Clay County (Arkansas) Veteran's Service Office

What it is. An Arkansas county veterans service officer is employed by the county judge and paid from the Quorum Court's budget, trained and accredited through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and partly reimbursed by the State under section 20-81-106: one dollar for every two the county spends, up to $3,600 a year, or $4,800 in a county with more than 2,500 veterans, plus $500 a quarter each for VA accreditation and for access to VA's benefits system; see the Arkansas entry on the Department and county service officers. Help with a claim is free. Where and when. The county's Veteran's Service Office page: Mondays at Rector City Hall, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Tuesdays at the Corning courthouse, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Wednesdays at the Piggott courthouse, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; (870) 595-4113, fax (870) 598-8206, [email protected]. It names no officer. The Department of Veterans Affairs' county finder (last updated August 19, 2026) lists Jeffrey Puckett at 151 S. 2nd Ave., Piggott, AR 72454, (870) 324-2358, [email protected], "M-F Appointment Only". The two disagree on phone and days; call either number before going in. Clay is in the Department's District 3, whose District Veterans Service Officer is Ric Bolton in Salem, (870) 253-9767. The County Judge, Mike Patterson, is at the Piggott courthouse, (870) 598-2667. The money. The 2024 budget (Appropriation Ordinance 2023-23) gives the "Veteran officer" $22,681.32 in the General Fund. The county's Budget page links a 2025 budget and financial report, but both links answered 403 on October 30, 2026, so the current appropriation is not published. The veterans court. Clay residents can be referred to the Second Judicial Circuit's veterans court, which sits in Jonesboro; see the entry on that court.