Senior Veterans Services Claims Counselor
| Bachelor's degree in business administration, social work, counseling or behavioral science and two years of related experience; or any equivalent combination of related training and experience. Applicant must meet all requirements of Florida Statute 292.11 (A county or city veteran service officer must be a veteran who served as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States during a period of war, as defined in Title 38, U.S.C.; who served at least 18 months' active duty in the Armed Forces; and who was separated from such service under honorable conditions, or the surviving spouse of any such veteran. Any honorably discharged wartime veteran who was so discharged for service-connected or aggravated medical reasons before serving 18 months of active duty; who completed a tour of duty other than active duty for training, regardless of the length of the tour; or who satisfied his or her military obligation in a manner other than active duty for training or reserve duty shall be eligible for employment as a county or city veteran service officer. Every county or city veteran service officer, in order to be eligible for employment as a county or city veteran service officer, shall have a 2-year degree from an accredited university, college, or community college or a high school degree or equivalency diploma and 4 years of administrative experience. Required training must be successfully completed within 12 months of employment.) Applicants within six months of meeting the minimum education/experience requirement may be considered for trainee status. |
| Position Summary: |
| This is responsible professional counseling work in the County's Veterans' Services Office. An employee assigned to this classification is responsible for advising and assisting veterans in complex matters pertaining to their rights and benefits under various federal and state statutes and representing veterans before various officials. Work is performed under the direction of the Veterans' Services Director and is reviewed through conferences, reports and observation of the results obtained. |
| Examples of Duties: |
| ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Counsels veterans and/or dependents to determine type of eligibility for veterans' benefits. Assists clients in securing necessary paperwork for claims and prepares forms for the adjudication process. Processes military retiree claims involving multiple disabilities incurred during 20 or more years of service. Acts as an advocate for veterans and their dependents. Maintains contact with State Service Officials to ensure that all claims filed with the Veterans' Administration are properly adjudicated. Assists with training and reviewing Veterans Counselor's claims work. Recruit, train and supervise VA Work-Study students and volunteers. Responds to telephone inquiries concerning all VA benefits for veterans and/or dependents. Assists the Veterans' Services Director in reviewing correspondence regarding claims to ensure that veterans obtain proper evaluation of their disabilities or basic entitlements to VA benefits. Prepares and tracks time sensitive complex appeals that are sent to the VA Regional Office, Board of Veterans Appeals then possibly to the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. Coordinates medically related problems with the representatives of local Veterans' Administration Medical Center. Prepares appeals for discharge review by the military Armed Forces Review Board. Coordinate and conduct routine homebound, nursing home and hospitalized veterans visits to assist with claims Maintains resource files regarding medical conditions, technical bulletins, legal issues and other veteran related concerns. Continuously reviews federal and state laws, rules and regulations on VA benefits and appeals processing. Performs related work as required. NOTE: These examples are intended only as illustrations of the various kinds of work performed in positions allocated to this class. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES Considerable knowledge of the laws, rules and regulations governing veterans' benefits under federal and state statutes. Considerable knowledge of current principles, practices and techniques for counseling a variety of clients. Knowledge of various community agencies/services available to aid clients. Ability to exercise good judgment in counseling and in assisting in solution of veterans' problems. Ability to establish effective working relationships with veterans, veterans' agencies, civic groups, other County employees and the general public. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and to prepare clear and concise written reports. Ability to interpret various federal and state statutes dealing with Veterans' affairs. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required reach and to be mobile. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. |