Kearney County Veterans Service Office

The office. The Kearney County Veterans Service Office is at 528 North Minden Avenue, Minden, NE 68959 (mailing address PO Box 172), phone 308-832-1747, [email protected]. The Veterans Service Officer is Philip Heun. The county's page gives hours of 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and asks veterans to call for an appointment; the State's directory (updated October 26, 2026) gives 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed noon to 1. The page says the office's "Primary Duty is to Represent and interface with the Veterans Administration on Veterans / Beneficiary's behalf to include filing and tracking claims", and that it helps with applications, supporting documents and VA medical centre eligibility. The board. The County Board appoints a five-member Veterans' Service Committee, which the minutes also call the Veterans Service Board: for 2026 Gary Smidt (to June 2030, re-appointed June 3, 2025), Robert Thompson (2029), James M. Kuehn (2027), Ron Knaus (2028) and Matt Cavanaugh, whose re-appointment to June 2031 was tabled on June 2, 2026 and made on June 16, with Commissioner Nathan Avery as the Board's liaison. The year. On November 4, 2025 the Board adopted an Operation Green Light resolution and approved the State department's memorandum of understanding with the county; the officer brought the 2026 Operation Green Light resolution on October 20, 2026. On February 3, 2026 the Board met with Mr. Heun and approved a letter to the county's state senators opposing LB1072, which would move budgeted money from the Nebraska Veterans' Aid Fund to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The October 6, 2026 agenda lists roof repairs to the probation and Veterans Service Office building. 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 Veteran's Service Officer) spent $49,799.22 in 2023-2024 and $52,539.13 in 2024-2025, and the 2025-2026 budget adopts $54,863.00: the officer's $48,539.00, $1,000.00 for grave markers and flags ($895.63 spent in 2024-2025), and the $500.00 aid line (see the aid entry).