Artillery Officer

Sunday, 02 May 2010 00:08

Aquino’s rumored pick for AFP chief is qualified, ready
The military officer who is said to be the choice of President-elect Benigno Aquino III as the next military chief of staff said “dedicated soldiery and love for country” mattered the most in the selection of the next leader of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

A very common question asked of me by U.S. Veterans who are seeking disability compensation for injuries and disabilities incurred in military service is this: what is the "de novo" review the VA offers me when I file my Notice of Disagreement, and should I use it?

In all honesty, I cannot think of a scenario where a U.S. Veteran challenging the VA Regional Office's denial of disability benefits would not request the DRO review.

To understand why I say this, it is helpful to understand the process of challenging the VARO (VA Regional Office) denial of a claim for disability compensation to a US Veteran.

After the veteran's claim is denied by the VA Regional Office (whether denied partially or entirely, the U.S. Veteran must challenge the decision if he or she wants to continue to pursue the benefit.

To begin the process of challenging the VARO Ratings Decision, the first step is for the Veteran to send the VA Regional Office a written notice of disagreement (also known as a "NOD"). Once the U.S. Veteran files the "NOD" with the VA Regional Office, that office will typically send the Veteran a form that has some language about making an " appeal election. The VA Regional Office will ask that the Veteran choose between the traditional appeal process or a review by what is called a "Decision Review Officer (which I call the DRO). The VA will give the Veteran 60 days to file the appeal election for with the VARO.

Now, that is the process to get the ball rolling on challenging the VA Ratings Decision. What is the DRO process, how is it different from the BVA, or traditional, appeal, and why do I say it should always be utilized by the Veteran?

First, DROs are senior claims examiners who have the authority to grant the Veteran's requested benefits, based on the same evidence that was used in the initial ratings decision. The DRO will review the evidence "de novo" (This means, in a nutshell, with fresh eyes and without deference to the initial VA Ratings Decision.)

Second, the DRO is a senior and much more experienced claims representatives with the VA who has probably seen more claims, knows the law better, and whose job is not only to make sure that the Veteran is getting a "non-adversarial" decision, but also to protect the VA from the cost and time of poor decisions from Junior Claims examiners.

Third, the DRO will review the case without deference to the VA Rating Decision. In some situations, the Veteran can ask to meet with or talk to the DRO.

Fourth, the DRO process has a good chance of being successful and if it is successful, it will be a lot faster than appealing to the BVA, where the wait for a hearing can be 500-600 days, or more. I was told at a recent Veterans' CLE, without any hard evidence to back up the statistic, that 2% of the initial claim denials are reversed by the VA's DRO process. In the land of the VA, 2% is an incredibly high success ratio (believe it or not).

Fifth, even if the DRO agrees with the Initial Ratings Decision, (or makes a decision that is favorable, but not completely correct) you can still appeal to the BVA. So, the Veteran doesn't lose the ability to challenge the VA Ratings Decision, has a 2% chance of having the VARO's decision reversed, often doesn't have to submit any new documentation, and can at times communicate directly with the DRO. What's not to like about the DRO process?

Let me give you a good example of success using the DRO process. In a recent appeal I handled for a Vietnam Vet with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the VA initially denied the Veteran's claim. The VA's position was that there was no evidence that the Veteran had been diagnosed with PTSD. This conclusion was absurd: the VA had actually diagnosed the Vet with PTSD, the diagnosis was in his Claims File AND the VA Doctors had already concluded that this Veteran's PTSD was a direct result of his military service.

On behalf of the Veteran, we sought review by a DRO. Within a couple of months, the Veteran was evaluated by a local VA Medical Center, and was given an impairment rating for his PTSD. About 30 days later, the Veteran received payment of past-due money from the VA, and will continue to receive benefits for his now service-connected PTSD.

Without a DRO, this Veteran would have had to wait at least one or two YEARS to argue to a BVA HearingS Officer that he was entitled to PTSD. Even if the Veteran persuaded the BVA Hearing Official, the claim likely would have just been sent back to the VA Regional Office for an impairment evaluation and further development of the record. This process could have taken years, without netting a single payment to the Veteran.

While the DRO process does not guarantee Veterans that they will win their claim, the DRO process can be a really good chance to get the Veteran the benefits they are entitled to - and usually quicker!

The process works for the VA, because they are able to more efficiently reduce their backlog of claims.

The process works for the BVA Hearings Officer, who only has to resolve the remaining disputes (such as the effective date of an award, or the proper impairment percentage, etc.)

In short, I can't think of a reason not to request a DRO review of the VARO's Initial Rating Decision.

If you are a U.S. Veteran and have questions about your service-connected disability benefits or claims, contact an experienced Veterans Disability Benefits attorney.

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Artillery Officer

Thursday, 25 February 2010 23:45

An EOD Team Clears IEDs in an Afghanistan Combat Zone
TIME's Abigail Hauslohner dodges bullets with a U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal team in one of Afghanistan's hottest combat zones

When you think of police officers (also known as cops), you probably think of an action-filled job that involves protecting people or rescuing them from dangerous situations. While officers certainly do these things, police work isn't always that glamorous.

Police work also involves some rather dull and mundane things like paperwork, directing traffic, responding to bogus domestic disputes, and other not-so-dangerous things. This is why working as an officer requires a range of skills, and police officers must be ready to switch to emergency mode at any moment.

What Are Some Things Cops Do in a Typical Work Day?

They do a variety of things, but some common job duties are:

1. Arrest people with outstanding warrants

2. Interview witnesses and suspects

3. Testify in court

4. Do paperwork

5. Patrol high crime areas

6. Give traffic tickets

7. Direct traffic

Working as a law enforcement officer can be a very high stress job, because officers never know when they may be put in dangerous situations. You can be sitting at a desk doing paperwork one moment, and then called to the scene of a dangerous crime the next.

Most officers also work at least 40 hours per week, and shift can include nights and weekends. Police work is a round-the-clock endeavor, and there must be officers on duty at all times.

How Do I Prepare to Become a Cop?

Most of the time officers must be U.S. citizens, though sometimes lawful permanent residents may also become law enforcement officers. You must be in good physical shape and display evidence of good moral character. At a minimum, you will need to have a high school diploma and pass the required written and physical tests.

Some work experience in a related area like store security personnel, nightclub bouncer, or bodyguard, will make it easier to get hired as a cop. Many local and state police departments don't require a college degree, but may require some college credits. Federal police agencies usually require a degree in criminal justice or law enforcement.

Upon hire, police agencies almost universally put newly hired officers through a training academy or course to learn the basics of department procedures. Things like safe handling of weapons and those in custody, and a variety of other procedural and safety issues will be covered.

What's the Job Outlook for Police Officers?

The job outlook for police officers is decent, though growth will not be spectacular. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of new job openings for officers is likely to increase about the same as the average for all other jobs through 2016. Crime is an unfortunate fact of life, and officers will continue to play a vital role in protecting public safety.

While police officers are in demand, there is moderate competition for jobs because many people look for the sense of challenge and reward that a career as a law enforcement officer can provide. Local police departments will offer the best growth opportunities, and candidates with experience in the military or related fields plus some college coursework in police science will have better chances of getting hired.

Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the Resource Box should be included and the links are clickable.

Copywriter Kenneth Echie. Kenneth is a writer for Criminal Justice Degrees. Get free scholarship report and learn to become a Police Officer by visiting.

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Artillery Officer

Saturday, 13 December 2008 20:40

Cadets parade through Norwich
Cadets across the county marched through Norwich to celebrate 150 years of the cadet forces.

Though the school resource officers do not enjoy a good reputation among communities, parents, teachers, and students, they play a crucial role in keeping the educational environment in schools safe and secure. Their work profile is to take disciplinary and preventive actions to avoid gang activity, terrorism, and violence in these academic institutions. The following is a brief description on the basic duties and responsibilities of these officers, how they are selected, trained, evaluated, and funded.

Education And Skills

The officers must have the ability and willingness to build rapport with young students. They must also have basic supervision and security skills to respond quickly in an efficient manner when an emergency occurs. Other requirements include knowledge about preventing and dousing fire in case of a breakout, knowledge about investigation and analysis strategies of pieces of evidence, and knowledge of the laws applicable to school resource. It is important to note that the laws often significantly vary for elementary the resources and college resources. Some states have made certain technical qualifications mandatory, while others may take just anybody who meets the basic criteria and then train them for the job. The person must be free from mental disorders because such disorders will lead to biased and immoral conduct on the job. He or she must also be a US citizen, of at least 18 years, a high school graduate, and with a clean track record. The applicant should not have any legal convictions regarding controlled substances, liquor, gambling, dishonesty, theft, violence, and arson.

Training

These officers get special training in crisis prevention and preparedness. They know how to deal efficiently with terrorist and gang activities in schools. The training program is prepared on the basis of past records of the school, existing problems, solutions, and the possible reactions from students, teachers, and communities.

Basic Duties

The basic duties of a school resource officer include creating awareness for law-enforcement education related to school's safety, monitoring those who visit schools, providing assistance for disruptive students, enforcing rules, and supervising the campus of the institution. They often dress in civilian dress and work without full police powers.

SRO Program

To select, fund, train, and evaluate school resource officers, an agreement takes place between the local law enforcement and the school district. This formal agreement is referred to as SRO program. The exact job profile of these officers depends on the terms and conditions mentioned in this agreement. The job descriptions may vary significantly by state. The job profile of one officer might be completely unique compared to other officers in other states.

Remuneration

The remuneration of the officers of a school resource center is determined on the basis of the provisions mentioned in the SRO program applicable in that state. The amount of money they receive as salary varies significantly depending on which type of school they are working in, whether it is for primary school resources.

Overall, school resource officers play a very important role in monitoring and maintaining safe educational environment in schools.

Schoolresourcesite.com is a one-stop platform for complete information on the various aspects associated with school resource. If you are looking for information on college resources or elementary school resources, this site is your perfect school resource center.