Just inside the front entrance to the Ramsey County Courthouse, 524 4th Ave. NE, Devils Lake, ND, you will find the office of Bryce Crosby, Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for Ramsey, Benson and Nelson Counties of North Dakota. As you get to know this man who is himself a veteran, North Dakota National Guard for 28 years, you won’t be surprised that his influence ranges far beyond the three counties he’s paid to serve.

One of those areas of interest, outside of serving veterans, is the Scouts BSA as he gives time to boys, young men and now girls, as well, in scouting activities on a weekly and monthly basis. You can tell how important this work is to him by the enthusiasm he exudes as he talks about how the scouting program has grown in recent years and about trips they’ve taken like to Mount Rushmore recently, and plan to take in the future to Montana and/or Manitoba (or both).

Crosby is originally from Rolla, ND, and his mother still lives there, on her own, and will be celebrating her 100th birthday on December 7. He says that when he goes home to celebrate her birthday next month, no doubt she’ll bake him some of her chocolate chip cookies. The whole family came together earlier this year to mark her birthday simply because it’s much easier to travel in North Dakota before winter sets in. Crosby says he comes from a large family – “seven siblings and over 100 cousins, they are scattered all over the world,” getting a lot of them together isn’t an easy thing.

He is married to Lisa and they have three daughters; a 19 year old, a 15 year old and a 12 year old. After retirement from the military Crosby was a Family Assistance Specialist a Camp Grafton from July 2012 to March 2020 assisting soldiers, veterans and their families.

Crosby has been the VSO for Ramsey County for three years, expanding his outreach to Nelson County and Benson County and often beyond that. “I will not turn a veteran down!” Crosby says. He is passionate about his work to help veterans and their families receive the benefits and services they deserve. Navigating the world of the Veterans Administration is not a simple process and often involves patience, determination and tenacity. Often it also involves frustration as bills flow through congress to committee and back again that could be beneficial to North Dakota’s veterans, their families and survivors, but get caught in a political process that is not easy to understand.

Like the situation with the people who trained and lived in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (North Carolina) and a lawsuit from 2022 that allows veterans, survivors and families to file for appropriate relief and compensation if their health has been affected by contamination in the region’s water supply over several years. Crosby brought that up because it is advertised on local television quite often and he has had to deal with a number of questions and concerns regarding this situation. He told the Journal that as VSO he could help veterans with navigating the application process for benefits in situations like this, however, once lawyers are involved with the process, then he is no longer able to assist. It can be frustrating because his services are free, paid for through the counties that support his work as VSO, but the work of the lawyers, of course, is not free. Who pays those fees? The veteran does, or whoever is initiating the claim – widows, dependents, etc.

‘The best thing you can do,” Crosby states, “is send someone to me.”

There are still a lot of veterans who are not enrolled for services, he said. Many hesitate because they feel as if they would be taking benefits away from other veterans, however, that is not the case, Crosby says. That money is there and available to help with pharmaceutical costs, costs of adapting a home to the veteran’s physical needs, providing specialized medical apparatus and transportation needs.

Currently Devils Lake Transport, operated through Senior Meals and Services, provides free transportation for veterans to go to and from medical appointments within Devils Lake – like to the CBO Clinic – and on a weekly basis to Grand Forks, but not to other locations, for the time being. Crosby says that’s one thing they are working on changing, so veterans can eventually take advantage of free transportation to and from other places they would need to seek medical care through, including the V.A. Hospital in Fargo.

He is full-time and will dedicate himself to finding the services, like Care in the Community, that provide referrals to local providers for veterans.

He also works on the legislative end of things, trying to get bills passed through Congress that help veterans and their survivors claim their benefits, even end-of-life benefits, pensions, adaptive housing and other forms of compensation for various levels of disability all the way up to 100%.

If you are a veteran, or if someone you know is a veteran, and they may need to apply for the many opportunities for assistance available to veterans, contact Crosby at 701-662-7048 or by email bcrosby@nd.gov