Colville Tribes, WDVA sign agreement to expand services for native veterans

OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation signed a Memorandum of Agreement on April 28, 2025, to enhance support for Native American Veterans and their families.

The agreement allows the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) to provide in-kind support and resources to the Tribal Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR).

The MOA, officials said, reinforces WDVA’s mission of “Serving Those Who Served” and emphasizes efforts to improve health, financial security, and overall well-being among Native American Veterans.

A central focus of the agreement is the role of Veterans Service Officers. These trained professionals assist Veterans with applying for and accessing benefits. Tribal VSOs serve as a bridge between Native and non-Native communities and help ensure culturally appropriate services for Veterans living in Indian Country.

Since a federal rule change in 2017, WDVA has partnered with several federally recognized tribes to support the development of Tribal Veteran Service Officers.

The agreement establishes that WDVA will provide ongoing training and technical assistance to Tribal VSOs, similar to its work with County Veteran Service Officers. Tribal VSOs will also be invited to participate in WDVA’s Veteran Service Officer training conferences and Serving Those Who Served provider conferences, which aim to strengthen services available to Veterans and their families at the community level.

Key provisions of the MOA include:

• Training and Accreditation: WDVA will provide the same training and accreditation to the Tribe’s VSOs as it does for County and State VSOs.
  
  
• Access to Information Systems: The Tribe’s VSOs will have access to WDVA’s VSO information systems to assist with Veterans’ benefits applications.
  
  
• Tracking and Reporting: WDVA will track and report outcomes of Veterans’ disability claims submitted by the Tribe’s VSOs.
  
  
• Ongoing Support and Conferences: WDVA will offer technical assistance and invite Tribal VSOs to its annual conferences.
  
  

This is WDVA's tenth agreement with a Washington state tribe. The agency described the partnership as a step forward in ensuring that Veterans in Indian Country obtain access to benefits and services such as federal disability compensation and survivors’ benefits.

The MOA, officials said, combines the resources and expertise of WDVA and CTCR to create a more robust and accessible support system for Native American Veterans and their families.