Escambia County Veterans Services Office Advocates on Behalf of Local Veterans

For veterans trying to navigate the process of getting benefits through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, it can easily become overwhelming and confusing.

Escambia County resident and Navy Veteran Michael O'Neal, age 74, was struggling to get a benefits claim approved through the VA for knee surgery - until a friend told him about Escambia County's Veterans Services Office.

"I had a documented injury that occurred while on active duty, and the VA kept denying me," O'Neal said. "But these folks were able to put it together in such a way that they pretty much couldn't say no."

The Escambia County Veterans Services Office consists of two Veterans Services Officers, Stevan Davis and Lisa Horan, who are accredited with the VA and experienced with helping veterans and their dependents navigate the VA benefits process.

Both veterans themselves, Davis and Horan are committed to working with veterans, their spouses, and dependents to file claims for benefits they are entitled to, acting as an advocate for them throughout the process. Most importantly, the Escambia County VSO provides these services to veterans completely free of charge.

"The veterans already paid for their benefits with their service, so why should anybody else get paid for what they've already paid for?" said Davis, who retired from the Air Force after 23 years of service. "We come across people who have done great things and have never asked anything back from their country."

With a significant veteran population in Escambia County, the VSO stays busy, seeing approximately 65 veterans per week, in addition to outreach events, home visits, and numerous emails and phone calls for assistance. What was once a one-person office has now expanded to two Veterans Services Officers and one administrative assistant.

O'Neal said he worked with another agency before discovering the Escambia County Veterans Services Office, and the difference has been "night and day." He retired from the Navy after 22 years of service, which included serving on Guam during the Vietnam War. O'Neal has experienced numerous health issues from exposure to Agent Orange, leading to various medical claims filed through the VA.

"We were able to get things accomplished with the VA that had not been able to get done before," O'Neal said. "They just seem to do better work than anybody ese. They really care about us veterans - there's no way you could possibly say enough good about them."

Davis and Horan both emphasized that because they don't work for the VA, their focus is on helping veterans file the best possible claim to receive the benefits they have earned through their military service.

"I'm your advocate," said Horan, who served in the Marine Corps for seven years. "I'm a veteran, just like you. I work for you - I don't work for the VA. Pretty much anything related to veterans, we're going to do it if we know how to do it. If we don't know how to do it, we're going to find out how."

The Escambia County VSO can assist veterans and their dependents with a variety of benefit claims, including medical treatment, disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, pensions, life insurance, burial claims, survivor benefits and more. Working closely with community partners including Waterfront Mission, Volunteers of America, and 90Works, the VSO also helps connect homeless veterans with available resources.

The VSO aims to make services as accessible as possible, visiting nursing homes throughout the county in addition to conducting home visits when the veteran or dependent cannot travel to the office.

As certified VSOs, Davis and Horan have access to the VA's claims system, which provides them valuable information that can help when filing claims for veterans.

"That's a huge benefit to us," Horan said. "We have insight that the veteran doesn't have."

Although they can't ensure every claim will be approved by the VA, Davis and Horan said they work hard to listen to veterans, gather the right information for their claim, and connect them with their benefits to the best of their ability. The most rewarding part for both of them is just being able to help veterans, many of whom express their appreciation through thank-you cards, letters of appreciation, or even through hugs and tears.

"Just seeing people get help is so rewarding, even if it's a smaller claim," Davis said. "For example, you get a guy who gets 10% for his hearing loss, he's getting $171 a month, but he's happy and thankful and comes and thanks you because now he gets hearing aids. And before, he couldn't hear because he couldn't get hearing aids - he couldn't afford the $10,000 for a set of hearing aids."

"That's the great part of the job," Horan said. "That's what keeps us going."

For more information about the Escambia County Veterans Services Office, visit MyEscambia.com/veterans. To schedule an appointment, please call 850-595-2409 or email [email protected]. The Veterans Services Office is located at the Escambia County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis, right, helps Escambia County resident and Navy Veteran Michael O'Neal with a VA claim.

Escambia County resident and Navy Veteran Michael O'Neal meets with Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis for assistance with a VA claim.

Escambia County Veterans Services Officers Lisa Horan and Stevan Davis work on a VA claim.

Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis works in his office at the Escambia County Central Office Complex, located at 3363 West Park Place in Pensacola.

Military challenge coins are displayed in Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Lisa Horan's office, along with photos from her service in the United States Marine Corps.

Escambia County resident and Navy Veteran Michael O'Neal meets with Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis for assistance with a VA claim.

Escambia County Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis helps Escambia County resident and Navy Veteran Michael O'Neal with a VA claim.

Escambia County Veterans Services staff, left to right: Veterans Services Officer Lisa Horan, Veterans Services Officer Stevan Davis, and Administrative Assistant Tyler Smith

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