Pulaski County’s new veterans service officer will soon be able to start seeing clients, but what he will get paid still remains to be seen. Brent Frain told the county commissioners Monday that he passed the state’s certification test last week.
“We’re going to push the paperwork through this week,” he said. “Sometimes, it takes a little bit longer, but hopefully, we’ll get it through in a week or so.” At that point, he would be able to start working with veterans but will still have some training to complete, according to Tom White. He’s the northwest district officer for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, who’s been helping the county with the transition process.
White noted that before the interview process began, he asked the auditor for the position’s hours and pay, so he could share that information with the candidates. He said he told them the pay was $15.15 an hour, although Auditor Laura Wheeler disputed that. She said the former veterans service officer made $15 an hour, but the salary going forward would be up to the county council, and the hours are set by the commissioners.
White worried that he’d be liable if his offer ended up being different from the county’s. “See, here’s the thing. In you opening up and me assisting you with your interviews, now I’m legally bound,” he explained. “The offer that I made was based off of [that] information.”
As he introduced himself to the commissioners, Frain said this marks a return to his hometown after he spent several years away. “I’ve spent nine years in the Navy operating a nuclear power plant on a submarine making holes in the water and 29 years after that as a health physicist in the Department of Defense in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program,” Frain said. “So I’ve got some good experience with the Navy and with the government. I just retired. I came here because I really want to give something back to the community, and I think giving it to veterans is a good thing.”
Commissioner Kenny Becker welcomed Frain to the county staff.
