COORDINATION WITH COUNTY SERVICE OFFICERS AND COMMISSIONERS COURTS

The commission shall develop and adopt procedures to coordinate with county service officers and county commissioners courts to: (1) identify the shared objectives of the commission, county service officers, and counties with a county service office in serving veterans; (2) develop a plan for encouraging service officers to become accredited by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; (3) develop a procedure for consulting with counties to evaluate the state's overall approach to service delivery by county service officers and commission claims staff as part of the state's veterans assistance network; (4) define the commission's responsibilities in overseeing claims and appeals prepared by county service officers for instances when the commission has been designated as a veteran's agent under a power of attorney; (5) develop a process for collecting information regarding claims filed by county service officers for instances when the commission has been designated as a veteran's agent under a power of attorney, for providing technical assistance to county service officers, and for providing evaluative information, on request, to county judges or other local officials who supervise county service officers; (6) incorporate county service officers into United States Department of Veterans Affairs appeals hearings either to represent veterans or to appear as witnesses, as needed; (7) explore opportunities for funding county service officer travel to participate in United States Department of Veterans Affairs appeals hearings; and (8) develop procedures to regularly update county service officers on changes in United States Department of Veterans Affairs policies and procedures, and other information.