As we recognize Veterans Day this week, we also can take heart in the extra help Iowa makes available to our state’s veterans and their families through a special program that isn’t available in a lot of other places.
It’s the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, and we at the Iowa Lottery are proud that a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of lottery tickets in Iowa goes to the Veterans Trust Fund each year. We just made our latest annual transfer of $2.5 million to the IVTF, and that brings the lottery’s total proceeds through the years to that program to nearly $32.4 million.
That’s help right here at home for those who have given so much for our country. The IVTF was started years ago to help fill in the gaps in federal veterans benefits by adding state help to the mix. It feels good to know Iowa has a solution like that in place, and we get to be a part of it.
If you’re an Iowa veteran or the family member of an Iowa veteran and you’re looking for more information about the IVTF, you can visit va.iowa.gov and click on the “Trust Fund” link under the “Benefits” tab. There, you’ll find the categories for assistance from the fund as well as a copy of the application form. If you’d prefer an option to speak with someone, you can call the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs toll-free at 800-838-4692 or contact your local County Veterans Office. (There is a veterans office in every county in Iowa, but please be aware that office hours and other operating details may have changed right now during the COVID-19 emergency.)
While the Iowa Lottery raises money for the Veterans Trust Fund, it’s the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs that approves applications for assistance through the fund. Perhaps more than any other, it’s commision members' perspective that matters in terms of the impact that the Trust Fund has had in Iowa. Click on the video below to hear two members of the commission share the story of their own service to our country and why the IVTF matters so much to them.