SWAMPSCOTT — Jeffrey Blonder, who serves as commander of the E.F. Gilmore Disabled American Veterans chapter of Swampscott/Lynn, has been appointed to be one of the organization’s chapter service officers.
“Every year I have to go to training to be certified. I am the front line for veterans who want to apply for disability,” said Blonder.
Blonder explained that his responsibilities included meeting with the veterans, assisting them with filling out forms, and then forwarding the information to a national service officer of the DAV, and “they then forward it to the Veterans Administration for determination,” he said.
Blonder retired from the Navy Reserves in 2014, and he also served for a year in Afghanistan. He said that he decided to engage in service with veterans because he had family to support him, and other veterans might not have the same luxury.
“Other veterans might be not as fortunate as I am to get the services they need, that they deserve. A lot of veterans don’t know what they are entitled to, while others are embarrassed to apply for it, so I am the person who tries to help them,” said Blonder.
Blonder said that helping the veteran community was also part of his job as commander of the E.F. Gilmore DAV chapter of Swampscott/Lynn. Another chapter service officer is now in training, and the chapter will finally have two officers.
Blonder said that before he started work in the chapter, it wasn’t as active as now. He and his friends tried to revive it, and it has now become one of the most active chapters in the state.
A chapter service officer provides one of the most important links to the veteran community. They are responsible for providing information about benefits and gathering information to assist in obtaining benefits and services available to veterans, their dependents, and their survivors.
The responsibility of CSOs is to advise, instruct, and counsel claimants and to aid in the preparation of claims for various benefits to which claimants may be entitled. When an inquiry is taken or after an appropriate form is properly completed, it is then forwarded to a DAV national service officer for processing by the VA.
Blonder said that he hoped that more veterans would learn about their services. Any veterans, their dependents, or survivors who would like more information on initiating a VA claim or appeal to a previously denied claim is urged to contact Jeffrey Blonder by email at [email protected] or by phone at 617-967-6892.
“If we can help even one veteran, it’s great,” said Blonder.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
