For the past 24 years Milam County government has funded a full-time Veteran’s Service Officer. Mr. Ken Janicek filled the position and did an outstanding job. With Ken’s retirement we have reviewed the need for a veteran’s service officer in the county.
Initially, the county voted to hire Gary Ivy, the Northwest District Manager for the Texas Veteran’s Commission. Mr. Ivy was imminently qualified for the position as he had worked for the Texas Veteran’s Commission in many capacities since 2008. However, Mr. Ivy declined to accept the position, in part due to the lack of need in the county for a full-time officer.
According to the United States Census Bureau the Veteran’s population in the county in 2000 was 2,734 or 15 percent of the total population of the county. In 2020 the Veteran’s population had declined to 1,319 or 7 percent of the population. The 52 percent decline of Milam County Veterans has clearly caused a decline in the need for a full-time Veterans Service Officer. For that and other reasons the county will soon consider filling the position with a part-time person.
Mr. Janicek kept immaculate records of the services he provided. Those records clearly show a major decline in contact for services. In fact, during the month of February 2022 only eight individuals contacted his office for assistance. While this number varies, it is clear that the number of inquiries for assistance has declined with the loss of Veterans in the county. Our neighboring counties have the same issue and therefore, Burleson, Lee and Robertson have part-time service officers and Falls County has no service officer.
In addition, the assistance provided by our County Officer is available from many other government providers, including the Veterans Administration and the Texas Veterans Commission. Assistance with disability claims, survivor benefits, burial allow ances, VA healthcare, GI Bill and employment are all provided by the VA, the Texas Veterans Commission and Texas Workforce Solutions.
Also, there are over 40 congressionally chartered service organizations recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs that provide preparation, presentation and prosecution of Veteran’s claims.
For these reasons and many more, the time has come to have a county service officer available in the county only two days per week. For the immediate future, we foresee having the officer available in Cameron and Rockdale one day per week. This matter will be taken up at Commissioners Court on April 25 and we invite anyone interested to join and participate.
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