Veterans Service Officers and Claims for Federal Benefits.

Veterans service officers assist veterans and their families with claims for federal benefits.  Veterans service officers may work for the state, a county, a tribal government, or a private organization.  The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) contracts with five nonprofit veterans service organizations and also partners with 17 counties and seven tribes to assist veterans with claims for federal benefits.

When a veteran files a claim for federal benefits, only an accredited attorney, agent, veterans service organization, federal regional office representative, or permitted individual may represent the veteran.  The United States Department of Veterans Affairs accredits three types of representatives:  veterans service organization representatives, attorneys, and agents.

The Veterans Service Officer Program.

The WDVA's Veterans Service Officer Program (VSO Program) provides funding for veterans service officers in certain counties.  To be eligible, the counties must have a population less than 100,000.  The WDVA provides funding on a first-come, first-served basis for one accredited veterans service officer per county.  Since the VSO Program's creation in 2019, the WDVA has provided funding for six veterans service officers.

Reports of Veterans' Benefits.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs' Annual Benefits Report (VA Report) for fiscal year 2023 identified 6,159,448 veterans receiving federal disability benefits and 262,932 veterans receiving pension compensation out of 18,250,044 veterans nationwide.  The national average of veterans receiving benefits in fiscal year 2023 was 35.2 percent.  The VA Report identified 158,510 veterans receiving federal disability benefits and 3,116 veterans receiving pension compensation out of the 525,343 veterans in the state; an state average of 30.8 percent.

The WDVA reported on the effectiveness of the VSO Program in September 2024.  The Veterans Service Officer Program Report (VSO Report) recommended expanding the VSO Program to provide funding to all eligible counties, and to prioritize counties that lack veterans service officers and that are below the state and national averages.  The VSO Report identified 158,702 veterans receiving federal benefits out of the 532,523 veterans in the state; an average of 30 percent.  The percentage of veterans receiving federal ranges by county benefits received from 15 percent to 44 percent.  The VSO Report identified 31 counties where the percentage of veterans receiving federal benefits is less than the national average of 35 percent.

Information About Veterans' Services.

The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) is required to contact a veteran within 90 days after WDVA receives a discharge notice from the federal Department of Defense and provide the veteran with information about available benefits and services.

Expansion and Prioritization of Counties Eligible for the Veterans Service Officer Program.

The counties eligible for a veterans service officer through the Veterans Service Officer Program (VSO Program) are expanded to include all counties where the percentage of the veteran population receiving federal disability benefits or pension compensation is below the national average.  The WDVA is required to prioritize counties with the lowest percentage of the veteran population receiving federal disability benefits or pension compensation, and then to provide a veterans service officer to counties that do not have a veterans service officer.

The WDVA may adopt rules and must require that a county participating in the VSO Program allows veterans residing in an adjacent county access to the veterans service officer funded by the VSO Program.

The reference to the Veterans Service Officer Fund is removed.

Reporting.

Beginning in December 2028, the WDVA is required to report on services available to veterans. The report must provide county-specific information on the number of veterans, available services, entities providing services, benefits received, and identify any counties without access to a veterans service officer or where the veteran population receiving benefits is below the national average.  The WDVA is required to provide this report to the Governor and Legislature every two years.