Veteran Service Specialist

OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF JOB:

Educate, advise, assist, and refer Veterans and/or their families regarding a wide range of Veterans benefits, entitlements, and services. Coordinate Veteran access to such programming. Provide high-quality customer service to Veterans and their families while maintaining records as well as reporting activities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF JOB:

The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Assist Veterans/dependents in applying for county benefits administered by Pike County Veterans Affairs, by initiating or reopening claims.
• Provide accurate information regarding County, State, and Federal Benefits to Veterans and their beneficiaries.
• Perform various clerical duties such as answering routine correspondence, preparing applications, and forms, composing letters of correspondence, etc.
• Provide accurate information to Veterans and/or families while assessing their individual or collective needs and eligibility.
• Research, establish, and maintain all available resources essential to assisting Veterans with their claims through government and private-sector networking.
• Assist Veterans and beneficiaries by managing appropriate documents related to their case including timely retrieval and recovery of records, documents, and information to be used as evidence in substantiating the claim.
• Enters all applicable Veterans/beneficiaries data and information into the department’s Veterans Affairs Database Applications; maintains physical and electronic files and uploads documents into Database Applications.
• Assure all paperwork concerning the claim is complete before submission.
• Make referrals on the Veteran’s behalf to other agencies to ensure that all benefits and entitlements are received as provided by law.
• Interact with county agencies, Veterans, their families, and the general public regarding matters pertaining to Veterans Affairs.
• Assist Veterans with various issues involving health care benefits.
• Verify military service records and documents for legitimacy, accuracy, and eligibility and authorize the issuance of the same.
• Authorize County burial benefits for Veterans, survivors, and the care of their graves.
• Assist with the daily operation of the department to maintain standards and quality assurance while keeping within the limits of the current budget.
• Maintain community awareness of VA benefits via news releases, seminars, and public speaking engagements.
• Develop a working knowledge of other agencies’ benefits such as the Pennsylvania Adjutant General’s office, Social Security, County Assessors, Social Security Insurance Disability, CareerLink, etc.

OTHER DUTIES OF JOB:

• Perform other job-related duties as required.
• Attend meetings, in-services, and training as required.
• Perform speaking engagements, including ceremonies and parades, for the public sector as well as Veteran service organizations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with officials, associates, and the general public.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

By Director and Associate Director

SUPERVISION GIVEN:

Non-supervisory position

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work indoors with adequate workspace, lighting, temperatures, and ventilation.
• Work indoors with average exposure to noise and stress, but subject to frequent disruptions.
• Normal indoor exposures to dust/dirt.
• Work outdoors during events of normal duration and exposure.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to sit for long periods throughout the workday, with intermittent periods of standing, walking, bending, twisting, reaching, and driving (as necessary to carry out essential duties of the job).
• Dexterity requirements range from simple to coordinated movements of fingers/hands; feet/legs; and torso necessary to carry out duties of job.
• Sedentary work, with occasional lifting/carrying of objects with a maximum weight of 25 pounds.
• Must demonstrate emotional stability.
• Must be able to cope with the physical and mental stress of the position.
• Must possess vision abilities sufficient to perform job functions which include computer processing, driving, and attending to details.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION/TRAINING

• An associate’s degree in human services or a related field, with an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience to provide the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities for this position. Must be trained in management and benefits administration. Some knowledge of Veteran benefits is preferred.

PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ARE VETERANS.

ACCREDITATION

• May be able to receive and maintain Veterans’ Service Officer accreditation authorized by the Department of Veterans Affairs through the sponsorship of the State or Veteran service organizations.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Two (2) years of working experience in a position involving counseling and case management.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Must be able to speak and understand the English language in an understandable manner in order to carry out essential functions of the job.
• Must possess effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Must be computer literate, and able to learn and utilize all VA applications and computer systems.
• Must be self-motivated and possess initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Must have abilities to function independently or as a group, be flexible, and work effectively with Veterans, their families, and inter-governmental agencies.
• Must possess the ability to acquire and maintain the trust, confidence, and respect of those individuals being served and be able to maintain strict confidentiality in regard to Veterans’ information and records.
• Must possess the ability to make and render an independent decision when circumstances warrant such actions.
• Must possess some knowledge of federal, state, and county resources and programs available to Veterans and their dependents.
• Must possess some knowledge and procedures of Veterans’ benefits and entitlements eligibility.
• Must possess the ability to evaluate and determine eligibility qualifications for appropriate benefits and entitlements.
• Must possess sound judgment.
• Must possess the ability to interpret, analyze, and define the applicable rules, policies, regulations, and laws and to explain the same to others in a clear and logical manner.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must maintain a valid driver’s license and possess the ability to travel with flexibility whenever and wherever needed to perform essential job duties.

PERFORMANCE APTITUDES:

Data Utilization: Requires the ability to review, reclassify, categorize, prioritize, and/or analyze data. Includes exercising discretion in determining data classification, and in referencing such analysis to establish standards for the purpose of recognizing actual or probable interactive effects and relationships.

Human Interaction: Requires the ability to pleasantly interact with the public and other government agencies.

Communication Ability: To be able to communicate with Veterans and their families with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other sensitive issues/topics e.g. substance abuse, PTSD, Grieving spouses, and families.

Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver, and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.

Anatomy and Physiology: Requires a basic understanding of medical terminology and basic body functions.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of references, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.

Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; the ability to calculate decimals and percentages; the ability to utilize principles of fractions; and the ability to interpret graphs.

Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership, and to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to resolve problems.

Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgement, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.

Pay: $15.00 per hour

Work Location: In person

Salary : $15