Bremer County Veterans Affairs update

I have received the latest news from our Bremer County Veterans Affairs office via Neal Jarnagin.  Would ask that everyone read it and also check out the latest information on http://www.bremercountyva.org/ .   Neal has done an outstanding job, but he admits that without the volunteers and their dedication the system would come to a halt.  My thanks to all those that give their time and expertise.  If you are interested on receiving information from our Bremer County VA, contact Neal at njarnagin@co.bremer.ia.us  and ask to get on his email listing.

Our First Month Together from Bremer County VA office

July is over! What have we learned? We’ve learned that one Veteran Service Officer is definitely going to tax our programs. We’ve learned that getting Neil Jarnagina hold of someone in the office is becoming a bit more difficult. We’ve learned that outreach has pretty much stopped in the county.

But, we’ve also learned that the staff of Bremer County Veterans Affairs has worked tirelessly at staying on top of things. You, very well, may have received emails or phone calls at 7, 8 or 10 o’clock at night. You may have even received emails at 2, 3, or 4 o’clock in the morning!

So what does that mean to you? To say the least, your tax dollars are well spent. With August now upon us, I wanted to let you know that we’re humming right along and are successfully transitioning from one leader to the next. That being said, there’s absolutely no way I could have done it without help! More on that shortly!

Home Base Iowa

Many of you may have heard about a series of laws that was passed and signed into law by Governor Branstad on Memorial Day of this year. There are quite a few facets to this package and while very few of the laws affect every veteran in Iowa, they are still good to know. This is a good start to making Iowa a veteran-friendly state but we need to continue to press our local and state leaders to reward those who sacrificed so much. Note the Divisions below and if you wish more information, or to view Senate File 303 in its entirety, click HERE.

  • Division I: Retirement Pay Tax Exemption
  • Division II: Property of Associations of War Veterans
  • Division III: License Plates
  • Division IV: Veterans Preference
  • Division V: Postsecondary Education Reporting
  • Division VI: Licensed Professions and Occupations
  • Division VII: County Commissions