Calhoun County veterans and their families who are impacted by the COVID-19 virus can apply for funding recently made available.   $48,000 was granted to the Calhoun County Veteran Service Fund earlier in the year and was mostly earmarked for outreach and informational programs. Aaron Edlefson, of the Calhoun County Veteran Affairs Office, was a guest on Friday’s 95.3 WBCK Morning Show with Tim Collins.  Edlefson says they were able to get the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency to cut through the “red tape” and expedite the approval to use those funds to help veterans who have financial hardship at due to COVID-19.

Veterans Affairs Agency, and the dollars will be added to the office's Veterans Relief Fund (VRF). County veterans can apply for VRF monies for financial hardship, and the Calhoun County Veterans Affairs Committee assesses these requests.

Edlefson says the best method to apply for these funds is to call the Calhoun County VA Office at 269-969-6735.   The office is currently closed to the public, but operations continue via phone and email.

Edlefson says VA Claims process hasn’t been slowed, and that they should be able to accommodate veterans fairly quickly.

Recently, with grant dollars, Calhoun County Veterans Affairs produced a short commercial about its services, encouraging County veterans to seek help when needed.  This 60-second video was produced by BluFish, a marketing agency based in Marshall, Michigan, and features volunteers, staff, and committee members who work with the Veterans Affairs office regularly.  The video was playing in movie theaters throughout Calhoun County until theaters were closed by state order.

Watch the video or learn more on Facebook or check out the Veterans Affairs website.

 

 

KEEP READING: 50 community resources supporting Americans financially impacted by COVID-19

 

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