加兰县退伍军人服务官马克·阿奥（Mark Aho）帮助退伍军人导航VA官僚机构

列出税务任务，等级，工作专业和服务时间，排放论文是涉及美国曲折官僚机构的领域的硬币

Veterans seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs often rely on their discharge papers to prove their service time, rank, job specialties and duty assignments. But sometimes, those papers aren't enough to fully substantiate a claim, especially for duties veterans got assigned to outside of their regular units.

从美国退伍军人事务部寻求福利的退伍军人通常依靠他们的出院文件来证明其服务时间，职位，工作专业和职责。但是有时候，这些论文还不足以完全证实索赔，尤其是对于退伍军人而被分配到其常规单位之外的职责。

Such was the case for a veteran seeking benefits from asbestos exposure. He had been loaned out to a unit that had been exposed, but it wasn't reflected in his discharge records. It took the thank you letter he received from the unit's commander to prove it.

从石棉接触中寻求利益的老兵就是这种情况。他已经借给了一个暴露的部门，但并没有反映在他的出院记录中。他从该部门的指挥官那里收到的感谢信来证明这一点。

"The letter mentioned the unit and commander," said Garland County Veterans Service Officer Mark Aho, who submitted the letter to a senior VA adjudicator after the claim had been denied multiple times, resulting in an estimated $4,100 monthly benefit for the remainder of the veteran's life. "That's why you always keep every document. One piece of paper can make a difference in a decision. They granted him his 100% special monthly compensation. This is going to greatly change his life and the life of his family."

加兰县退伍军人服务官马克·阿奥（Mark Aho）说：“这封信提到了该单位和指挥官。”他在多次被拒绝后向VA高级裁决人提交了信，估计对退伍军人的其余部分估计有4,100美元的福利生活。 “这就是为什么您始终保留每个文件。一张纸可以在决定中有所作为。他们授予他100％特殊的每月薪酬。这将极大地改变他的生活和家人的生活。”

Aho can help track down a copy of a misplaced DD Form 214, but even that sometimes isn't enough to fully substantiate a service-connected disability claim. Discharge papers don't include duties veterans got assigned to outside of their regular units.

AHO可以帮助追踪DD表格214的放错位置的副本，但有时甚至还不足以完全证实与服务连接的残疾人索赔。排放文件不包括退伍军人的职责，被分配到其常规单位之外。

Another case in point: A widow had discharge papers showing her husband was a veteran of the Vietnam War. His service and campaign medals were part of the record, but the VA said the decorations alone didn't prove he was there during the war. Aho found an order that authorized the woman's husband to travel from Oakland to De Nang, Vietnam, leading to $25,000 in back pay.

另一个例子是：寡妇有放出文件，显示她的丈夫是越南战争的资深人士。他的服务和竞选奖牌是唱片的一部分，但弗吉尼亚州说，仅装饰并没有证明他在战争期间在那里。 Aho找到了一项命令，该命令授权该女子的丈夫从奥克兰到越南的De Nang，带来了25,000美元的返还薪水。

"That was nearly a year on that one," Aho said. "It's always going to be a battle of some sort. Fortunately for me, I'm wired for it."

“那是一年，那是一年，” Aho说。 “这总是一场战斗。对我来说幸运的是，我为此而努力。”

He has submitted documents on behalf of 600 veterans since County Judge Darryl Mahoney hired Aho in the summer of 2023 and referred many more to services outside the VA or forms they need to file a claim.

自县法官达里尔·马奥尼（Darryl Mahoney）于2023年夏季雇用了AHO以来，他代表600名退伍军人提交了文件，并将更多的人转交给了VA之外的服务或他们需要提出索赔的表格。

"Mark has done an unbelievable job at getting our veterans claims caught up and recovered a great deal of funds as well," Mahoney said. "He is doing a fantastic job, and we support his efforts in every way we can."

Mahoney说：“马克在让我们的退伍军人声称赶上并收回了大量资金方面做得令人难以置信。” “他做得很棒，我们以各种方式支持他的努力。”

Claims proceeding from the 2022 passage of the PACT Act kept him busy during his first year on the job. Called the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history, the law added numerous illnesses and diseases eligible for benefits without veterans having to prove they were caused by exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances.

从2022年的《契约法》（PACT ACT）通过的索赔中，他在工作的第一年就忙了。该法律称为VA历史上最大的医疗保健和利益扩张，增加了许多疾病和疾病，有资格获得福利，而退伍军人不得不证明这是由于暴露于燃烧坑，特工橙和其他有毒物质而导致的。

"The military doesn't necessarily tell you anything about the VA process," Aho said. "They don't go into great detail, so a lot of people didn't know these conditions were presumptive illnesses."

Aho说：“军方不一定会告诉您有关VA进程的任何信息。” “他们没有详细介绍，因此很多人不知道这些情况是推定的疾病。”

With claims taking months and even years to move through the VA's multiple administrative layers and levels of review, victories are hard-earned. Aho, who rose from avionics apprentice to flight chief during his 23 years, seven months and 25 days in the U.S. Air Force, said, "This can be a tough job. You have to be a little crazy and little nerdy to do it, but it's a rush knowing I helped change someone's life. That gets me through the tough times and makes it all worth it."

索赔需要数月甚至数年的时间才能通过VA的多个行政层和审查水平，赢得了胜利。 Aho在美国空军的23年，七个月零25天里从航空电子学徒升至飞行负责人，他说：“这可能是一项艰巨的工作。但这是一个急事，知道我帮助了一个人的生活，这使我度过了艰难的时期，这一切都值得。”

The county office on the first floor of the courthouse is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. Appointments are required. Aho can be reached at 501-622-3795 or at [email protected]

法院一楼的县办公室需要在周一至周四上午8点至下午4点开放。可以通过501-622-3795或[电子邮件保护]与AHO联系