Harlan County Veterans Service Office

The office. The Harlan County Veterans Service Office is in the courthouse, 706 W. 2nd Street, Alma, NE 68920 (mail PO Box 728), phone (308) 920-5009, [email protected], open Tuesdays only, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Veterans Service Officer is Patrick (Pat) George, who gives the Board of Supervisors a quarterly report (December 16, 2025) and updates (July 21, 2026). The county's page says the office "assists veterans and their dependents in obtaining information about any V.A. benefits", works up applications and supporting documents, and helps veterans apply for VA medical center eligibility. Its County Benefits page lists county veterans aid (see that entry), a bronze grave flag holder (inventoried each year and replaced when damaged), registration of DD-214s, homestead help, grave registration with a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and benefits counselling. Homestead certification. The Assessor's homestead FAQ, under "How do I qualify as a Disabled Veteran or their Widow?", lists the exemptions for a veteran totally disabled by a non-service-connected illness or accident, each "(annual certification required)", and sends the veteran to the Veterans Service Office first for a physician's form and the office's certification. The application under section 77-3508 is annual, but 77-3508(1)(c) says the medical certification need not be repeated when the condition has not changed, though the assessor may ask for it again (see the Nebraska entries). The money. The office (0100-803) spent $15,229.14 in 2023-2024 and $15,817.49 in 2024-2025, and the 2025-2026 budget adopts $25,940.00: the officer's $14,200.00 administrative salary, $1,500.00 for grave markers, and a $3,000.00 "Veterans' Aid Costs" line of its own, unspent in both earlier years. The Board's 2026 payroll rates (July 21, 2026) list the veterans administrator at $28.52. The county renewed the State's VetraSpec claims software through Tyler Technologies ($449.00, February 4, 2025 claims).