Whitman County veterans services paused

COLFAX – The Whitman County Commissioners announced Feb. 21, that operations of the Whitman County’s Veterans Service Office have been paused.

Requests for Veterans Relief Fund assistance can be submitted to local American Legion Posts, but services requiring a certified Veterans Service Officer are currently unavailable.

Commissioner Swannack met with the Veterans Advisory Board on Friday, Feb. 24, to discuss refilling the position.

“I notified them that we were releasing our current Veterans Officer, and we all agreed we want to refill the position,” Swannack said, adding that they discussed the timeline for filling the position.

Swannack explained the Veterans Service officer is a one person office for Veterans Service. The Officer is credentialed to help veterans get medical claims, VA benefits, and help with other claims relevant to their discharge.

Swannack added that he had a good conversation with the Spokane Veterans office Tuesday, Feb. 28 about their willingness to help Veterans in Whitman County.

“There were several claims that were in progress that I was able to transfer to Spokane,” Swannack said, adding that the Spokane office is going to work with Walla Walla who is also willing to help until the county is able to get an officer trained and certified.