2,501 vets live in Leelanau County.

Top officials of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Little Finger Post #7731 recently accepting another one-year term in office were , from left, adjutant Charles Turnquist, commander Bob Rothgarber, and quartermaster Charlie Steffens.

The director of Veterans Affairs for Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties, Chuck Lerchen, says the VA is gearing up for a continued influx of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One problem: Michigan is ranked as one of the worst states in the nation for obtaining federal funds for veterans.

In an annual update for the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, Lerchen reported earlier this month that Leelanau County is home to an estimated 2,521 living veterans with 709 active cases for VA claims and other services currently being handled by his office.

Lerchen said a majority of Leelanau County veterans and VA beneficiaries seeking assistance visit his office in Traverse City, but some are now visiting the VA office in the new Leelanau County Government Center in Suttons Bay Township. The Leelanau County VA office is open each Tuesday during working hours and is normally manned by senior case manager Joe Meredith.

Lerchen, who also serves on the State Board for Veterans, told county commissioners that the State of Michigan did not have a Department of Veterans Affairs until 1996, and that the state has not been aggressive in obtaining federal funds for Michigan veterans. Although Michigan is ranked seventh in terms of number of veterans living here, the state is ranked 48th out of 50 states in obtaining federal funding for veterans.

Because Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties have active VA offices, however, some federal funding is flowing in, Lerchen said. In 2007, veterans in the two counties received $47,954 in emergency financial assistance. In the same year the department processed $41,750 in burial allowance applications, with $4,500 of that for Leelanau County veterans.

Lerchen also noted that a new VA outpatient clinic in Traverse City continues to grow in size and capability. It now has 29 fulltime employees, and routinely serves many Leelanau County veterans.

For the past 14 years, Leelanau County has had a contract with Grand Traverse County to provide Veterans Affairs services for Leelanau County veterans, their dependents and survivors. The amount Leelanau County appropriated for VA services from Grand Traverse County in 2007 was $33,036.