apprentice

senior secretary

veteran service officer

specialist

service technician

Disabled American Veterans

The mission of the DAV is quite amazing, as are many of the people that you meet on a daily basis, assisting veterans. But getting into the position, this is a very dark environment to work in. I personally experienced bullying, and when I went to management, seeking, help, i was isolated from my coworkers. I showed up every day on time, i was professional, amiable, and diligent in my training, and all other tasks requested of me. No matter how hard I tried to be a part of the team, I was ostracized even more. In my brief tenure there, one veteran quit, three others were out due to the toxicity in that office. The last straw for me was when I was written up with a final warning for something that didn't even take place. One of the right ups occurred on a day that I was not even present as I was home sick. That is when I realized that they were trying to push me out, so I gave my notice immediately and left. As much as I so wanted to be a part of this mission, the toxicity in that office is not sustainable. Even in my exit interview with one of my supervisors, he, along with another manager, I admitted to how toxic the environment was.But that they were committed to fixing it. That would be great if it were true. But the fact of the matter is, is they were part of it. As I said, it is a great mission if you want to help veterans like my father. But go in knowing that it is not a good working environment at all.

-A typical day at work started from 7:30am-till the job was done. The day was full of interviewing veterans to seek out potential in filing a disability claim or appeal to the Department of Veterans Affairs. As advocates and attorneys-in-fact I am a subject matter expert in VA law (Title 38 Code of Federal Regulations.) I provided my knowledge in venues such as my office or in the court room.  Lastly writing legal briefs for my veteran clients took up a good portion of time, however I enjoyed it very much.
-I learned to believe in veterans and ensure no stones were left unturned. I learned to practice VA law which is something I never thought i'd be doing. I learned anatomy and physiology of the body to ensure I knew all of the potential disabilities that can incur while serving your country.
-Work place culture was very professional, disciplined, and very proud of the services provided.
-Hardest part of the job was literally talking veterans off the ledge when their emotions are high because of a poor VA decision on a disability claim or appeal.
-Most enjoyable part of the job was the satisfaction, pride, and integrity of helping the warriors that signed a contract to serve our country.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working at Disabled American Veterans was working with veterans and their family members to file claims for VA benefits and resources. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of working at the company was the feedback from veterans and beneficiaries who did not get the benefit(s) or resources they hoped for because of a lack of evidence. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment and culture are very similar to that of the military. You have togetherness (teamwork), a chain of command, and old fashion respect. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day for me at the company was not typical because I worked before, during, and after the "lockdown" of COVID-19. Due to the changes brought on by the pandemic I had to make many adjustments to my daily duties of reviewing the military medical records, private medical records, and assessments of new clients' applications for service and claims, and preparing and attending hearings for appealed claims.

There is a rotation for emails, phone calls, and helping clients face-to-face. You must be a veteran to work here as a service officer. The management does not really train you, however you can figure out most job duties on your own. If you have a disability, they won't help you with accommodations. They are a 501(c)4 company so most federal/state laws for disabilities do not apply to them. The hardest part of the job is just maintaining composure when clients are unhappy with claim results. I enjoyed helping veterans and getting them the compensation they deserved. If you can deal with the same drama as the military, it might be a good fit for you. If not, I would work for any other veteran service organization. There is no overtime and you have to ask your clients to spend their own money to become a member of DAV to meat your own "goals" to ensure you still have a job. Overall, not the best place to work if you want a healthy office environment. 

Work schedule is M-F 8-4, vacation/sick time was 8 hours per month, there were 13 paid holidays, 30 minute paid daily lunch breaks, paid once a month for little more than minimum wage,  it is a non-profit organization, does not have offer any benefits (health, dental, vision insurance, 401k etc.) is not funded by the government, can be extremely slow one day and very quick and stressful the next, The last Manager I worked with was the 4th in the 5 years that I worked there, they were very nice but very slow when it came to processing claims or doing their part of the required paperwork. (no typing skills what-so-ever) which was the hardest part of my job because I couldn't do my part until they finished theirs. The most enjoyable part of the job for me was the latest manager was one of the friendliest and easier to get along with. (didn't treat you as a person of lower stature because you were the secretary or "help".

I went to work everyday for 7 a.m. and first thing on the list (besides upgrading and cleaning up the office) was to check messages. Veterans needed transportation and we were to provide as much to everyone as we could. Organizing the office, making a filing system and a new system in the computer to keep track of volunteers, mileage per volunteer per vehicle, keeping records of the volunteers and certificates and updates on driver's license and much more. I only had to work with my volunteers and the veterans who needed the help. It was easy after everything was said and done. The sad part of the job was when I was left go because they found someone whom they didn't have to pay to do the work I was doing in the end. The best part was having people who enjoyed having me there, appreciated all the hard work I did to get the office a comfortable style where anyone could come in, sit down, and know that my attention was on them.

Thought this would be my dream job, but soon learned that what they want is employees who are yes men. These seem to be the individuals that advance, as opposed to hard work, intelligence, and strong leadership qualities, which are not important to National Staff. Direct office supervisor not qualified and used employees as stepping stones. No support from National staff or conflict resolutions. They always side with the hand selected "yes person" they have placed in these "leadership" roles, without even getting the flip side of any issue. Great benefits, but not worth the frustrations of dealing with poor management, no solutions to real issues, and really could care less about their employees, see them as expendable. I have never been more disrespected by any other employer in my life than I was by the DAV. Very disappointing experience in something I was very passionate about, and did very well.

What is the best part of working at the company?
To serve and support veterans with an emphasis on assisting/advising clients with regard to filing claims for service connected disabilities.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Supervisors/management refused to utilize appointment system for clients.  Walk-in/first come first served was an archaic and chaotic system.  Impossible to optimally predict and manage work load on a day to day basis.  Very poor communication between supervisor and staff.  No structured in house training.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very poor leadership and supervisory behaviors.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Needlessly chaotic due to inability to manage/plan client work load.  Needless and excessive idle waiting time by clients due to no appointment system in place.  Disregard for client's time.  Inadequate handicap access to offices.

Typical day at work included me driving around picking up peoples donations, loading and unloading the truck, and keeping log.
I learned how to drive a box truck. The responsibilities of maintaining my truck and the duties I have to perform.  Management at the stores were a big jumble. No communication whatsoever. I got a bunch of different orders in one day that contradicted the others. Everyone in management wanted to be the big chief. The Job wasn't that hard just the communication was lacking and I'd say that was the hardest part of my job. Also my co-workers were all good people and I enjoyed working with them. No complaints there. Most enjoyable part of my job was riding alone in my truck.

The state department is much better to work at than the national level. Less work is expected of you and better matches the given compensation. You must be a veteran to be a service officer. They expect you to pay for a membership on or before hiring. It's earlier hours during the day - 7am to 3:30pm with a 30 minute unpaid lunch. Everything you do is submitted to the national office for review, so there is less pressure. This is a good entry-level job for veterans benefits. It is also good training if you want to work for the VBA afterwards. The management is not trained well or very helpful, so if you are not good at teaching yourself, I would not recommend this job. Laws are constantly changing, so there is a need to keep up with that as well. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Apprentice 84 salaries reported	$25.78 per hour
Senior secretary 21 salaries reported	$20.78 per hour
Veteran service officer 4 salaries reported	$41,500 per year
Specialist 4 salaries reported	$21.61 per hour
Service technician 3 salaries reported	$21.61 per hour

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