Some Vermilion County Board members are questioning why hundreds of thousands of dollars that is supposed to help area veterans has not been spent. Bill Pickett has more…
Under the county’s proposed new tax levy the Veterans Assistance Commission of Vermilion County will receive no less than $265,700 or .02 percent of the EAV (equalized assessed value) of the county – whichever is greater. So far this fiscal year the Commission has spent $39,237 in direct benefits for veterans…with three months left in the fiscal year.
Marti Carroll, Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Vermilion County, says veterans need to ask for help if they need it…
{AUDIO: “The services that are provided through the Veterans Assistance Commission are all provided on demand from the veterans. So if the veterans are eligible for financial assistance – they meet the criteria of our financial assistance policy – I’m able to process those requests.”}
Carroll (shown in photo above) says over the past year the Commission has assisted some local veterans with HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) assistance…
{AUDIO: “So we were able to provide that to, I think, three or four veterans that I have record of, and so forth. We had another veteran who was a 90-year-old Navy veteran – resident here of Danville – that received a significant amount of services with a very small portion of that actually coming out of our budget. Do to my efforts and the efforts of the American Legion Post the individual was a member of, we approached other organizations for their assistance.”
County Board members Lon Henderson and Jerry Hawker said they would like to see more of the money that has already been allocated actually go toward helping veterans. Although the Veterans Assistance Commission receives funding through the county it operates independent from the county.
The Veterans Assistance Commission of Vermilion County is located at 123 North Hazel Street in Danville where all in-person visits are by appointment only. The office can be contacted online at Marti.carroll@vercounty.org. Or call 217-554-7950.
