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Beltrami County veteran services reports sharp rise in claims work, expands mobile claims unit; veterans home staffing improves
Summary
County veterans services reported increased federal benefit payments to local veterans, expanded outreach through a mobile claims unit, disaster and SSAP grant disbursements, an increase in veteran home residents and staffing, and noted some federal VA service reductions.
Shane Gesselson, the county's County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO), told the board the office recorded a substantial increase in federal payments to local veterans in the year covered by the federal GDX report and has expanded outreach with a mobile claims trailer.
Gesselson said the 2024 GDX report showed about $48 million in federal payments to Beltrami County veterans and surviving spouses, about $3 million more than the prior year; he described the amount as the dollars that go directly to veterans or families rather than to the county.
"These are dollars that go directly to them," Gesselson said. He also said the office estimates about 2,700 veterans live in Beltrami County and that demand for services has increased, particularly from Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
The CVSO described a mobile claims unit pilot that began after a county grant. Since May the unit has staged at regular locations—Bemidji, Blackduck and Kelliher—and the office counted 18 events with more than 906 face-to-face visits at mobile events noted in 2025 activity reporting. Gesselson said the trailer lowers barriers for veterans who have not previously sought help: "It’s very informal for the veterans, so there's not this big scary office to go into." He said the office hopes to use the trailer for disaster-grant outreach and to coordinate on-site approvals with state staff when possible.
Gesselson also reported disaster-relief and SSAP (Safe Soldiers Assistance Program) activity. He said Beltrami County received a $50,000 disaster allocation for veterans that was later supplemented by $5,742 after additional applications; SSAP grants for dental and optical needs and crisis subsistence have funded about $28,000 in care and 25 grants in categories including dental and optical.
Local partnership with Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter support was described: Gesselson said the office submitted 28 requests to the DAV and received nearly $17,000 for direct veteran needs such as vehicle repairs, groceries and immediate subsistence.
On retroactive payments, Gesselson said year-to-date claim development has produced roughly $1 million in retroactive benefit payments for veterans and families to date in fiscal 2025 (office reporting and tracking began in 2022).
On veterans housing, Gesselson said the county veterans home had 33 residents and 115 employees at the last update and was preparing to open another household in November if staffing levels continued to improve; the home's revenue fund had "$240,000 plus" available for resident amenities. He noted a state-level shift away from providing durable medical equipment directly and described a proposed state warehouse and redistribution model for donated mobility equipment.
Gesselson listed federal VA service reductions that may affect some nonessential services (for example, certain printed materials and outreach) but said VA medical care and the VA crisis line remain active. He said the county would monitor impacts and return with updates if services changed.
Board members thanked Gesselson and his staff and commended the mobile claims unit; no formal board action was taken during the presentation.
"If this would have been in a different county or a different location within our own county, if we could have set up and we could have did the disaster grants right on-site," Gesselson said, describing operational advantages of the trailer. "In the future, we know that there's a different way to use this tool that we have."
