Post service officers assisted 181,129 veterans in 2013

Post service officers assisted 181,129 veterans in 2013

American Legion post service officers handled substantially more cases for veterans in 2013 than they did in 2012, according to the recently compiled Consolidated Post Report (CPR). About 66 percent of Legion posts submitted reports for the year ending 2013, also a greater volume than in 2012.

Post service officers – who refer veterans and their families to accredited American Legion service officers if they are not accredited themselves – reported handling 181,129 cases in 2013. In addition to referrals, those cases assisted with VA claims, education benefits, health care benefits and employment opportunities.

The number of CPRs increased in 2013 when 9,002 Legion posts around the world filled out and submitted numbers on everything from how many volunteer hours they put in to how many area newspaper stories featured them. The increase in reporting from 2012 to 2013 was about 6 percent, leaving a third of all posts unreported.

In addition to cases handled by service officers, emergency aid and contributions to VA hospitals were up, as was post involvement in career fairs and job placement. Boys State and Oratorical Contest participation also grew in 2013, as did the number of scholarships awarded, special events and patriotic holidays observed, and donations made.

Posts are also doing a better job of getting their name out in their communities. The numbers of publications, websites and Facebook pages all saw increases in 2013.

In addition to traditional paper-based reporting of CPRs, post leaders can submit their forms online through myLegion.org. All posts are strongly encouraged to collect and report their activities through the CPR, online or in print.

See 2013 Consolidated Post Report results here.

 

 


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