Host: Stephan Currie

Guest: Michael Roof of the Michigan Association of County Veteran Counselors

Topic: How county offices assist Michigan’s approximately 600,000 veterans is the topic of a special episode of Podcast 83 this week.

Host Stephan Currie talks with Michael Roof of Grand Traverse County, president of the Michigan Association of County Veteran Counselors (MACVC) on what he and his colleagues do each day.

“Out of the 83 counties, there's 79 counties that have a county department of veterans affairs. Some of us are general fund funded, and some are millage funded,” Roof said.

“Within those 79 counties, our duty is to help veterans and their dependents get and apply for any VA state or local benefits. That's the basic bottom line,” Roof added. “That means VA benefits, widow benefits, financial assistance, burial assistance. We help them anytime they come to our office.”

“Just to be clear,” Currie responded, “there's the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs at the state you're separate from them, right?”

“Yes … those are state agencies that are tasked with basically being a referral source, of getting it out and contacting veterans,” Roof said.

“So, what is most common when a veteran comes into your office, what do you guys typically find that they need most?” Currie asked.

“Assistance and filing for disability benefits or financial assistance … When someone comes in, they have to prove that they're a veteran, first and foremost, with documentation. They must prove they are a resident of the county. And then we usually have them provide a paycheck stub for everybody in the household, two months of bank statements to show that they don't have an excessive amount of money to, you know, contribute to the emergency situation. And then we just kind of go through their expenses and have a conversation to find out what caused this situation and how we can help.”