San Juan County’s first accredited veteran service officer details office setup and outreach plans

Gary Davis, the San Juan County veteran service officer, told the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting that he recently earned state accreditation and is establishing an office to serve local veterans.

Davis said the accreditation — a milestone he described as “making history” for the county — gives him deeper access to state and federal veteran service databases, requires continuing education and will be followed by federal fingerprinting and an FBI background check to obtain a federal credential card.

“It’s been daunting, overwhelming at times,” Davis said, noting his training continues and that the state VSO supervisors supervise multiple counties and tribes.

Davis described day-to-day duties as advocacy and casework on matters ranging from disability compensation to health benefits. He said he can access VA case files once a veteran signs a power of attorney, and stressed strict privacy rules: unauthorized access can lead to termination. He also said he can already identify 66 local veterans who are enrolled in VA programs and offered to provide commissioners with a report showing how much VA income flows to the county.

On operations, Davis said his office began from “an empty room, a laptop and a phone.” He told commissioners he is arranging a secure internet line for the office instead of relying on a shared hospital network because the VA-related databases he uses contain protected health information. He said county staff members — including Alex and Willie — have helped with set-up and local IT questions.

Davis said outreach will include newspaper notices and attendance at community events so veterans who are not already in the VA system can learn about services and sign the power-of-attorney form that enables a VSO to assist them.

He described continuing education requirements — including regular state training conferences — and said he plans to attend the next in Grand Junction. Davis also asked for the county’s ongoing support as he completes technical onboarding and security credentials.

Commissioners thanked Davis for his work and for establishing a local office to make benefits more accessible to San Juan County veterans.

Ending

Davis said he will return with periodic updates and offered to prepare a summary of local VA enrollment and revenue brought into the county. Commissioners said they appreciated his presentation and congratulated him on his accreditation.