MEETING DATE: 11/19/2019
DEPARTMENT: COUNTY ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
DEPT HEAD/DIRECTOR: Ray Espinosa
AGENDA ITEM PREPARER: Dulce Alonso
SBC DEPT FILE NUMBER: 125
SUBJECT:
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION OFFICE - R. ESPINOSA
Accept informational presentation from the Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Office (MVAO).
SBC FILE NUMBER: 125
AGENDA SECTION:
REGULAR AGENDA
BACKGROUND/SUMMARY:
The Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Office (MVAO) provides advocacy, assistance and services designed to enhance the lives of the County's veterans who served their country in the Armed Forces, their families, and their survivors. We assist in obtaining entitlements and services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Defense, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA), and local programs for eligible veterans and their families.
MVAO's office submits cases to the VA and advocate for the Veteran, their spouse and dependents to obtain Federal and State Benefits. This process can take multiple visits and appeals before getting a satisfactory decision. MVAO helps veterans and their families access a wide range of benefits such as Health Care and Disability Compensation as well as Educational and Surviving Spouse Benefits.
Services available include:
- Benefits Claims Assistance: Claims advocacy for veterans, their survivors or dependents;
- Telephonic Claims Assistance: This program provides veterans assistance over the phone;
- Special Outreach Services is provided to those severely disabled, social disadvantaged and senior citizen veterans whose needs would otherwise go unmet;
- County Veterans' Van Program: Free van transportation may be scheduled for transportation of County veterans to the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto and the San Jose VA Outpatient;
- Special Liaison Service: If you desire transfer from a local health care facility to a VA Hospital, contact the MVAO branch nearest you for assistance.
- Survivors Assistance: Our Offices provide claims assistance for all veterans' survivors to include casualty reporting, SBP, DIC, burial and VA death insurance claims.
Federal veterans benefits include:
- VA Health and Dental Care, Substance Abuse Assistance and PTSD Assistance;
- Survivors' Assistance, VA Insurance Death Claims, SBP Assistance, and VA Survivors' DIC Claims;
- Service-Connected Compensations and Non-Service-Connected Pension Claims;
- VA Home Loan and Special VA Housing Grants for Special Category Veterans, and Claims for Special Adaptive Auto Equipment;
- Veterans' and DIC Survivors Educational Claims; and
- Federal Parks Passes for Service-Connected Disabled Veterans.
BUDGETED: