Iowa Veterans’ Benefits Bill Passes the Iowa Senate

“Today, Iowa ranks 44th in the nation for veteran benefits, and only 29 percent of Iowa veterans are receiving the assistance they deserve. That’s not acceptable,” Governor Reynolds said. “By aligning resources and improving efficiency, we can ensure that the Iowans who served our nation with honor receive the benefits they’ve earned. Thank you to the Senate for passing this bill with bipartisan support to modernize our CVSO system and support the men and women who have sacrificed so much for us.”

Each Iowa county currently gets $10,000 to pay a veterans service officer. The governor says only a third of Iowa’s nearly 180,000 veterans are signed up for the benefits they earned and her alternative ties funding to the county’s performance in signing veterans up for benefits. Dan Gannon with Disabled American Veterans says he supports the bill because Iowa can do much better at connecting veterans with the compensation they deserve.

Michael Mortensen is legislative liaison for the Iowa Association of County Veterans Services. He says most counties are opposed to the bill because one-third of them would lose funding based on what he says is inaccurate data. Mortensen says they’d support incentives created with new funding.

Winnebago County Veterans Affairs Director Mary Lou Kleveland says the governor’s plan does not recognize that not all veterans qualify for a pension or disability compensation.

And Kleveland says only veterans who have served on active duty at least 90 days to receive a pension. The plan Governor Reynolds unveiled her proposal in January would see the top third of counties with a high percentage of veterans who are signed up for VA compensation get $15,000 annually from the state for veterans service officers. The bottom third would get $5,000 and the middle third would get $10,000 annually if more of the county’s veterans are signed up for VA benefits.