Veterans service officer warns of new state reporting requirement tied to Retrospect software

Joe, the county Veterans Service Officer, briefed the council on an impending state change that will require local veterans offices to log contacts and casework in a platform named Retrospect. He said the state commission will issue formal rules January 1 and offices must comply by July 1, or risk having accreditation pulled.

Joe said the transition may increase training needs: “John…is gonna have to do all those also,” he said, referring to staff who will need new certifications. He added the state will provide one Retrospect account but that additional user subscriptions could cost about $504 per year each.

He also noted the office’s recent work managing a nonrevolving donations fund and thanked the council for a modest additional allocation that supports memorial maintenance. Joe asked the council to expect possible additional training and travel requests in future budgets and said the position’s responsibilities will become “drastically” different under the new requirements.

Council members indicated support and asked staff to coordinate on compliance and any needed equipment or subscription purchases.