Veterans officer highlights 8,000-veteran caseload, in-house claims workflow and mental health pilot

Kurt Rusch, Washington County veteran service officer, briefed the Health and Human Services Committee on the county’s veterans services, saying the office manages roughly 2,000–3,000 claim actions a year with two staff members and serves about 8,000 veterans in the county.

Rusch described the office’s workflow: case-management with a daily suspense list, an in-house software product developed by county IT that once allowed direct encrypted uploads to the VA, and regular monthly checks on active claim files. "We have about 2 to 3,000 claim actions that we perform each year, and it's just Barb and I in the office," he told the committee, adding that the office aims to be the "first touch" for veterans navigating VA benefits and that reputation and word-of-mouth are key outreach channels.

He outlined programs including a veteran mental health clinic operated through the county behavioral health department, which began with a state grant that has since expired but remains supported by donated funds until community care becomes the payer. Rusch said the behavioral health department is planning group therapy and educational programs to increase community awareness and capacity. He also described community projects such as a county guitar program (about 30 graduates) and a monuments program to map and mark veterans’ grave sites in the county GIS.

Supervisors asked about claim tracking and timelines. Rusch said the office records claim origination dates and performs monthly case reviews, but it does not produce a routine duration metric without manual analysis. He said most VA compensation and pension exams are scheduled by national subcontractors and frequently require travel outside the county. The committee did not take formal action on the report.

Rusch closed by inviting supervisors to contact the office for further data and outreach support.