Smith County Veteran Services Office

The Smith County Veteran Services Office is the county's veterans county service office under Government Code 434.032; see the Texas entry. Its page quotes the officer's duty under "Chapter 434, Subchapter B, Section 434.035, Texas Government Code": "An officer [county veterans service officer and staff] shall aid any county resident who served in the armed forces or nurses corps of the United States, and any orphan or dependent of the person, to prepare, submit, an[d] present any claim against the United States or a state for benefits to which the person may be entitled under United States or state law. The officer shall defeat all unjust claims that come to the officer's attention." Where. 3212 West Front Street, Camp V, Tyler, Texas 75702; 903-590-2950. The office is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed for lunch between noon and 1 p.m.; the page's scheduling window for calls is 8 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Michael ("Mike") Roark is the Veteran Service Officer; Tiffany Williamson, who prefers appointments, and Rebekah Olson, who along with Roark takes walk-ins, schedule and assist clients. What the office does. Its page: the office "interview[s] and advise[s] clients on entitlements," helps file service-connected disability claims, "answer[s] and research[es] inquiries regarding medical, educational, home loans and other benefits," assists with federal and state forms and VA appeals, and serves as a liaison with veterans' organizations. The office's FAQ says a first-time client should bring a copy of the DD-214 and an appellant the VA decision letter for that disability; it screens callers by phone only to verify veteran status and identity; it can look up a claim in the VA system if the Texas Veterans Commission is the veteran's service representative organization, or file the paperwork to make it so; and a VA or Survivor's Pension claim needs the DD-214, proof of income from all sources and any out-of-pocket medical expenses, plus, for a surviving spouse, a marriage license and the veteran's death certificate. Camp V and its budget. The FY 2023 capital program "completed the renovation of a new building and successfully transitioned the Veterans Services Office to Camp V," funded with American Rescue Plan Act money; the county's FY 2026 adopted budget says the move "has been the catalyst in a dramatic increase in the numbers of veterans assisted by the Smith County Veterans Services Office." Client office visits ran 1,307 in FY 2021 and 2,189 in FY 2025, after peaking at 2,870 in FY 2023; assistance by phone rose every year, from 2,365 in FY 2021 to 4,224 in FY 2025. The department's spending: $244,529 actual in FY 2023, $250,843 in FY 2024, $270,828 estimated for FY 2025 and $305,616 adopted for FY 2026, with three staff positions unchanged across all five years. The Court's veteran year. The Commissioners Court's agendas from January 2026, the earliest the county's Laserfiche document portal holds, through October 2026 carry one veteran item outside the department's own bills: a June 9, 2026 resolution proclaiming June 12, 2026 "Celebrating Women Veterans Day" in Smith County. The county's Commissioners Court Agendas page says minutes live on its "Court Recording Page" link, but that link opens a third-party video portal whose own query string is a placeholder rather than a working meeting ID, and it returns zero items and a client error on every tab; no text minutes for any 2025 or 2026 meeting could be read anywhere. For the September-through-December 2025 stretch the Laserfiche portal does not hold and for any older agenda packet, the county's page gives two routes instead: call 903-590-4625, or file a request through the county's Public Information Request Portal at smithcountytx.justfoia.com.