Cross country DAV expands services nationwide with Mobile Service Office program By Charity Edgar Tennessee for three weeks last year, bringing DAV’s services to veterans who otherwise may not have received assistance. The nine other mobile offices do the same in other parts of the country. “The MSO is what us veterans need in the field so we do not leave any veteran behind who may not be able to get into the main office,” said David Harris, a retired Army veteran who sought out the mobile office when Budd and his team arrived in Clarksville. “The NSO [National Service Officer] that assisted me was very knowledgeable and assisted me in the completion of my claim.” “We bring advocacy directly to veterans,” said Budd, explaining that some veterans prefer the in-person engagement over communicating by telephone or online. Meeting with the veterans also provides the service officers an opportunity to ask for any other documentation required to file a successful claim. Budd served in the infantry for two years before a medical discharge in 1997. Nearly 10 years later, the Marine Corps veteran joined DAV. D AV believes that all veterans should have access to the benefits they earned; that is why the organization’s Mobile Service Office (MSO) program treks thousands of miles each year to bring advocacy services directly to the men and women who need it most. Since 2001, DAV’s MSO program has traveled throughout the country to small towns, rural communities and college campuses to counsel, assist and educate veterans and their families on the benefits they are eligible for through their service. In 2016, the offices on wheels visited 845 sites, including 77 colleges and universities, including the University of South Florida, The Ohio State University, Western Nevada College and the University of Montana. The 10-vehicle fleet drove a combined 96,342 miles across the country, filing 11,479 claims along the way. Supervisor Frank Budd and his team of service officers in Nashville traveled throughout rural DAV MAGAZINE MAY | JUNE 2017 16
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