Focus needs to be on getting services to veterans

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed into law the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. The PACT Act expansion of benefits to veterans and their families more than makes up for any wordiness in its name.

In the hyperbolic world of political pundits, phrases like “ground breaking” and “game changing” get tossed around with such frequency that they lose any real meaning. In the case of the PACT Act those terms barely do justice to describe how important this legislation will be to the lives of veterans across the country and right here in Taylor County.

The challenge, as with any program, is to ensure that the people who have earned the benefits through their service can access it.

This is where things get thorny for local residents. In a move that was a surprise to many, on Friday afternoon, Shellie Shaw resigned from her position as the county’s veterans service officer. The CVSO is the point person for connecting local veterans with benefit programs.

With the enrollment period for the PACT Act just over a month away, it is not unreasonable to expect dozens, if not hundreds, of new claims as the law greatly expands benefits for a number of conditions.

While Shaw has her own reasons for stepping down at this time, including those mentioned in her resignation letter (see page 4) the timing of it is less than ideal when it comes to meeting veterans’ needs.

The clear challenge facing Taylor County is to move forward from the personality politics that have soured relations and to ensure that veterans get the assistance they need in accessing all available benefits. The price for those benefits has been paid in blood, flesh and toil and Taylor County leaders must not shirk their responsibility to veterans through inaction or penny-pinching.

With such an expansion in potential clients, the two-person department would have been hard-pressed to meet the demand. With benefit specialist Nikki Sherman alone in the office, the county must move rapidly to give her the support needed to ease through the transition and make filling the veterans service officer position a priority.

At the same time, the county must be receptive to the changing needs of the office. While there are many things veterans of previous decades have in common with younger ones, there are also significant differences. The functionality of the office must address these changes and be accessible for veterans at all stages of life. The county must not rely on what was good enough in the past to guide what is needed for the future.

Above all else, the focus going forward must continue to be on assisting veterans with getting access to the benefits they have earned. The clock is ticking for Taylor County board members and veterans and there is no time for squabbles and politics in getting veterans the services they need.