The job search. Homelessness. Health care. Suicide. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Traumatic Brain Injury. Benefits. Insurance.

We’re all familiar with the issues, whether we’re veterans or not. But to paint the picture of veterans on Whidbey Island with the same brush as veterans around the state or even around the country, would be painting the wrong picture entirely.

It’s not that we don’t have a lot of veterans on Whidbey Island — we have the third highest veteran population in the state — 17 percent of our residents are veterans.

“Our demographic is different than most because our demographic is retirees, not indigent veterans,” said Gerald Pfannenstiel, Veterans and Adult Outreach Services coordinator for Island County. “You’ll mostly find that along the I-5 corridor, in bigger cities. Because we’re a retirement community we have a lot more people who have enough money to survive.”

But that’s not to say Island County doesn’t have a steady list of needs from the veterans community to fill. Pfannenstiel’s job is
to manage the Veterans Assistance Fund, which is governed by state law.

“Each county has to provide a certain amount of money to help indigent veterans,” he explained. “We get to decide somewhat how that’s used. We do rent, utilities, fuel assistance, food assistance and a few other things.”

Pfannenstiel took over the position in 2009. Before that he worked as a veterans service coordinator with the state Veteran’s Affairs office. He said he probably knows every service officer from the King/Snohomish County line north. He’s seen the number of veterans helped by the VAF grow, then stabilize somewhat since he’s been here.

“I actually thought I’d walk in here and be doing 30 Veterans Assistance Fund claims a month, but that’s not our demographic here,” he said. “Last year we saw 40 new clients and we did 80-some claims. That says a lot, considering we were doing five or 10 before I came on board.”

A JOINT EFFORT

Working closely with local organizations such as the Opportunity Council and veterans organizations like Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Fleet Reserve and Disabled American Veterans, Pfannenstiel helps link veterans up with the services he needs. He stresses that he does not have approval or disapproval authority over claims for the VAF — only the county commissioners can do that.

“I can sit there and tell somebody, ‘I can’t process this because you don’t meet the criteria’ — we do have income limits we can go by — and I can help to a point if they don’t have their discharge papers but I can prove somehow they’re a veteran,” he said. “But if they want more than temporary assistance, then I have to have their DD-214. If they don’t have it, then I can’t help.”

County commissioners, said Pfannenstiel are good at looking things over carefully. If there are any items that may cause concern, he will go before the board and explain it.

While Pfannenstiel is a service officer, he will quite often refer veterans to local VFW or DAV service officers.

“They can actually take power of attorney privileges so that they can legally represent clients for free,” he said. “That’s important, because I can’t offer that from the county because we don’t have those kinds of privileges.”

According to statistics from the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, of the approximately 13,000 veterans on Whidbey Island, 12 percent receive service connected compensation from the VA for a disability resulting from injury, disease or illness while serving in the military.

Sometimes veterans don’t realize they qualify for VA benefits and it’s not until much later in life they seek assistance.

“I find with the older vets that until they actually need something, they don’t come in to get it. And usually with them, it’s medicines, you know, and then it’s kind of a scramble to get them signed up with the VA,” Pfannenstiel said.

Streamlining the process with the VA and adding Community Based Outpatient Clinics, such as the one in Mount Vernon, have helped make it easier to access VA benefits. But for those who still struggle with the system, Pfannenstiel is easy to reach.

“I have an open door policy,” he said. “Anybody can come to my office here or if they need to meet me out in town, call me so we can set something up.”

Island County Veterans
Services Coordinator

Gerald Pfannenstiel
(360) 678-7805, 402 N. Main Street
Coupeville, WA 98239

Island County Veterans
Resource Center

1791 SE 1st Ave., Oak Harbor, WA 98277, (360) 678-7978