VA Board tightens up financial assistance

A recent review of records at the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Office has shown some individuals who don’t meet the state of Iowa’s definition of a veteran have been receiving emergency financial assistance from the office.

During the Commission of Veterans Affairs monthly board meeting Wednesday director Kurt Jackson asked the Commissioners to clarify the guidelines for emergency financial assistance.

“The reason I’m bringing this up is because we’ve been taking care of some veterans who don’t qualify as veterans,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he and his assistant Keith Thorpe first noticed the discrepancy while they worked to update and computerize the records system at the Veterans Affairs office. After reviewing the records, Jackson said he and Thorpe found individuals who have received emergency assistance payments from the VA office that do not qualify as veterans under the state of Iowa’s code.

During Wednesday’s VA board meeting Jackson provided each member of the board with a copy of Iowa code chapter 35.1. To be considered a veteran in the state of Iowa, residents who have served in the armed forces must meet certain qualifications. National Guard members are only eligible if they have 20 years of service, or if they have a minimum of 90 days of aggregate federal service, according to the state code.

“This person here, this office has been taking care of for 40 years,” Jackson said.

Both of the veterans Jackson and Thorpe identified in their review didn’t finish basic training, which means they’re not eligible to receive veteran benefits, including emergency assistance. On Wednesday, Jackson proposed the board adopt a motion to bring the county VA office’s policies in line with the state code. The motion passed unanimously, although some board members expressed concerns over how to handle the issue. Commissioner Marta Ford said she doesn’t agree with the way the state code is written, she believes reservists and members of the National Guard ought to be considered veterans.

“I really feel bad about doing that,” Ford said. “This guy has been receiving assistance for 40 some years, he’s 70 some years old.”

Jackson said he’s worked with the veteran in question for several years, and while he understands the veteran definition in the state code, he doesn’t “want to chop him off at the legs” by denying a claim for emergency financial aid. Working with veterans across the county, Jackson said he’s seen a definite need for the emergency financial aid services veterans are able to tap through his office. Many of the people he serves are living on a tight budget, and even a small financial crisis can put them at serious risk, Jackson said.

“There’s a real need for these people, that’s what I’m here for, to help them past the hurdle,” Jackson said.

While Jackson said his office does have a little bit of leeway, he wants to make sure he has the support of the commissioners before he takes action on the issue. After Wednesday’s vote, Jackson said he’ll notify the affected individuals they’ll no longer be able to receive assistance through his office and help refer them to another program that will be able to assist them.

While some members of the commission, including Ford expressed concern about the individual filing a complaint, commissioner Sue Springer said she doesn’t feel like the board will have anything to worry about if the individual complains.

“So, what do we do if this guy complains,” Ford asked.

“We’ll say you can be lucky that you don’t have to pay the money back,” Springer said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com