Why do VA County Service Officers need to know about SHIIP?
County Veteran’s Service Officers know about local, state, and federal VA benefits. County Veterans Service Officers are not familiar with Medicare.
Our goal is to make sure Service Officers know aboutthe services SHIIP counselors provide. We want to help them recognize when referrals to SHIIP willbenefit their Veterans.
This resourceprovides SHIIP counselors with what they need to know about VA service offices and why SHIIP services are important to this group of professionals and the Veterans they serve.
What do volunteers need to know about VA County Service Offices?
Every Iowa County has a service office. The number of Service Officers, the hours and days a week they are available vary from county to county but they are required to be available a minimum of 20 hours per week. Service Officers report to the local County Commissioners of Veterans Affairs. They must complete a national certification program to prepare them and train them on the various VA programs.
County Service Offices may assist Veterans with compensation/pensions, medical care, military records, grave markers and veteran home loans. Some counties may also have dedicated funds for temporary shelter/utilities, food/health supplies, medical/dental, job placement, counseling, and transportation.
Service Officers assist with the completion of paperwork regarding VA benefit eligibility. Eligibility is actually determined by the Regional Health Care Eligibility Offices. Service Officers may see a Veteran once or multiple times. Service Officers are not social workers or caseworkers.
Why is it valuable for Service Officers to refer their patients to SHIIP?
Veterans haveoften made assumptions about service eligibility only to find, once they meet with the Service Officer, they only qualify for limited services and may have copayments for some of them.
Having assumed they would get Veterans benefits the Veteran may have decided not to enroll in Medicare Part B, Medicare supplements, Part D plans or apply for assistance with their Medicare costs.
Service Officers generally do not have any background in Medicare.
Service Officers want Veteran’s to get all of the assistance for which they may qualify.
SHIIP counselors can assist the Veteran in obtaining Medicare related services. Our goal is to help Service Officers understand how SHIIP can assist their Veterans, so they will refer to SHIIP and consider SHIIP as a valuable and trusted resource.
Service officers are going to know Veterans
- who have had to pay out of pocket for health care because they had to be seen by a non-VA provider, often for emergency or urgent care issues.
- who have been discharged from a VA facility needing skilled nursing care and have no way to pay for their share of the costs.
- who are not getting the medications they need because they aren’t covered or are too expensive.
To help the Service Officer understand how Medicare works in relation to VA Healthcare services, use the “Medicare and VA Healthcare” factsheet to address specific aspects of VA and Medicare coverage.
At the Service Officer’s Fall 2014 School, they were briefed on the SHIIP “Medicare and VA Healthcare” educational brochure. They all received a copy of the brochure.
To locate your local VA Service Office go to: click on “County Veteran’s Offices” in the left column.
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