CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Veterans Services' office seeking van, driver

Greensburg Daily News - 11/16/2017

Nov. 16--GREENSBURG -- The Decatur County veterans' services officer is seeking a vehicle -- and a volunteer driver -- in order to help local veterans make it to their appointments at an Indianapolis VA hospital.

Mike Baumgartner is tasked with finding both, but it has been anything but easy in recent months.

"We do need a vehicle," the veterans' services officer told the Daily News last week. "And so far I have one possibility on a driver."

The lone application is for a voluntary position that would, in effect, reinstate a service suspended when a longtime driver (and veteran) stepped down from his volunteer position earlier this year.

For years, Albert Friend had ferried local veterans to the Richard Roudebush Medical Center in Indianapolis without compensation. An army veteran, Friend had long called for additional drivers in order to continue providing the service.

But the help didn't come.

Friend, who sometimes drove five days per week to the VA hospital, was honored for his volunteer work by the Decatur County Board of Commissioners and former Veterans Service Officer Harold Sample.

In any case, Baumgartner feels providing such a service was a lot to ask of anyone, no matter his or her dedication to the cause.

"He was doing it for free every day," said Baumgartner. "This is a voluntary service. It's not easy getting somebody to do something like this for nothing -- you've got to want to do it."

A van supplied by the nonprofit Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was used to transport local veterans to the VA hospital. But that vehicle did not belong to Decatur County and was repurposed and sent to another community after the transportation service stopped, Baumgartner said.

"The van we had was 100 percent DAV-owned, but the idea was that it was interim and a stop-gap," explained Baumgartner. "In the meantime, we're looking to source a vehicle, but as of right now there is no vehicle."

Since the spring, Baumgartner has been working to acquire a vehicle -- and a driver. He told the commissioners in May that, ideally, he would like to have "three or four" qualified applicants. The application process is handled by the Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs which will conduct a background check and an examination of the applicant's driving record.

A meal is provided for the driver by the hospital and fuel costs are also covered. A volunteer does not need to be a veteran in order to apply, though there are expectations of the driver -- and limits to the service provided.

Baumgartner stressed that drivers are not emergency medical personnel and the service -- if and when it returns -- still will not assist veterans with special needs.

As an example, Baumgartner said if a person making use of the service uses a walker, he or she must be able to put the walker in the van and get in the vehicle on his or her own power.

The service is also only provided for regularly-scheduled appointments.

Baumgartner brought the issue to the attention of the commissioners again earlier this month, saying he was currently putting together a plan to secure a van. The veterans' services officer told the Daily News the county would have to pay a third of the cost of the vehicle.

Baumgartner said he is currently exploring options to raise the money necessary.

The commissioners suggested reaching out to the sheriff's department or coroner's office for the temporary use of a vehicle.

Baumgartner said he spoke with Sheriff Greg Allen about using a van typically used for inmate transport from the jail to the courthouse.

But Allen said the vehicle "might not be a good fit" for the transportation service due to its high mileage accumulation, Baumgartner noted. Nonetheless, the option is still there.

"He said it might not be dependable, but it's one option," Baumgartner said. "In any event, prior to [the sheriff's department] getting rid of it, they are going to keep us in mind."

Baumgartner said he has recently been in contact with about 20 local veterans who are now making it to their appointments on their own, or through rides provided by family and friends.

"It's a hardship," Baumgartner said. "They're getting by, but we should do better. Friends and family have been taking them, and we would like to do better than that."

Anyone interested in applying for the volunteer veterans' services driver position should visit the local office at 315 S. Ireland St. in Greensburg or call 812-663-3161. Email inquiries may also be sent to veteransoffice@decaturcounty.in.gov.

More information about services provided by the local veterans' services office can be found online at http://www.decaturcounty.in.gov/veterans-services.

Contact: Brent Brown 812-663-3111 x7056; brent.brown@greensburgdailynews.com

___

(c)2017 the Greensburg Daily News (Greensburg, Ind.)

Visit the Greensburg Daily News (Greensburg, Ind.) at www.greensburgdailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.