New office and new hours for Henry County Veterans Affairs

The Henry County Veterans Affairs office is in a new location in Mt. Pleasant. Along with the move to a new location at 106 E. Clay St. comes new hours of operation.

“As of Dec. 1, we are now open 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” said Roger Pittsenbarger, director of the Henry County Veterans Affairs.

“Walk-ins are accepted, however, it is best to call ahead and make an appointment. Especially if you have a lot of paperwork to cover,” said Pittsenbarger. “Filing a claim takes quite a bit of time to do.”

The Henry County Veterans Affairs office assists veterans in filing claims through the Veterans Affairs for disabilities that they may have incurred while in service.

“We also get veterans into the VA system for medical attention,” said Pittsenbarger. “Anybody that has served has the benefit of going to the Iowa City VA or any of the local clinics in our area, which are located in Burlington and Ottumwa.”

The Veterans Affairs office assists spouses, children and parents of veterans, and assists in getting claims properly done within VA system.

One of the aspects of care that is often sought out is nursing home assistance. The Veterans Affairs office is able to assist in filing claims for assistance.

“Veterans, and the spouses of veterans that go into a nursing homes have the right to file a claim for assistance,” said Pittsenbarger. “There can be an offset to the price of a nursing home through compensation or a monthly grant.”

According to Pittsenbarger, there has been an increase in the number of veterans that are seen in the Veterans Affairs office. They typically service 60 to 70 veterans per month.

“There are about 1,800 veterans in Henry County alone,” said Pittsenbarger. “And with the end of the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts, those numbers have increased as service members go back to their home communities.”

“There are new changes to the VA that happen every month. Such as changes to those that were exposed to Agent Orange, and burn pits,” said Pittsenbarger. “These are changes to the type of care the veteran may receive.”

“A lot of people that are veterans are not aware of the care that they may be eligible for,” said Pittsenbarger. “Or they have never taken advantage of them because of the volume of paperwork involved to file a claim. That is what I am here for. I am here to assist them.”