June 21, 2023 at 5:58 p.m.
Oneida County veterans benefits down slightly in 2022
By By Brian Jopek-
That's the word from Oneida County Veterans Service Officer Tammy Javenkoski, who briefed the three-member Oneida County Veterans Service Commission (CVSC) Monday and the Oneida County board the next day.
Javenkoski told The Lakeland Times the most important item to her in an annual report is "the veterans benefits numbers."
"What kind of benefits are our veterans receiving for their service and oftentimes, due to their disabilities," she explained.
The total amount paid to Oneida County veterans for 2022 was $59,255,573.
Javenkoski, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been Oneida County's veterans service officer since 2006.
"Every year since I've been here, it's gone up," she said of the benefit amount for veterans in Oneida County. "This year, it actually went down. Obviously, part of that is attributed to people dying but I suspect it's kind of a carryover from COVID."
Javenkoski said she expected that to be the case for the 2021 report.
"Actually, those numbers went up," she said. "So, I suspect this is more a delayed carryover from COVID."
Javenkoski said one item she always includes in her annual report is what her office costs Oneida County.
"That's pay, benefits and supplies for the office," she said. "Travel for training. Stuff like that."
At the moment, the office staff consists of herself and U.S. Army veteran Jason Dailey.
"The cost is $150,669," Javenkoski said of her office's budget. "So, when you compare that to over $59 million in benefits coming in to the county by way of veterans living here, technically the rate of return is almost 40,000 percent. In simple terms, for every dollar they pay for our office, veterans receive $393.28 in benefits. We're very low on the totem pole when it comes to money received to run the office which we're not complaining about because we can do it."
Javenkoski said neither she or Dailey take health insurance benefits from Oneida County.
"A future employee may but because Jason and I don't take health insurance that saves the county between $40,000 and $50,000," she said.
Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].
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