{"id":21957,"date":"2024-12-16T10:00:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T15:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?p=21957"},"modified":"2024-12-10T13:46:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T18:46:34","slug":"serving-those-who-served","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2024\/12\/serving-those-who-served\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving Those Who Served"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/FamiliesHealthSocialSvcs\/VeteransServices.aspx\">Orange County Veterans Services Office<\/a>, part of the County\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/directory\/citizen-resource-and-outreach-division\/\">Citizen Resource and Outreach Division<\/a>(<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/directory\/community-and-family-services-department\/\">Community and Family Services Department<\/a>), assists with benefits claims for veterans and their eligible family members. In full support of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocfl.net\/FamiliesHealthSocialSvcs\/VeteransServices\/VeteransAdvisoryCouncil.aspx\">Mayor\u2019s Veterans Advisory Council<\/a>, it also serves as the primary contact for residents to learn about and receive veteran resources and services.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 71,000 veterans call Orange County home, and Veterans Services serves approximately 5,000 clients per year, including veterans and their dependents. Unfortunately, many veterans are unaware of the services and benefits available to them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf they don\u2019t know about them, they typically won\u2019t seek them out,\u201d asserted Alnita Whitt, program manager. \u201cIt\u2019s about outreach and education, and we\u2019re trying to get the word out and increase our footprint in the community so they know we\u2019re there for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whitt and her team of specialists \u2013 two senior counselors, four veterans counselors and an administrative specialist \u2013 have recently increased outreaches, going to Orange County Public Libraries and holding informational sessions during which they share what they do and what the process looks like, as well as field any questions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s more like a town hall,\u201d she said. \u201cWe like for participants to ask questions so we can get a better feel for what their needs are so we can bring resolution to them. We provide information, but we also solve problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whitt also notes that it\u2019s important that veterans seek out accredited organizations, like Orange County\u2019s Office of Veteran Services, that can advocate and submit claims for them and their dependents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe recommend veterans speak to our service officers, who can call the VA directly and get the process moving smoothly.\u201d explained Whitt.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Claims vary and include disability, pension (medical need and income-based programs, not retirement pension), survivors pension, education benefits and additional state benefits. Going to Veterans Services represents a one-stop shop where the team can verify all eligible benefits for each individual veteran.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Office helps veterans receive millions of dollars in earned benefits per year, and it also collaborates with other local agencies and organizations when it comes to providing meals, mental health counseling and more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe don\u2019t solicit for any one agency, but we make referrals to different places,\u201d explained Whitt. \u201cWe work with local funeral homes to educate on veterans funerals and what they entail, and we also engage with community partners to educate veterans on financial services. We provide them with available resources, and then they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Whitt, seeing people in need get the benefits they deserve is incredibly gratifying. \u201cThere\u2019s no greater feeling than helping other people, so I say rather than assume you don\u2019t qualify, when in doubt, seek us out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/FamiliesHealthSocialSvcs\/VeteransServices.aspx\">Veterans Services<\/a> for more on claim benefits, services, eligibility and frequently asked questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Orange County Veterans Services Office, part of the County\u2019s Citizen Resource and Outreach Division(Community and Family Services Department), assists with benefits claims for veterans and their eligible family members. In full support of the\u00a0Mayor\u2019s Veterans Advisory Council, it also serves as the primary contact for residents to learn about and receive veteran resources and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[697,393,64],"class_list":["post-21957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-services","tag-community-and-family-services","tag-orange-county-mayors-veterans-advisory-council","tag-veterans"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Serving Those Who Served<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Orange County Veterans Services Office, part of the County\u2019s Citizen Resource and Outreach 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