Clatsop County plans two full‑time veteran service officers as claims workload rises

Clatsop County officials said they will budget for two full‑time veteran service officers (VSOs) and a full‑time administrative support position in the 2026–27 fiscal cycle to strengthen local veteran benefit services.

Amanda Rapenchuk, the county's management and policy analyst, told the board staff and Clatsop Community Action (CCA) have been developing a staffing model aimed at long‑term sustainability and that comparable counties average about two full‑time VSOs. "Our plan includes starting right away on having two full‑time VSOs and ideally a full‑time administrative support position in the upcoming fiscal year," Rapenchuk said.

The board heard a six‑month program update from Carl Wy, the county's veteran service officer employed through CCA. Wy said the office filed dozens of claims and decision reviews over the last year and that county veterans received millions in compensation. "For this last six months it was $11.3 million with about $23.5 million in service‑connected compensation or retroactive payments coming into the county," Wy said.

Wy and staff attributed part of the recent increase in decision reviews to turnover and new hires at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which they said has produced more errors at the point of decision. "There's been an increase in decision reviews and a lot of it is the VA not considering the evidence in total and relying solely on the medical opinion of that short interaction," Wy said, adding that staff are preparing more detailed arguments to press for corrections under the benefit‑of‑the‑doubt standards.

Officials said the county provided one‑time funds to sustain a VSO assistant after a grant gap and that CCA continues to apply for other grants to support the expanded staffing model. Rapenchuk said the county will budget for the two‑VSO, one‑admin model as part of the 2026–27 budget preparations "so we are not contingent upon those grants," while acknowledging grants would ease the county's bottom line.

The board questioned timing for accreditation and onboarding. Wy said Sam, the VSO assistant, has completed initial training weeks and will need remaining virtual training and on‑the‑job hours to meet Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) accreditation requirements, which he described as a 1,000‑hour annual support threshold to validate continued accreditation.

Commissioners pressed about continuity during transitions; staff and CCA said they plan deliberate hiring or temporary funding to avoid a service gap should Sam move into the accredited VSO role. The office also maintains referral relationships with local partners including Northwest Senior and Disability Services to reach older veterans and those with mobility barriers.

The update included outreach metrics and operational details: the VSO office averages about three booked appointments per workday with roughly a two‑month wait, conducts monthly veterans breakfasts and periodic community outreach events, and has reduced daily appointment slots to preserve urgent availability and to allow more time for case review.

What happens next: staff will include the full staffing model assumption in budget documents for the upcoming fiscal cycle and report back on training timelines and any grant outcomes that affect program funding.