Tennessee § 58-3-111 - Director of local service office.

§ 58-3-111. Director of local service office.

A veterans' service officer shall be chosen by the governing body or bodies of the political subdivision or subdivisions creating the veterans' service office by which the officer is to be employed. If a veterans' service office is created by contract between two (2) or more political subdivisions, the veterans' service officer shall be approved by the governing body of each subdivision participating in the establishment of the office. If the political subdivisions are unable to agree upon a veterans' service officer, then the officer shall be chosen by the commissioner of veterans services from among the candidates proposed by the political subdivisions. All veterans' service officers shall be honorably discharged veterans of the United States armed forces. Veterans' service officers shall have the authority to administer oaths and to take acknowledgments related to any matter falling within the scope of authority of their office, including the presentation of claims and other functions incident to obtaining benefits for discharged veterans. No veteran or dependent of a veteran shall be charged any fee for services rendered by a veterans' service officer. All veterans' service officers shall successfully complete training and be issued accreditation by the department of veterans services within one (1) year from the date of appointment. Any veterans' service officer who does not complete the required training and receive accreditation within one (1) year of appointment shall be removed from office by the governing body or bodies of the political subdivisions creating the veterans' service office by which the officer is employed. Acts 1945, ch. 38, § 3; C. Supp. 1950, § 1012.17 (Williams, § 1012.20); impl. am. Acts 1959, ch. 9, § 6; impl. am. Acts 1975, ch. 249, §§ 2, 3; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 7-1013; Acts 1991, ch. 21, § 1; 2004, ch. 664, § 5; 2015, ch. 24, § 7. Compiler's Notes. Acts 2015, ch. 24, § 7 provided that the Tennessee Code Commission is requested to change references in Tennessee Code Annotated, as volumes are replaced and supplements are issued, from “veterans’ affairs” and “veterans affairs” to “veterans services” wherever the language appears in reference to the name or commissioner of the Tennessee department of veterans services. Attorney General Opinions. To qualify as an “honorably discharged veteran of some war in which the United States has participated,” within the meaning of T.C.A. § 58-3-111(c) , an individual must have served on active duty in the military, naval, or air service during a period of war as defined under federal law, and the wars that qualify include the Spanish American War, the Mexican border period, World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict (now Korean War), the Vietnam era, and the Persian Gulf War, OAG 02-083 (7/29/02).