This list represents the essential qualifications required for employment:
- The employee must be a citizen of the United States. Completion of the I-9 is required.
- A veteran is preferred, though the position if open to family members of veterans and the general public if a qualified veteran is not found. A veteran is defined as any person who has been separated under honorable conditions from any branch of the armed forces of the United States after having served on active duty for at least 180 consecutive days, or by reason of disability incurred while serving on active duty.
- The VSO/AVSA must be willing and able to travel in and/or out of state for at least a week, one to two times per year, for conferences/meetings/accreditation and continuing education units. Attire is expected to be business casual and formal attire is required for certain outreach events or meetings.
- A VSO must have reliable transportation to make it to the main office or satellite offices within Sangamon County, and be punctual. He/she must be able to attend the occasional outreach event on weekends when required.
Must be able to obtain required qualifications (subject to change without notice) of the position:
- OGC Accreditation. It is preferred for the VSO/AVSO candidate have at least 1 year of experience as a VSO with concurrent VA-OCG Accreditation. If there is no candidate with current accreditation, they must be able to complete all training and become accredited within 1-year of hire.
- Background Check. Candidate must pass an FBI background check and maintain a clean criminal record to be able to pass future background checks.
- Driver’s License. Candidate must be able to obtain and maintain an IL State Driver’s License (except in cases of ADA compliance).
- VBA Certifications. Must comply with all VBA annual training and certification requirements.
Requires a high school diploma or equivalent. It is preferred that the candidate possess an associate degree or higher, 60 or more college credit hours, or equivalent work experience as determined by the Superintendent and VAC Board.
LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED
Requires the following upon hire or the ability to complete the following within one year of hire: accreditation from the US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of General Counsel (VA OGC); ongoing FBI Background Checks; TRIP Certification for PIV Card; HIPPA Training; VA Security Training. Inability to have or attain the above may result in non-hire or termination.
Must possess and maintain a valid Class D Illinois Driver’s License, unless exempted by ADA.
Must achieve and maintain accreditation through National Association of County Veteran Service Officer (NACVSO) within first 12 months of employment. Failure to obtain and maintain accreditation would result in termination.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Requires knowledge of developing and processing claims, working within a budget, and working with various military service organizations and legislative groups.
Requires considerable knowledge of: standard office procedures; management or supervisory methods, practices and techniques; records tracking; and operation of standard office equipment is required. Understanding of laws affecting the work of the Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) and specialized terminology related to activities of the VAC, or the ability to learn these is required.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
Below is a list of preferred experiences which would help a candidate applying for a Veteran Service Office Position. While these are not required, they provide a broad experience base with parallel learning and/or transferability of skills. These experiences would best be garnered through employment with the United States Military, veteran organizations, or Local, State or Federal agencies.
Basic military knowledge Business Administration
Certified Veteran Advocate (CVA) Grant writing
Legal writing Marketing/outreach
Medicare/Medicaid Military Veterans Assistance Act (MVAA)
Paralegal Peer support/Counseling
Political Science/Civics Previous experience in the Not-for-profit sector
Public Administration Public Health
Social Security Social work/Mental Health
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