Mary Lou Cleveland, the county Veterans Service Officer, told the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 that her office saw a surge of visits in September and has received a $10,000 state grant allocation for fiscal 2025–26.

Cleveland said the office’s caseload is “pretty consistent” overall but that “everybody and their brother came out with woodwork in September,” producing about double the usual visits. She described recent outreach events, statewide training she attended and speakers who provided information for assisting veterans on federal claims. “I have the $10,000 stamp state grant allocation to utilize for fiscal year 25 26,” Cleveland said, adding the funds are used for outreach and promotion.

Cleveland also described client work her office completed in recent months. She described helping a widow whose husband had been denied benefit claims but who became eligible after a 2022 law change that expanded recognition of certain overseas locations. “We were able to get her the death and indemnity compensation pension,” she said, and noted the award totaled about $1,600 per month.

She told the board that a partial federal government shutdown has furloughed regional staff in Des Moines, meaning local Veterans Affairs offices cannot request in‑depth inquiries on claims because regional staff are not available. “There is no inquiring on claims,” she said. “You can’t dig deeper and say, can you help fix this right now?”

After Cleveland’s presentation, a board member moved to approve the veterans affairs quarterly report. The motion was seconded by Supervisor Smith and approved by voice vote.

The report included outreach activity details (Heritage Park event, Homebase Highway dedications) and training items Cleveland said help with federal claims work. Cleveland displayed small medallions with contact information and the veteran crisis line for distribution to clients and community partners.

The board did not amend the report; the motion to accept it passed on a voice vote.

The board’s acceptance means the report will be entered into the county record and Cleveland will continue outreach and claims assistance with the stated grant funds and ongoing casework.