Benton County Veterans Assistance Fund and Veteran Service Officer
Benton County's Veterans Assistance Fund gives veterans and families at or under 150% of the poverty level vouchers for food, utilities, rent, deposits and application fees, a week of motel for a homeless veteran, dental care up to $2,000, burial up to $1,000, childcare, work equipment and bus passes, through screenings at veterans' posts and the county office in Kennewick. A Veteran Service Officer for Benton and Franklin counties files VA claims in Pasco.
Also called: VAF, Veterans Relief Fund, veterans relief, Veteran Service Officer, Columbia Basin Veterans Center, emergency assistance, dental, burial, childcare, 73.08, Kennewick, Richland, Tri-Cities.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
The Veterans Assistance Fund is Benton County's programme under chapter 73.08 RCW (see the Washington entry on county veterans' assistance funds), run by the Department of Human Services, which says it serves more than 1,000 veterans in the county.
What it pays, as vouchers: food; utilities; rent, deposits and rental application fees; motel vouchers for up to a week for a homeless veteran; dental care up to $2,000; burial up to $1,000 (the State floor is $300); childcare; background check fees for a job; safety equipment an employer requires; and bus passes on Ben Franklin Transit.
Who. A veteran who has lived in Benton County at least 90 days, unless recently discharged; at or below 150% of the poverty guidelines; and in need. Widows and widowers apply with a marriage licence and the veteran's death certificate. Bring a DD-214, photo ID, proof of income, residence and household size, and a lease or a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice where rent is the need.
The application is behind the statute. The county's application, last revised in 2018, has the screening service officer certify "Honorable Discharge". Since chapter 146, Laws of 2024, RCW 73.08.005 has defined a veteran by a qualifying discharge under RCW 73.04.005: honorable, general under honorable conditions, other than honorable where VA documents eligibility for monetary benefits, or any discharge given solely for sexual orientation or gender identity. A veteran with a general or VA-accepted other than honorable discharge qualifies by statute.
Where to be screened. Fill out the application and bring it with your documents to a weekly screening: WorkSource Columbia Basin, 815 N. Kellogg Street, Suite D, Kennewick (Mondays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.); Richland VFW Post 7952, 1369 George Washington Way (second and fourth Mondays from 5 p.m.; call 509-946-9411 first); Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition and DAV Chapter 46, 1600 N. 20th Avenue, Suite A, Pasco (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.); the Department of Human Services, 7102 W. Okanogan Place, Suite 201, Kennewick (Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 509-737-3987); and Benton City American Legion Post 115, 909 Dale Avenue (weekdays as needed).
VA claims. The Veteran Service Officer for Benton and Franklin counties, at the Columbia Basin Veterans Center, 1020 S. 7th Avenue, Pasco (509-873-1724), helps with VA health care, disability, pension, education, housing, life insurance, burial and records, by appointment on weekdays.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Benton County Veterans Assistance Fund and Veteran Service Officer
Gate
Rule
150% of poverty, 90 days in the county
A veteran or surviving spouse at or under 150% of the poverty guidelines, living in Benton County for 90 days unless recently discharged. No rating is needed.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.