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Union County veterans urge peers to use county Veterans Service Office for claims and benefits
Summary
Veterans at a Union County presentation described how the county Veterans Service Office helped with claims, including establishing service connection for a Parkinson’s diagnosis and assisting with benefits at no charge.
Peter Christ, a retired service member, said Union County’s Veterans Service Office helped him assemble documents and pursue a service-connection claim after a recent medical diagnosis.
"I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 2 and a half years ago," Christ said. He described first enlisting in the Marines in 1995, serving until 1999, then spending about 18 years in the North Carolina Army National Guard. Christ said the county office advised him on what documents he needed and helped devise "a game plan" to continue his claim and file a supplement.
A Union County Veterans Service Office staff member explained why early contact with a VSO can matter for access to care: "You're a veteran and you have full access to medical care as a veteran serving on active duty ... you just go to the doctor because that's 1 of the supports that's available to you." The staff member said early engagement allowed records to be reviewed and, in Christ’s case, helped secure VA-covered medication after a diagnosis.
Brian Bowes, a U.S. Army veteran who said he served tours in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, described the office as "very helpful." Bowes advised other veterans to contact the VSO in their county and said, "I would never hire a private company to do a claim, when your VSO can do it and doesn't cost you anything."
The staff member summarized the office’s services: claims processing, helping veterans identify eligible benefits and assisting with claims "from the minute they walk in the door until they leave our office," and noted the office is located in Union County. Speakers encouraged veterans to visit the VSO in the county where they reside rather than paying private firms.
No formal votes or policy actions were recorded during the remarks; the session consisted of veterans and staff describing personal experience and explaining services available through the county Veterans Service Office.
