I can often be heard saying I am not a doctor, lawyer, or an insurance agent. CVSOs wear many hats in their quest to assist Veterans and their families. Being on the frontline, we are often sounding boards for those frustrated or confused with or about benefits and services. We are issued thick skin after taking the oath of office.
A friendly reminder that your County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) is not an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We are VA affiliates and partner with local, state, and federal agencies to better serve those in our counties. Our VA affiliation provides us access to certain systems, records, and information.
CVSOs were recently informed that we are no longer allowed to fulfill requests for documents owned and stored by VA. Previously, CVSOs would provide copies of DD-214s, claim decisions, and summary of benefits letters to Veterans. These documents may be necessary to receive additional benefits or services. A formal request, such as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, must be submitted to receive a copy of any documents currently in VA’s possession.
Fear not, there are other options. You may still reach out to your CVSO to determine if there is a local copy available to include the County Records office. If a local copy is unavailable, then your CVSO may recommend one or more of the following options to request the needed document.
If you need a copy of VA correspondence, then you may call 800-827-1000. You may also log on to your VA.gov and go to “Check your claim, decision review, or appeal status” to “Download your VA claim letters”.
You may also request military records from National Archives. You have the option to complete Standard Form 180 Request Pertaining to Military Records (by fax or mail) or completing the online request form. Information about either option may be found here: www.archives.gov/veterans
For military records or a Veteran’s benefit records, you may submit VA Form 20-10206 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or Privacy Act (PA) Request to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Please exercise patience with your CVSO, as some of these requests may take weeks or months to fulfil (completely outside the CVSO’s control). Due to varying retention policies and the fact that Veterans Services office are not record storage facilities, your CVSO may not have a copy of your document.
If you have original documents (military discharge, birth certificate, etc.), then you may want to visit your County Recorder or Vital Records office to have a certified copy created.
Brad Anderson and Melissa Crandall are the Lake County Veterans Service Officers and can be reached at 218.834.8326 or cvso@co.lake.mn.us
Karen Christianson is the Cook County Veterans Service Officer and can be reached at 218.387.3639, or karen.christianson@co.cook.mn.us
