Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Around 1,300 military veterans call Jefferson County home. When they seek assistance in accessing disability benefits related to their service, they can now meet up with David Dishman (pictured above). He's the county's new veterans affairs officer.
For a time in the past, Jefferson and Madison counties shared an officer, but because there are significant numbers of veterans here, local government officials wanted someone dedicated to working just with those residing in Jefferson. The Jefferson County Veterans Affairs Office is located at 445 W. Palmer Mill Rd., among the complex of county offices near the library. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Our main objective is to help veterans work on disability compensation claims from injuries, accidents or illnesses that they sustained while they were in the military or were worsened by military service,” says Dishman.
Qualifying conditions, he explains, must be chronic (lasting 6 months or more) and have a current diagnosis. With that, he can build a claim status for the veteran and help prepare any accompanying documentation. The paperwork is submitted to the Veterans Administration (VA), which either approves or denies the claim.
“If it's approved, life is good,” comments Dishman. “If it's denied, then we figure out why and we fix it.”
Along with compensation claims, he can also help with dependent indemnity claims (DIC), which are for a surviving spouse of a service member who passed away of a service-connected injury, illness or disease.
“We help the surviving spouse with that paperwork,” says Dishman. “We fill out burial reimbursement paperwork with them. We also can order headstones or medallions for them.”
He also is able to help veterans who owe the VA money to get waivers or set up payment plans.
Dishman has been getting the word out about the services he offers by speaking to veterans groups, setting up a table at the monthly Vendor's Village and making the rounds to meetings of local civic groups. He will be the guest speaker at this year's Veterans Day Breakfast, hosted by American Legion Post #49.
Since starting on Sept. 1, Dishman has seen a steady rise of more and more veterans finding their way to his office. He shares that one day when he was busy with a lot of veterans who came at once, they all just sat around talking about their military life.
“It was nice because you don't often just sit down with another veteran and start talking about the good old days, tell war stories," he says. “This [office] is a safe, veteran-friendly place.”
As a youth, Dishman was not initially inclined toward military service. He was in his freshman year of college studying psychiatry when news broke about the Gulf War. A few months later he enlisted.
Dishman served in the U.S. Air Force Security Forces for nearly nine years. He spent his first four years at a nuclear missile base in Montana. Then he was stationed in Alaska, where he worked on the FlightLine and was the NCOC of the Security Forces Reports & Analysis section.
After separating from the military in 2000, Dishman transitioned to a career in law enforcement. He served with two police departments then became chief investigator for the State of Alaska Dept. of Revenue Criminal Investigations Unit, addressing business tax fraud, dividend fund fraud and child support arrears.
He retired in 2022 and moved to Florida for a warmer climate. Before long, however, he was looking to re-enter the work force, which eventually led him to his part-time role serving veterans here in Jefferson County.
“I'm very appreciative to Jefferson County for recognizing that our veteran population falls through the cracks, and they took a step to bring them back to the forefront where they deserve to be,” he says.
Dishman shares that he has service-related injuries of his own, which helps him understand the veterans who come into his office.
“I know what it's like to sit over there and be frustrated and stressed out,” he says, pointing to the chair across from his desk. “So my whole goal is to make the process as relaxing and easy on the veteran as I can.”
He encourages local veterans to come see him: “Even if you don't think that you deserve something or you've had problems in the past, don't you give up hope. You come in and see me and see if there is something we can do to help you get the compensation from your time in the service, because it's only 1% of the American population who joins to protect our great nation. I'll do everything in my power to help you have a smooth process.”
IN THE FEATURED PHOTO: Veterans Services Officer David Dishman. ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo by Laura Young October 8m 2026.