One of the most frequent questions Starke County Veterans Service Officer Terry Turner gets is how one who has been honorably discharged from the service obtains an identification card. He says the only ID cards issued by the VA are for medical purposes. However, Turner says veterans can take their discharge papers to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch and have a “v” put on the back of their license or state identification card. Continue reading
Veterans who are having issues with Medicare, Social Security, VA or other types of federal programs can enlist help from Starke County Veterans Service Officer Terry Turner.
“If they come talk to me, I can help them fix that. It’s been several times where they’ve had hospital bills that run up to about $6,000, and I’ve been able to get them hardships,” Turner said. “I got one call that the bill was $700 and they cut it to $20. If you’ve got problems with the hospital or doctors as far as money, give me a call. I might be able to help you.” Continue reading
A program rolled out late last year by the Veterans Administration in an attempt to ensure timely access to health care services is creating confusion locally. The Veterans Choice Program gives veterans the option to seek non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling a long distance to the nearest facility. Starke County Veterans Service Officer Terry Turner says Starke County is geographically situated between the facilities in Crown Point and in Knox. Both places are more than 45 miles away by car, but Turner says the VA looks at distance as the crow flies. Continue reading
Starke County officials have funds available to shred government documents a committee has decided no longer need to be stored after action this week by the county council. They approved a transfer of up to $10,000 from the commissioners budget for that purpose. They stress that entire amount of money may not need to be spent for document disposal. Continue reading
Starke County Veterans Service Officer Terry Turner can remove the “interim” from his title. The county commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to make him the permanent replacement for Gordon Richie. He resigned from the part-time position in September due to health issues. Turner has been serving in an interim capacity during Richie’s medical leave and was one of two candidates interviewed for the opening. Turner has been working toward obtaining the necessary certifications to better serve area veterans. Commissioner Kent Danford cast the dissenting vote.
