Cal State Long Beach was chosen by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to join the VetSuccess on Campus program, making it one of 94 colleges across the country to take part in its services.
In becoming a part of the VetSuccess on Campus program (VSOC), CSULB will now have a federal Veterans Affairs counselor to provide VA outreach, support and assistance for veterans who have questions about their federal benefits, according to the VA website.
CSULB is one of 62 universities across the country where the program was added this fall.
With more than 400 veterans on campus, the VSOC program will allow veterans to walk into the counselor’s office with any questions or needs pertaining to VA federal benefits, rather than waiting on the phone to speak with a representative, according to Marshall Thomas, director of CSULB’s veterans affairs.
“Some veterans interact with the [U.S.] Department of Veterans Affairs for healthcare services, GI bill, or home loans and things of that nature as well,” Thomas said. “It can be a long process sometimes waiting in lines, waiting on the phone, or things like that. The ability to have a Veterans Affairs counselor work on campus is a really positive thing.”
Thomas said he believes the program will help veterans on campus.
“Interpersonal relationships are the most important thing we have,” he said. “If you sit across the table from somebody, you are going to communicate much better.”
Thomas said the VA contacted him about bringing the VSOC program to CSULB. After calling San Diego State University, one of the first campuses to have the program, and receiving a positive response from SDSU, Thomas went ahead with bringing the program to CSULB.
He said he believes that CSULB was selected to offer the VSOC program because of the university’s outreach to veterans and its close proximity to the Long Beach Veterans Medical Center.
In bringing the program to CSULB, Thomas also suggested expanding the program to include Long Beach City College. He said it would be a great idea for the new VA counselor, Lois Daz, to connect with LBCC as well as CSULB.
“With LBCC having more veterans, I believed it would be a great thing to expand to the campus since it’s right down the road and a lot of veteran students here transferred from LBCC,” Thomas said.
As a result, Daz is now the VA counselor for LBCC and CSULB. She spends three days a week at LBCC and two days at CSULB, according to Thomas, because the community college has more veterans. He added that her schedule has not been officially set yet.
Thomas said Daz’s services will differ from those provided by Veterans Services.
“We’ll still provide our educational services,” he said. “The counselor will focus on the federal benefits part. It’s really having the connection to the federal benefits based on campus.”
Another part of Daz’s job is to raise awareness about the VSOC program among through outreach, including direct emails, posters and social media posts.
“No new funding comes with this,” Thomas said. “Daz works for the department of veteran’s affairs. She just works in our office. It’s a great deal for our university. I think it’s good to build a bridge between a federal and state entity.”
Daz’s office is located in the Foundation Building Room 220.
