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State veterans officials urge Lake County to boost outreach to connect veterans with benefits
Summary
Officials from the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs briefed Lake County commissioners on July 14, urging stronger local outreach, goal-setting for county veteran service officers and use of state grants to bring more veterans into the VA system; CDVA staff also outlined how the 2022 PACT Act expanded presumptive conditions for many veterans.
Bruce County, director of the Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs, told Lake County commissioners on July 14 that the division’s "look, listen, and learn" visits aim to build two-way understanding and help small, rural counties convert outreach into completed claims.
"It's more a conversation than just, than me sitting here and these guys sitting here talking to you," Bruce County said, describing the tour’s purpose as relationship-building and problem-solving. State staff encouraged the county to set clear goals for its veteran service officer (VSO) and to track productive outcomes such as new claims and benefit approvals.
The CDVA team outlined local impact figures. Eric Winroad, veteran services supervisor, said Lake County’s VA compensation and pension payments total about $1,778,000 and VA-funded medical spending roughly $1,400,000, producing a combined direct-expenditure estimate of about $3,367,000 that flows into the county each year. "That's life changing money," Bruce County said, urging commissioners to view VSO work as an economic as well as a human-services priority.
Officials described two grant programs counties and nonprofits can apply for: the Veteran Trust Fund (applications from VFW or American Legion posts) and the Veterans Assistance Grant for counties and nonprofits. "We're doing everything we can to give this money away," Bruce County said, noting CDVA had adopted a Neighborly application platform to simplify grant submissions.
Presenters also explained the August 2022 PACT Act’s practical effects. Eric Winroad summarized the law’s three main impacts: expanded health-care eligibility for toxic exposures, broadened presumptive coverage for Agent Orange–related locations beyond boots-on-the-ground Vietnam service, and new presumptive conditions tied to burn pits and other exposures. "Presumptive just wipes that whole middle piece out," Winroad said, describing how the law reduces the burden of proof for many conditions.
The CDVA team urged regular, low-barrier outreach—coffee socials, community booths and word-of-mouth referrals—and offered regional staff support to backfill small local VSO offices at events. Winroad noted that only about 97 of Lake County’s 359 veterans (roughly 27%) were receiving compensation or pension benefits, and he said that improving outreach and follow-up could materially increase benefit take-up.
Bruce County also described ongoing problems obtaining detailed federal VA beneficiary data for outreach: "The VA won't give us his data," he said, and CDVA staff said they had raised the issue with federal lawmakers and discussed using tools such as the National Defense Authorization Act to address data-sharing limits.
Next steps identified on the record included CDVA providing the county its policies-and-procedures manual, offering regional staff for outreach events and inviting county staff to share local questions so CDVA can tailor support. The presentation closed with commissioners and staff thanking the CDVA team and committing to follow-up conversations.
