Veterans services — Indian River County, Florida

Indian River County Veterans Services works from two offices: the Vero Beach Office at 2525 St. Lucie Avenue, phone (772) 226-1395, and the Sebastian Office at 1235 Main Street, phone (772) 226-1145 (Indian River County Veterans Services).

The county lists a separate phone and fax line for each office: the Sebastian Office sits on Main Street in Sebastian and the Vero Beach Office on St. Lucie Avenue in Vero Beach (Veterans Services).

Published hours vary between county sources. The county GIS facilities layer records the Vero Beach office as open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, closed 12 to 1 daily, with a contact number of (772) 226-7395 (Indian River County GIS facilities layer). The Veterans Services page itself lists (772) 226-1395 for the St. Lucie Avenue office and states only that both offices work by appointment, so the department page is the one used here. County general offices at 1801 27th Street keep 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekday hours (Indian River County), a schedule the Veterans Services listing does not adopt for its officers.

Yes: both the Vero Beach Office and the Sebastian Office see veterans Monday through Friday by appointment only, with walk-ins welcome for concerns that take 30 minutes or less on one set day at each office (Veterans Services).

The walk-in days differ by town. The Vero Beach Office on St. Lucie Avenue takes short walk-in questions on Wednesdays, and the Sebastian Office at 1235 Main Street takes them on Thursdays, according to the county's Veterans Services page (Indian River County). Concerns that take longer than 30 minutes fall under the appointment rule; the Sebastian Office phone is (772) 226-1145.

The county page lists a phone and fax line for each office and no online booking portal. The Vero Beach Office phone is (772) 226-1395. The GIS record also shows a midday closing from 12 to 1 at the St. Lucie Avenue building (county facilities record), a detail the Veterans Services page does not repeat.

The State-Certified Veterans Service Officers in Vero Beach and Sebastian help prepare, file and appeal claims for VA compensation, pensions, health care, education, home loans, burial, survivors' benefits, lost records and homestead tax exemptions (Veterans Services).

Claims work is the core of the job. The county describes the division as one that assists in preparing, filing, and appellate procedures regarding benefit claims due under federal, state and local laws, and that gives Indian River County veterans and families full access to State-Certified Veterans Service Officers for counseling and direction (Indian River County Veterans Services). The county page lists no fee for this help, and state law lets the Board of County Commissioners pay the officers' salaries and office costs.

The benefits list covers a lifetime of service. The county names service connected compensation claims, non-service connected pensions, VA health care, education, VA guaranteed home loans, burial benefits, dependents and survivors benefits, lost military records, plus homestead tax exemptions. The county page used by the Vero Beach and Sebastian offices also lists the National Personnel Records Center among its resources.

The office also points outward. Its resource list includes the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council, the Sebastian Area Veterans Honor Guard, Space Coast Honor Flight and the Indian River VA Clinic, with a disclaimer that the county does not endorse third-party events (Veterans Services resources). VA health care appears on the benefits assistance list, and the Indian River VA Clinic appears on the resource list.

Under section 292.11, the Board of County Commissioners may hire a county veteran service officer, who must be a veteran or a veteran's surviving spouse and pass state training and a test first (Florida Statutes section 292.11).

The statute lets each board of county commissioners employ a county veteran service officer and provide office space, clerical assistance and supplies, and pay those expenses and salaries (section 292.11). Cities may hire their own officer under the same section, but the county page lists no city-run office in Sebastian, Vero Beach or Fellsmere.

The qualifications are specific. A county or city veteran service officer must hold a 2-year degree from an accredited university, college or community college, or a high school diploma or equivalency plus 4 years of administrative experience (s. 292.11). The Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs certifies which applicants meet its requirements, and the board of county commissioners then hires from that list and sets duties and pay.

Training continues after hiring. The department runs a training program and a test that each officer must pass before assuming any responsibilities, plus periodic refresher courses required to keep the job (Florida Statutes). The Indian River County Veterans Services page describes its officers as State-Certified (Veterans Services).

Disabled veterans apply to the Indian River County Property Appraiser for a $5,000 exemption at 10 percent disability or a full homestead exemption at total and permanent service-connected disability (Property Appraiser exemptions; section 196.24; section 196.081).

The smaller exemption is the one many veterans miss. Section 196.24 exempts property to the value of $5,000 of an ex-servicemember disabled 10 percent or more, and a certificate of disability from the VA presented to the property appraiser is prima facie evidence of eligibility (s. 196.24). A veteran may apply before the paperwork arrives; once it does, the exemption is granted from the original application date and excess taxes are refunded, with refunds limited to the 4-year period in s. 197.182.

The larger exemption removes the tax on the home. Section 196.081 makes a homestead exempt from taxation when it is owned and used by a veteran honorably discharged with a service-connected total and permanent disability, certified by a VA letter, who was a permanent Florida resident on January 1 of the tax year (s. 196.081). The Property Appraiser exemptions page lists a separate Disabled Veterans application alongside the homestead application (Indian River County Property Appraiser), and homestead tax exemptions sit on the county service officers' list of help offered. Last verified: October 12, 2026, on the Indian River County website.