Attached, for your information, is a copy of the amended National Veterans Service Policy and Procedure as approved by the National Veterans Service Advisory Committee on July 21, 2018, during the VFW’s 119th National Convention.
The major changes are as follows:
·Create standard titles for VFW accredited representatives. This reduces 30 confusing and arbitrary titles to 4 specific titles. State/county agencies are exempt. (page 2)
·Formally recognized Phase I Part II as a training standard for new service officers. This was approved at the March NVSAC. (page 6)
·Provide direction on how to handle subpoenas for confidential client information. (page 12)
·Direct all VFW-run services to establish a VA corporate mailbox with encryption capabilities. (page 22)
·Direct all DSOs to have Sensitive 7 access to VA files and for ADSOs to have Sensitive 6 access. VAROs are allowed to grant Sensitive 7 access to one representative from each VSO. This allows our reps to assist all clients, including those whose claim files require special handling, like VA staff. (page 22)
·Require all electronic POA requests generated by veterans through eBenefits and visible to our representatives through the Stakeholder Enterprise Portal be reviewed within 5 business days. This is to reinforce that ignoring an electronic POA request is just as bad as ignoring a veteran who shows up in your office. VA plans to generate letters to veterans whose electronic POA request sits for more than 30 days in a VSO queue. Business is done online, and we can’t tolerate service officers ignoring online requests for assistance. (page 23)
·Added an Appendix and language clarifying that the NVS Rating Review SOP is the standard to review rating decisions. This is to ensure standardization in providing a quality rating review for all VFW claimants and improving data integrity in VetraSpec.
If you have any questions regarding these revisions, please contact me at the email below, or contact Michael Figlioli, Deputy Director, NVS, via email atMFiglioli@vfw.org. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.