Pontiac, MI - Oakland County Veterans' Services and Oakland County Michigan Works! are providing veterans with convenient access to a broad range of services. Oakland County Michigan Works! (OCMW) centers in Novi, Southfield (Tuesday), and Oak Park (Thursday) will host veterans benefits counselors one day a week.
Veterans who visit the OCMW offices in Pontiac, Troy, and Waterford will receive a referral to a liaison in the Veterans' Services offices in Pontiac or Troy.
"Our goal is to bring veterans services into the community, closer to where they live," said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. "By placing our veterans benefits counselors in Oakland County Michigan Works! offices, residents who served their country will not only be able to get help accessing their benefits, but assistance for their careers as well."
OCMW Novi will host veterans' benefit counselors on Tuesdays, OCMW Southfield also on Tuesdays, and OCMW Oak Park on Thursdays.
Veterans' benefits counselors help clients navigate the process of completing and submitting applications for federal, state, and county veterans benefits. Benefits available to eligible veterans include:
- Military service-connected disability compensation
- Non-service connected disability pension
- Veteran Administration healthcare
- Transportation services
- Employment and education resources
- Financial support, including home loans, life insurance and other relief and compensation
- Burial benefits
"Our team is available to assist Oakland County veterans of all ages," Veterans' Services Division Manager Garth Wootten said. "We welcome these men and women to call or visit one of our offices or the Oakland County Michigan Works! centers, where we partner with veterans through the claims process and advocate on their behalf to ensure they receive the benefits they've earned."
Jennifer Llewellyn, director of Oakland County Michigan Works!, said veterans who visit the service centers also have access to a number of employment services, including:
- Matching a veteran's military experience and accomplishments with civilian occupations
- Helping them secure military-related credentials, certifications and licenses
- Preparing a veteran for conducting a successful job search
- Connecting veterans with disabled/injured veteran resources
- Finding resources available to veterans and their families to aid in the transition to civilian life
"For veterans, civilian life often includes building a post-military career, no matter one's age, education or background," Llewellyn said. "Our staff at the six Oakland County Michigan Works! service centers are available to provide them, their spouses, and family caregivers with comprehensive career planning, training programs, job search resources and more on a priority basis."
Oakland County Michigan Works! operates service centers in Novi, Oak Park, Pontiac, Southfield, Troy and Waterford. Combined, they assist more than 105,000 job seekers annually. Services include career coaching, interviewing and job search workshops, placement assistance, training courses and job trend information.
The service centers also assist more than 3,000 employers seeking assistance with talent recruitment, apprenticeship programs, job fairs, candidate pre-screening, hiring and training support, layoff support and labor market data.
Service center staff remain available by appointment to work one-on-one with job seekers to build their resumes, prepare for job interviews and help address other needs. To schedule a meeting, call 248-858-5520 and select the office nearest to you. The service centers are hosting several virtual workshops for job seekers. A schedule can be found at www.OaklandCountyMIWorks.com.