Veterans Service Officer

Job Description:

Can I go to the VA for my health care?

Yes. The criteria for enrollment are that you served 181 consecutive days in the military not counting training.

Isn’t there some sort of income guidelines for VA health care?

There are seven categories that the VA uses. In its most simple form the first six categories of veterans do not pay for their care. The seventh, which many do fall into, must abide by the following interpretation. VA may furnish any needed hospital and outpatient care to all veterans not listed in the first six. This group is known as category seven and includes non-service connected veterans and non-compensable zero percent service connected veterans with income and net-worth above the statutory threshold who agree to pay co-payments.

Q. Does the VA pay for my prescriptions?

A. Yes. In most cases there is a $2.00 co-pay

My wife and I are retired and on a fixed income, is there anything the VA can do for us?

Yes. If you qualify under the income guidelines and are a veteran of a war time period. The VA uses a formulary in which medical expenses are deducted from your income to calculate the rate of pay you and your spouse will receive.

Can I go to a Veterans Nursing Home?

Yes. Both you and your spouse can go to a Veterans Nursing Home. One of the many advantages to

a VNH is that you may transfer assets in joint tenancy to one or the other and the VA will not consider this in their calculations as to your monthly charge. And this can be done 1 day prior to admittance.

 

Links:

http://www.access.gpo.gov./cgi-bin/cfrassemble.cgi?title=199738

http://mndav.gotocrystal.net/

http://www.mdva.state.mn.us/

Emergency Management Director

Job Description:

Big Stone County Emergency Management Directors’ Office is responsible for four basic phases involved in a disaster. Mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation refers to the precautions taken to prevent disasters or lessen the harmful effects of unavoidable disasters. Preparedness is planning and training for potential disaster’s and emergencies. Response includes all those actions taken to lessen the impact of an actual disaster or emergency. Recovery involves actions taken to return communities and their citizenry to their pre-disaster state, including measures to enhance future disaster preparedness.

 

What functions does the office do when there isn’t a disaster?

Revisions to the county plan, along with compiling periodic reports and reviews that need to be

submitted to state offices. In addition and to promote smooth operations of Law, Fire and Emergency services, plans for scenarios must be promulgated and then an exercise of those plans must be practiced. Ongoing training in many aspects of the job are attended to keep abreast of the potential impact they may have upon Big Stone County.

I thought this office was Civil Defense?

It was called that until 1974 when congress enacted the Disaster Relief Act (PL 93-288). That is the time when there was a shift from enemy attack mentality, to natural disaster mitigation, response and recovery. That same year gave birth to the Department of Emergency Management for the state and FEMA for the federal government.

What functions does the office perform when there is a either man made or natural disaster?

The Emergency Management Director office is a combination command and control, and resource management allocation/acquisition one stop shop. We are the publics’ source for information, we work hand in hand with law, military, fire, rescue, DNR, environmental, Salvation Army, Red cross…every entity that would be involved in a disaster will liaison with the County Emergency Management Director.

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/emermgt/

http://www.fema.gov/