Dubois County veterans office expands events, support, and healthcare access

Dubois County veterans are finding more help close to home as the county’s Veterans Service Office grows beyond a paperwork desk into a hub for benefits, transportation and day-to-day connection.

Marine veteran Dave Flynn said Santa Claus native Nick Pagragan has recently come on board as the county’s new Veterans Service Officer, after Flynn and other volunteers helped keep the office running through several months of staffing uncertainty. The office now is trying to make itself easier to find and easier to use, with a fuller calendar of events meant to link veterans not only to benefits, but also to one another and to local support programs.

That work is visible already at Cranberries in Jasper, where the office holds a weekly Veteran Breakfast every Thursday at 7:00 a.m. The gathering is open to active-duty personnel, retirees, veterans and their families, giving former service members a regular place to meet outside the courthouse or a claims appointment. The office also says it helps veterans understand their eligibility and apply for benefits, a service that can matter as much for a surviving spouse filling out forms as for a veteran trying to sort through disability paperwork.

Healthcare access remains a major piece of the county’s effort. Flynn noted that veterans now have more local options than in the past, including telehealth, community-based care, VA clinics, hospitals and mobile van services. The county’s office says it helps veterans reach care through VA clinics and approved local community care providers. It also operates a DAV van transportation program based at the Dubois County Security Center, using volunteer drivers to take veterans to VA clinics and hospitals in Evansville, Louisville, Owensboro and New Albany. Veterans must call 812-481-7089 to request a ride, and a volunteer driver should confirm within 48 hours.

The office’s role could grow even more important as Indiana’s property-tax changes take effect. Under HB 1187, some veteran deductions will become credits beginning with property taxes imposed for the 2026 assessment date. The fiscal note says the new credits will be $300 for veterans age 62 with a 10% to 90% disability and $400 for wartime veterans with at least a 10% service-connected disability, while totally disabled veterans would receive a 100% deduction of assessed value. That makes the local office part of the process, not just a place for information, because veterans will need a letter from it for the new filing requirements.

The office is at 602 Main St, Jasper, IN 47546, and is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its expanding role comes as Jasper prepares for Memorial Day observances, including an Annual Memorial Day Observation on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. and a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 25, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Courthouse Square. The courthouse already has a POW-MIA memorial, built in 2024 through a project led by local Eagle Scout Samuel Osterman, and VFW 673 senior vice commander David Flynn said the crowd and community support were strong then, a sign the county’s veterans network is becoming more visible in daily life.