Letter to VA commission condemns past comments

Jasper County veterans showed up in tow once again to support veterans affairs administrator Alyssa Wilson but also condemn the commissioner who not only told her to think about veteran suicide rates the next time she decides to not answer a phone call in her office but also threatened to fire another employee.

For the second time this year, the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission meeting — which is usually void of guests — was standing room only. It was no secret why they were there. They wanted nothing more than to confront commissioner Ed Spangenburg for what he said to Wilson the month before.

Despite having an agenda item reserved for a veteran’s update from the May meeting, which was when retired service members first filled the conference room of the county administration building, it would be a long time before veterans would get any answers from their commissioners.

Included in the veteran’s update was a letter, which was drafted and delivered to the chair of the commission. While not attached to the packet, it responded to Spangenburg’s comments, saying the suggestion that Wilson be blamed “should anything horrible happen to a veteran whose call is not answered is ludicrous.”

Lisa Van Ryswyk, daughter of a Vietnam veteran, is who wrote the letter, a copy of which was sent to Newton News. Van Ryswyk was in the news this past spring when her father, Kenneth Van Veen, was denied disability claims by the federal government, who also told him and his family there was no record of his service.

Her father died on March 9 without being formally recognized by the government for his military service during the Vietnam War. Van Ryswyk said in her letter that Wilson had been working with her dad for months, helping to navigate through the federal bureaucracy of the disability claim process.

“From August (2023) to February (2024), I know Dad met with Alyssa in person no less than four times for the appeal paperwork required for each erroneous claim denial, and I’m sure he called a minimum of once per month to check on the status of the claim,” Van Ryswyk said in the letter.

She also learned Van Veen had stopped in the office every Friday to see if there were any updates on his claim. Wilson attempted to get his claim expedited due to his terminal illness. Van Ryswyk eventually took over and called or emailed no less than six times in a two-week period.

Even after he dad’s death she continues to meet with, call or email Wilson at least once per week to continue the process with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Van Ryswyk highlighted this process to illustrate that the 86 missed calls that Spangenburg accosted Wilson for are not 86 individual vets.

“…The VA denied my dad’s disability claim four times, and it was only through Alyssa’s help and diligence that the appeals were even filed,” Van Ryswyk said. “Dad very likely would have given up after the first denial, but Alyssa pushed him to appeal because Dad deserved to receive those benefits.”

LETTER SAYS PROBLEM ISN’T LOCAL VA OFFICE

Van Ryswyk went on to defend Wilson, saying she cares about the veterans she serves in Jasper County and that she needs further assistance.

“She knows their names, their stories. And she cares about each one of them,” Van Ryswk said. “To suggest that she would be to blame should anything horrible happen to a veteran whose call is not answered is ludicrous! Alyssa needs more help in that office. She needs support from the commission.”

The letter ends with a call to action. Van Ryswk said what Wilson and all the veterans need most is a federal veterans affairs department that properly funds and resources the programs they put in place. She recalled how frustrating it felt to have her father’s claims denied again and again.

Even more so when the feds could not confirm Van Veen was even in Vietnam, despite his certificate of discharge including a notation that he was awarded a service medal. Following her dad’s death, Van Ryswyk and her siblings were told the decision to deny the claims was “clearly and unmistakably erroneous.”

“Just think, if the VA had properly approved Dad’s very first claim, that would have eliminated hours of work filing appeals, at least 20 less phone calls and emails and eight less in-person meetings for one veteran,” she said. “We are still fighting to get the VA to pay Dad’s claim.”

The issue isn’t Wilson, she added, or shared benefits coordinator Josh Price or even the Jasper County office.

“The issue is the VA,” Van Ryswyk said. “And to suggest that the office would run more efficiently if they would just answer all those calls is ridiculous.”

VETERANS DEMAND COMMISSION ISSUE APOLOGY

Although a number of local veterans were ready to speak up to the commission during public comment, the person they wanted to talk to most had to leave after the meeting ran too long. Spangenburg said he had to attend an honor walk and could not stay for the remainder of the meeting, so he excused himself.

But it still did not stop veterans from confronting the commission with their complaints, even outside of the public comment section. Some demanded Spangenberg issue Wilson a sincere, public apology after telling her to think about veteran suicide rates when deciding not to answer calls.

Other guests at the meeting thought it was also wrong of Spangenburg to say he will make a motion in one year to fire Price for not being enrolled in trainings. At the June meeting, Spangenburg frequently cited Iowa Code that states Price could be terminated if he is not certified within 12 months of employment.

Jerry Nelson, chair of the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission, later said Spangenburg apologized to Price for that comment.

But he has not apologized to Wilson.

Nelson explained that Spangenburg’s intention was to emphasize the need to get Price certified within the right time. Wilson’s mother, who attended the meeting, called Spangenburg a bully. Nelson defended him, saying that he is a passionate person who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Sometimes he reacts a little differently than some of us,” Nelson said.

INPUT FROM THIRD PARTY PUTS SOME CONCERNS TO REST

Input from guest Patty Hamann, who is president of the Iowa Association of County Commission Veteran Service Officers, about the shared benefits coordinator position and other procedural solutions helped quell some veterans concerns. It certainly gave commissioners a little hope.

Commissioner Fred Chabot appreciated her “bringing an end to the bickering that has gone on over past months.” Hamann was eventually brought up to speed about the past few meetings, and while she was dismayed to hear about the comments she wanted to give Spangenburg the benefit of the doubt.

“I know where you’re taking it from because you’re all very defensive of Alyssa, and I’m very happy for that,” Hamann said. “But I also want you to know that–Did it drive the point across? Did it get his point across for ho important it is to have the office staff and people in place that can do things? It did.”

Supervisor Doug Cupples attended the July meeting, and what he saw was passion from both sides. He suggested the commission and veterans are vying for the same purpose: to do what’s right for veterans. Cupples, too, said Hamann cleared up so much for everybody.

Dennis Simon, human resources director for Jasper County, said as an outsider the efforts to improve transparency and communications with the board of supervisors is going to solve a lot of issues.

Newton News previously reported that the board of supervisors adjusted the budget to show the salary and benefits of the shared benefits coordinator position is getting 50 percent of its funding through veterans affairs. Hamann recommended this, saying it would allow the position to better help veterans.

Specifically, it would allow the shared benefits coordinator to access trainings and further expand upon what he would be allowed to do in the office.

Commissioner Marta Ford has been on the veterans affairs commission for a long time, and she said the governing body is invested in veterans.

“We’ve been on vacation and called into a meeting,” she said. “I was in the hospital and I called in from my hospital bed. This group is invested.”