Mineral County has a new Veterans Services Officer

There are an estimated 84,000 veterans living in Montana.

Sanders County has more veterans per capita than any other county in Montana at 15.2% (1,400 veterans) and Mineral County ranks fourth with 14.8% (515 veterans).

Cascade County comes in second with 15.1% (9,183 veterans) and third place goes to Prairie County with 14.9% (133 veterans).

Jackie Lamb has been the Montana Military Affairs Veterans Service Officer (VSO) in Mineral County since September 2021, but is leaving the state. She has helped veterans tremendously by coming out once a month, saving them the trip to Missoula for veteran care and benefits.

Her replacement is well known to veterans in Sanders County because Sara Ball has been their VSO for five years and will now handle County 54 as well.

“I stick to Jackie’s schedule, which is the second Wednesday of every month at St. Regis Post 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and I highly recommend appointments,” she laughs. “I don’t want to rush my time with the scheduled veteran so we can go over everything they need without interruption.”

Ball schedules her appointments consecutively, leaving very little time, so drop-ins will be hit and miss. However, Plains is a “must” when scheduling an appointment when she sets up shop at the VFW on the first Tuesday of every month.

Ball is originally from Helena, but moved to Missoula 21 years ago. She was in the army for eight years, so she has walked everything.

“I was at the end of my employment. I had just returned from Iraq and left behind a two-year-old baby when I left. I wouldn’t leave him again,” she said.

Before becoming a VSO, Ball worked in the private sector.

“I worked in mental health for 16 years in adult case management, working with adults with serious mental illness. It was a supervisory role where I ensured our clients had the right resources to ensure all their benefits were filed and their needs were met.”

VSOs help veterans and their families in many ways by educating individuals and groups about the benefits available through federal, state, provincial and local sources. They can help complete and submit benefit claims and represent individuals in VA hearings.

They specialize in veterans’ compensation and retirement, health care, education and training, employment, funeral and survivor benefits, and military records.

“When Covid hit, our monthly visit to Thompson Falls was canceled and I haven’t gone up since. With Jackie leaving, I am not going to reopen Thompson Falls until we have a VSO on staff again, but ultimately that is a goal,” Ball explained.

Ball’s office is located in the Montana Military Affairs office at 1911 Tower Street in the Western Montana Military Cemetery near Big Sky High School in Missoula. You can contact her at [email protected] and 406-721-1288. As a side note, veterans who need a ride to their scheduled VA medical appointment can call Marry Jo Berry at (406) 822-2213 for a free trip on the DAV.