Disabled Iraq Veteran Heads Beverly Veterans Service Office by HImself

Beverly veterans services a 'one-man show'
Beverly Wicked Local
By Martha Shanahan
Posted Jun. 28, 2014

BEVERLY
Beverly Veterans Services director David Perinchief spends his days meeting with Beverly’s veterans in his Memorial Building office. His dog, Gunner, sits by his side and greets everyone who walks in the door with a friendly wag of the tail.

When he’s not in meetings, he’s on the phone. Veterans and widows call him to get help navigating the twists, turns and bureaucratic mazes of the Veterans Affairs system.

When he’s not in his office, he’s finding the veterans who can’t find him — sometimes driving to their houses to pick up forms — or meeting with Veterans Affairs officials in Boston.

"It’s a one-man show," he said. "I have one of the largest clientele bases in the area by myself, and I have no other help. It gets a little overwhelming."

He has a computer full of spreadsheets logging every veteran who comes through his office — part of a new approach he has brought to the job that combines tough love with a serious commitment to efficiency.

The city receives 75 percent of its spending on veterans back from the state. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2015, under review by the city council, increases the amount of funding allocated for benefits by a proposed $62,757 more than is expected to be spent this year.
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