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SD Veterans Affairs proposes suspending VSO salary supplement, eliminating headstone-setting payment in FY26 request
Summary
At a legislative committee briefing, the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs proposed FY26 budget cuts that would suspend the state salary supplement for county and tribal veteran service officers and eliminate the state headstone-setting payment for private cemeteries, while requesting two additional FTEs overall.
The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs told a legislative committee it is proposing FY26 budget reductions that would suspend the state salary supplement for county and tribal veteran service officers and eliminate the state’s headstone-setting payment for headstone placement in private cemeteries.
Aaron Pollard, deputy secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, presented the department’s FY26 requests and said the overall departmental ask includes a net increase in general funds offset by decreases in federal authority and small adjustments to other funds. “The veteran population in South Dakota is approximately 62,000,” Pollard said, noting the department estimates its reach—including spouses—at “approximately 220 to 250,000 South Dakotans.”
Why it matters: county and tribal veteran service officers (VSOs) are the local touchpoint for veterans seeking benefits. The department told the committee the proposed suspension of the…
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