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July 28, 2023
Commissioners change veterans service officer position from part- to full-time
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
While still looking for someone to fill the role, Bandera County commissioners unanimously approved changing the job description for a veterans service officer from part-time to full-time, increasing the annual salary to $38,000.
Vietnam Veteran Gary Noller spoke in favor of the change.
“There’s nothing easy about the military. It’s a hard life. It can take you 10,000 miles away from home with no promise you’ll ever go back,” Noller said. “Way too many veterans come home and commit suicide… sometimes that’s due to finances… Navigating benefits can be very difficult. A veterans service officer helps veterans get the benefits that they deserve.”
Veteran Bruce Duncan, a member of the Bandera American Legion Post 157, said he moved to Bandera from San Antonio because of former VSO Dennis Birchall.
“He helped me get the benefits I was due,” Duncan said. “In San Antonio, you couldn’t find the help.”
Birchall also spoke in support of changing the VSO position from part-time to full-time.
“Our nation does egregious things to our soldiers,” Birchall said. “We march soldiers into nuclear sites… spray them with cancer-causing herbicides in Vietnam… send them to the desert and force them to breathe cancer-causing smoke for a year. Then when they get diseases caused by those acts, the veteran has to prove to the VA that his illness was caused by those acts to get treatment. It’s an extremely hard process. It requires an expert who can access the VA and military databases to get all the information needed to prove the claim.”
Right now, he said, VSOs channel $30 million every year in direct payment to veterans with diseases and illnesses, and an additional $20 million in medical benefits.
“I think it’s a value to the county to have a well-paid VSO,” he said.
American Legion Post 157 Commander Susan Junker said today’s VSO job description should “accurately reflect today’s environment,” adding an appropriate salary is a recruitment and retention incentive to “get the right person to apply and stay.”
“We ask you to do the right thing to make our veterans a priority,” she said.
Former VSO Victor Polanco said he would remain a resource for the position, and would work with the next VSO the county hires. County Auditor Darryl Sadler said the actual salary would increase closer to $40,000, with the proposed COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment), once the next fiscal year budget is approved.
Vietnam Veteran Gary Noller spoke in favor of the change.
“There’s nothing easy about the military. It’s a hard life. It can take you 10,000 miles away from home with no promise you’ll ever go back,” Noller said. “Way too many veterans come home and commit suicide… sometimes that’s due to finances… Navigating benefits can be very difficult. A veterans service officer helps veterans get the benefits that they deserve.”
Veteran Bruce Duncan, a member of the Bandera American Legion Post 157, said he moved to Bandera from San Antonio because of former VSO Dennis Birchall.
“He helped me get the benefits I was due,” Duncan said. “In San Antonio, you couldn’t find the help.”
Birchall also spoke in support of changing the VSO position from part-time to full-time.
“Our nation does egregious things to our soldiers,” Birchall said. “We march soldiers into nuclear sites… spray them with cancer-causing herbicides in Vietnam… send them to the desert and force them to breathe cancer-causing smoke for a year. Then when they get diseases caused by those acts, the veteran has to prove to the VA that his illness was caused by those acts to get treatment. It’s an extremely hard process. It requires an expert who can access the VA and military databases to get all the information needed to prove the claim.”
Right now, he said, VSOs channel $30 million every year in direct payment to veterans with diseases and illnesses, and an additional $20 million in medical benefits.
“I think it’s a value to the county to have a well-paid VSO,” he said.
American Legion Post 157 Commander Susan Junker said today’s VSO job description should “accurately reflect today’s environment,” adding an appropriate salary is a recruitment and retention incentive to “get the right person to apply and stay.”
“We ask you to do the right thing to make our veterans a priority,” she said.
Former VSO Victor Polanco said he would remain a resource for the position, and would work with the next VSO the county hires. County Auditor Darryl Sadler said the actual salary would increase closer to $40,000, with the proposed COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment), once the next fiscal year budget is approved.