On Thursday evening, February 8, the Custer County Veterans’ Service Officer (CVSO) from Broken Bow, Emory Haynes gave a presentation at the Rotary Club in Arnold.
Emory has been our Custer County VSO for nearly 11 years, and is a United States Air Force Veteran. He served in the early 1980’s, after over a year and a half in USAF technical training, as a Chinese-Mandarin Linguist at Osan Air Base in South Korea. Emory also serves the veterans of Blaine and Loup Counties as CVSO.
Mr. Haynes discussed the history of Veterans benefits and the duties of County Veterans’ Service Officers (CVSOs) in Nebraska. He also informed the Rotary members that he is supported by a 5-member Veterans’ Service Committee, which includes Mike Harvey from Arnold, among four others from around Custer County.
Among the issues discussed were the application and access processes for VA Health Care, VA Disability Compensation and Pension benefits, Survivors Pension, Dependents Indemnity Compensation, Burial Allowance, Government Grave Markers and other Federal/ Local VA Benefits. State Benefits including Nebraska and Custer County Veterans’ Aid Programs were also discussed.
Mr. Haynes also reported that last fiscal year, the total Federal and State
Benefits that were received in Custer County totaled $9,347,000.00 with $5,067,000.00o f that total being from cash benefit payments paid directly to Custer County Veterans and/ or their survivors.
There are other services provided by the VSO that are not listed here, but those discussed at the meeting are among the most common.
For questions or inquiries into potential VA claims and/ or benefits you can call the VSO Office, in Broken Bow at theCourthouse, at (308) 872-2071.
