She told the commissioners that all veteran services officers must be accredited in the state to continue to offer services to veterans. The officers will go through in-depth training to obtain the accreditation from the American Legion or other government entity. Schweizer-Betz said it’s a good idea – only she hasn’t received a packet on the training or when it’s supposed to occur so she can go through the proper steps to be accredited.
If the VSO is not accredited, the state will not process papers from the office.
Commissioner Jack Roose asked if the part-time position will increase to full-time status, especially since it’s an accredited position, but Schweizer-Betz could not answer that question. She indicated that this is new and more questions than answers are available at this time.
She added that she’s been pretty busy since her last report and that she’s taken on some of the veterans’ affairs from Starke County as the veterans service officer is on a leave of absence. She not only assists Starke County, but Kosciusko County, St. Joseph County and LaPorte County.
