Veteran Stakeholders –
On Monday, March 8, 2021, the Muskogee VA Regional Benefits Office resumed public-facing services, including in-person interviews at our Muskogee location. The office also began scheduling in-person Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) counseling services and Board of Veteran Appeals (BVA) hearings. Our Oklahoma City office is on track to open to the public the week of March 15th.
Despite our office being unable to provide in-person services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our office has continued to make benefit entitlement decisions and serve Veterans through remote services, including:
- 4,958 virtual interviews
- 9 virtual outreach events
- 229,447 electronic inquiries completed
- 3,488 VR&E tele-counseling appointments
As we resume in-person services, our office will operate with an enhanced safety posture, with all employees and visitors to the Muskogee office having their temperature taken by an automated, no touch, sensor. Any individual with a temperature of 100.4, or higher, will not be permitted to enter, nor will any individual exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19. The automated, no-touch sensor can also alert security if a facial covering is not being utilized. As a federal government facility, the use of a face covering is required when entering our facilities. The face covering must cover your nose and mouth and be worn at all times when in close proximity to others.
For visitors meeting face-to-face with VA, protective screening has been installed in all public access areas and seating in the waiting room has been reduced to enforce social distancing among visitors and employees. Should the number of visitors exceed the reduced waiting room capacity, visitors will be asked to wait in the overflow waiting areas, or remain in their vehicle, and we will notify them by phone, when they may re-enter the building to meet with a VA team member.
We are proud to have been able to serve our Veteran community with benefit entitlement decisions, remote and virtual customer service, and tele-counseling/outreach during these historic times, and we appreciate the support that we have received as we worked to balance access and safety for all. If there are opportunities for us to better serve our Veterans, their dependents, or the greater stakeholder community, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you. Muskogee Proud.
