{"id":7982,"date":"2024-12-13T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7982"},"modified":"2024-12-13T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T15:30:00","slug":"keeping-vsos-informed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7982","title":{"rendered":"Keeping VSOs informed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-12-13T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>When Leanna Lynch organized an informational training day for Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) at Bedford VA, her goal was to equip these advocates with the knowledge to better serve Veterans and their families.<\/p>\n<p>As an Army Veteran and Community Relations Specialist at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/bedford-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Bedford VA<\/a>, Lynch understands the importance of connecting Veterans with the benefits they\u2019ve earned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to give VSOs an in-depth look at our programs and services so they can easily navigate resources with the Veterans they assist,\u201d Lynch shared.<\/p>\n<p>The event drew VSOs from over 50 miles away, making it clear there was demand for this kind of specialized training. Attendees learned about critical programs like health care eligibility, suicide prevention, minority Veteran support and more.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cExceptional and enlightening\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cHearing directly from VA staff who run these programs was so valuable,\u201d said Patrick George, Marine Veteran and president of the Massachusetts Veterans Service Officer Association. \u201cIt gives me more tools in my toolbox when I\u2019m advising Veterans on their options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lynch ensured VA health care and services were the topics of the day, collaborating with Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration staff to present as well rounded an education as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExceptional and enlightening,\u201d is how Veteran Al Yee described it.<\/p>\n<p>Now in its second year, Bedford VA\u2019s VSO training initiative continues under Lynch\u2019s dedicated leadership. By keeping local VSOs up-to-date on resources and equipping them to serve as guides, she is empowering advocates and establishing meaningful connections with Veterans.<\/p>\n<p>She will be hosting the training for the third year next month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy job is to help Veterans make informed decisions about their health and future,\u201d George said. \u201cTrainings like this one make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/136973\/keeping-vsos-informed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bedford VA held an informational training day for VSOs to equip them with the knowledge to better serve Veterans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Keeping VSOs informed - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bedford VA held an informational training day for VSOs to equip them with the knowledge to better serve Veterans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7982\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Keeping VSOs informed - 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