“Transitioning from combat to civilian life isn’t an easy thing,” said Dan Grant, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, who attended an open house to mark the opening of the VSO. “We’re committed to coming to them.”
The office will provide one-on-one assistance to veterans and help them with the state and federal benefits available to them. It also will serve as a liaison between the state and federal Veterans Administration.
“There are a limited number of experts on Veterans Administration benefits, and they don’t come to schools normally,” said Jim Hall, an LLCC student, Coast Guard Reservist and member of Lincoln Land’s Veterans Affairs Club. “This will send people out to the schools.”
“It’s a complicated process getting all these benefits started,” he said.
Between 200 and 300 of LLCC’s 7,100 students are veterans.
The college’s Veterans Affairs Club started about a year ago to help veterans become acclimated to new surroundings, Hall said.
The VSO will help veterans “choose the best ones and maximize benefits,” he said.
LLCC President Charlotte Warren is herself a veteran. She serves in the Georgia Army National Guard as deputy commander of the Joint Forces Headquarters Medical Command.
She said she has had the opportunity to talk with soldiers as they arrive back from deployment overseas.
“It’s important for us to reach out to veterans, to get their lives back on track and to give them opportunities,” she said.
Grant said that with the new group of veterans, it’s not always a given that they will turn first to veterans organizations like the VFW and American Legion or the federal VA for assistance. Many times, he said, they first contact an institution of higher learning.
Lincoln Land, through its Veterans Affairs Office, was invited by the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs to host a VSO. Most of the nine statewide will be open by fall.
The VSO, in Room 1135 of Menard Hall, is staffed by one of the state’s 74 veterans services officers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month. More information is available from the LLCC Veterans Affairs Office at 786-2216.
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510.
What’s available at the office
Among the Illinois programs and benefits for which veterans can sign up or get information at the Lincoln Land Community College Veterans Services Office:
*Illinois Warrior Assistance Program, a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder program.
*Veterans Care, which provides affordable, comprehensive health care to Illinois vets who are uninsured or who do not qualify for coverage through the federal Veterans Administration.
*Veterans Jobs Tax Credit, by which employers can earn an income tax credit of up to $600 annually for every qualified veteran hired after Jan. 1, 2007.
*Hunting and fishing licenses and camping permits for disabled veterans.
*The Post 9/11 GI Bill. The VA will issue certificates of eligibility to qualifying applicants and begin making payments Aug. 1.
*A full list of Veterans Services Offices in Illinois and other programs for veterans is available at the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Web site at http://veterans.illinois.gov.
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