated with the position.