Linn County Veterans Services helped local veterans and their families obtain about $414,661 in government benefits from October through December 2025, Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker learned at their Jan. 13 board meeting.
Veterans Services Manager Dee Baley-Hyder said that from January through December 2025, tax-free benefits recovered totaled about $2,480,553.
Baley-Hyder said the department’s medical transportation program has been active, aided by a $24,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation that was aimed at assisting veterans who live in rural Linn County. The grant period was from October through December 2025.
The department also received a $35,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs. The funds will provide medical transportation from January 2026 through June 2027.
Baley-Hyder said her department applied for a Veterans Medical Transportation Grant from ODOT, but the status of that application hasn’t been announced.
Baley-Hyder said she attended a meeting of the Santiam Service Integration group in Gates.
“It was a great way to share with everyone what our office does and how we help Linn County veterans,” she noted in her written report. “It was also great to share about the medical transportation that is used by our veterans.”
Veterans Service Officer Rob McKibben was a guest speaker at the Lebanon Senior Center Veterans Recognition Day. He talked about services provided by the department and highlighted the medical transportation services.
“We were also in the Veterans Day parade and it is always nice to see all the veterans we have served in our community,” Baley-Hyder said.
In other business, the commissioners:
- Announced that they will send a letter of support – with conditions – to the Oregon Health Authority and Samaritan Health Services concerning the proposed affiliation between Samaritan Health Services and MultiCare Health System.
- Approved the purchase of oil rock for the 2026 chip seal program from Knife River Corporation. One purchase is for $155,800, to be delivered to the county’s Lebanon maintenance yard and another purchase is for $121,450 to be delivered to the Brock Quarry near Scio.
- Appointed Brownsville attorney Danielle Myers to Position 4 on the Law Library Committee. The position was formerly held by Judge Jessica Meyer.