Bay County service office to pilot Saturday outreach as staff warn of multi-month VA claims delays

Bay County staff on May 19 described continuing delays in VA claims processing and announced a monthly Saturday outreach pilot to increase access for working veterans.

Staff described multi-month waits for compensation, pension and claims updates, including slow outside medical reviews and regional-work-queue processing that can delay changes such as adding a dependent to a claim. Staff noted the state- and VA-level processing can take many months: "it takes actually longer than it does to actually get a claim through VA for them to change your direct deposit," an agency official said. Staff added that some trust-fund applications have sat at the state level for several months without clear status.

To reach veterans who cannot attend weekday 9-to-5 appointments, staff said the service office will pilot one Saturday per month at the county library beginning in June; "we're going to, hopefully June we'll launch it," staff said. The outreach will be staffed by Mark and other service officers to assist with claims and emergency-relief questions.

Staff also described operational needs: two days per week of veteran transport (Wednesdays and Thursdays) to scheduled VA appointments and the ongoing need for volunteer drivers. The committee discussed training requirements and statewide conference takeaways; staff noted that the office files more supplemental claims than original claims because many veterans attempt an initial filing independently and later seek help after denials.

The committee received the service-office reports by voice vote and invited new members to tour the service office after the meeting.