Four veterans service officers staff Pennington County’s Rapid City office, open 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, assisting veterans, dependents and survivors with VA and South Dakota claims including burial allowance reimbursement.
Also called: veterans service office, VSO, Rapid City, Tom Vallette, burial, claims help, pennco.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
The Pennington County Veterans Service Office assists eligible veterans, their dependents and survivors in applying for benefits and services from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the State of South Dakota. The office is at 321 Kansas City Street, Suite 100 (with one officer listed at 312 Kansas City Street, Suite 100), Rapid City, SD 57701, phone (605) 394-2266, open Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays. The veterans service officers are Tom Vallette, Lee Borries, Chris Dieball and Cody Hostetter; their county emails are on the office's page.
Claims. The office's pages publish the required documents by claim type: a disability claim, a benefits-delivery-at-discharge claim (active duty only), and a veterans pension claim each have their own document list, and the office links the VA Welcome Kit. The county's Veterans Burial page explains that the VA burial allowance may help family members cover some of the cost of burial, funeral and transportation, and that filing for burial reimbursement for a veteran requires bringing to the appointment with a veterans service officer the death certificate, an itemized paid receipt from the funeral home for services, and the DD-214. The office also links the Black Hills National Cemetery's contact information.
Property tax. The disabled veteran property tax exemption, worth up to $200,000 of assessed value, is applied for at the county assessor's office on or before November 1, per the Department of Revenue; in Pennington County the assessor's office is the Director of Equalization. The same November 1 county-assessor filing applies to the property tax exemption for paraplegic veterans. See the State entries for the tests.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Pennington County Veterans Service Office
Gate
Rule
Any veteran, dependent or survivor
The office assists eligible veterans, their dependents and survivors with VA and state claims. No rating is required, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.