Jackson County veterans services reports claims activity, warns veterans against paying private filers

A county veterans services representative, identified in the transcript as Ruth, briefed the Jackson County Board of Supervisors on Nov. activity and outreach during the Dec. 30 meeting.

Ruth said the office recorded 46 in-person visits and 79 phone calls in November, filed five intent-to-file forms, two higher‑level reviews, four supplemental claims, one veteran's pension filing and two health-care forms, and saw 14 decisions issued that month. She reported the county's benefit totals for earlier months: 421 veterans or eligible dependents received $815,283 in September and $827,321 in October.

Ruth described regular outreach (monthly Bellevue clinic, newspaper FAQs) and emphasized that veterans should not pay private companies to file claims. "Veterans never have to pay to file a claim," she said, urging residents who are contacted for payment to reach out to the county office and to verify that any representative is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The board did not debate the figures in detail at the meeting; the veteran services representative said the office filed about 75% of 77 open claims for the month and noted ongoing work on backlog items.