Thurston County Veterans Assistance Program

The Veterans Assistance Program is Thurston County's programme under chapter 73.08 RCW (see the Washington entry on county veterans' assistance funds), run by Public Health and Social Services and advised by the Veterans Advisory Board. What it pays, under the Policy and Procedures revised October 2026, as a single, non-recurring payment to the landlord, lender or vendor: Rent or mortgage, late fees, first and last month's rent and non-refundable deposits, for a home the applicant can afford afterwards ($1,500 at most where the owner lives on site). Power, water, refuse, propane, septic, wood and phone, including shut-off and reconnection fees and reasonable repairs to existing utilities. Repair of the primary vehicle, on two written quotes from Thurston County mechanics; not licensing or routine maintenance. Up to five nights in a motel when a doctor says a shelter is not medically advisable and no bed is free. Certification and testing fees, required work clothing, safety equipment and tools. Food and hygiene e-gift cards up to four times a year, 90 days apart, scaled to household size, for households not receiving Basic Food. Burial or cremation up to $2,000 for an indigent veteran or family member, reimbursed to whoever paid within six months of the death (the State floor is $300). Caps. Up to $3,000 in twelve months for a single-person household and $4,500 for a larger one, with food and burial on top, for at most two years. Program staff may ask the Advisory Board to waive a county rule once, but not a State one; during a declared county emergency the cap may double and the two-year limit is lifted. Who. A veteran as RCW 73.08.005 defines one, proved by a DD-214, an NGB-22, a VA service verification letter or a VA benefit summary for a service-connected disability; or a family member under RCW 73.08.005(2). Household income after taxes at or under 200% of the federal poverty level, measured over the 31 days before applying, counting everyone on the lease; an applicant with no income must be receiving Basic Food or Medicaid. Six months' residence in Washington and 31 days in Thurston County immediately before applying, not by a post office box. Where the county adds to the statute. Chapter 73.08 RCW sets no residence period, so the six-month Washington rule is the county's. The policy also counts only children under 18 as qualifying children, where RCW 73.08.005(2) says "dependent children" without an age. Apply. Email the application to [email protected] or call 360-867-8236 to book an eligibility appointment, and do not send documents before it. Applications last 90 days. A refusal can be reviewed by the Public Health and Social Services Director on request by email, with a decision within 10 days. Other county veteran services. The county funds a full-time Veteran Services Representative at the Lacey Veterans Services Hub five days a week and part of the Hub's rent, up to three nights of emergency shelter for homeless veterans, Habitat for Humanity repairs and accessibility work on veterans' homes, and the annual Veterans Resource and Job Fair, next on November 5, 2026 at the Lacey Community Center.