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Brenda and Jim Hoffman
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
HART — Among the many candidates and proposals on the Aug. 6 primary ballot, there is one that is crucial to helping those who have done the most for us — our military veterans.
The Oceana County Department of Veterans’ Affairs is seeking a .1-mill renewal that is critical to keeping the organization in operation. The millage would raise an estimated $148,112 in the first calendar year of the levy.
“The millage is really important to us,” said Veteran Service Officer Jodi Slinkard. “We are only asking for the same amount as the last four years.”
Slinkard is a military veteran who served in the US Air Force as a medic for nine years and was deployed in 1999 to serve in the Gulf War.
The Oceana County Department of Veterans’ Affairs has existed since 2013, said Slinkard. The office is located in the Oceana County annex building on Griswold Street in Hart.
The VA provides assistance to veterans struggling with homelessness, mental health issues and financial woes. Slinkard and VSO Administrative Assistant Danielle Shilton help veterans find healthcare and file disability claims.
“Last year, we tracked over 3,000 veterans,” said Slinkard. “We’re looking to eventually hire a part-time person. When a veteran needs anything, they come to a veterans service officer because it’s all so encompassing. If they go to a VA hospital or a VA outpatient clinic and they’re referred to a patient advocate, they’re not getting the same treatment as they are by a local county veterans service officer.”
In addition to helping veterans, the VA participates in many public outreach events to find more veterans to help. Slinkard and Shilton participated in 28 public outreach events in 2023.
“You would be surprised how many veterans that do not know the office is here or that they qualify for something.”
They are scheduled for outreach events at the Pentwater Township Library, the New Era Farmers’ Market, the Oceana County Fair, the Silver Lake Apple & BBQ Fest and a Veterans’ Day 5K and parade Nov. 9.
They helped 236 veterans with support services last year and opened 360 veterans’ claims. “I have over 200 claims going right now.”
Through their efforts, over $1.8 million were brought back to Oceana County through veterans’ back pay compensation, new or increased compensation and emergency needs claims.
In cooperation with local charitable organizations, the VA office also provided 25 Thanksgiving baskets and 50 Christmas baskets to Oceana County veterans and veterans’ widows.
The local VA has a handicap-accessible van to take veterans, particularly aging vets, to appointments. “Our population of veterans over the age of 70 last year was 981 — that’s at least two thirds.
“Previously, there may have been distrust and non-follow-through with the office itself. I want veterans to know this is a place where they can come, and we are trustworthy. We are going to do our due diligence and our best to help them in any way, shape or form that we can.
“I want veterans to never give up. I want them to know somebody is always here for them. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to.”
Jim Hoffman, who served in the US Army for 13 years, receives valuable help from the Oceana veterans’ office. The 63-year-old suffers from injuries to his lungs, head, knees and back as a result of his military service. “I have been shot at when I was in Korea the first time in ‘80 and ‘81 in the DMZ (demilitarized zone), we’d go out on live patrols. We had a little firefight there. It’s never fun when you have bullets flying by you.”
Hoffman’s head injury occurred when another GI hit him in the back of the head with a steel pipe in a murder attempt on the military base. His knee injuries are the result of jumping out of airplanes during his service in the airborne division. Exposure to diesel fumes caused severe lung problems. “My lungs got messed up pretty good.” He has suffered from lung cancer and has very little lung capacity, requiring him to be on oxygen. “I’ve had about four or five lung surgeries.”
After his time in the Army, Jim worked for about 20 years until his lung collapsed in 2014.
“If you had seen him three months ago, he wasn’t walking,” said his wife Brenda. “He was totally wheelchair bound.”
As veterans battled on the frontlines during their time of service, their battles continue with physical and mental health problems when they return home. Their battles often intensify when they apply for veterans’ benefits only to be rejected. Fortunately, the veteran’s office staff is there to help.
“Jodi has bent over backwards,” he said.
“We’ve been fighting for seven years, and when she came in — within a year — we had everything,” said Brenda.
A wheelchair ramp has been installed at his house thanks to the help he’s received from his veterans’ benefits. Critical medical tests, like CT scans, are now covered. Slinkard is currently working on getting the Hoffmans a home adaptation grant to make changes to their home to adapt to Jim’s disabilities, such as converting their bathtub into a walk-in shower and widening the backdoor for his wheelchair. He was also assisted in obtaining a motorized scooter. “She definitely knows her job — I would recommend her to any veteran,” said Jim.
“Without a knowledgeable VSO officer, these veterans don’t have a chance in that system,” said Brenda. “The paperwork is so confusing. Without a VSO officer, a normal veteran would just give up. It’s impossible for veterans to navigate the VA by themselves.
“I can’t stress to veterans enough — fight for your rights.”
The ballot language for the millage renew proposal:
OCEANA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS OPERATING MILLAGE RENEWAL This proposal reestablishes the .1000 mill millage previously approved by the electors that expired after the December 2023 levy. The Headlee Amendment previously reduced this millage to .0986 mills. This ballot proposal renews the previous .0986 mills and authorizes a new additional millage of 0.0014 mills to restore the mills that were rolled back by the Headlee Amendment. Shall the limitation upon the total amount of taxes that may be levied against all taxable property within Oceana County be renewed and restored at the rate of up to .1000 mills, ($0.1000 per $1,000.00 in taxable value) against all taxable property in Oceana County for a period of 4 years, 2024 through 2027, inclusive, for the purpose of funding the operations of the Oceana County Department of Veterans’ Affairs? Revenue from this millage will be disbursed to Oceana County. If approved and levied in its entirety, this millage would raise an estimated $148,112 in the first calendar year of the levy.
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