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VA Disability Compensation

Van Buren County Veterans Services and the Veterans Relief Fund

Van Buren County's Veterans Services office - Michael Fossitt (director) with Veterans Services Officers Casey Somers and Baird Carlson, at 226 E. Michigan Avenue, Paw Paw (269-657-8200 ext. 1614) - counsels on VA benefits, runs the county's veterans relief fund, and works out of a downtown Paw Paw storefront with a computer centre and TeleHealth access.

Also called: Veterans Services, VSO, Michael Fossitt, Casey Somers, Baird Carlson, 269-657-8200, 226 E Michigan Ave, Veterans Relief Fund, relief application, burial assistance, DD-214, MVAA, Paw Paw, Paw Paw, South Haven, Hartford, Decatur, Lawrence, Bangor, Mattawan, Paw Paw Lake.

For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

The office. "We proudly introduce our Veterans Services team: Michael Fossitt - Veterans Services Director; Casey Somers - Veterans Services Officer; Baird Carlson - Veterans Services Officer. Michael, Casey, and Baird are dedicated to expanding our services and outreach programs for all veterans in Van Buren County." Contact: 226 E. Michigan Avenue, Paw Paw, MI 49079; 269-657-8200 ext. 1614; [email protected]; "For the best service, appointments are recommended." The office sits in the Old Time Capsule Museum building in downtown Paw Paw, "accessible with a single-level entry", with "a common area for networking and a computer center for accessing helpful sites like VA.gov and MyHealthyVet. You can also conduct TeleHealth appointments and participate in VA Appeals Court via Zoom." Benefits. "We provide information and counseling about benefits you may be entitled to, such as: Health care; Disability compensation; Burial benefits; Emergency relief grants", plus home loan guarantee certificates, the Michigan laws for disabled veterans, survivors'/dependents' benefits and VA health care enrollment. To request a DD-214 from the State, the page routes veterans to the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency's form. The office publishes required-document lists: for Aid and Attendance (DD-214, marriage licence, bank and Social Security statements, pension statement, itemized receipt, voided cheque, VA form 21-2680, housebound status information); for Burial Assistance (the Veterans Relief Application with DD-214 or NGB 22, current ID, bank statements, burial agreements, irrevocable marriage licence(s), divorce decree(s), medical and out-of-pocket medical documentation, Social Security and pension statements); and for Compensation (DD-214, marriage licence, divorce decree and more). The relief fund. The county levies a veterans relief fund - "veterans relief fund" appears as a purpose of tax in the county's 2025 ad valorem tax tables (Board packet of October 28, 2025) - and the Veterans Relief Application (form VET-0002a) covers Emergency Relief, Burial and Marker Installation, filed at 219 E. Paw Paw Street, Suite 303, (269) 657-8200 ext. 1612, by the veteran, the widow or widower, the veteran's child, or a funeral-home director. Michigan counties run relief funds under the Soldiers' and Sailors' Relief Act framework (MCL 35.601 to 35.622; see the Michigan entry). The office's year. Its own news posts record the outreach: "Ending Veteran Homelessness: Veteran Outreach" (July 1, 2026), "Find Us at the Fair!" (July 8, 2026), and the August 17-21, 2026 closure "Our VSOs are Going Back to School!" - the officers in training.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Van Buren County Veterans Services and the Veterans Relief Fund
GateRule
Van Buren County veterans and their familiesFree claims help and county relief from the Veterans Services office; the relief application lists its own document requirements. No rating is needed to ask.

Sources

Updated

Last updated .

What changed then:

  • First published.

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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.