Veterans Request County's Help to Ensure Regular Visits from Veteran Service Officers
Veterans ask County Commissioners to explore a potential shared services agreement with Alamance County to ensure local access to the individuals who help veterans and their families access and utilize their VA benefits.
On Monday, May 18, one week before Memorial Day, local veterans came before the Caswell County Board of Commissioners to ask for their help in making sure a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) is locally available.
Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) are professionals accredited by the Veterans Administration (VA) to provide free assistance to veterans and their families. They help identify eligible VA benefits, gather supporting evidence, submit claims, and file appeals.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7316 Commander Keith Newcomer, and Senior Vice Commander Fred Smith, explained to the Commissioners that Caswell is one of only three counties in the state that does not have a dedicated VSO. In the past, an officer has come twice a month to meet local veterans at the Caswell County Senior Center. Those visits stopped in March due to a lack of available state funding for VSO travel.
