CVSO Field Day

Another cryptic title? Perhaps not much of a mystery for Veterans. I am not referring to a sporting event or anything farm related. Field day, in military terms, is the time-honored tra­dition of cleaning. For Marines, every Thurs­day was or is the day in which we scour, scrub, sweep, brush, wipe, mop, dust, rinse, and decon­taminate absolutely everything in preparation for weekly inspection. It is not Thursday, but

I have some housekeeping to complete.

I am going to take a break from the VA Health Care series. I am far from done reminding Vet­erans about the advantages of enrolling. I will not stop until every Veteran is enrolled in VA Health, so please save everyone from future re­peat articles and submit your application today. Find your nearest VA Medical Center, go online www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply , or con­tact your CVSO to complete your VA Form 10- 10EZ.

The PACT Act of 2022 has brought about un­precedented improvements to Veterans benefits. For anyone wishing to submit a claim related to the PACT Act, August 9, 2023, is the final day to submit a claim or an intent to file a claim (ITF) to secure an effective date of August 10, 2022. This is not a deadline for filing a PACT Act claim. You will be able to submit claims until there is a change in law stating otherwise. Please use your CVSO for free assistance and advice in submit­ting claims for benefits.

On January 1, 2024, Minnesota Veterans with a 100% total service-connected disability will be able to receive free motor vehicle registration, plate, and title services for up to two vehicles (auto, pickup, RV, motorcycle). On August 1, 2023, Minnesota Veterans with a 100% total and permanent service-connected disability rating may receive a free driver’s license or state-issue ID card. Applicants must provide documentation attesting to the 100% total and permanent ser­vice-connected disability rating. Please be patient with DMV personnel as they likely have not re­ceived instructions.

Please, please, please leave a message when at­tempting to contact your CVSO. We are human and only have so much bandwidth. I do not an­swer the phone when I am meeting with some­one, nor do I put someone on hold to answer an­other call. We are not screening your calls and are not able to attempt to call every missed number. You must leave a message for us to assist you.

Brad Anderson is the Lake County Veterans Service Officer 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