Winnebago County veterans officer cites long VA delays, reports boost in benefits

Mary Lou Cleveland, Winnebago County Veterans Service Officer, told the Board of Supervisors that veterans’ claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs are subject to lengthy delays and errors that create extra work for county staff even as local outreach has produced measurable increases in benefit payments.

Cleveland told the board she handled 73 active cases and recorded 255 office visits in her first full year, and that the county received $346,083 in compensation and pension payments to veterans and survivors through the end of November. She said that figure represents a $102,554 increase since 2021 and that 236 veterans and surviving spouses were receiving those payments as of the November snapshot.

Cleveland said congressional offices — including staff from U.S. senators’ offices — have been briefed on the problems she and other Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) see at the VA. “There needs to be some kind of congressional action,” she said. She described frequent processing delays, cases left “floating out there” on SharePoint, decisions that do not address evidence submitted and denials that do not cite consideration of statements submitted in support of claims.

Cleveland described frequent examples in which an informal procedure known as a higher-level review did not result in timely resolution. “A higher level review is basically saying to them, you screwed up, but would you please relook at this?” she said. She said such reviews sometimes move a claim to “ready for decision” status but then remain unacted on for months.

She credited the county’s 40-hour VSO position and outreach to small communities with gains in benefit payments and local referrals. Cleveland said Buffalo Center was added as a home-based Iowa community, bringing the county’s home-based communities to four: Forest City, Buffalo Center, Lake Mills and Scarville. She described a community celebration in Buffalo Center that included the mayor, council members and local residents.

Cleveland described casework that produced large improvements for individual veterans, including one claimant who rose from a 20% to a 90% service-connection rating after work that began in March 2022 and concluded in November 2024. She also described ongoing cases for elderly claimants and veterans with serious impairments whose claims remain unresolved for months.

Board members asked for and received a clarification of the numbers Cleveland cited from the report: the $346,083 total was tied to 236 veterans and surviving widows, Cleveland said. After the presentation, a motion to accept the Veterans Affairs report passed.

The board approved the report by voice vote. Motion to approve the reports was recorded as moved by Derby and seconded by Jen Scholl; the chair called for “aye” and the motion passed.