Pender County Veterans Services

The county's own statement: "Pender County offers two convenient locations to help better serve our veterans. They are located in Burgaw and Hampstead." And: "Our office provides a wide range of services to the Veteran and their family members. We serve all veterans, spouses, widows, and children of veterans residing in Pender County with all Veterans Administration matters. If you are interested in applying for VA benefits or need assistance with VA paperwork, please contact our office to schedule an appointment. A Veteran Service Officer (VSO) will meet with you to answer any questions you have about your benefit eligibility. We will then help you submit any paperwork and assist with gathering any necessary documentation and evidence to support your claim. Appointments are prioritized. Walk-ins are taken on a case-by-case basis." The office's summary of benefits, from its page: Service-Connected Disability Compensation; Veterans Wartime Pension; Death and Indemnity Compensation; Widow's Pension Benefits; Veterans' Health Administration Enrollments; Grave Markers; Burial Reimbursements; Appeals; automobile adaptations and other conveyance equipment; Special Adaptive Housing; Discharge Upgrades/Correction to Military Record; Annual clothing allowance; Individual Unemployability; Housebound and Aid and Attendance; VA Guaranteed Home Loans; State Veterans Nursing Home Enrollments; Addition of Dependent to Benefits; DD-214 and Medal replacement. The NCDMVA benefits the page names: NCDMVA scholarships, reduced-cost lifetime hunting and fishing licence, special veterans licence plates and property tax exemptions. The page's advice: "It is strongly advised that you seek the assistance of a Veterans Service Officer before submitting any applications or forms to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please bring any forms by our office for review before mailing!" Where and when. Veteran Services - Burgaw, 805 S. Walker Street, Administrative Building, Burgaw, NC 28425; Veteran Services - Hampstead, 15060 US Hwy 17, Hampstead, NC 28443; fax 910-259-5163; 910-259-1203 (Sally Lawson, Dario Ramirez and Michelle Leach all on the office line); Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to noon. The Board's year. On October 6, 2025 the Board adopted the Resolution Supporting Operation Green Light for Veterans on the consent agenda - "Pender County Veteran Services in collaboration with Operation Greenlight plans to illuminate county buildings green from November 4-11 as part of Operation Green Light for Veterans, a nationwide effort uniting counties to support military veterans" led by NACo. On March 2, 2026 the Board unanimously adopted the Budget Ordinance Amendment accepting and budgeting a $20,000 North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs grant: "The funds are to be used towards training and education for Veterans and staff, advertisement for our office, training conference attendance, and other services that our Pender County veterans will benefit from" - $2,000 NACVSO conference travel for the assistant VSO, $900 Hampstead Annex waiting-room furniture, about $4,340 mailed advertisement, $280 mobile printers for outreach events such as VEAC/claims clinics, $2,380 Topsail Magazine advertisement, $4,100 veterans coffee and outreach events and $6,000 outreach products and advertisement, budgeted to department 607 VETERANS SERVICE. At the April 30, 2026 budget session Director Leach presented the office's request - "her supply request had gone down due to a grant that had been received. She was asking for one additional person". The FY 2026-2027 budget ordinance carried in the June 15, 2026 packet funds the Veterans Service Office at $316,083. The employee classification schedule carried in the same packet gives the office's staff two steps for NCDMVA and NACVSO annual CEUs and one for DAV, American Legion and Military Order of the Purple Heart accreditations.