Congressman Don Davis Holds Veteran Service Officers Roundtable in Greenville Office
GREENVILLE, N.C. —Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) held a Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) roundtable at his Greenville district office. The event was an opportunity for local, state, and federal agencies to gather and collaborate on how to best address issues they face as they serve local veterans, service members, and their families and to hear what Congressman Davis is doing to advocate for veterans and servicemembers in Congress.
“It was important to meet with Veteran Service Officers who are on the ground working daily in communities across eastern North Carolina with our veterans, their families, and survivors. Their insights were eye-opening,” said Congressman Don Davis. “We must ensure that our VSOs have the resources they need to effectively serve our veterans, assist with the transition from active duty service, and continue to educate our area veterans and service members about their available resources. We must fight for those who have fought for us.”
[Congressman Don Davis pictured with participants during his Veteran Service Officer roundtable at his Greenville District office.]
Veteran Service Officers can help veterans and their family members submit claims to the VA Administration and help them identify state benefits, including reduced property taxes, educational benefits, and more, all free of charge. The issue many participants expressed is that many veterans, servicemembers, and their families do not know what a VSO is or that these benefits are available to them, especially in rural parts of the district, and they want to change that
One participant noted that VSOs seem to be “an afterthought” during many servicemember’s transition out of the service. They want to ensure that more servicemembers are informed before leaving.
[Participants of the Veteran Service Officer roundtable with Congressman Davis in his Greenville District office.
Others expressed the need for more financial resources, saying that rural counties receive less funding than their counterparts, making it harder to serve area veterans. For instance, rural counties often don’t have the resources to hold stand down events, which are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, and VA Social Security benefits counseling, according to the VA Administration.
Even so, many veterans in rural counties cannot afford transportation to and from the events. The roundtable participants repeatedly mentioned lack of transportation, including the Travel Pay reimbursement process, as a top issue veterans face. The VA Administration pays eligible veterans and caregivers back for mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments.
However, many in the room expressed that the kiosks and online portals to receive reimbursements have been inoperable for months —leaving many veterans without payment. To make matters worse, many older veterans lack access to the internet or do not know how to use the online system. The group suggested that there should be an option for old-school paper reimbursement forms, making them more accessible to seniors.
[Congressman Don Davis pictured with participants during his Veteran Service Officer roundtable at his Greenville District office.]
Congressman Davis shared with roundtable participants the veteran-related bills that he is sponsoring:
· H.R. 4518, the Veterans Caregivers Application and Appeals Reform (CARE) Act of 2023. The CARE Act, co-led by Reps. Kiggans (R-VA) & Ciscomani (R-AZ) is much-needed bipartisan, bicameral legislation that cuts red tape for disabled veterans by improving the Caregivers Program to allow VSOs and other accredited agents to assist veterans in their applications.
· H.R. 3084, the Veterans Jobs Tax Opportunity Act. Introduced with Rep. Nunn (R-IA), the legislation provides veterans starting small businesses with a 15% tax credit on the first $50,000 startup costs.
· H.R. 3085, the Coast Guard Combat-Injured Tax Fairness Act. Introduced with Rep. Bacon (R-NE), the bill closes a loophole in an existing law that failed to provide Coast Guard servicemembers with the same tax break afforded to other active duty personnel.
· H.R. 6331, the Delivering Optimal Urgent Labor Access (DOULA) for VA Act. The legislation would require the VA Secretary to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans. Doing so would improve services for pregnant women, especially those who lack access to adequate maternity care.
· H.R. 4109, the Honor and Remember Flag Recognition Act. The legislation would recognize the “Honor and Remember” flag as an official symbol of Veterans Killed In Action (KIA). The flag is already recognized in 27 states to date.
The meeting concluded with Congressman Davis’ promise to continue advocating for policies that benefit veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
Congressman Davis is a U.S. Air Force veteran and vice-ranking House Armed Services Committee member. He graduated in 1994 from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
A complete list of participants can be seen below:
Jennifer L. Freeman, Coastal Carolina Regional Manager, North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
Nicole Jenkins,Veteran Service Officer, Jones County
Richard Pait, Veteran Service Officer, Northampton County
Paul Spencer, Veteran Service Officer, Pasquotank County
Ray Holloman, Veteran Service Officer, Greene County
Julius Petaway, Veteran Service Officer, Pitt County
Trina Williams, Veteran Service Officer, Pitt County
Zhona Moody, Veteran Service Officer, Pitt County
Wayne C. Bray, Veteran Service Officer, Chowan County
Ebony Williams, Administrative Specialist I
Kosher Ellis, Veteran Service Officer, Lenoir County
Thurman C. Savage, Veteran Service Officer, Martin County
Keith A. Kuhn, Greenville Veteran Service Center Manager/VSO
Geraldine Davis Williams, Veteran Service Officer, Wilson County
Channing Ford, Veteran Service Officer Manager, Pitt County
Bailey D. Shaffer, Veteran Service Officer, Vance County
Brenda Wilkins, Veteran Service Officer, Franklin County
Anthony Rogers, Veteran Service Officer, Nash County
Emily Messer, Senior Social Worker, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Amy Jones Breedlove, Deputy Chief Strategic Communications and Facility Congressional Liaison
Natasha Godley, Veteran Service Officer, Pitt County
Andy Patterson, Chapter Service Officer
Tommy Stephenson,Chapter Service Officer
Robert Lee Kruger, NC-01 Military and Veterans Affairs Outreach Director
Jonathan Miller, NC-01 Defense and Veterans Affairs Policy Advisor
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