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Veterans Service Officer (Shasta County)

About the Position

Under general policy direction, to manage, coordinate, and assist military veterans and their spouses and
dependents in obtaining rights and benefits conferred by federal, state, and local legislation, and to do other work as required.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The incumbent in this single-position class is responsible to the County Administrative Officer for managing all aspects of the Veterans Service Department.

Examples of Duties

Supervises the activities of the Veterans Service Department; interviews and advises veterans, their dependents, and spouses of the rights and benefits conferred by federal, state, or local laws regarding compensation, education or vocational rehabilitation, insurance, loans, pensions, hospitalization and medical care; searches for, analyzes, and screens all available evidence bearing on entitlement under all laws; obtains affidavits, military discharges, birth certificates, death certificates, certificate of naturalization, marital documents and other types of supporting evidence; prepares forms and claims for benefits and forwards them with supporting evidence to the proper adjudicating authority; maintains liaison with federal and state veteran agencies regarding veteran's rights and benefits; prepares and submits appeals from apparently unjust or incorrect decisions on claims; arranges for outpatient medical care of disabled veterans; explains costs, types and advantages of various governmental insurance policies and loans; prepares descriptive and statistical reports; may represent veterans in hearings before social security or employment service adjudicators or appeal boards; plans and supervises the department personnel program involving the selection, training, promotion, and the evaluation of personnel; prepares department budget and controls budgetary expenditures; prepares written and oral reports on department activities; speaks before professional organizations and civic groups.

Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following:

Knowledge of: Provisions of federal, state and local legislation, rules or regulations relating to veteran benefit programs and applicable court decisions; the procedures for filing claims for benefits; veterans claim and appeal practices and procedures; interviewing and counseling techniques; veteran agencies and organizations; community resources and organizations and their functions; and principles of supervision and training.

Ability to: Interpret laws and regulations concerning the rights and benefits of veterans and their dependents and advise and counsel clients accordingly; supervise the activities of the Veterans Service Office; prepare or assist clients in the preparation of appropriate forms and correspondence; explain case histories, policies and legislation clearly; communicate and interact with personnel at all organizational levels, the general public and other public and private agencies to facilitate the processing of claims; prepare, maintain and process records and reports relating to veterans claims; interview effectively; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with others contacted in course of work.

Note: These employment standards are typically attained with two years of experience assisting veterans
in obtaining a wide variety of benefits.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have military leadership experience, the ability to speak with poise and composure to a large and savvy audience, knowledge of budget planning and accounting principles, and the ability to detect and defuse potentially volatile human dynamic situations.

Special Requirements

• Possession of an appropriate California driver license.
• Must have served more than 90 days active duty in the armed forces and received other than a dishonorable discharge pursuant to Section 972 of the Military and Veterans Code.
• Applicants must provide a copy of discharge documents (DD-214 or equivalent)

Supplemental Questions

Responses to the following must be submitted with a completed application.

1. Describe any experience you have had working closely with government agencies, congressionally chartered
2. Veterans Service Organizations, and other non-profit organizations providing public assistance to your community.
3. Describe any experience you have had assisting survivors and other citizens attempting to obtain benefits and services from federal, state, and local government agencies.
4. Describe any experience you have had with managing personnel with diverse experience and qualifications.
5. Have you served more than 90 days active duty in the armed forces and received other than a dishonorable discharge pursuant to Section 972 of the Military and Veterans Code? YES____ NO____
6. Did you attach a copy of your DD-214 to your application? YES____ NO____

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Other Considerations

• All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account.
• Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position.
• As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history, (if any), will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered.
• Based on the results of the background investigation and criminal history check, applicants may then be provided with an offer of employment conditioned on the results of a medical examination, which includes drug/alcohol testing.
• In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.
• Employees in this classification are covered under the CalPERS retirement program. Depending on the provisions of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and other applicable laws, an employee in this classification will be covered under one of the following CalPERS retirement formulas: (1) 2% at 55, (2) 2% at 60, or (3) 2% at 62. An employee in this classification will also contribute 7% of his/her pay to this plan, or will contribute such other amount to the plan as authorized by PEPRA and other applicable laws. Please visit our employee benefit page at Employee Benefits additional information regarding benefits and CalPERS coverage information. The provisions in this flyer and on the County’s website are for information purposes only. To the extent the provisions of the flyer or the County’s website are inconsistent with PEPRA and other applicable laws, PEPRA and other applicable laws shall govern.

Application & Selection Procedures

Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to the supplemental questions until 5:00
p.m. on August 14, 2017. A Resume and/or Cover Letter will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, “Refer to Resume and/or Cover Letter,” or “See Attached Resume and/or Cover Letter” the employment application must be completed in its entirety prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered.

Applicants will be screened and those considered best qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or
written examination. Meeting the announced requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof.

Veterans' Credit: Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE.

EOE