There are two American holidays that I look forward to the most every year – Veteran’s Day and Independence Day. While this year’s Fourth of July festivities were dampened by Colorado storms, it was still a great reminder to celebrate and commemorate the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This milestone in American history was no easy feat, and we owe our nation’s veterans gratitude for their honorable service that sustains our independence.

I’ve had many professional roles in my life, but one that I am most proud of is being a Vietnam Army Veteran. I know firsthand the kind of sacrifices that are made by individual veterans and their families. That’s why I think it’s imperative that Arapahoe County continue to invest in veterans’ services and address the backlog of caseloads.

Arapahoe County has an extraordinary Veterans Services program that operates in two important locations…Littleton and Aurora. These folks provide no-cost services to help make sure that veterans and their dependents have access to the federal and state benefits for which they are eligible—and they shepherd them through the entire process. These benefits include service-connected disability compensation, a pension program, compensation and pension for survivors, and burial assistance, among others.

What many County residents may not know is that these services are federally mandated, yet we only receive $30,000 from the state to support our operations. And with nearly 40,000 residents who are veterans, Arapahoe County has the second largest veteran population in the state. A few years ago, we were fortunate to add another veteran service officer to our team, thanks to a partnership with Adams County and Aurora. Today, each of our officers are carrying a 12,000+ caseload, with a seven-week backlog. The bottom line…demand for veteran services is significant, and we don’t have the resources to support the increasing needs.

My fellow commissioners and I are continuously working to identify all partnership opportunities to tackle this concern. In fact, earlier this summer I had the distinct honor of traveling to our nation’s capital to lobby Colorado’s congressional delegation on this issue. I’m hoping we can continue to work with our elected leaders in Washington to increase our funding for these officers so that we can provide faster service and effectively address our case backlog.

In the coming weeks and months, I also look forward to partnering with Arapahoe County residents and municipalities to determine sustainable funding sources for these critically important veterans services. Look for future telephone town hall events at www.arapahoegov.com/townhall, follow us on social media, or subscribe to The County Line newsletter to stay informed and get involved.

Bill L. Holen serves on the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners representing District 5, which includes the City of Glendale and portions of the City of Aurora.