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Yankton County Veteran Service Officer outlines growing caseload, recommends staffing increases
Summary
VSO Robert Stickney told commissioners the office has rising claim complexity and a growing transportation program; he presented three budget options—status quo, increase weekly hours from 35 to 40, or add a part-time assistant—and recommended the 40-hour option short-term with a part-time assistant long-term.
Robert Stickney, Yankton County’s veteran service officer, briefed the commission on June 16 about sustained growth in claims complexity and transportation demand.
Stickney said he is the county’s sole VSO working a 35-hour week and described the office’s expanding responsibilities, which include claims development, appeals, medical evidence coordination and a transportation program that has grown substantially since 2023. Using anonymized case examples, he estimated staff-time per claim: simple claims 2–3 hours, average compensation claims 5–8 hours, complex claims 10–20 hours, and highly complex claims 25–50 hours; he cited an example of one highly complex Nebraska case that required 40+ staff hours.
Stickney reported serving roughly 846 Yankton County veterans plus about 163 veterans who live outside the county (122 South Dakota out-of-county and 41 Nebraska veterans). He said that referring non‑county veterans to the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs in Sioux Falls could return an estimated 250–375 staff hours annually to the county VSO.
He presented three budget options: keep the position at 35 hours (status quo); increase to 40 hours (Stickney’s recommended short-term solution); or add a part‑time assistant (a longer-term, higher-cost option). Commissioners asked clarifying questions about prioritization of county residents and coordination with regional VA resources and agreed to include Stickney’s proposals in upcoming budget discussions.
