ANSBACH, Germany -- Normally, when a Veteran has a service-related disability issue and needs to get information or assistance from the Veterans Administration (VA), he or she simply contacts the local VA Representative or schedules a visit to the nearest VA hospital in his/her area.
Outside of the continental United States the situation is different. There are no VA hospitals outside the United States, and very few VA Representatives. Most America Legion members in Europe have learned to depend on their local Post Service Officers or the Department Service Officer (DSO) from the Department of France to answer their questions and provide assistance when filing claims to the VA.
An issue was, until recently, that most Post Service Officers (PSOs) in the department were not properly trained, nor had there been an accredited DSO in the past 22 years, for Europe.
That situation is changing. Laura Buckner, DSO for the Department of France, and her assistant, Frank Phillips, conducted training for 14 candidates at the home of Legion Post GR1982, on Katterbach Kaserne, Germany, March 16.
U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Commander, Col. Benjamin C. Jones, welcomed the students and expressed his appreciation for what the American Legion is doing to support Veterans, both as a National Organization and also within the Ansbach community.
Attendees represented Legion Post members from across Europe, from France, England, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg, as well as from different Legion Posts throughout Germany.
VA Representative Jill Downs, from Grafenwoehr, Germany, assisted with the training. Downs is an Overseas Military Service Coordinator with the VA. Mark Kistner, also an accredited DSO with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, provided assistance with the training as well.
The training addressed the procedures of the claims interview process and subsequent filing procedures, as well as rules and regulations on the privacy act and the health information privacy act. A lot of the standard forms required to file a VA claim were covered in detail. The applicable rules and regulations, as well as references to current procedures were provided to each of the candidates on a memory stick. Special emphasis was given to candidates to avoid making promises on any potential results. "Use your references" was the mantra of the day. Attendees were also reminded that "as PSOs, you are there to assist all veterans within the community; not just Legion Comrades."
The 8-hour training was very intense, providing PSOs with an initial level of training, enabling them to better assist local veterans, as well as helping them with properly filing a VA claim. Two additional levels of PSO training are scheduled to be completed within the next several months.
PSOs seemed very impressed with the training conducted by their instructors.
Department of France Commander James Dennis said, "This training was excellent, and long overdue. There was a lot of information covered, most of it was new to PSO's. Now, this information needs to be shared with other Posts. Veterans need to be informed, and encouraged to consider filing a claim if they have service-related conditions."
"The work of the Service Officer is the core business of The American Legion. This training is an essential gateway to doing that while supporting the needs of our fellow Veterans," said John Shanahan, Immediate Post Commander of Department of France and current Commander of Ireland Post IR01, one of the attendees of the training.
Joseph Schram, Commander of Belgium Post BE01, stated "This was the best training done by Department of France, ever!"
The training will continue. Coordination has already began for the next stage of training for these PSOs, as well as initial training for other Posts who could not send participants to this training session. It appears that the "training slump" for Post Service Officers in the Department of France is definitely over and that our veterans will profit from it.
ABOUT THE U.S. ARMY COMMUNITY IN ANSBACH
The U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach (USAG Ansbach) Military Community is located in the Franconian region of Bavaria and is spread across six sites and nine kasernes dispersed around the city of Ansbach and the village of Illesheim: Barton Barracks, Bismarck Kaserne, Bleidorn Kaserne, Franken Kaserne, Katterbach Kaserne, Oberdachstetten Training Area, Shipton Kaserne, Storck Barracks, and Urlas Kaserne. Today, Ansbach is the home of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12th CAB), the community's largest tenant unit. The garrison takes pride in its support to more than 6,000 Soldiers, civilians, and family members, working and living within the USAG Ansbach area.
To learn more about the people and facilities of the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach (USAG Ansbach) and the people they support in Ansbach, Katterbach and Illesheim, visit the community website at http://ansbach.army.mil
Related Links:
U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Homepage
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