Craven County has strong veteran organization

May 26--Craven County -- home of Cherry Point and sporting a vibrant retirement community -- has a large veteran population, with about 15,000 registered with the Veterans Administration.

It has a strong, reactive Craven County's Veteran Services, under Director Jeff Futrell, who estimates that the county's total number of veterans at upwards of 20,000 -- including vets who are not in the VA system. Thousands more spouses and dependents also fall under the eligibility of the VA.

Craven is third in veteran population in North Carolina on a per-capita basis and 11th in actual residents.

The proximity to the military bases is attractive and familiar to a lot of people who want to retire.

"They may have been stationed there before and want to come back because of the easy, laid-back lifestyle we have here in Eastern North Carolina," Futrell said.

The county also has a well-organized network of more than a dozen veterans' service organizations under the umbrella of the Craven Veterans Council, along with nearly a dozen Friends of the Council groups and organizations.

"The veteran population in Craven County is very strong, the veterans' organizations is very strong, the benefits available for veterans is strong and keeps on getting stronger," Futrell said. "I think in the past the veterans have kind of been on the sidelines, but lately there has been so much in the news and people are appreciating veterans a lot more."

He said programs such as Thank A Vet, initiated last year in Craven County, is an example. When a vet registers his discharge papers with the local Register of Deeds, they get a photo I.D. It in turn is good for discounts at local stores. In Craven County, that includes about 100 businesses.

Pamlico County just started the program.

"We stay busy in our office, which is what we want to do," he added.

According to recent statistics, the Craven County office conducts 19 in-person veterans assists and 22 telephone assists daily. Along with 378 face-to-face meetings a month, there are nearly 450 via phone, along with handling 150 claims each month.

With a relatively new location -- 2402 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Blvd., New Bern -- the office in the past year has hired an additional Veterans Service Officer, Brian Caudle, giving the office a staff of four.

During the fiscal year 2017-18, it has increased the number of veterans served by 38 percent from the previous year and 59 percent from the year before that.

Some other highlights include creating a social media page and reducing appointment wait times from two weeks to no more than five days.

Some short-term goals include -- enhance outreach programs through the effective use of social media; continue professional development of staff; build relationships with other county departments that interact with veterans and dependents to inform them of available benefits; distribute veterans benefits information at county public locations; continue to support the efforts of the Craven County Veterans Council; and increase veterans benefit awareness at veterans and civic organizations.

The office also supports activities, programs and projects of New Bern National Cemetery.

The five-year goal is for all the veteran service officers to gain accreditation through the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers.

From the veterans' level, the Craven County Veterans Council sponsors events such as Monday's Memorial Day Ceremony and an annual free Veteran's Day Luncheon.

The various veteran organizations that participate with the Craven County Veterans Council include American Legion New Bern Post 24; American Legion Whitehurst-Ware Post 539; Disabled American Veterans Havelock Chapter 26; Disabled American Veterans Craven County Chapter 40; Fleet Reserve Association Branch 141; Marine Corps League Cherry Point Detachment 1067; Military Officers Association of America Coastal Carolina; Military Order of the Purple Heart Down East Chapter 639; National Association for Black Veterans New Bern Chapter 0090; Veterans of Foreign Wars Dixon-Conderman Post 2514; Veterans of Foreign Wars Leslie C. Lewis Post 7315; Vietnam Veterans of America Floyd H Austin, Jr. Chapter 886 and the Women Marines Association N.C. Wings Chapter 2.

Friends of the Council include American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 24; Benevolent Order of the Elks, Lodge 764; Boy Scouts of America Neuse Basin District; Craven County Service Office; New Bern National Cemetery; N.C. Works Career Center, Disabled Veterans Outreach Program; Religious Community Services; The Navy League, Coastal Carolina; and Veteran's Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden.

The Craven County Veterans Services Office provides various services and referrals for veterans, dependents and survivors. Services include VA disability, compensation, and pension guidance; assistance with VA medical center enrollment; VA education and vocational rehabilitation benefit applications; VA home loan guaranty applications; burial services information; assistance with submitting appeals; assistance with VA paperwork; VA life insurance information; serving as liaison between the veteran and the Department of Veterans Affairs; and assistance with widow and dependents.

Call 636-6611 for an appointment or visit the Veterans Services Office at 2402 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Blvd., New Bern.

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