Alabama Chilton County VA officer position eliminated

County VA officer position eliminated
By Stephen Dawkins
Published 1:59pm Friday, March 23, 2012

Many former soldiers in Chilton County are upset and confused about the closing of the local Veterans Affairs office.

Jennifer Kamerer, who served as a full-time VA agent in the Chilton County Courthouse, told the county commission at its meeting on March 12 that her position had been eliminated.

“What we’re looking at is a major, major blow to our county,” Kamerer told the commission.

The office will be staffed one day a week, on Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., by a service officer that travels from the Shelby County office in Columbiana. Or veterans can travel to VA offices in Autauga, Bibb, Dallas or Shelby counties.

Kamerer said the arrangement isn’t adequate to serve the county’s more than 3,000 veterans, an opinion seconded by Phil Burnette, commander of the 23rd District, American Legion Department of Alabama.

“I’m hearing a lot of anger from the veterans, myself included,” Burnette said. “A lot of our veterans are not able to travel. To be quite blunt, I think it’s a shame and a disgrace that we’re being left without representation in the county.”
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