In news you rarely see, a government agency said, “Hey, this could be done cheaper if you cut my hours and my benefits.”
20 hours per week reflects the actual needs of the county’s veterans, according to Cara Martin, director of Veterans Affairs for Benton County. In a refreshing move, Martin decided the county should reduce its hours. Because of this, you will lose your full-time salary and all benefits, vacation time, paid time off, sick days, paid vacation, as well as any other government benefits.
Martin currently has 129 pending cases with Veterans Affairs that will add a new veteran or adjust benefits for current beneficiaries. With so many pending cases and the cases he has brought up to date, he feels as though he has done everything he can to bring his records up to date. “I shouldn’t be getting paid to twiddle my thumbs which isn’t fair to the taxpayers,” he said. In the near future, he will change the hours starting at 8:00 p.m. every day, if necessary, he can adjust them to accommodate the veterans in the area.
Of the 1,080 veterans in Benton County, 405 veterans have qualified for VA disability compensation or a VA pension.
As of March, Benton County had 410 veterans receiving $647,451 in benefits each month. In April, the number dropped to 405 due to the deaths of veterans. However, total earnings for these veterans rose to $656,842 countywide.
If you are unsure whether you or another veteran qualifies for benefits, contact Cara Martin at her office located at 811 D Ave., Suite 34 in Vinton, or call and leave a message at ( 319) 472-3150. You can also contact the office through Facebook at Benton County, Iowa Veterans Affairs. His hours will soon be from 8:00 am to noon every day, but he will get back to you if you simply leave him a message.
The Veterans Affairs page can be viewed on the county website HERE.
