The Role of County Veteran Service Officers

Executive Summary

This assessment examines the role of county veteran service officers (CVSOs) throughout the United States. The report highlights the services and support available to veterans via CVSOs around the country, and compares their effectiveness against the help offered by staff through other types of veteran service organizations (VSOs). CVSOs provide resources to veterans at the local level, and their roles and experiences vary according to the state- and federal-level VSOs available in that area. Using quantitative analysis, the effectiveness of CVSOs is measured through grant rates of disability compensation claims submitted, as compared to those submitted by state and nonprofit VSOs. This report examines the effectiveness, challenges, barriers, and resources that CVSOs face when serving veterans in their jurisdictions.

Among the most significant findings:

• Many veterans, including those living in counties with CVSOs, are unaware of the role that CVSOs play and the resources available to them at the county level.
• There is a discrepancy in what CVSOs are responsible for in their duties and what they are resourced to do.
• While they represent a small percentage of the total claims submitted, disability compensation claims submitted by CVSOs are increasing in number and have a higher rate of success than those submitted by state- level and nonprofit VSOs.
• CVSO responsibilities and experiences vary widely between states and counties.
• The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has greatly complicated the role of CVSOs, with a decrease in the number of veterans served since March 2020.

Introduction

Veteran services are provided by federal, state, and local governments, along with a range of nonprofit organizations. The federal government, through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), provides the most well-known services, including healthcare, GI Bill education benefits, and financial compensation through pensions, disability claims, employment services, and/or case management, respectively. Individual states also have their own departments of veterans’ affairs and offer an array of independent support services such as help with taxes, employment, and legal consultation. State and local governments coordinate federal government assistance within their jurisdictions. Veteran-serving nonprofit organizations provide on-the-ground assistance as well. VSOs range from local niche groups to large national organizations, including the “Big Six,” the oldest and largest of such organizations: American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, American Veterans (AMVETS), and Vietnam Veterans of America. Student Veterans of America (SVA) represents the 750,000 veterans who are pursuing higher education.

While much attention has been paid to federal, state, and nonprofit services, there is little research on the role of local governments, particularly at the county level. Unique to that level is the use of county veteran service officers who operate in 24 percent of counties throughout the nation.¹ Working as VA-accredited VSOs, CVSOs sit at the county level in 749 of the 3,132 counties (or county equivalents) across 29 states. They provide a variety of services to veterans living in their jurisdictions, including but not limited to disability compensation, employment assistance, education eligibility and benefits, VA health care eligibility and assistance, mental health resources, financial support, housing resources, caregiver and family support, and death and burial benefits. Their responsibilities vary widely by state, region, and even locality, because resources, opportunities, demographics, regulation, and legislation limit CVSOs and their staffs. They work within a broader ecosystem of state-level benefits, federal resources, and nonprofit organizations in order to best serve the veterans near them. Due to the wide variety of resources and responsibilities, the effectiveness and availability of CVSOs varies enormously between counties.