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Veteran services report: office logged roughly 2,700 actions in 2024; walk-ins and Court of Appeals delays noted
Summary
Kirk, veteran services staff, told the committee the county—s veteran services office recorded about 2,700 claim-related actions in 2024, with growing walk‑in visits, long appeals timelines to the Court of Appeals and 55 residents receiving state property tax credits.
Kirk, veteran services staff, told the Healthy New Reserves Committee that the county recorded roughly 2,700 veteran-related claim actions in 2024 and is tracking a rise in walk‑in visits.
Kirk said the office handled about 510 in‑person appointments and estimated 209 new veterans engaged with the office last year. He said average call volume for the office is about 21 calls per day and that the office is close to its estimated in‑person appointment capacity if staff schedules were fully booked.
Kirk emphasized the length of appeals to the Court of Appeals, saying, “That’s how long that process currently takes, which is shocking and terrible, and horrible for our veterans,” and noting that cases referred to the Court of Veterans Appeals often reflect claims that have been active for nearly 10 years.
The report highlighted that 55 county residents received a state property tax credit that helped avoid foreclosure or forced moves, a benefit Kirk described as a direct constituent impact. He also pointed to month‑by‑month patterns: May and the period before November produced the largest spikes in visits and walk‑ins, coinciding with Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Kirk provided brief program updates. He said the Civil War monument committee is auditing remaining work and fundraising needs and expects project completion in the next one to two years. The local Guitar For Vets program now has five instructors and had two people remaining on its waiting list, Kirk said.
Kirk also described outreach with Interfaith Caregivers and a state block‑grant provider identified in the transcript as the DAB. He said Interfaith Caregivers provided about 980 rides to the VA last year while the DAB provided 104, a discrepancy he said prompted discussions with state officials identified as Secretary Von and Secretary Bob about transportation funding and service responsibility.
Committee members asked about the county veteran population; Kirk cited federal estimates based on Bureau of Labor Statistics and census sources and said the most recent estimate was about 8,000 veterans in the county, after a previous multi‑year decline reversed around the last census.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the veteran services report during the meeting and no committee action was recorded.
