- September 18, 2024
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Due to a 60% increase in workload assisting veterans with claims in Flagler County, Veterans Services Officer David Lydon is taking a well-deserved break from writing the Veteran of the Week feature for the Palm Coast Observer, a service he has rendered for about three years.
Of the 13,000 or so veterans in Flagler County, Lydon interviewed and wrote a short story about 160 of them, which is more than 1% of all local veterans.
What did he learn from conducting all those interviews?
“Veterans come in all shapes and sizes, and different jobs and experiences, and they’re all unique,” said Lydon, who is helped in the county offices by Eric Flores Febles. “Everybody’s got a story. And not everybody has to be a Navy Seal to have an interesting story or to have some purpose in serving while they’re in the military. It’s been a pleasure to meet and help write the stories.”
The increased workload is not just a local issue. Since the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was signed into law in August 2022, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been processing claims at a historic rate, reaching 1 million approvals by May 21, 2024, according to a White House press release. However, the process has not been smooth: the VA has a backlog of over 240,000 compensation and pension claims. Lydon said that workload has led to errors, which fall on local offices to fix. His own office processed about 5,300 claims in 2023, about a 60% increase from 2022.
“A lot of mistakes that we catch, if we didn’t catch them, the veterans wouldn’t know any better, and they would just accept that, ‘Oh well, it’s not service related, and I’m not entitled to it,’’” Lydon said.
As a result, Lydon had to stop doing “extracurricular” work, such as writing the Veteran of the Week for the Observer, he said.
Among those Lydon has advised over the years is County Commissioner Greg Hansen, a 27-year Navy veteran.
Hansen praised Lydon for not only helping walk-ins but also being involved with all the veterans organizations, uniting their efforts in the community.
"He's been universally successful," Hansen said. "I don’t know how you can thank him enough."
When a veteran asks Hansen for help, he says, "'Have you talked to Mr. Lydon?' And he just handles it. He takes care of it."
Do you know someone who wants to help the Observer recognize veterans in the community? Email [email protected].
Do you know someone who needs help with veterans services? Call Lydon at 386-313-4042.
For a previous interview with Lydon, click here.
