Vermillion County veterans officer seeks council backing to pursue federal grants and expand services

Eileen Mahan, Vermillion County Veterans Service Officer, asked the County Council May 11 for support to expand the county’s veterans services office and to partner with RJL Solutions for federal grant writing.

Mahan told the council she is a one‑person office who presented a 14‑month workload analysis showing a steep increase in document processing and service volume. “I am one person, and so I am working 6, 7 days a week, trying to stay caught up,” she said, adding that she returned from a three‑hour appointment to find 23 voicemails.

Mahan said she is pursuing two grant opportunities she described as addressing housing and mental‑health needs; she told the council obtaining those awards would position the county to compete for a separate four‑year VA grant she said could provide about $960,000 to fund a veterans court. She also described a fee schedule provided by RJL Solutions for grant services and said she did not yet have a clear answer on whether fees would be payable before award or could be deducted from grant proceeds.

Council members asked for more detail about costs and timelines and requested Mahan email materials and follow up with an estimated budget if fees must be paid before an award. The Chair said the council would give Mahan a general “blessing” to pursue the grants while reserving final appropriation decisions until the fee structure and payment timing are clear.

Mahan also proposed using part of the vacant Ernie Pyle School for veteran outreach services. The Chair clarified that the empty building’s carrying costs are paid through redevelopment funding generated by local industry rather than the general fund.

Mahan told the council she is handling roughly 264 active veteran cases and cited an estimated county veteran population of about 890, according to the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs figure she referenced. She said the office is currently assisting three homeless veterans.

The council asked Mahan to return with more specific cost estimates and said quarterly updates or email summaries on progress would be acceptable. Mahan said the deadline for one of the grant opportunities she mentioned—the application she called the “Fox” grant—is June 12, and that review would take place in July–September if an application is submitted.

The council did not take a formal vote on any financial commitment at the meeting; members signaled support for Mahan moving forward with grant applications and for staff to follow up about payment terms for grant services.