NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Dozens of individuals gathered for a 21-gun salute for Veterans Day on Friday outdoors the Hamilton County Courthouse.
They gathered within the shadow of Hamilton County authorities buildings that represented frustration for a lot of native veterans from 2014-2019.
Hamilton County is suing the director of the Indiana Division of Veterans Affairs. County leaders declare the previous director didn’t correctly handle the county’s veterans providers officer, often known as the “VSO,” from 2014-2019.
Each events are arguing over who’s job it was to handle that worker whereas tons of of veterans missed out on VA advantages as a result of that worker didn’t do her job.
Veteran Gina Loy, speaking in regards to the former director, instructed I-Crew 8, “She by no means returned calls or emails, so I form of needed to name her out on Fb after which she ultimately emailed me.”
Loy was speaking about Lynn Epperson.
The Hamilton County commissioners in 2014 appointed Epperson because the Hamilton County veterans service officer. Her roll was to assist veterans file paperwork with the VA so they might obtain advantages starting from $140 to $4,200 a month.
Loy, although, wasn’t the one veteran experiencing points with Epperson. So did her husband, Rob Loy, who’s the commander of the Veterans of Overseas Wars publish in Noblesville.
Rob mentioned, “For like a number of years, it appeared prefer it was nonstop. They had been coming in, complaining, ‘Nothing’s occurring.’ ‘She’s misplaced my paperwork once more.’”
The publish commander says the state of affairs received so dangerous that the VFW took issues into its personal fingers. “We began diverting them (Hamilton County veterans) to different VSOs, like Tipton, Marion County.”
Rob mentioned many had been diverted. “This publish alone, I’d say at the least 100.”
It’s unclear if Hamilton County veterans can get again pay attributable to the lapses in paperwork submitting from 2014-2019. Additionally, it’s unclear how a lot cash was not paid out to the ignored veterans.
In 2019, county leaders fired Epperson. Hamilton County veterans at the moment are being helped by a brand new county veterans service officer, who was appointed after Epperson was fired.
Hamilton County is suing the director of the Indiana Division of Veterans Affairs as a result of he didn’t do his job to make sure Epperson was doing hers.
Jody Madeira, an Indiana College regulation professor, seemed on the lawsuit and broke down what it’s asking the courtroom to resolve. “They’re looking for a declaration that the director should supervise this worker and make sure that the worker is competently performing their place,” Madeira mentioned.
Madeira added, “It seems to me that though the veterans providers officer is paid for by county funds, the officer might be underneath the supervision of the director.”
The regulation professor additionally says the courtroom’s ultimate resolution may have authorized ramifications sooner or later as a result of it may decide who could be chargeable for damages if a veteran decides to sue.
Gina Loy mentioned that the state of affairs right this moment is “significantly better.
“They instantly, if I e-mail them one thing or a query, they instantly e-mail me again or they name me.”
I-Crew 8 reached out to Epperson by telephone and e-mail for a remark about what occurred between 2014 and 2019 in her roll because the Hamilton County veterans service officer. She hadn’t replied by Friday evening.
Assertion from Indiana Division of Veterans Affairs
“IDVA denies the claims made by Hamilton County. The statute cited within the lawsuit has by no means been interpreted the best way Hamilton County prefers. Counties, not the state, have the accountability for hiring, supervising, evaluating, giving pay raises, and, if wanted, firing staff who work of their county veterans workplaces. Hamilton County found issues three years in the past, and IDVA went above and past to assist. IDVA works to assist, serve, and advocate for the Indiana veteran group, and it’s unlucky that some veterans’ lives may very well be adversely affected by the issues that occurred within the veterans workplace of Hamilton County.”
Dennis Wimer, director of the Indiana Division of Veterans Affairs
