---

BACKUS - Veterans services and Longville Ambulance Service presented their annual reports to Cass County commissioners Tuesday.

Veterans Services Officer Jeff Woodford said the number of veterans coming to the Backus office and satellite offices in Cass Lake, Remer and Pillager rose significantly in 2014, though about seven fewer vets visited the office in Walker.

The veterans transportation program, where vets can get rides to medical appointments, continues to be a popular service. In 2014, 358 vets traveled 85,571 miles to appointments, about 5,000 more miles than in 2013.

Woodford said veteran use of the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs program called State Soldiers Assistance grants paid vets $58,333 in 2014, down from about $94,000 in 2013.

He said the reduction largely reflects the fact fewer people needed fuel assistance this milder winter, compared to last year's severe winter.

The state program also provided $12,500 in outreach grants in 2014, he said.

Information the state provides about veteran use of federal programs is only available through 2013. Woodford said those reports show 3,347 veterans living in Cass County.

The number has fluctuated up and down over the last six years, going up at times as vets returned from overseas assignments or moved north from metro areas to retire here.

Factors impacting numbers downward include the fact some vets from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War have died and from activation of current service members to duty.

In 2013, a total of $24,107,000 was spent in the county under federal programs for veteran compensation and pensions, education and vocational training and for medical care. About half of Cass's vets used the veteran medical services in 2013, Woodford reported.

Kevin Lee of Longville Ambulance District reported that service billed 254 patients in 2014, up from the 249 patients in 2013 and higher than anticipated in the budget.

With a higher number of patients and slightly lower deduction from insurance companies paying for services, Longville Ambulance District received $11,009 more revenue in 2014 than the budget projected.

Expenses ran $37,673 less than expected, so the service had a 21.2 percent margin, compared with a 14.2 percent margin anticipated in the budget.

The Brainerd ambulance service region, which includes all area ambulance districts in addition to Longville that North Memorial Ambulance services, had a 95.6 percent satisfaction rating, Lee said.

The Longville Ambulance transported 62 patients to the hospital in Brainerd, 56 to Crosby, 37 to Bemidji, 35 to Deer River, 16 to Cass Lake, 13 to Grand Rapids, eight to Park Rapids and 15 by AirCare flight service in 2014.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.[[In-content Ad]]

---