State veterans official briefs Ohio County commissioners on new CBSO accreditation law

Ron Higgins, a representative of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, briefed Ohio County commissioners on recent statutory changes to county veterans service office operations under IC 10-17-1-9.

Higgins said the statute establishes mandatory accreditation and operational standards for county veterans service officers (CBSOs). He told the board that under the law CBSOs must be county employees rather than appointed officials, maintain roughly 1,000 hours per year (about 20 hours per week), post office hours publicly, maintain private office space for confidential case work and complete required training cycles that include multi-day in-person and online competency requirements.

The state representative described technical requirements as well: accredited CBSOs must use a statewide claims-management system to enable shared records across counties and obtain PIV credentials to access federal veteran records, which allows staff to perform more complete claims reviews.

Higgins framed the change as an effort to professionalize services across counties and said the IDVA will provide initial accreditation and ongoing training supports. He praised an on-staff county employee named Bill for completing training steps and emphasized that counties should view the standards as part of a multi-year professionalization process.

The briefing was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on the statute during the meeting. Staff and commissioners asked clarifying questions about transition logistics and the statute’s operational requirements; Higgins said the IDVA would assist counties with accreditation and training steps.

The briefing concluded with thanks and a reminder that counties must align local hiring and office practices with the statute’s requirements as they implement the new standard.