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Veterans Affairs reports increase in retro pays as Pinecrest VA furniture bids received for review
Summary
The county’s Veterans Affairs director updated supervisors on facility remodel progress and rising retroactive benefit payments; the board also held a bid opening for furniture for the Pinecrest campus VA center and placed bids on file for staff review.
Yolando Loveless, director of Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs, briefed the Board of Supervisors on the department’s remodel at the Pinecrest campus, outreach activities to care facilities and an increase in retroactive benefit payments tied to processing delays.
Loveless told supervisors that windows and roofing work at the remodeled Veterans Affairs facility are largely complete and that staff plan continued outreach to veterans and surviving spouses at care facilities throughout the year. He reported that claims processing time has lengthened — from roughly 90–120 days previously to about five to six months for some claims — producing larger retroactive payments when benefits are approved, and increasing monthly retro pay totals that the department is monitoring.
On facilities, Roy Gillen, facilities director, opened bids for furniture for the VA center (Phase A of the Pinecrest renovations). Bids were read into the record and staff asked the board to receive the bids and place them on file while staff review them and return with a recommendation. Bidders and amounts read into the record during the hearing included Office Concepts and other firms; the record was corrected during the meeting to ensure all bids were captured for review. The board voted to receive proofs of publication and the bids and to place them on file.
Why it matters: The VA office’s rising retroactive payments reflect a processing lag that affects county-managed veteran supports and department budgeting; the furniture procurement is a step in finishing the remodeled VA center and will determine outfitting costs for that facility.
What’s next: Facilities staff will review bids for the Pinecrest VA center and bring a recommendation to the board. Veterans Affairs staff will continue outreach to care facilities and monitor claims retro pay trends for budgeting and outreach adjustments.
