Webster County Veterans Service Office

Webster County’s part-time Veterans Service Office in the Red Cloud courthouse, open Mondays and Wednesdays under Veterans Service Officer Gary Ratzlaff, who also sits on the County Board, helps with federal, State and county claims and gives every veteran’s grave its first flag holder free; the county is a veterans preference employer.

Also called: veterans service office, CVSO, Gary Ratzlaff, flag holders, grave registration, Presidential Memorial Certificate, veterans preference, LB 1072, Red Cloud, Blue Hill, Guide Rock, Bladen, Cowles, Inavale.

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

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

Webster County, NECounty

The office. The Webster County Veterans Service Office is in the courthouse, 621 N. Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE 68970, phone 402-746-2493, [email protected], open Monday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed noon to 1:00, per the State's directory (updated October 26, 2026). The Veterans Service Officer is Gary Ratzlaff, whom the Board names among its yearly appointments (January 21, 2025; January 20, 2026) and who is also the Board's District Five commissioner; the minutes call him "Commissioner and Veterans Service Officer". The county's Veteran Benefits page lists what the office offers: county veterans aid (see that entry), a bronze grave flag holder, registration of DD-214s, homestead help, grave registration with a Presidential Memorial Certificate for the family of every deceased Webster County veteran, and benefits counselling and help with State and federal claims. The page closes with "Phone us at (308) 476-2493", a misprint of the office's 402-746-2493. Flag holders. On May 20, 2025 Mr. Ratzlaff told the Board that the county had paid for every flag holder, replacements included, and that "the first flag holder will be provided by the county at no cost. After that, replacement flag holders will be the family's responsibility." The committee and the Board's year. The Board's 2026 appointments list the Veteran's Service Committee's five-year terms: Don Beitler (to June 30, 2026), Tim Gilbert (2030), Keith Waechter (2028), Ron Schutte (2028) and Bill Goosic (2030); Commissioner Gilbert took the seat the office's June 17, 2025 letter reported open. The Board approved the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs' memorandum of understanding on November 4, 2025 and the Tyler Technologies memorandum for the office's filing software on November 18, 2025, and on February 3, 2026 Mr. Ratzlaff reviewed LB 1072 with the Board and thanked it for its letter opposing the bill (the proposal to move money from the Nebraska Veterans' Aid fund). The county's employment application says positions are "subject to a veterans preference" and asks a veteran or qualifying spouse to claim it with a DD-214 (see the Nebraska entries on the preference). The money. The office (803) spent $21,268.34 in 2023-2024 and $21,999.53 in 2024-2025, and the 2025-2026 budget adopts $23,527.74, the officer's $17,637.88 salary among it.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Webster County Veterans Service Office
Gate	Rule
Any Webster County veteran or dependent	Claims help, grave flag holders and homestead help need no rating; the rating filter never hides this entry.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-30.

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.