Duties
County Veteran Service Officers (CVSO) are key agencies in providing Cayuga County veterans with assistance and connection to benefits and services in our local community and throughout the state. Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) work directly with individual veterans and their families to ensure our Veterans receive benefits they earned through their service to our Nation.
VSOs play a key role in ensuring that veterans and their families are aware of their benefits, and in fact apply for and receive them. Through claims initiation and development, and representation with appeals, VSOs provide assistance to veterans and their families in preparing and submitting claims and in representing claimants before the federal, state and local agencies providing veterans benefits.
Individuals Served
A County Veterans Service Office can assist anyone who has questions on Veteran benefits, including:
- Children of deceased or disabled veterans
- Friends, neighbors, or other concerned citizens
- Gold star parents
- Veterans
- Widows of veterans
Topics
VSOs can help qualified individuals who have questions about:
- Burial benefits
- Education benefits for Veterans and children of Veterans with service-connected disabilities
- Healthcare benefits and enrollment in the Veteran's Affairs (VA) health care system
- Home loans and VA loan guarantee benefits
- Life Insurance
- Non-Service Connected Disability Pension/Aid and attendance benefits for certain wartime era Veterans
- Service Connected Disability Compensation for injuries/issues related to military service
- Specific veterans benefits, including college tuition fee waivers
- Upgrading discharges that are less than Honorable
Referrals
VSOs will assist qualified individuals who need a referral for:
- Alcohol and drug dependency treatment programs
- Community-based organizations that may be in your area
- Information on VA Home loans or Home Loan assistance
- Medical Care, including inpatient or outpatient care, dental care, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment
Services
Services offered include:
- Assistance with completing applications for VA disability claims or other Veteran benefits
- Assistance/advocacy in evidence gathering or responding to VA correspondence
- Education on Federal, State and local Veteran benefits
- In-home visits to assist the housebound with claims for entitlements
- Transportation service to Syracuse VA hospital