The Nevada County Veterans Services Office exists to assist the veterans, spouses, and dependents of this county obtain the benefits and services that they are entitled to. For the past 16 months, our office has been working remotely and over the phone to continue this mission. Although our efforts have been effective and the veterans we serve have continued to receive their benefits, we have been missing our daily interactions with the people we assist.
I am happy to announce that on June 15, 2021 your Nevada County Veterans Services Office will be returning to scheduling face-to-face appointments once again. Additionally, on June 17, 2021 we will be offering our “Walk-In” Thursday services. Our walk-in Thursday’s have always been my favorite day of the week and I am excited to see this service return in safe and socially distant environment. However, that is not all that we are excited about.
Soon we will be introducing a service that will allow our veterans and dependents to apply for DMV benefits, College Fee Waivers, VA Healthcare, and pre-burial authorizations through our county website. Additionally, we are working on an online portal that will allow service providers in our county to notify us when a veteran in need or crisis enters their facilities. Service providers will simply have to go online complete basic information and designate a priority level for the veteran. When we receive a high priority notification each member of our staff will receive a text message and an email. This will allow us to coordinate our efforts and help ensure that no veteran in need “slips through the cracks”.
These efforts are being made to make access to our services easier for every veteran in our county. Our hope is that with our online booking services, virtual VSO office, and offering the ability to complete certain forms online that more veterans have access to the services we provide. Our veterans will no longer need to take time off from work to receive our services and we will continue to offer our services for those veterans who technically disadvantaged.
Last, we are building a comprehensive outreach program. Ms. Traci Hart is spearheading out “Underserved Outreach Program”. Every Friday morning, she is at the county jail assisting those veterans who are experiencing legal problems. She coordinates her efforts with the County Probation Department, Public Defenders Office, and the VA Veteran Judicial Officer out of Reno, NV. We are actively collecting data in efforts to support the need for the establishment of a Veterans Treatment Court in Nevada County and we actively researching grant opportunities for this effort.
Eric Gamblin is leading our “Elderly Veteran Outreach Program”. Currently, he is conducting outreach efforts twice per month at the VA’s Auburn Outpatient Clinic. We are currently coordinating with local assisted living facilities for him to conduct his outreach efforts in their buildings on a regular schedule.
Your VSO, David West will be coordinating our “Homeless Outreach Program” and a major announcement will soon be coming as we work to reduce the number of homeless veterans in our county to zero.
Every effort is being made to make access to our services easier for our veterans, while simultaneously working to ensure that every veteran in this county receives the services that they are entitled to. We look forward to seeing everyone again and please keep a look out for the special Memorial Day section in Union Newspaper.
David West is the Nevada County Veterans Service Officer. Reach him at (530) 265-1446 or david.west@co.nevada.ca.us. The Nevada County Veteran’s Services Office, 988 McCourtney Rd, Grass Valley, CA, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.