VAST Director Pieter Droog Receives State of Nevada Honor and Recognition

NDVS is pleased to announce its Veteran Advocacy Support Team (VAST) Director Pieter Droog was named as the Nevada’s Employee Veteran of the Month for March 2022.

Mr. Droog’s was selected for this recognition and honor due to his leadership, innovation, and drive in serving Nevada’s veterans. Under his direction, the department fully converted from paper to electronic claims filing to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to Mr. Droog’s efforts, all claims submitted through NDVS were in paper form. As of January 2022, almost all NDVS claims submitted (99.5%) were done so electronically.

This conversion has greatly increased NDVS’s ability to meet the needs of Nevada’s veterans. It allows eligible veterans to connect to their earned benefits as quickly as possible. It also provides for greater efficiencies, enabling NDVS Veterans Service Officers (VSOs), who assist veterans with filing, to process a higher volume of claims, resulting in more veterans being served as well as reducing wait times for other veterans in need of claims assistance.

“It is such an honor and so humbling to receive this recognition and award,” said Droog. “However, the members of my team also deserve credit because they fully embraced this change and helped to facilitate it. We are now able to fulfill our mission in the most efficient way, so our veterans don’t have to wait to either file a claim or receive the benefits they deserve and have earned.”

“This kind of change within an organization is not always easy, but Pieter’s leadership helped make it happen,” said Fred Wagar, NDVS Deputy Director of Operations. “Pieter exemplifies the passion behind our NVDS team. Each member takes pride in providing the best service possible to our veterans, who truly deserve no less.”

Mr. Droog directly oversees the department’s VSOs, ensuring they are all certified by the State of Nevada and accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Prior to joining NDVS, Mr. Droog received his degree and commission from Loyola College. He spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, serving in a wide range of positions from from transportation officer to commander of both the Direct Support Ordnance and General Support Aircraft Maintenance Companies. He also served as Director of Logistics and Deputy at the Materials Management Center in Sinai, Egypt. Additionally, he attended Army flight School, Maintenance Test Pilot School and the Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course.