Veterans Affairs
Rich Shinn, Director
515 Court Street
P.O. Box 71
Rockwell City, IA 50579
Phone: 712-297-8632
Fax: 712-297-5309
email
Commissioners: Daryl Bean, Mike Ewing, and Trae Thomas.
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
To better assist you, please contact the office in advance to schedule an appointment.
We look forward to serving you!
Mission: Inform members of the armed forces, veterans, and their dependents of all federal, state, and local laws enacted for their benefit.
Duty: Provide a no-cost professional service to assist those eligible in obtaining military service records and veteran benefits.
Federal benefits: Generally speaking, a veteran must have served on federal active-duty, other than training, and have been discharged under honorable conditions or retired under Title 10 of the United States Code to qualify for federal benefits. Benefits include:
- Healthcare - includes emergency care and care in the community options.
- Disability compensation - to include dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC)
- Caregivers - support for family member caretakers of 70% or higher disabled veterans.
- Non service-connected pensions - to include aid and attendance (A&A) or housebound.
- Survivor pension - to include aid and attendance (A&A) or household.
- Education benefits.
- Home loan guarantees.
- Life insurance.
- Burial and memorial benefits.
- Lifetime National Parks Access Pass - for service-connected disabled veterans.
- Lifetime National Park Military Pass - for valid veteran ID cardholders.
Presumptive service-connected disability groups:
- Veterans with "chronic diseases” diagnosed within one year of release from active-duty service - click here for details
- Veterans who develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at any time - must have had 90 days of continuous active-duty service to qualify - click here for details
- Former Prisoners of War - click here for details
- Atomic veterans exposed to ionizing radiation - click here for details
- Vietnam veterans exposed to “agent orange” - includes “blue water” Navy veterans who develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma and/or were within 12 nautical-miles from the shores of Vietnam and have developed any presumptive condition associated with agent orange exposure - click here for details
- Camp Lejeune residents exposed to contaminants in the water supply - must have 30 consecutive days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 - click here for details
- Gulf War and Post 9/11 veterans - click here for details
State benefits: The State of Iowa also includes retired Reservist and/or retired Iowa National Guard members in several of their offered benefits. Benefits include:
- Veteran designation on driver’s license or ID card - free at renewal or $10 duplicate fee.
- Military service license plates - first set is free; additional plates available for $25.
- Military, veteran &/or service connected disabled veteran driver's license fee waivers.
- Military property tax exemption - reduces a veteran’s assessed home value by $4,000.
- Disabled veteran homestead tax credit - provides 100% exemption of property taxes; must be 100% “permanent and total” service-connected disabled or in receipt of DIC.
- Veteran lifetime trout fishing license - $65.00; must be 100% service connected disabled.
- Veteran lifetime hunting/fishing license - $7.00 fee; must be service-connected disabled.
- Armed Forces annual hunting/fishing license - $7.00; must have served on active-duty.
- Military home ownership assistance - up to a $5,000 grant towards purchasing a home in Iowa.
- Iowa Veterans Trust Fund - provides temporary assistance for qualifying veterans.
- Iowa Veterans Home – a continuum of care for veterans and their spouses; needs based.
- Iowa Veterans Cemetery - free internment for veterans and $300 for their dependents.
County benefits: Calhoun County provides temporary assistance to qualifying indigent veterans who are legal residence of Calhoun County and demonstrate an emergency situation. Assistance/benefits include:
- Monetary assistance is limited to rent, utility, and burial expenses.
- Transportation requests to VA medical appointments will be considered as a last resort and provided only if a volunteer driver is available; volunteers needed!
- Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight – all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC’s war memorials; open to WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Peacetime veterans who served between the aforementioned war periods.
- Vietnam War 50th Commemoration book – free to Vietnam era veterans or their families.
- Bronze grave markers – initial marker is provided at no cost
Free to Qualifying Veterans 
