News / Business
Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) Salutes the National Service Officer’s Dedication to Veterans
In September 2009, some thirty new National Service Officers (NSOs) and Administrative Assistants (AA’s) gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina to undergo a comprehensive basic training program on how to advocate on behalf of our nation’s veterans and their families in receiving all of the benefits to which they are entitled from the Department of Veteran Affairs, or “VA” as it is commonly called. These students are joining a nationwide cadre of almost 200 professional NSOs, AA’s, and supervisory personnel, working at 93 separate VA Regional Offices, Medical Centers, and Clinics spread from Seattle to Puerto Rico, and Boston to Guam. You may even find them on a military base or at a National Cemetery. In each case, however, they share a common purpose, to counsel and assist all veterans and their families in matters concerning education, disability compensation, employment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, home loans and insurance, pension and other benefits… all at no cost to the veteran claimant, his family, or their survivors.
This diverse cadre of dedicated and selfless professionals comes from every walk of life, each with his or her own personal reason for joining the MOPH National Service Program. One may himself be a Purple Heart recipient, wounded in Iraq and now disabled. Another may be motivated by her father’s death in Vietnam, and now desires to help America’s veterans. In all cases, the National Service Officer has a compassionate understanding of the problems that confront veterans, widows, widowers, and children, coupled with a sincere desire to help.
Accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, these NSO’s are annually trained in all aspects of veterans' benefits, keeping abreast of changes in VA regulations, policies, procedures and entitlements. They know the extent, the meaning and the application of laws that have been passed by the U.S. Congress in the interests of veterans and their dependents. They also know the rules and regulations adopted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify and implement those laws. The National Service Officer will apply specialized knowledge in the best way suited to the needs of every individual veteran or other beneficiary who comes to them for assistance.
There are 27 million veterans located throughout the United States with over one million additional servicemen and women being discharged after service in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan. In the past, a variety of reasons has discouraged many veterans from seeking the benefits to which they are entitled. Today, a far greater percentage of veterans are getting VA health care services, but more than half of those who are eligible are still not participating. It is estimated that 42 percent of eligible returning combat veterans are using VA health care services. By VA accounts, this represents the greatest enrollment in the history of our country. Of course, the downside is that means there are still 58 percent of the eligible veterans that are not enrolled for their benefits.
With approximately three million military personnel currently on active duty, these modern day warriors will continue to shape the direction of required veteran’s benefits as well as the role of future National Service Officers. In addition to serving the veteran, the NSO must also take dependents and family members into consideration as we re-define the nature and the term of our “service.” The NSO must not only look at the benefits owed to these great American’s, but also identify and facilitate opportunities after they complete their honorable service. Assisting veterans in many cases means assisting and educating the extended family. With a new understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the VA has rediscovered that it is extremely important to treat and educate the entire family. As a result, the NSO must also reach out to family members with the same reverence and compassion as they provide to our veterans.
"The Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A. Inc.," (MOPH) is unique among Veteran Service Organizations in that all its members were wounded in combat. For this sacrifice, they were awarded the Purple Heart Medal. With grants from the MOPH Service Foundation, the National Service Program exists to assist ALL veterans in working with the VA and filing claims for the many benefits that are available. You do NOT need to be a Member of the Purple Heart Organization to seek assistance. MOPH NSO’s process veterans' claims for compensation, pension, medical care, education, job training, employment, veterans’ preference, housing, death, and burial benefits. They also assist in the appeals process when their represented veterans’ benefits have been denied at the local VA Regional Office. MOPH is one of five national veterans’ organizations that represent veterans' claims before the Veteran’s Appeal Court, and is one of only four organizations that provide full-time legal representation to veterans. Because court decisions can affect rating decision in thousands of veterans’ claims, MOPH believes that successful representations protect all veterans.
For additional information on the MOPH National Service Program or contact information for the office closest to you, please contact:
Frank Van Hoy, National Service Director, 703-354-2140, fvanhoy@purpleheart.org
or
John E. Bircher III, Public Relations Director, 352-753-5535, publicrelations@purpleheart.org
