Veterans office outlines services, signs MOU for local mental-health support

Phil McCaskey, director of Jackson County Veterans Affairs, delivered the office’s semiannual report to the services committee on Dec. 1, outlining client-service metrics, partnerships and program activity.

McCaskey said the office handled 1,481 phone calls and completed 569 in-person appointments between May and October. He described an MOU with the Dearborn Vet Center that will provide a licensed medical or mental-health social worker who will hold office hours in Jackson County twice a month; McCaskey said the arrangement does not cost the county because the center schedules and manages the counselor’s appointments.

The director summarized common services: filing compensation claims, assisting with debt waivers or payment plans when the VA recoups benefits, helping veterans enroll in VA health care (often forwarding applications to the Ann Arbor VA), and assisting with records requests such as DD-214s. McCaskey noted the office uses a Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency-funded database to coordinate records and services with regional partners.

Speakers quoted: Phil McCaskey, Veterans Affairs director.

Ending: The committee received the veterans office report by motion.