Local VA Offices Not Expecting to Be Impacted by DOGE Cuts

Millage funding keeps essential services running throughout the state

By Ross Boissoneau | May 17, 2025

The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE have made cuts to hundreds of agencies across the federal government. Among the cuts that have been in the news are those to the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to accounts in numerous media, the VA is planning to cut 83,000 jobs. At the VA, nearly 30 percent of workers are veterans, half of whom are disabled. This means that veterans, who make up 6.1 percent of the U.S. population, are disproportionately affected by federal worker cuts.

Local VA offices say those cuts will not affect them, at least not in the short term, as they are funded by the individual counties they call home.

“All our offices are county [funded], not federally,” says Melanie Pauch, veterans service officer and director of the Kalkaska County Veterans Affairs office. “So we are not employed by the VA.”

Pauch says offices are accredited by the VA and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers and serve the state through its individual counties. “There are 83 counties in Michigan. There’s been no effect on our personnel,” Pauch explains.

Her counterparts agree that their services remain intact. Chris Emmons of Cadillac, which serves Wexford County, says he hasn’t seen any changes in county, state, or federal benefits. “There’s been no change to our mission statement,” he says.

As each county in Michigan has its own office and its own funding, Emmons says any calls his office receives from outside Wexford County are re-routed to the appropriate office. “Due to funding, if someone from another county calls, I’ll link them to the appropriate VA office,” he says.

Michael Roof, who serves as the director of the office in Grand Traverse County, says he has not yet seen any impact locally either. “My biggest concern is what I see in the office. I haven’t seen any issues filing claims,” he says, while adding, “I hate to see people lose jobs” about the cuts in Washington.

Serving Those Who Served

The VA provides comprehensive services for veterans. Those services include healthcare, short- and long-term housing options, life insurance, pensions, education stipends, and assistance in jails and courts. The VA also engages in public health research. One-quarter of the VA’s 482,000 employees are veterans.

Emmons is a retired U.S. Army major. He’s originally from Arizona, but due to his military career, his family moved 23 times in 22 years. His wife is originally from Portland, Michigan, and when her parents retired to Cadillac, they settled there as well when Emmons retired.

He says that kind of movement is common in the military, and the local VA office—as well as other veterans organizations—can help families navigate those changes.

They can also help provide stability for retirees who may not have had the opportunity to create the same kinds of bonds as long-term residents do with one another. “The VFW, American Legion, even the country club—there are a lot of veterans there,” he says.

Changing Lives

The majority of the calls, visits, and claims the offices process are regarding disability benefits, according to Emmons. If military personnel are injured while serving, they can often claim financial compensation in the form of disability benefits. Pauch says the many older, low-income vets rely on their veterans’ benefits to make ends meet.

All three VA leaders say that as the weather warms, they anticipate getting busier.

“In January we had 64 [calls]. In February, 68,” says Emmons. That compares with last July, when the calls nearly doubled, with 121 in the Wexford office. “A lot [of clients] go south.”

Roof anticipates his office will be receiving more calls as well. “It’s been slow for us; that’s normal for us for November through April. When it’s cold, people are not out. Our clients are mostly older than 70,” he says.

The work of local VA offices extends beyond fielding phone calls and filing claims. “We work with the homeless population,” Roof explains. “One [veteran] was homeless. Now that he is getting money, he’s no longer unhoused.”

Roof says the financial benefits veterans receive not only provide for their well-being but provide stimulus for the local economy as well. “We are a direct connection to the economic impact of the county and the region,” he continues. He says in 2018, veterans brought in $23 million to the local economy. “Now it’s $29 million. It is going to people to buy houses, cars, groceries.”

Millages Matter

While the VA leaders feel their services and staffing are stable for now, they point out just how important the county-based funding model is.

“People complain about the [VA] millage,” Roof tells us, noting that the cost per taxpayer per year is minimal. “It’s about a McDonald’s meal.”

The latest VA millage proposal in Grand Traverse County was passed in 2022 by a 70-plus percent margin. It renewed an existing millage in the amount of .12 mills to fund and operate the Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs Office. The estimated cost for a residential parcel with a taxable value of $100,000 is $12 per year. The six-year millage runs from 2022 through 2027.

“We appreciate [those] supporting the millage,” Roof says. “That’s why we are able to keep doing what we are doing.”

Local Ceremonies Mark Memorial Day

Throughout the region, veterans’ organizations observe Memorial Day in numerous ways. They include parades, flag-raising ceremonies, and gatherings at cemeteries for a volley of rifle fire and/or playing of taps.

In Traverse City, folks will gather at Veterans Park at 10am for a Memorial Day service. “It honors those who served and lost their lives,” says John Leffler, president of the Grand Traverse Veterans Coalition.

The group will also be placing American flags on the graves of service members at Oakwood Cemetery. That will take place the Friday of Memorial weekend, May 23, at 10am.

The coalition is comprised of various veterans’ organizations from Grand Traverse County and those counties that border it. “There are 40 different veterans or veteran-supporting organizations,” Leffler says. “Each month they send one or two representatives to our meeting,” after which they take back any relevant information to their individual organization and its members.

Leffler suggests contacting your local veterans’ organization, such as the VFW or American Legion, to learn what events or ceremonies will be taking place throughout northern Michigan on Memorial Day weekend.