Clare County Veterans Services Available by Phone

HARRISON – With the ordered closure of all nonessential businesses and governmental offices, many of the state’s residents are left with seemingly no way to receive some very important services. That said, there are also many highly resourceful public servants who have finessed various ways to make their internet connections work for the greater good. One such office is that of Karl Hauser, Director of Veterans Services for Clare County.

Hauser told the Cleaver that, with the help of his office assistant Deb Mason, veterans and their families are able to receive virtually all of the normal services available through his department. What he can’t determine is how many people have been deterred by the closure.

“Obviously, I don’t have the walk-ins that I normally would,” Hauser said. “Some folks are uncomfortable with the computer and they don’t want to call, so they just show up. But I have no way of knowing now many people have not been able to get in to see us.”

Hauser estimates that about 20% of the office’s business is walk-ins, despite the fact that he tries diligently to work from appointments to ensure adequate time for visitors to his office.

Other problems the closures can cause are brought on by isolation.

“I don’t know if it’s isolation specific, but I’m kind of surprised we haven’t had an uptick in requests for assistance,” Hauser said. “Whether it’s propane or other utility assistance. We can make that work if we do get somebody that has a question or needs help.”

He said most of that would be done through email, and that even when the three Soldiers Relief Fund Committee members would need to meet, that could be done by phone. Hauser said he can do the vast majority of his work remotely.

“The only time I actually need to physically meet with someone is to get their first signature,” he said, adding that now such a meeting would be done outside, maintaining the required social distancing. “Once I get their signature on a signature pad, if as we’re processing the claim and I need to send an additional form, I can just drop their signature right on the form and send it.”

Hauser said he makes efficient use of electronic documentation and Cloud storage offsite, which he said is evidenced by the fact that there are no file cabinets in his office – down from the office’s eight file cabinets when he first took the job.

“We’ve gotten rid of a LOT of paper,” he said. “In fact, when I sit down to do a claim with someone, I don’t print anything, unless they want a copy for themselves. I do everything through our software, then I electronically upload it to our regional office in Detroit – so I don’t have any paper.”

Hauser pointed to the advantage of not relying on paper copies locked up in an office, not only because there is no danger of losing the documentation to fire or water damage, but also the offsite availability of electronic documents during this COVID-19 crisis.

For clientele convenience, Hauser has his office phone set to forward calls to his cell phone, and he will then return the call.

“I am tracking active claims through the VA,” he said. “And if there’s a change – a claim has been granted, let’s say – what can happen that confuses people, especially if they have direct deposit, is that money for compensation is going to show up on their account before they get the letter explaining what the money’s for.”

He said that occurs because an electronic deposit happens instantly, and the mailed notification is going to take a week.

“I try to keep an eye on that and stay ahead of it so I can call the veteran and say ‘Hey, they granted it, here’s how much it is, what you should be looking for, so don’t let it throw you when you get this deposit that you weren’t expecting.’ I can tell them it’s legit and basically read them the letter that they are going to get in the mail.”

Hauser said that filing claims and applying for assistance are two things people believe they have to do face-to-face, but that for most folks those things can be done online. He noted there are several veterans who have been relying on computer availability at the libraries, but the shutdown has eliminated that option.

“With the exception of walk-ins or people who aren’t very computer savvy, we can continue pretty much to operate as normal,” Hauser said. “We’re 90% able to do the business we normally would do to support the veterans. If we get somebody who needs assistance, we can still make that work; they just have to call us and we’ll walk them through it, hopefully. If they don’t have an email, what’s been working is if somebody needs an application and we can’t send it out to them electronically, we can still do it through the mail. They just need to call us and ask.”

He also added that the monthly Veterans Coffee Hour which is held at Hayes Municipal Complex has been canceled for April.

“Hopefully, it will pick up in May,” Hauser said.