Located in the nation’s capital, VFW’s National Veterans Service (NVS) has served veterans, military members and their families for over a century. NVS was built on the principle of helping these groups acquire their earned VA benefits.
Last year, VFW’s National Veterans Service helped more than 608,000 veterans receive more than $16.2 billion of VA disability benefits, including back pay. VFW’s network of VA-accredited service officers has been helping veterans receive their earned pay.
VFW’s NVS Director Michael Figlioli said that VFW is committed to a lifetime of advocacy for all veterans.
“Our representatives are representing a client from the moment they file a disability claim, through a review of the VA’s decision,” Figlioli said. “VFW also files any appeals necessary for the veteran or family member to receive the maximum benefit allowed.”
Figlioli said VFW Accredited Service Officers’ work on disability claims does not end with VA disability claims. Service officers must be knowledgeable on topics such as the GI Bill, VA health care, home loans, and other VA benefits and services.
Serving Troops Before They Even Leave the Service
VFW is especially proud to provide service on 23 military installations to aid active-duty troops preparing to discharge. VFW’s Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) representatives have been available for more than 20 years, providing free service. In addition to its legislative support of the TAP Promotion Act (H.R. 1845), VFW continues to champion formally integrating its BDD service into the military’s Transition Assistance Program, or TAP.
“It does not matter if you are a member of the VFW or not — we are here to help,” Figlioli said. “VFW will never charge a fee for assisting a veteran, their spouse or family member in filing a claim.”
Among the many VFW National pre-discharge claims representatives in the country, Donna Yawn works out of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) site at Camp Pendleton in California, the largest Marine Corps base on the West Coast.
Though Yawn assists veterans indirectly, the impact of her attention to detail ripples across the base. She is responsible for reviewing veterans’ ratings, exam results, and dependency claims for accuracy. If a discrepancy is found, Yawn contacts the Regional Office (RO) to correct the previous rating decision, which usually adds an additional benefit to the veteran’s current award.
“My favorite part of doing this job is reviewing a claim for accuracy, finding an error,” Yawn said. “Contacting the RO to review my findings based on reviewing the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), then getting that previous decision overturned, which results in a greater grant of benefits awarded to the veteran.”
An On-Site Claims Clinic at National Convention
At the 2025 VFW National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, the VFW and VA partnered to host an on-site claims clinic. The clinic assisted more than 190 veterans and submitted 146 claims. Six of those claims resulted in over $54,000 in retroactive benefits awarded. Veterans also were able to submit evidence and have their questions answered by service officers.
According to VFW Assistant Director for Training Keith Garrison, service-related disabilities were the most common claims that service officers assisted with. Veterans also had access to on-site exams for general medicine, mental health, issues relating to hearing, and an X-ray for musculoskeletal conditions.
“VFW has provided this vital service at our national convention for the last several years. It is a great collaboration between us and the VA,” Figlioli said. “In reality, VA brings a ‘mini–Regional Office’ to our site, conducts onsite exams, interviews, and if all is in order, will issue a rating decision, which did occur this year for a couple of veterans. Every iteration is different based on footprint, availability of resources, and staffing. I would consider this year to be another success. It is always good to have the VA Secretary stop by as well and have him interact with his staff and see firsthand the good works of the VFW and the VA.”
How Service Officers Help
- Providing a lifetime of advocacy, from the time a veteran files an initial claim to helping survivors understand their benefits.
- Explaining benefits and helping veterans navigate the often bureaucratic maze of procedures and paperwork.
- Guiding and supporting veterans through months or even years of claims processing.
- Helping veterans prepare necessary documents and evidence, and monitoring cases for recent developments.
- Assisting veterans who can’t personally get to VA regional offices.
Photo credits: Bob Knudsen; Brittany Dymond