VSO On Vacation Aug. 6-13

I will be out of the office while on vacation Aug. 6 through Aug. 13. I will return to the office on Aug. 16.

I am working with Tom Sorensen, as a volunteer assistant, to fill in afternoons of the days I will be gone. He is scheduled to be in the VSO office from 1:00 to 4:00 each day.  He is an experienced veteran service officer and should be able to answer most questions regarding claims and benefits. Please call 264-4013 to determine if he is here before making a trip to the office.

On another note, I still do not have veterans' travel money from the State of Colorado and probably won't have until first of September. Watch for an announcement when I do have the money. Remember, I will pay retroactively back to June 1st. on previous trips to VA Health Care facilities, so save your receipts and proof of appointment for retro-active reimbursement.

Request Copies of Military Personnel Records Online

The following information was taken directly from the VA.GOV website. You can request a copy of your military records online using this website: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html

NOTE: Under “remarks” of this form you can enter additional information requests. I SUGGEST YOU REQUEST A COPY OF ALL MILITARY AND MEDICAL RECORDS OF YOUR MILITARY SERVICE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU PLAN TO FILE A VA DISABILITY CLAIM.

Use this system to create a customized order form to request information from your, or your relative's, military personnel records. You may use this system if you are:

• A military veteran, or
• Next of kin of a deceased, former member of the military
  • The next of kin can be any of the following: surviving spouse that has not remarried, father, mother, son, daughter, sister, or brother.

If you are not the veteran or next of kin, you must complete the Standard Form 180 (SF 180). See Access to Military Records by the General Public for more details.

How to Initiate a Request for Military Personnel Records:

1. Click on the "Request Military Records" button below to start. This will launch a separate window.
2. Enter the required information in the system to create your customized request form. There are 4 steps that you need to navigate. The system will guide you through the steps and tell you exactly which step you are on.
3. In Step 2 of the on-line request form, you will be asked to make selections from drop down menus about the nature of the request and the types of documents you are requesting. If these menus do not include the items you wish to request (for example, "all documents in the Official Military Personnel File"), you will have the opportunity to expand your request in the Comments section in Step 3. If you want to request multiple items from the menu selections in Step 2 (such as "Outpatient Treatment Records", "Inpatient Treatment Records", and "Mental Health Clinic Records"), choose one of the items from the menu and then use the Comments section in Step 3 to ask for the additional documents.
4. Print, sign and date the signature verification area of your customized form. If you don't have a printer, have a pen and paper handy and we will guide you through the process. This is important because the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) requires that all requests for records and information be submitted in writing. Each request must be signed and dated by the veteran or next of kin.
5. If you are the next of kin of a deceased veteran, you must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary.
6. Mail or fax your signature verification form (with proof of death, when applicable) to us, and we will process your request. You must do this within the first 20 days of entering your request, or your request will be removed from our system.

DAV Vans

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization is running a VAHC Van from Durango on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Call Mike Dunaway 970 247-2198) and from the Farmington area on Mondays and Wednesdays (Call Harriet Mulnix 505 793-1782).

Durango VA Clinic

The Durango VA Outpatient Clinic is located at 1970 E. 3^rd Ave. Durango, Colorado 81301 (Old Mercy Medical Center). Phone number is 970 247-2214.

For Further Information

For information on these and other Veterans benefits please call or stop by the Archuleta County Veterans Service Office located at the Senior Center in the Pagosa Springs Community Center on Hot Springs Blvd. The office number is 970 264-4013, the FAX number is 970 264-4014, Cell number is 970 946-6648, and E-mail is afautheree@archuletacounty.org. The office is open from 8 to 4, Monday through Friday.  Bring your DD Form 214 (Discharge) for application for VA programs, and for filing in the VSO office.