Yellowstone County Veteran Services and Veterans Navigation Network Funding

Yellowstone County employs no veterans service office of its own; state claims help for the county runs through the Montana Veteran Services Program office in Billings, (406) 248-8579. The county commissioners fund the Billings nonprofit Veterans Navigation Network from PILT and crisis-diversion sources, approving its $10,000 PILT request on March 17, 2026.

Also called: veteran services, VSO, MVAD, Veterans Navigation Network, VNN, PILT, Billings, 10-2-115, claims help.

For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

Yellowstone County, MTCounty

Section 10-2-115 lets a Montana county establish a veterans' service office but does not require one, and Yellowstone County has not: the county's department list carries no veterans office, and the Clerk of District Court's page names no claims function. What a Yellowstone County veteran gets locally is the state layer: the Montana Veteran Services Program, whose Billings office is listed at (406) 248-8579 and [email protected], staffed by nationally accredited Veteran Service Officers who prepare and file federal VA claims at no cost. What the county itself does for veterans is money, voted by the Board of County Commissioners, and the county's own minutes record it. On January 21, 2025 the Board approved a South Central Regional Mental Health Center for Veteran's Navigation Network Sub-Grantee Agreement under Crisis Diversion Grant #HHS=BHDD-0114AP-P 25-101-74048-0. On February 18, 2025 the Board approved Veterans Navigation Network's request for PILT funds, with Commissioner Waters recusing himself because he sits on the VNN board. On March 17, 2026 the Board approved VNN's PILT request of $10,000, again with the recusal. On May 12, 2026 the Board approved the DPHHS Crisis Diversion Grant sub-recipient list naming VNN, and its July 28, 2026 agenda carried a VNN request for PSMH funds to assist veterans. Veterans Navigation Network is a Billings nonprofit that connects veterans to services; it is not a county office, and a veteran should not file a VA claim through it - the county's funding does not change that the claims work belongs to the accredited state officers at the number above.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Yellowstone County Veteran Services and Veterans Navigation Network Funding
Gate	Rule
State claims help is free to any veteran	The Montana Veteran Services Program assists veterans, spouses and dependents with federal claims at no charge; the county funding items are recorded for what the county itself does.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-12.

What changed then:

New official source added: “Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners, minutes of January 21, 2025 (VNN sub-grantee agreement; read via the Internet Archive capture of February 20, 2025)”.

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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.