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County veterans services outlines outreach, staffing and proposed burial‑allowance increase
Summary
Ottawa County Veterans Services presented program updates, outreach plans, staff hires and a committee‑approved proposal to raise the county burial allowance from $300 to $600; staff also described advertising expenses and partnerships.
Ottawa County Veterans Services presented an overview of services, staffing, outreach and budget considerations to the committee on Jan. 14, including a committee recommendation to raise the county burial allowance and confirmation of a pending hire for the county veteran service officer.
Jason Schenkel, County Department of Veterans Services director, told commissioners the department’s primary mission is to help veterans access federal VA benefits (disability, pension, burial and survivor benefits) and to provide emergency financial help through state and county funds. He said the county burial allowance is currently $300 and that the county Veterans Services Committee voted to raise the allowance to $600 and to increase asset limits from $40,000 to $70,000; Schenkel said he would forward that recommendation to the Board of Commissioners for formal recognition and action.
Schenkel said annual averages show about 28.5 burial assistance requests per year over the past four years; commissioners discussed whether a higher figure would be more meaningful to families but staff said a higher amount would exceed the department’s FY2025 general‑fund budget. Schenkel also explained federal VA burial payments — he cited roughly $978 for non‑service‑connected deaths and up to about $2,000 for service‑connected deaths — and described a recent federal law change that expands service‑connected burial allowances to veterans who die at home in hospice care.
On staffing, Schenkel said the department is entirely staffed by veterans and has filled several positions; a county veteran service officer candidate, Al Lam, had accepted an offer and was expected to start Jan. 20, subject to relocation. For transportation, the department contracts with Hope Network of West Michigan to provide medical transportation for veterans to appointments inside and outside Ottawa County.
Scholarly partners and outreach plans were highlighted: Schenkel said the department has a referral arrangement with Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to assist veteran students and plans an outreach visit at the GVSU veteran center on Feb. 27. He also listed community partners (Lakeshore Disability Network, Tri Cities Habitat for Humanity, West Michigan Veterans Coalition) and said the department holds smaller resource events year‑round and a larger stand‑down event in late summer. Upcoming events included a Feb. 7 coffee and donut event at Gateway Mission in Holland.
Commissioners asked about advertising costs; Schenkel said billboards cost roughly $16,000 and were paid from the county veteran service fund grant. They also discussed department budget size (Schenkel estimated general‑fund support in the “400,000 range”), and asked staff for a chart showing department budget versus dollars delivered to veterans; commissioners requested that chart for a future meeting. Schenkel agreed to follow up on facility timelines related to a planned new location and said billboards and advertising will be coordinated with the department’s move.
No formal policy was adopted at the meeting; the burial allowance recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for formal action.
