Service wherever you are By Matt Saintsing Charles Burns, a senior national service officer with the DAV office in Fort Snelling, Minn., conducts an information seminar to a gathering of veterans in Elk River, Minn., on Feb. 8. In the back of the room, Assistant Supervisor Matthew Jahn assists veterans with their benefits claims. (Photos by SnowGlobe) DAV information seminars provide benefits guidance and assistance to veterans in their local community F or nearly a century, DAV has helped America’s war-wounded and their families access a wide range of veterans benefits, including health care and compensation. While a robust network of service officers and benefits counselors is accessible at more than 100 sites nationwide, some veterans find it challenging to contact a DAV representative or travel to a national service office. “For many years, we used our Mobile Service Office program to help reach these veterans by sending service officers in specially outfitted vans out into the community,” said National Service Director Jim Marszalek. “But the vehicles were costly to maintain, difficult to maneuver and restricted where we could set up shop, so to speak. So we opted to replace the program this year with information seminars to reach more veterans at a time in different venues.” DAV information seminars are designed to educate veterans as they navigate the often murky waters of benefits and claims assistance. DAV chapters, departments and volunteers are the lifeblood of the important events, bringing veterans face to face with DAV members who can help them get justice and the compensation they earned in service. “Essentially, we can now advocate for veterans from anywhere,” said Marszalek. “We have a lot more flexibility and can operate more efficiently.” Alex Martinez, who supervises DAV’s national service office in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, makes it a point to conduct information seminars inland, to reach veterans who are isolated from the DAV and VA offices along the island’s coast. “It isn’t just going there and standing in line looking at each other,” Martinez said of the seminars. “Veterans will come in so they can be seen at the VA hospital, and we’ll try to take care of any claims they may have.” Veterans also have the chance to meet with officials from the VA National Cemetery Administration and receive blood pressure screens and flu shots, according to Martinez. “It is quite an event,” he added. 16 DAV MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2020 | DAV.ORG
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Service wherever you are
Matt Saintsing
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