Gillespie County Veterans Services Office (Steven McKee)

The office. Steven McKee, Veterans Service Officer ([email protected]), and Michael Cruz, Assistant Veterans Service Officer ([email protected]), 95 Frederick Rd, Suite 200, Fredericksburg, TX 78624; 830-997-3758, fax 830-997-3245; 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by appointment only (the hours the Commissioners Court approved on May 26, 2026). TexVet's county list still names Tami King at the office's number. What it does. The officer "is responsible for assisting Armed Forces Veterans and their dependents who reside in Gillespie County of the legal benefits available to them under U.S. Federal and State laws", reports to the Commissioners Court and works under the Texas Veterans Commission's technical guidelines; "There is no charge for our services." The office does not adjudicate claims and cannot coordinate VA health care, but helps with enrolment and eligibility; it posts the Kerrville VA Medical Center's programmes and contacts and the 2026 Texas State Veterans Benefits book. Claims are filed under Government Code chapter 434 (see the Texas entry). How the county funds it. General Fund department 405, "Veteran's Service Officer", is $187,822 in the FY2026-27 adopted budget: $119,796 of full-time hourly pay, $31,161 of medical insurance, $18,000 of retirement and $5,000 of training and travel. FY2025-26 budgeted $184,934; FY2024-25 budgeted $166,970 and spent $141,753.82. The Assistant Veterans Service Officer's job description (pay grade 13, $20.94 an hour) was approved and posted on July 14, 2026 (see the board entry). The Veterans Council. The county's Veterans Council of Gillespie County, chaired by the Veterans Service Office, brings together American Legion Posts 244 (Fredericksburg) and 650 (Harper), VFW Post 7105, the Ex-Military Flyers Club, the Hill Country chapters of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Military Order of the World Wars, the Fredericksburg High School Navy JROTC, Charlie Company, 1-141 Infantry of the Army National Guard, and a retired military representative. It meets quarterly to coordinate the Memorial Day ceremony, flags on veterans' graves and Veterans Day; supports the Gillespie County Honor Guard, "which provides military honors at a veteran's graveside funeral"; and advises the Commissioners Court, which recognised it on February 8, 2016 as "a representative voice of the veterans of Gillespie County." No county funds go to the Council.