COLDWATER (WTVB) – The office of Branch County Veterans Affairs counselor Charles Scott continues to be overloaded with calls for assistance as he works extended hours to get more services to vets. The same can be said for many in his position while Michigan still ranks 48th among the states and territories in federal veteran’s expenditures in the state.
Jeff Barnes, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, told MIRS this week that in the past few years, there’s been a 10 percent increase in the number of veterans signing up for benefits. There’s also been a per-capita income increase for veterans receiving funds from the federal government, by about $1,020 per veteran. Barnes said the state agency has hosted three vets expos and has already received more than 3,000 calls through its 211 phone line for veterans, known as the Veterans Resource Service Center.
The veterans’ unemployment rate for 2013 in Michigan rose to 10.6 percent, up from the 7.9 percent reported for 2012. And don’t look for any letup in the demand for Scott’s services. Barnes is expecting anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 veterans to return to Michigan in the next five years. However, MIRS reports the overall number of veterans in the state is supposed to fall. Projections have the population going from an estimated 640,000 this year down to 559,000 in 2020 as older veterans pass away.
