Yuma veterans group marks 15 years of helping families navigate benefits

The American Veterans Service Organization marked 15 years in Yuma on July 1, celebrating a local operation that says it has helped about 55,000 veterans and family members navigate disability claims, health guidance and other support.

That reach matters in Yuma County, where the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 estimate put the veteran population at 14,510 and the county’s total population at 224,449 as of July 1, 2025. The organization has built its name on the most basic needs families face after military service: understanding benefits paperwork, finding health care guidance and connecting to other services when the system feels hard to decode.

Arizona also has a formal backstop. The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services says its Veteran Benefits Counselors provide free information, counseling and assistance to veterans, dependents and survivors, including in Yuma. That network underscores a reality local veterans know well: help often comes from more than one place, and families may need to move between local nonprofits and state or federal offices to get answers.

The organization’s role has become more visible since a fire destroyed its building in March 2025. Even after losing printers, copy machines and other office supplies, the group kept its weekly Tuesday meetings going, continuing to help veterans with claims, medical paperwork and related needs. Manager June Condon said the fire wiped out the tools the staff used every day, but the service itself did not stop.

Wayne Dreger, a veteran who got help with disability benefits, said the organization “really does a good job.” His experience reflects why the group has remained a steady stop for local families that need practical help rather than another phone number to call.

The recovery effort has also drawn support beyond the organization itself. The U.S. Army said abandoned trailers from Yuma Proving Ground were being repurposed to help the group reopen after the fire, a sign that the organization’s work is tied into Yuma’s broader military landscape.

That landscape is changing again. On Jan. 23, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on a new Yuma VA Outpatient Clinic, a 30,000-square-foot free-standing facility planned for completion in summer 2027. The clinic is expected to offer primary care, physical therapy, optometry, audiology and women’s health through the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System in partnership with Onvida Health.

For Yuma veterans, the 15-year mark is not just a celebration of longevity. It is a reminder that the demand for benefits navigation, health access and family support remains immediate, and that local groups still carry much of the load while larger systems catch up.