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St. Croix County veteran service officer summarizes outreach, benefit totals and transport needs
Summary
Veteran service officer Phil Landgraf told the St. Croix County board the office helps roughly 5,230 veterans and their dependents, bringing about $61 million annually in benefit dollars; he described outreach, care-package drives, cemetery flag programs and plans to replace an aging transport van.
Phil Landgraf, St. Croix County veteran service officer, briefed the Health and Human Services Board on March 19 about benefits outreach, local veteran counts and operational needs.
"How many veterans do you guys think are in St. Croix County? 5,230," Landgraf said, adding that veterans, their dependents and related benefits bring roughly $61,000,000 into the county annually and about $33,000,000 in compensation and pension dollars.
Landgraf described program work that includes VA disability claims assistance, help with VA health care enrollment, death benefits and education benefits. He highlighted outreach efforts: weekly visits to a local service site (Grace Place) to identify veterans facing homelessness, periodic visits to VA-contracted nursing homes, and distribution of care packages to deployed service members.
The office also runs a cemetery flag program ahead of Memorial Day and coordinates closely with local veteran service organizations, including two VFW posts and roughly 11 American Legion posts in the county. Landgraf thanked local posts and donors for contributing to care packages and noted a roughly $700 donation that covered initial shipping costs for the first round of packages.
Landgraf said the county’s transportation program to VA facilities relies on a county van that has exceeded 100,000 miles and is nearing the end of its life cycle; he said voluntary services and VA partners have approved replacement plans. He also described staffing and a small office team, naming staff members Joe Angusether and Anna Anderson and noting the office currently has three people and 13 volunteer drivers assigned to transport duties.
Board members asked about mental-health and suicide-prevention services for veterans. Landgraf cited VA and state resources including telehealth options and the La Crosse Vet Center, and described past large outreach events and plans for smaller, targeted events to connect eligible veterans to VA services.
Landgraf also flagged national-level staffing changes at the VA and said changes to work arrangements and benefit-processing offices have raised concerns locally, but he did not identify specific local impacts beyond general concern.
The board thanked Landgraf for the update and for his office’s outreach work; no formal action followed.
