Stevens County Veterans Relief Fund

The fund is Stevens County's programme under chapter 73.08 RCW (see the Washington entry on county veterans' assistance funds), paid from a property tax levy the commissioners set (the county's levy page shows $.01125 per thousand of the county levy for the "Veterans Relief Program") and administered by the County Auditor's Office under the Stevens County Veterans Relief Fund Policies and Procedures adopted November 7, 2025 by Resolution 75-2025, which repealed the 2021 manual. "The fund serves as a safety net of last resort", and it is "not intended as an ongoing subsidy or income supplement." Who. The policy defines a veteran "As defined in RCW 41.04.005 or RCW 41.04.007, discharged or released under honorable conditions", and a family member as the surviving spouse, domestic partner, dependent child or dependent parent. That discharge test is narrower than RCW 73.08.005, which since chapter 146, Laws of 2024 takes any qualifying discharge under RCW 73.04.005, including an other than honorable discharge with VA documentation of monetary benefits; the application offers an "Other" box, so a veteran with such a discharge should apply and cite the statute. The applicant must be indigent in one of the statute's three ways: on public assistance (TANF, aged, blind or disabled assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, poverty-related veterans' benefits and others); "Annual household income, after taxes, of up to 150 percent or less of the current federally established poverty level"; or "Unable to pay reasonable costs for shelter, food, utilities, or transportation because available funds are insufficient". VA disability compensation counts, and the application asks for the percentage and monthly amount. The applicant must have "resided in Stevens County for at least 60 days before application"; a post office box alone does not prove residence, and a homeless veteran may use a service provider's or service organisation's statement. What it pays. Rent to prevent eviction; utilities to prevent disconnection; heating fuel; essential food (as grocery vouchers) or medical expenses; transport needed for work or medical care; work clothing or gear; and burial or cremation of an indigent veteran or qualifying dependant, which a family member or friend may apply for. The Auditor may approve up to the Normal Annual Assistance Cap, "currently $1000 per applicant per 12-month rolling calendar year"; requests up to the Extraordinary Circumstance Cap, "currently $3000.00", go to the commissioners case by case, and nothing above that is paid without a policy change. Payments go to vendors or service providers, never to credit card companies. In 2026 the commissioners approved, for example, $3,000 for dental work and $1,134 for a well pump. How. Use the Auditor's application (revised June 30, 2026) with its documentation checklist: proof of veteran status (a DD-214, VA ID card or other official document), proof of Stevens County residence dated within 90 days, proof of indigent status, and a description of the emergency; a surviving spouse adds the death and marriage certificates. Apply directly to the Auditor or through a service organisation or service officer, who signs as preparer. The Auditor's page asks every applicant to read the policy first and gives [email protected] for a copy of the form. Appeals. A written appeal "within thirty (30) days of the date of written notice" to the Auditor's Office, which forwards it with the file to the commissioners, whose decision is final and is sent within ten business days. On August 17, 2026, reviewing an appeal, the Auditor recommended raising the poverty threshold to 185 percent; the commissioners tabled it, so 150 percent still governs.