New service at SWIC to counsel veterans on benefits

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[If you are a veteran with questions about your benefits, a Veterans Services officer now is available at Southwestern Illinois College to help answer your questions and counsel you on a variety of subjects ranging from health care to military records.

"We are proud to be able to offer this service to our veterans," said Michelle Birk, interim dean of Enrollment Services. "Now we can help our veterans take full advantage of the benefits they have earned."

The Veterans Services officer is provided by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The service is available to veterans of all branches of the U.S. military.

The Veterans Services officer will be available at the following times, dates and locations: Belleville Campus, 2500 Carlyle Ave.: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the first Tuesday and second Friday of every month in the Information Sciences Building, Room 1050; and Sam Wolf Granite City Campus, 4950 Maryville Road: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 16 and June 26, and the third Tuesday and fourth Friday of every month in Room T-365. No appointment is necessary.

The officer is available to guide and counsel veterans regarding the following issues:

VA Health Care

VA Facilities

Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities

VA Pensions

Home Loan Guaranty

VA Life Insurance

Burial and Memorial Benefits

Reserves and National Guard Benefits

Transition Assistance

Benefits for Dependents of Survivors

Appeals of VA Claims Decisions

Military Medals and Records

For more information, call Southwestern Illinois College at 618-235-2700, ext. 5226 or toll free at 866-942-SWIC (7942), ext. 5226.