Bill Larson, Island County Human Services deputy director and program manager for Veterans Services, told the Oak Harbor City Council on Nov. 5 that Island County has the highest number of veterans per capita of Washington’s 39 counties and now averages about 17.6% of residents as military veterans.

Larson said the county created a designated veterans services officer position in September 2023 and later added a second VSO. “When you do something great for people, they tend to tell their friends,” Larson said, describing an early caseload surge that prompted the additional hire. He identified the VSO team in the chamber as Zach (Veterans Services Officer), David McInnis (Veterans Services Officer) and Tyler (veterans service coordinator) and invited councilmembers to ask the staff about operations.

Larson briefed council on outcomes: staff-level VSOs achieve an approximately 86% success rate on new or increased benefit applications they prepare or resubmit, compared with an estimated 25% success rate for self-filed initial claims that county staff said are typically denied at about a 75% rate. Larson said the county returned roughly $2.4 million in back pay plus one‑year benefit totals to local veterans in the prior year; year‑to‑date totals presented at the meeting were $5,134,000 for back pay and the first year of benefits.

The county’s veterans assistance fund, managed by the veterans service coordinator, provides short-term emergency assistance for income-eligible veterans, spouses, surviving spouses and dependent children. Larson said the program has issued more than 630 vouchers year to date, provided over $91,000 in direct assistance this year, and made nearly 100 referrals to VSOs and about 90 referrals to other local partners. He said the assistance is designed to be short-term and to help veterans regain financial stability and, where eligible, enroll in VA health care and education programs opened by service awards.

Councilmembers asked about outreach methods, timeframes for claim decisions, funding stability and unmet needs. Tyler said outreach relies heavily on word-of-mouth and referrals from community partners such as the Opportunity Council as well as attendance at veteran events (VFW, American Legion) and senior centers. Larson said adjudication times vary: simple corrections can be resolved in weeks, while complex cases can take many months and may include medical appointments; veterans who receive awards can be granted back pay based on the date of application.

On funding, Larson said the new VSO position is state-funded and expected to remain in the budget for “the next couple of years,” and he stressed the large local return in benefits compared with the approximate cost of a VSO position. Council members pressed staff about needs the city could help address; Larson highlighted social isolation among aging veterans and asked for city help connecting veterans to community activities.

Council members thanked the county team for the presentation and discussed ways to increase local outreach and coordination.