Union County’s Veterans Services staff provided a broad update on benefits assistance, client services and recent discretionary grant funding during the meeting.

Michelle Marcano, director of Veterans Services, and Robert Turner, a county veterans services officer, described the office’s core work: preparing disability, pension and surviving-spouse claims; assisting veterans and families with VA health-care enrollment; and coordinating county transportation to VA-approved civilian and VA clinics. The presenters said Union County is one of a small number of North Carolina counties that offers county-funded transportation to VA clinics; Theresa Torres of Union County Transportation was named as the department that runs the van under an internal contract.

Marcanc (sic) and Turner said disability compensation and dependency-indemnity compensation (DIC) bring significant federal funds into the community; they cited a fiscal-year figure for disability compensation of $92,000,000 and $66,000,000 for DIC as the totals the office uses to illustrate local economic impact. The presenters also compared Union County’s outcomes to nearby counties and to larger jurisdictions such as Mecklenburg County, and they noted Union County continues to serve a large number of Vietnam-era veterans while the Gulf War and newer cohorts often use online services.

Marcanco (sic) said the office recently received discretionary grant funding from the North Carolina Division of Military and Veterans Affairs and spent the award on client-facing items and ceremony equipment; the amount was stated in the presentation as “$18.08” in the transcript and the precise grant amount was not clarified during the meeting. Marcano said elements bought with the grant included a portable amplifier system for ceremonies, flag spreaders, Space Force flags, new client chairs and lobby seating; the presenters described the purchases as intended for client services and outreach.

The presenters reviewed program workload: they described high daily phone and appointment volumes, noted the office is using a web-based case-management tool (VBS) for reporting, and said the office operates by appointment because claims preparation can take one-and-a-half to two hours. Marcano said the office’s reported fiscal-year numbers in the meeting packet were difficult to summarize verbally and that some packet figures appeared to have formatting issues; she said staff would continue to refine reporting using the VBS system.

No formal action was taken on policy or budget items at the meeting; presenters invited follow-up questions and offered agency materials and flyers to board members.