ABOUT VAAMS
VAAMS was created to promote professional competency and efficiency through an association of members and others associated with and involved in veterans’ education assistance programs.
We also promote and provide individual and cooperative studies, research, evaluation workshop, seminars, conferences and other related activities as may be desired or required to fulfill the purposes of VAAMS.
And lastly VAAMS facilitates communication between educational institutions and sponsors of veterans programs through an exchange of ideas, information and experience.
"To promote and provide for our Veterans."
“Serving those who have served so many.” VAAMS has a three-fold purpose:
A. To promote professional competency and efficiency through an association of members and others associated with and involved in veterans’ education assistance programs.
B. To promote and provide individual and cooperative studies, research, evaluation workshop, seminars, conferences and other related activities as may be desired or required to fulfill the purposes of VAAMS.
C. To facilitate communication between educational institutions and sponsors of veterans programs through an exchange of ideas, information and experience.
OUR HISTORY
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Regular membership shall consist of advisors, counselors, etc., connected directly in a staff and/or faculty position with the Veterans Affairs in an educational institution with the State of Mississippi.
Associate membership will consist of any person who works with veteran affairs in any capacity.
Honorary membership will consist of any person whom the Executive Board feels has made outstanding contribution to the advancement of veterans programs. Voting privileges are not available for this category.
Membership
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Dues
The Executive Board shall re-affirm dues per person annually, yet has the authority to waive dues should a situation warrant same.
Unless waived by the Executive Board, all dues must be current to maintain voting privileges. Delinquent dues will constitute loss of voting privileges. If dues are not paid annually by conference on-site registration, membership will be forfeited.
Any training institution wanting to have students use GI Bill benefits must be approved by the Veterans Administration (VA) and then have a school certifying official (SCO) to aid those students. At many institutions, this is an additional duty. There was no concentrated mechanism for Mississippi SCOs to receive training or to network with fellow SCOs in order to facilitate the effective and efficient service to the military-related populace. Other states had developed their own professional networks or organizations to fill the void and many were quite dynamic, some holding training conferences or seminars. A small cadre of Mississippi SCOs, recognizing the multiple benefits of replicating what other states were doing, set out to establish such an organization. On their own initiative and with a deep desire for all to serve the military-related populace to the fullest, in late 2006 this group coordinated with Alabama’s SCO organization and VA representatives to establish the Veterans Affairs Administrators of Mississippi (VAAMS). By Fall 2007, they had effectively laid the groundwork for the first VAAMS Conference. VAAMS has continued to serve Mississippi SCOs and evolve to the changing VA and/or DoD requirements as well as constantly working to meet the needs of SCOs.
THE FUTURE
OUR ROOTS
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With its motto of “Serving those who have served so many”, VAAMS will continue to reach across Mississippi to one another in order to fulfill the educational and welfare needs of military-related students.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
