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State veteran-services director urges Huntersville to back local veteran service officer
Summary
Edison Platt, director of State Veteran Services, told the Huntersville board that local veteran service officers (VSOs) speed benefit claims, reduce travel burden for veterans and channel federal dollars into the local economy; he asked the town to support creating a VSO role or part-time coverage.
Edison Platt, director for State Veteran Services at the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, urged the Huntersville Board of Commissioners to support establishing a local veteran service officer to help residents file Department of Veterans Affairs claims and access state benefits.
Platt told the board that the state has 13 offices across four regions but that demand is large: "It is a daunting task," he said, describing roughly 96,000 veterans in the Piedmont region and about 68 VSOs currently covering that population. He said veterans may return five to six times in a month to complete claims, follow up and apply for additional benefits.
Platt framed the request as both a service issue and an economic opportunity for Huntersville: federal VA compensation, pensions and other programs deliver nontaxable funds that veterans spend locally. "One veteran alone can generate $4,500 nontaxable fund from the federal government per veteran," he said, adding that benefits can total tens of thousands of dollars annually for service‑connected veterans. He asked the board to advocate for state, county and local resources to staff a VSO in the area and offered to help train any local hire.
Board members asked for specifics about day‑to‑day VSO services and how citizens obtain items such as specialty license plates. Platt described the process: the veteran obtains documentation, a VSO validates and signs the form and the veteran then takes it to the DMV. "DMV will not accept that form unless one of our signatures is on there," Platt said, stressing that having local VSOs avoids long drives and multiple trips to county or Charlotte offices.
Platt also discussed statewide figures he said the board should consider when weighing resources and advocacy: the Department of VA operates distinct agencies for health, benefits and cemeteries that do not always share counts; North Carolina has hundreds of thousands of veterans the state tries to serve; and additional state benefits (scholarships, tuition support, housing adaptations) increase the local economic footprint of federal and state veteran benefits.
The board did not take formal action at the meeting. Platt closed by asking the commissioners to advocate to county and state officials for staffing and funding and to consider part‑time coverage if a full‑time VSO is not immediately feasible.
Local context: Platt identified Huntersville as part of congressional District 12 and said Mecklenburg County alone accounts for roughly 52,000 veterans; he emphasized that travel time and traffic make in‑person access to VSOs difficult for many veterans. He offered to assist with training for any town‑level hire and to coordinate with county and state offices to improve local access to benefits.
