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Local branch of state VA department gets the word out on services

Posted by Dale Liesch | Aug 28, 2019 | Bay Briefs | 0 |

If you’re a veteran and have been turned down for help from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a local representative would like you to give it another shot. 

“Some veterans have been turned down over a period of time,” Acting Veterans Services Officer Jamie Odom said. “The VA has changed. We invited them to reapply. Let’s do what’s right for our veterans.” 

The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs provides services for both service-connected and non-service-connected claims if they qualify for wartime service from World War II and on, he said. 

A number of ailments can be linked to wartime service that could result in a successful claim, Odom said. For instance, Gulf War-era veterans, who served starting in the late 1990s until present day, could be experiencing digestive issues, chronic fatigue or other ailments for which the VA would be responsible. For Vietnam-era veterans, Odom said, symptoms could range from diabetes to Parkinson’s disease and respiratory issues caused by the use of Agent Orange.

“With a lot of our veterans, we don’t know the extent of the damage Agent Orange had on health issues,” he said. 

To file a claim, Odom said a veteran only needs proof of service and a current medical diagnosis from a VA or outside physician. The VA will then send the veteran to a third-party examination and all the results are sent to someone called a rater, who will make the final decision, Odom said. 

“Area veterans can get services rendered at no charge,” he said. 

This includes hearing aids, which Odom said can run thousands of dollars. 

“So many of the folks have experienced [hearing loss],” Odom said. “The VA will pay for hearing aids, batteries and whatever you need to maintain them, which is huge.” 

The VA does not pay disability, but does pay compensation for injuries resulting in potential loss of income, Odom said. 

The VA will pay pension based upon an asset limit of $123,600, not including a house, or up to two acres of land, Odom said. 

The department is taking part in a senior benefits event at the Satsuma Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Odom said representatives of the agency will be on hand to better explain benefits to seniors. Odom, who is a veteran Naval construction worker, said veterans can come by the office at 1150 Government St., Room 107, for more information. 

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About The Author

Dale Liesch

Dale Liesch

Dale Liesch has been a reporter at Lagniappe since February 2014. He covers all aspects of the city of Mobile, including the mayor, City Council, the Mobile Housing Board of Commissioners, GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico and others. He studied journalism at The University of Alabama and graduated in 2007. He came to Lagniappe, after several years in the newspaper industry. He achieved the position of news editor at The Alexander City Outlook before moving to Virginia and then subsequently moving back a few years later. He has a number of Alabama and Virginia Press association awards to his name. He grew up in the wilderness of Baldwin County, among several different varieties of animals including: dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, a horse and an angry goat. He now lives in the Oakleigh neighborhood of Mobile with his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Joan. The family currently has no goats, angry or otherwise, but is ruled by the whims of two very energetic dogs.

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