The Cass County Department of Veterans Services serves over 11,000 individual heroes and their families by assisting them with their specific needs and confirming eligibility to open the door to all the benefits that go along with serving in the United States Military. The Veterans Services Department also provides information and assistance for compensation benefits, pensions, admission to the North Dakota Veterans Home, request for military records and decorations, home loan eligibility, life insurance, education benefits, and many more referrals to help veterans in a variety of areas.

If a veteran can provide the Veterans Services Department with a DD214 (military transcript of where, when and time in service) with an honorable discharge, then he or she could qualify immediately for Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare, opening the door for various programs such as loans, grants, disability compensation and burial benefits, just to name a few.

“A service that our office assists with daily are disability claims when a veteran comes home from service either after being deployed overseas or stationed in the states. We provide them with the tools to file a claim for their duty in service. This could be for the physical injuries that are visible or unseen for mental health related distresses,” explains Veterans Services Director Chris Deery.

Deery, a 10-year United States Army Veteran, served from 2001-2011 and was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-2007. He began his role as Cass County Director of Veterans Services in February of this year and has been working tirelessly with his staff to be an advocate for veterans while collaborating with several service organizations, partners and individuals who feel the same way.

“Each veteran is different and has a unique story. Our job is to help each one in our county get the benefits they deserve,” said Deery. “Also, we serve as a steppingstone to other community supports and work hand in hand with many organizations to make sure that our veterans are being taken care of with their individual requests.”

The Department staff is ready to help. Susan Feakes, Victoria Chamberlain and Anthony Baker all serve as Cass County Veterans Service Representatives, and Shelia Hoffer serves as the Administrative Assistant. Each is ready to assist veterans with access to benefits and programs that are available, and each can share experiences from their time spent in the United States military.

Feakes has been with Cass County for the last two years. She served in the Army from 1985-1988 and was stationed in Germany during that time working as Military Police, involved mostly in Physical Security.

Chamberlain started working in the Cass County Veterans Department in March, she grew up in Baudette, Minnesota and served in the Air Force from 2013-2019 working as an Aerial Porter and as a Unit Training Manager.

Baker, a rural Minnesota native, served in the Navy from 1993-1995, then joined the Minnesota Army National Guard in 2004 with active duty from March 2006 – July 2007, serving in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hoffer is originally from Harwood, North Dakota and joined the Cass County Department of Veterans Services in June. She served in the Navy from 1993-1997 as an Electrician before leaving the military to work in the eye care field for several years.

Each veteran is unique, and the Cass County Veterans Service Department does their best to work with all servicemembers to determine eligibility and find the most beneficial services and programs for each individual. There are also local organizations, such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), or American Veterans (AMVETS), that can provide a great networking opportunity to those veterans who would like to become a member or are just looking for camaraderie. Many of these organizations have fundraising events and give back to the community, all while ensuring veterans stay housed, have meals and are being heard.

Currently, the Cass County Veterans Services office is in standby status due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but outreach events at the Fargo VA will begin again on the first Wednesday of every month once COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. There will also be Donuts with Veterans at the Fargo Air Museum every second Wednesday of the month from 0930 to 1200 when it is safe to gather again in large groups.

For those that have questions or want more information on any of the programs available to veterans, the best way to make contact is to call (701) 241-5756 or visit www.casscountynd.gov/veterans.