One-stop shopping for vets

A makeover of the Kootenai County Veteran Services Office will provide an unprecedented one-stop shop for veterans.

Through a collaboration with the Idaho Division of Veterans Services, the county office is gaining a state veteran services officer.

This marks the first time in Idaho that both county and state veteran services officers will be accessible at the same location, said Darryl Heisey, recently tapped to fill the office's new state position.

"This is a good thing for everyone," said Heisey, adding that he is happy to continue at the office he has worked in as the county services officer.

The change finally supplies North Idaho with its own state services officer, Heisey said, which will enhance veterans' access to benefits.

State service officers have previously driven up from Lewiston to serve the northern counties on a quarterly basis, he said.

"We've got veterans who have never tapped into resources or have never had anybody come and visit or had anybody tell them about these benefits," Heisey said. "That's a primary goal of state and county officers, to get the word out to as many veterans as we can."

Heisey expects to do so in his new role, he said.

His duties will include training veteran services officers in the other northern counties, he said, as well as personally linking veterans in those counties with sundry services.

He will also conduct public outreach, visiting locations like assisted living facilities to enlighten veterans about their options.

All that, while continuing his duty of the past several years, helping local vets file benefits claims.

"I've met a lot of people over an eight-year period helping with claims. They've become friends," said Heisey, who served 21 years in the Army himself. "So I don't necessarily have to say goodbye to my friends."

Kootenai County has the second highest veteran population of Idaho counties, he said, with more than 14,700 veterans. There are more than 24,000 veterans in the five northern counties.

Tom Ressler with IDVS said the state has been hoping to provide a state services officer for North Idaho for years, and hasn't had the funds until now.

The change is partly to prepare for returning service men and women from Afghanistan, he said.

"We're filing more claims now than ever," Ressler said, noting that 45 percent of new veterans nationwide are filing for disability benefits. "We're extremely busy."

To house the new state position, the Veteran Services Office at 120 East Railroad Ave. in Post Falls is undergoing a roughly $25,000 remodel, which started Monday and continues through July 9.

The county is funding the renovation, said Commissioner Dan Green.

The state will rent office space for $500 to offset the cost, he added.

"The focus from the state and county is how to best serve the veterans," Green said. "Having a state officer and county officer in different locations would potentially confuse veterans on where they should go."

The slew of benefits the office helps veterans obtain include service-connected disability, assistance with purchasing prescription drugs, surgeries and hearing aids, as well as burial and memorial benefits, Heisey said.

An accredited and certified veteran services officer can make all the difference in working through the red tape, he said.

"When a veteran comes in and has one question, it usually leads to another and another, and that's OK, because we're here to answer those questions," he said, adding that he has helped about 6,800 veterans a year. "The work a veteran services officer does literally changes the lives of the people he's helping."

Scott Thorsness, a retired 24-year Air Force veteran, will serve as the new manager at the county Veteran Services Office, according to a county press release.

Another county employee, Charles Nugent, will also work in the office.

The county office will be closed during the remodel. Service officers will work out of the Bestland Independent Living Facility at 606 East Best Ave. in Coeur d'Alene starting Monday, June 18.

Walk-ins can be seen from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1-5 p.m. on weekdays.

For phone inquiries, folks can call the county commissioners' office at 446-1601.

The office on Railroad Avenue will reopen after July 9. The number will remain 446-1092.

Heisey hopes more veterans will learn about benefits they can receive, he said.

"It's important we get these benefits out and information out, so these veterans know this help is out there for them," he said.