Garfield County to create county-employed veteran service officer, commissioners say

Garfield County commissioners authorized staff to create a county-employed veteran service officer and place the position on the consent agenda so the county can begin recruitment and hiring.

The move responds to a requirement in Colorado law and to federal rules that, according to state officials, effectively require county-employed veteran service officers rather than contractors. County and state officials also told commissioners that effective outreach and benefit representation can bring substantial benefit dollars into local communities.

County staff explained the county has been without a veteran service officer since mid-January when the previous contractor chose not to renew. Bentley (county staff) told the board staff had worked with human resources and state partners to develop a job description and salary range and that creating a county employee post would allow access to state systems and meet expected compliance requirements. "What we wanted to talk to this morning about was the position of veteran services officer for Garfield County. We have been effectively without one since mid January," Bentley said.

Bruce Cowan, director of the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs, told the board that Colorado Revised Statutes require counties to establish a county veteran service office and appoint a county veteran service officer and that federal regulation also sets minimum employment expectations. "Colorado Revised Statutes §28-5-801 requires that every county in the state establish a county veteran service office and appoint a county veteran service officer," Cowan said. He added that 38 C.F.R. §14.629 (as cited in the meeting) and the federal rules the state enforces expect a veteran service officer to be a county employee working a substantial number of hours and to have access to VA systems via PIV cards to assist veterans with claims.

State staff described the county’s veteran population and the economic effects of veterans receiving VA benefits. Bruce Cowan said the VA records about 2,746 veterans in Garfield County and that veteran-connected benefits bring roughly $30 million a year into the county in compensation, pension, medical care and other benefits. "Of those 2,700, they bring $30,000,000 a year to Garfield County," Cowan said, listing $13 million annually in compensation and pension and roughly $16 million in medical care as examples.

County staff and state officials said the likely first step is to create a part-time (30 hours per week) county position graded at the county’s Grade 107 midpoint. County staff gave the Grade 107 midpoint as about $68,000 for a full-time equivalent; at 30 hours per week the county would expect to pay roughly three-quarters of that midpoint. The state stipend/reimbursement for county VSO hours was described as approximately $10 per hour; staff estimated the state reimbursement would reduce but not eliminate the county’s cost. "Hourly midpoint for grade 107 is $32.87. So of which we would get a reimbursement of $10 per hour," county staff said during the discussion.

Commissioners expressed reluctance about adding an FTE but said they felt constrained by the statutes and federal rules described by the state. "I don't know if we were in violation of that law, if that's a new law or what, but, I do not like adding another FTE to our workforce. But, it sounds like we don't have a choice," Chairman Jankowski said.

County staff described interim coverage since January: some veterans have reached out to state staff, and Pitkin County's veteran service officer has helped fill gaps but declined a shared-services agreement. A representative from Pitkin County, Sam Lander Casper, said Pitkin County had expanded a VSO role to 30 hours per week to improve recruitment and retention and emphasized the value of coordinating closely with county human services and community partners.

The board directed staff to add creation of the VSO position to the consent agenda and to begin advertising and recruitment steps. No formal roll-call vote was recorded in the work session discussion; commissioners voiced agreement to proceed with placing the position on the consent agenda.

How this matters: a county-employed veteran service officer gives local veterans direct help with claims and administrative access to VA systems and is the form of service state and federal documents described in the meeting now require. Commissioners and state officials also emphasized that successful veteran outreach may increase benefits flowing to local veterans and that some counties' strong VSOs have generated more than $2 million annually in additional veteran benefit revenues for small counties.

Next steps and limits: staff will post the position and begin recruitment. The board’s action was to authorize creation of the county-employed position and to include it on the consent agenda so the formal hiring steps can follow; any final budget adjustments will appear in budget documents or future board actions. If the county proceeds as described, the county will receive state hourly reimbursement but will retain responsibility for the employee and the county’s share of salary and benefits.