PARK COUNTY COMMISSONERS AT IT AGAIN

Are you a Vet? Ronbo I hope navy puts you into place because you just don't get it.

If the county lets certain SO vehicles leave the county at a expense, they should be able to support helping veterans. I thnk this lady is a saint for her work. The vets need our help, and I don't mind my tax dollars helping!! THANK YOU VETS!!!!!

Ronbo wrote:

navycpo7 wrote:

Ronbo wrote: I question why the county should have anything to do with vetern'a affiars. It is not the responsiblilty of the county to get these people to their appointments.

Every county has its own Veterans Service Officer. Getting a few of the Vets down to their appointments is a very small part of what she does. It is not up to the county to do this. Her job is to assist the Veteran to hep solve thier problems, claims, get earned benefits etc. There are some Vets that do not have means to get down there, so she gets them down there. Then there is the problems that come up once the Vet gets down there, and gets the run around, she knows the laws, the regulation, etc. It makes a huge difference in how Vets get treated. We go down there and alot of times some of us get treated like second class citizens, she changes all that.

That all sounds good but why the hell is the county even involved? In my opinion the county should stop all funding for this as it is not the counties responsibility.

Ronbo, it is the responsibilty of every county in Colorado to have a County Veterans Service Officer. Alot of benefits start with the county, then State. The State pays a portion of her salary and the county makes up the difference. Her pay is only 600.00 dollars plus expenses. This is not just in Colorado, but most states have them in every county. The reason being alot of Veterans have issues that need to be dealt with. Alot of Veterans myself included have a real issue going down to town to the VA medical ctr. The percentage of Veterans that do not know of benefits, etc available to them, this is the job of the County Veterans Service Officer. Alot of Veterans do not even have the means to go anywhere. We in Park County are extremely lucky to have the CVSO we have. Her success rate in getting Vets their benefits is way above 90%.

Considering the huge abuse of funds in the county, we should be more concerned with all the lunches that we payed for just in Fairplay alone. Lets look at the fancy hotels that our county directors use, Lets look at IT department head that spends money like it is an endless bunch of money. Spending roughly about 7000.00 a year on CVSO (state covers the rest) is nothing. At least this helps the county also. Veterans pay taxes, spend money in the county. This helps some from losing thier homes etc.

$600 ? What frequency?

This is ridiculous! We can pay for so much other crap, but we can't pay for what amounts to one-half of $600 ?! This country AND this county has their priorites screwed up!

Ronbo wrote: [That all sounds good but why the hell is the county even involved? In my opinion the county should stop all funding for this as it is not the counties responsibility.

Are you that "thick"?? :bash What part DO you not understand??? I truly suggest you look at the frivilous spending the current Park County Administration does day in day out from the Commissioner's all the way down to the Sheriff's department. I am certainly very thankful for the VSO we have for Park County, $600 a month is a pittance compared to what our tax dollars are being spent on by an administration that is out of control. I just hope there will be a VSO in Park County for years to come so I will be able to utilize there help for my husband who is retired military.

OMG Navy, this is HORRIBLE!!!!! OK people lets all fight this one together....

To begin with I think the salary is very low for this person and she is providing a great service.

When I read Ronbo's comment I understood it to mean, why is this a county or state service, when it should be a federal service. I don't know the answer.

I saw Navy posted
Ronbo, it is the responsibility of every county in Colorado to have a County Veterans Service Officer.

It made me wonder is it a responsibility due to a state mandate or is it a responsibility because it is a good thing to do?


As a vet I don't have a dog in this fight and wanted to try and clarify what I saw as misunderstandings.

My understanding of it is; She works for the State Veterans Affairs office, but because she is the Park County Service Officer she gets paid by both. The state pays a percentage and the county has to make up the difference. Alot of counties in the state go alot further for Veterans than Park does. Chaffee is one of them, they provide a Van, a driver for the Van etc to help the Vets get back and forth to the VA hospital. Alot of other CVSO get paid alot more. We have done some diggin and found some that make around 42,000.00 a year. I will try to clarify that whole thing. Each state has a Veteran Affairs office. It is there responsiblity to ensure that state benefits for Veterans is dealt with properly. Each state has different benefits for Veterans. As for Retired Military and disability payments, Medical care etc it is the respondibility of the members Service, the VA, and the Federal Government. The state has the CVSO's to help Veterans get their benefits etc. Here is how it normally goes. A service member is being discharged. 90% of them do not get told they even have benefits. We hear more and more how they were told just sign the paper and you are done. When they get out, they believe (because of what they have heard and been told) that there is nothing. What we do (VFW) is tell them to go see thier CVSO and then the door opens up for them. The CVSO knows the laws and regulations inside and out. Especially ours. She is a walking book of the laws and regs. The VA downtown knows her and for the most part does not even argue with her because she does her job extremely well. As my position in the VFW ( I am now a District Commander) I will fight to make sure she is kept. What I do get extremely tired of, is everytime there is a budget cut coming, the first place governments all seem to look first, is at Veterans programs. Ronbo I am sure meant no harm by asking, it is a learning thing about what it is all about.

Navy....do you have a date for the BOCC meeting?

Geeez...it is getting to the point where someone should just get a cot and sleep in a corner of the BOCC meeting room.

VSO meeting with commissioners will be held on Wednesday 27, 2010 at 1:30 at the FairBarn
at the fairgrounds. From my heart may I say we need every VET there to help her. She has helped everyone of us now it is our turn to Protect the one person that has gone beyond to make sure we get what we are due. Please ALL VETS call another vet call us we will be at that meeting. We want the place full. For this woman to give us so much helping us get the right pay, giving us our dignity back, helping us to become more productive in our county, let's stand behind the one person that does it for pennies an hour. She works 7 days a week 16 hours a day and had a Very sick husband that was treated for Lymphoma, and taking care of all the VETs. GOD BLESS HER!

Consider this

VA 10% rating makes 174.00 a month. VA 100% rating makes 2823.00 now how much does the county get in revenue? Vet is more likely to spend his/her money in the county he/she lives in because of their disabilities, services come to this county and they pay taxes, they can afford a home they then pay taxes. So she raises the earning for the vets which in turn brings money into the county. If we didn't have her think of it this way. The Social Services then has to help, the non-profits that help our community have to help them out which takes away from another that doesn't have access to the benefits that the VET has. So what the county does is try to alleviate that stress to the county and the non-profits.
Now does our commissioners bring that kind of money into the county? Or Are they spending the money that the VSO brings so they can have a good time at those events?
How about they take a reduction in their pay? Let's say since she is only making 600.00 a month why not take a pay reduction of a 150.00 to the commissioners? This way they wouldn't be taking away one of the money makers in our county. OH THAT"S RIGHT THEY ARE DUE That money because they work hard for it. rofllol