Dickinson County Veterans eligible for range of services

Dickinson County Veterans are eligible for services in health care, higher education and housing, among other benefits. (File photo) [Click to enlarge]

Recently returned veterans in Dickinson County have a friend in Ernie Cupp. As the director of Dickinson County Veteran Affairs, Cupp is an expert at helping service men and women navigate their way through the benefits offered to them upon their return.

From his initial meeting with a returning veteran, Cupp is committed to finding which needs need to be met.

"What I try to do when the veterans come in and return from overseas is try to find out what they did in the military, what was going on in their lives when they were serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, and determine if things happened that could very well result in mental health issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Traumatic Brain Injury," Cupp said.

Robert McKevitt of Spirit Lake, a member of 34th Infantry Division Second Brigade Combat Team and five-year member of the National Guard, learned of Cupp's helpfulness firsthand after returning from a two-year deployment in Kosovo in 2008.

"I went through Ernie, and they set up everything at the VA for me," McKevitt said. "The first thing you need to do is register with the VA. Any problems you had in deployment, they'll take care of them."

Cupp knows it is important for young veterans to know all of the services that are available to them.

"Every service available to the older veterans is available to the younger veterans," Cupp said. "The main thing that I would like to encourage the young veterans returning today (to do) is to get enrolled in the VA Medical Care system, even if you don't think you will ever need it, you just never know what will come up down the road."

Health Care

Dickinson County veterans can get local health care immediately upon their return at the Veteran's Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic, located in Spirit Lake.

"When they come to an appointment, they meet with a case manager," said Jennifer Lacey, R.N. and case manager for the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Programs. "We go through and provide them with VA benefits information, help them understand how to access their benefits through the VA and also do an assessment to kind of just check in and see how they are doing in all aspects of their life."

McKevitt, who suffered a torn rotator cuff during his most recent deployment, credits Cupp for helping him get enrolled in disability claims and receiving payments for physical therapy.

"I got it documented so that if there was any other problems with it, I would be able to get it taken care of with the VA," McKevitt said. "They also give me 10 percent disability, and they also paid for physical therapy."

Cupp places emphasis on the need for soldiers to tend to both their physical and mental needs.

"I try to instill in the veterans how critical it is to get mental health help now rather than taking a a chance of having issues escalate and result in substance abuse, relationship issues, and holding a job that become difficult if you're struggling with post traumatic stress disorder or brain injury," Cupp said.

Lacey notes that the Spirit Lake VA clinic makes it a priority to handle any mental health issues from the get go.

"If a veteran is having some struggles and needs some mental health counseling, we can pick that up at that appointment and help get them into services," Lacey said.

Education

Kicked off in August of 2009, the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act assists Veterans in the course of continuing their education, whether at a four-year institution, community college, or through vocational or on-the-job training.

Depending on the amount of time spent in the service, the bill allows for at least 36 months of coverage, helping Veterans in funding their housing, tuition and books.

McKevitt, who is currently using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to receive education courses in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement at Iowa Lakes Community College, says the bill has been a definite assistance in his education.

"Since the Post 9/11 GI Bill came out, they pay for everything," McKevvit said. "They pay for your tuition,your books, housing, and they also pay you so much money a month."

According to Anne Strayer, ILCC Veteran's Affairs/Admissions Office associate, one significant change outlined in the Post 9/11 GI Bill is the ability for Veterans to transfer their educational benefits to their dependents.

"If your husband was the soldier, he can transfer those benefits to you or your children if he still has educational benefits left in his name," Strayer notes.

The perks of the bill have caused a flood of Veteran applications to colleges including ILCC. Strayer has dealt firsthand with a funding backlog regarding Veteran applicants at the ILCC campus.

Strayer notes that the government has responded to the funding lag by instituting an emergency loan of up to $3,000 to help Veterans who have yet to see their Post-9/11 GI Bill money. She also feels confident Veterans interested in attending college during the Spring semester can still do so.

"If they're wanting to start in January, they need to apply now and get all of their paperwork to me so that we are ready to go on Jan. 14 when classes start." Strayer said.

Strayer also encourages any Veteran interested in taking advantage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill to start the process by filling out all of the paperwork including the FAFSA.

Housing

Veterans are also eligible for numerous benefits in the area of housing. Current VA benefits outline specific home loan services including refinancing loans and special grants for veterans.

Angie Petersen, a retail loan originator with Northwest Bank in Spirit Lake, notes the VA loan is an especially lucrative option.

"A VA loan is available for purchases or refinances," Petersen said. "If someone came in and was a veteran, they could apply for this program. It allows for 100 percent financing -that means they don't have to have a down payment, and they can borrow 100 percent of the purchase price of the property. That is an awesome benefit because right now in the mortgage industry, there's not a whole lot of 100 percent programs; there's two programs out there and this is one of them."

Petersen notes that the Iowa Finance Authority offers a military service grant of $5,000

for those in the service since 9/11. The grant aids qualifying veterans in purchasing a primary residence in Iowa. She encourages any veterans interested in taking advantage of VA housing incentives to make an appointment to discuss their options.

"We can sit down with them and see if its something they qualify for," Petersen said. "Obviously you have to have income to support your payments and that sort of thing. We look at your credit score, we look at your debt to income, but the VA program is a really great program for veterans."

Hunting and fishing

While VA benefits assist with furthering education and making home purchases, McKevitt notes that they can also aid leisure activities.

"Another thing that a lot of veterans don't know is that Iowa's governor enacted (a policy allowing) any disabled veteran with zero percent disability or greater (to) get a hunting and fishing license in Iowa for lifetime for $5.50," he said.

More Benefits

Cupp encourages local veterans to visit www.iowava.org to learn more about programs offered. He also invites visitors at the Dickinson County Veterans Affairs office, located in the Dickinson County Courthouse.

"I would encourage all recently returned veterans to take advantage of the wide range of benefits offered to them in Dickinson County," Cupp said.