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VAC reports new SERFI housing grant, schedules VSO interviews and will track mult‑county bill
Summary
A VAC representative told the LaSalle County committee that a new SERFI housing grant could help residents at risk of losing housing, that a Veteran Service Officer job attracted about 60 applicants with interviews set for March 13 and 19, and that the VAC is following House Bill 1352 on multicounty VAC structure.
Christa, the committee’s VAC presenter, told the LaSalle County Nursing Home and VAC Committee on March 12 that the VAC is gathering details on a new SERFI grant aimed at people with hard-to-obtain or unstable housing and that the program could reduce costs counties absorb to keep veterans housed.
Christa said the VAC posted a Veteran Service Officer position and received roughly 60 application packets but only about 20 complete submissions; the office plans interviews on March 13 and March 19 and intends to prioritize veteran applicants. “Of those 60 maybe about 20 of those were full applications meaning they supplied all three documents,” Christa said, describing the screening criteria.
She also said VAC staff are drafting a standard operating procedures manual to preserve continuity when employees are absent and to orient new hires. Christa described recent advocacy work: after the VA briefly proposed an interim rule that would have based disability ratings on how a veteran fares while on medication rather than on pre-medication condition, she said state and national associations opposed the change and the proposal was reversed. “That could have led to a lot of veterans taking off themselves off the medication to get that higher rating,” Christa said, explaining why the VAC opposed the rule.
The VAC will also provide two $500 Illinois Valley Community College scholarships this year using a secondary account the board set aside for programs; awards are intended for veterans or children/grandchildren of veterans. Christa said the VAC is tracking House Bill 1352, a multicounty VAC bill, because it could change counties’ roles and compliance expectations.
The committee moved to approve the VAC bills during the meeting; members voted in favor without recorded opposition.
Next steps: VAC staff will finish gathering grant details, conduct the scheduled VSO interviews, and continue legislative monitoring of HB 1352 and related language.
