Veterans Affairs Patient Advocate Jill Doll informs veterans of their benefits at VetFest Wednesday at the SDC. (Chelsea Bossert/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The fourth annual VetFest kicked off Wednesday morning at the SDC. VetFest connects those who served in any capacity with resources and programs for their benefit. Veterans who went also could directly enroll in Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and get health screenings for toxin exposure on-site. 

VetFest Organizer and Houghton County Veterans Services Office Director Joe Battisfore said this fairly new, annual event has been more and more popular each year it has been held. 

“This is our fourth year, and every year’s it’s increased,” he said. “Started off with about 400, then 600 and 800 last year. So, we’re hoping we’ll blow that number out of the water this year.”

Battisfore said there are a little under 4,000 veterans in the Keweenaw-Baraga-Houghton County area, and supporting them through resource accessibility is one way VetFest helps. 

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he said. “Coming to an event like this, you get contacts and even if that doesn’t apply to you, it might apply to somebody you know, loved one, family member, or friend…”

Recent veterans, veterans who served overseas, national guard members — veterans of all types were welcome to come to VetFest. The only requirement to access the pool of resources is serving the country. Battisfore said services like the Houghton County VSO and VA programs. 

Once veterans entered the fair, they could make their way over to the Iron Mountain VA table on the left and explore their options. Public Affairs for VA in Iron Mountain Timothy Ellison said the VA team was all hands-on deck for today. 

“We’re bringing our whole enrollment team with us,” he said. “We have enrollment specialists on site that are ready to help veterans get enrolled.”

Ellison said toxin screenings are useful for veterans since they can enroll in disability as soon as they get the results. This immediate help to veterans comes with the widening of PACT Act benefits in 2024. 

“That goes into your medical record and that does two things for you,” he said. One, it acknowledges your exposures that you had during services, so your primary care provider’s going to know what they are… the second thing it does, it gives you a piece of evidence to go to your veteran service officer with to say, ‘I was exposed.'”

According to Ellison, VA offices have a lot of requirements due to it being a government entity. However, veterans who take the VA journey are treated with the utmost respect and care. 

“We are a healthcare system full of people that care about you, but we have rules,” he said. “So, there’s policies and there’s boxes and there’s paperwork. Get that paperwork out of the way before you need us so that you have immediate access to that building full of people that genuinely care about the mission and taking care of veterans.”

The Houghton County VSO is located at Houghton County Memorial Airport and can be reached at 906-482-0102. The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain is located at 325 E H St, it can be contacted at 906-774-3300.