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Additional veterans support comes to Lee County

Sauk Valley Newspapers - 7/29/2017

DIXON ? Veterans looking for help wading through the red tape of claiming much-needed benefits now have an advocate in Lee County focused on alleviating that burden.

Every county has a Veterans Assistance Commission office, but that's not the case for veteran service officers, who specialize in identifying programs and benefits for which veterans are eligible.

Lee County veterans would have to go to Rock Falls or Oregon to meet with a VSO, but that changed Wednesday when Luke Runte came into the mix.

The County Board approved hiring Runte last week, and he will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays at the office in the Lee County Courts Building, 309 S. Galena Ave. Suite 101, on the side with the health department.

Runte, 32, has helped people from the area since February, when he started as a VSO for Ogle County and where, in 3 months, he assisted 125 veterans, many of whom came from Lee County.

The E-4 senior airman served in the U.S. Air Force from 2009 to 2013, and said he's navigated through a wide spectrum of claims for himself, which can be a frustrating process.

"There are a lot of things people have to go through, and it can be daunting," he said. "It's my job to make people know I'm on their side."

He assists veterans with filing medical claims, applying for different grants like home modification for a ramp or walk-in shower, finding counseling services and education opportunities, along with other support for them and their families.

"With Luke, they're going to be treated like a person, not a number; a lot of veterans think they're just a number because that's how they've been treated," VA Superintendent Jim Gorman said.

About 300 veterans use transportation services through the office, and 50 or 60 more receive financial and food assistance.

Gorman would get an average of seven to 10 phone calls a week from veterans looking for some type of help with claims and finding out what benefits they can get, he said.

"They're looking for somebody they can talk to without having to deal with all the bureaucracy," he said. "This way, they're talking to a face instead of talking to someone over the phone with a stack of 200 files sitting on their desk."

Runte still is available at the Oregon office 2 days a week, and the hope is to extend his time in Dixon to 2 days in the future.

"My job is to help them get what they deserve and dig as deep as I can to find that," he said. "If I can make one veteran's day, that's why I'm doing it."

MORE INFORMATION

Veteran Service Officer Luke Runte will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to assist veterans with claims and other support at the Lee County Veterans Assistance Office, 309 S. Galena Ave., Suite 101, in Dixon.

Call 815-288-5683 or go to leecountyil.com for more information.

He also is available from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays at the Oregon office, 1310 W. Washington St.