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Ottawa County veterans office highlights outreach, rising federal VA spending and staffing questions
Summary
Director Jason Shinkle told county commissioners his office launched a 'Legacy Link' outreach to assisted-living sites and said federal VA spending for county residents rose sharply; commissioners pressed on staffing and asked for a county-level breakdown of VA spending types.
Jason Shinkle, director of Ottawa County veteran services, updated the Board of Commissioners on outreach work and federal benefit flows, saying his office has begun a program called Legacy Link to bring veterans services into assisted-living facilities and senior centers. He said the effort included a Nov. visit to Waterford Place that combined a presentation, social time and one-on-one follow-ups with residents and surviving family members.
Shinkle told commissioners his office has five staff members and that the department has seen a jump in demand for emergency assistance through the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund. He said federal VA spending tied to county residents totals about $15,000,000 in the period discussed and that the county’s per-capita VA compensation and pension expenditures increased notably comparing 2023 to 2024; he said Ottawa County now exceeds neighboring Muskegon on some measures.
Commissioners asked about program capacity and costs. Shinkle said payroll will likely be in the mid‑hundreds of thousands for 2025 (estimates discussed in the meeting ranged from roughly $450,000 to $500,000 annual payroll) and acknowledged he would provide a more precise payroll estimate and a county-level breakdown of VA spending by category (compensation, pensions, education benefits and medical expenditures). He agreed to email the federal GDX data and the county’s VA spending Excel sheet to the board.
Several commissioners said the department’s growth of federal claims work strengthens the case for continued or increased local funding, noting that local staff bring federal dollars into the county through claims advocacy. Shinkle said much of the increased VA spending represents compensation and pension payments received directly by veterans and families, plus education and medical payments associated with veterans who live in the county.
The board did not take any vote on funding at the meeting. Shinkle said he would follow up with requested breakdowns and that the department will continue its outreach to senior-living facilities.
