Deschutes County accepts OHA expansion for veteran peer support; funds 18‑month case manager position

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 27 authorized acceptance of an expansion to the county’s veteran behavioral health peer support grant from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and approved adding a limited‑duration full‑time behavioral health specialist I to the county payroll.

Kristen, a county program staff member who presented the request, told the board the county’s veteran peer support specialist has exceeded the original grant deliverables and is carrying a caseload far above expectations. “She has made contact with over a 100 veterans in our community and has sustained interactions with 76 individuals throughout the course of the grant,” Kristen said, adding that the workload is more than one peer can sustain and that the expanded funds would support pairing the peer with a behavioral health case manager for about 18 months.

The grant expansion is intended to help the existing peer provide more intensive case management, coordinate resources, and connect veterans to services in the community. Kristen said the additional staff would allow the program to “meet veterans where they are” and to better link them with the VA, Vet Center partners and local housing programs the peer already coordinates with.

The board recorded two separate motions under this agenda item. First, a motion to authorize acceptance of the OHA veteran behavioral health peer support specialist grant passed unanimously. Second, the board approved a separate motion to add one limited‑duration FTE behavioral health specialist I to support pairing with the peer specialist; that motion also passed unanimously. The board vote was recorded as Commissioner Dyer: yes; Commissioner Chang: yes; Chair DeBone: yes.

The commissioners’ discussion emphasized the program’s community reach, with the board and presenter noting the peer’s role in connecting veterans to the Veterans Village, the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch and other local services. Kristen said the peer works by referral and outreach across multiple sites and that community partners call on the peer for clients who might not otherwise engage with county behavioral health services.

The county described the position as limited duration tied to the OHA expansion funds; the board approved accepting the grant and creating the position, and staff will return with the paperwork necessary to implement the hire and accept the funds.

Ending

Staff will manage hiring and implementation; the board did not set a separate follow‑up date during the meeting. The vote authorizing the grant acceptance and the limited‑duration FTE was unanimous.