Veterans of Foreign Wars, Placer County bring resources to vets - starting with Auburn

The Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall was visited Aug. 27 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Mobile Service Office and Placer County Veterans Services Office. "(The Mobile Service Office) allows us to take services to Placer County veterans in remote locations where they don't readily have someplace they can go to find out about their VA (Veterans Affairs) benefits or file a VA claim, so it's a way for us to get out and assist veterans in their area versus them having to travel," VFW State Adjutant/Quartermaster Rodger Meier said. The Mobile Service Office offers veterans the same resources as VFW halls, the VA office and the county veterans services office, including the veterans resource book distributed by CalVet, information on available resources and paperwork for veterans to apply for benefits or file claims. According to Meier, the mobile office features three laptops and remote Wi-Fi for veterans who may not have internet or computer access at home, and an office area where veterans can discuss resources with a service officer. Meier said the organization hopes to add a telemed system to the mobile office. "What this is going to do is provide those same services but we can go anywhere in Placer County that doesn't have those types of services," VFW Foundation Executive Director and Past State Commander John Lowe said. Meier and Lowe said CT Coachworks, LLC made the VFW's vision a reality and added a special touch by stitching the VFW logo into the seats. The outside of the mobile office features depictions of various wars, including World War I and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Within the depictions is a helicopter in tribute to the war comedy-drama M*A*S*H. According to Lowe, the mobile office, obtained in April, is funded by a trust given to the organization by former Placer County resident Sarah A. Bonnifield, with the stipulation to assist county veterans. "This is just one-half of what we're doing with the funds we received from her trust," he said. Lowe said the VFW will utilize some of the Bonnifield trust to implement a program for homeless veterans. The VFW and county plan to attend more locations and events with the mobile office. Placer County Veterans Services Officer Derrick Oliveira said as his office serves from Roseville to Tahoe, the mobile office assists with promoting the Veterans Services Office and VFW, as well as meeting veterans where they are. "We do plan on collaborating in the future to go to more remote areas in the county, so we thought Auburn was a good place to start," Oliveira said. "... We want to go where the veterans are at so that they don't have to travel to Auburn or Rocklin." More information on the VFW's Mobile Service Office can be obtained by contacting info@vfwca.org.