Penny Arms, Aitkin County's veteran services officer, gave a detailed report on services, outreach and benefit dollars reaching county veterans.

"The veteran population has dropped. I've been here 18 years, and it was close to 2,000 when I started. And now the estimate is about 1,392," Arms said, citing 2024 data. She told commissioners that direct compensation and pension to county veterans totaled more than $9 million and that combined federal VA medical and indirect expenditures push total veteran-related dollars into the county above $25 million.

Arms described the office's workload and outreach: about 500 office visits during a reported 12-month span, 81 new clients, and outreach clinics in McGregor, Hill City and Malmo. She said the van program made 65 trips in the reporting year with 67 riders, operating expenses of about $7,008.56 and reimbursements of $2,728.

She reviewed state supports and grants used to help veterans with dental, optical, subsistence and special needs grants (including funds used for a bathroom accessibility project and automobile adaptations), and said the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs provides an annual operational-improvement grant of $10,000 used for office needs.

Commissioners thanked Arms for the work; one commissioner asked about veteran suicide numbers locally, which Arms said she does not systematically track and asked the board to note she had not compiled that data in her report. The board expressed appreciation for the services and outreach described.

What happens next: Arms said ongoing outreach and using veteran-assistance programs will continue; commissioners and staff can follow up about any data requests or further resource needs.