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More Rock County veterans seeking help

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

Rock County Veterans Service Officer John Solis talks about medical issues with a Vietnam veteran.

JANESVILLE — A growing number of Rock County’s 14,000 veterans are seeking help through the Rock County Veteran’s Service Office.

“We have seen an increase in requests for filing claims for World War II to the newest vets, who are keeping us busy,” said John Solis, Rock County veterans service officer.

Solis began noticing after January 2009 that more veterans were coming in for help.

“That’s when the economy hit home with General Motors and all the other entities laying people off,” he said.

Rock County veterans who lost health insurance through their employers wanted to know if they were eligible for Veterans Administration health care, Solis said.

“One question would lead to another, and before you know it, we would be working on a couple issues for each vet,” he said.

A record number of veterans are descending on Veterans Service Offices at county courthouses throughout Wisconsin, according to the Jefferson County Veterans Service Office.

“In Jefferson County there have been many days recently where the waiting room literally overflowed into the halls,” the release said.

In Rock County, “we’ve had chairs full and people standing in the hallways on a busy day, but we’ve managed to accommodate the vets by working through the lunch hour,” Solis said.

Busy days seem to be happening more often, so Solis makes arrangements to stay later. That leaves less time to spend with veterans organizations, at public events and at senior fairs. Instead, Solis spends time meeting with veterans, processing paperwork and filing claims, he said.

Young and old

Solis suspects his office will continue getting busier before the workload levels off.

“We have baby boomers coming up for retirement who are looking at everything, including an increased interest in the (Wisconsin) Veterans (Nursing) Home at King to those end-of-life things they are more concerned with,” he said.

The majority of the clients are walk-ins, and if the number of walk-ins continues to grow, Solis said it’s likely he and his three deputy service officers won’t be able to handle all of them.

The number of scheduled appointments also is up. Before last year, Solis was able to schedule appointments for the same day or next day. Now, he’s scheduling appointments a week out, he said.

In-home visits also have increased, Solis said, while paging through his travel log.

“A lot of vets are in nursing homes or assisting living, and a few are homebound, who prefer not to leave the house. So it’s easier for me to take a short drive and talk to them in their comfort zone,” he said.

Some may assume the increased demand is from service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Although they are seeking help, Solis said he is seeing veterans of all ages and conflicts.

“I’m dealing with a vet 91 years old to a vet that’s only 19,” he said.

Younger veterans generally are concerned about education and tuition, and older veterans want to know what health care they are eligible for, Solis said.

“A lot of vets don’t want to be a burden to their family. They want to know how to secure and register for a cemetery plot so their family doesn’t have to,” he said.

‘It’s meant the world’

Benefits paid to Rock County veterans have more than doubled in nine years.

In 2001, just over $17 million in federal benefits was paid to Rock County veterans who filed claims. In 2009, local veterans were eligible for more than $38 million of federal benefits, Solis said.

Among them was David Krapf, 40, Janesville. He is a highly decorated Gulf War veteran who served with the 1st Calvary Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Krapf first sought help three years ago because of physical problems. Since then, he’s returned to the office a few more times.

“They’re very knowledgeable on navigating you through the VA system and in an easy-access office location. I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to go and would recommend anybody go see John. He’s truly a caring individual with a very high level of compassion. I look at John as one of the gateways to getting needed services,” Krapf aid.

“There’s help out there for veterans,” Krapf wants others to know. “It’s meant the world for me.”

SERVICES PROVIDED

Services provided by the Rock County Veterans Service Office include:

-- Helping veterans and their dependents apply for and pursue claims for state and federal benefits.

-- Recording of discharge or separation documents.

--Promoting public awareness by presenting informational programs; sponsoring Youth Government Day; providing resource material on veterans, health topics and legislation; and giving presentations to veteran, civic, business and industry organizations.

-- Giving counseling referrals for job-hunting skills, drug and alcohol treatment and post-traumatic stress disorder.

-- Arranging financial assistance through a limited-availability voucher program. Eligibility is based on residency, military service requirements and financial need.

-- Distributing cemetery flag holders.

-- Making referrals to other agencies.