35B.1 and 35B.2

Reserved.

35B.10 Disbursements--inspection of records.

All claims certified by the commission shall be reviewed by the board of supervisors and the county auditor shall issue warrants in payment of the claims. All applications, investigation reports, and case records are privileged communications and shall be held confidential, subject to use and inspection only by persons authorized by law in connection with their official duties relating to financial audits and the administration of this chapter. However, the county commission of veteran affairs shall prepare and file in the office of the county auditor on or before the thirtieth day of each January, April, July, and October a report showing the case numbers of all recipients receiving assistance under this chapter, together with the amount paid to each during the preceding quarter. Each report so filed shall be securely fixed in a record book to be used only for such reports made under this chapter.

The record book shall be and the same is hereby declared to be a public record, open to public inspection at all times during the regular office hours of the county auditor. Each person who desires to examine said records, other than in pursuance of official duties as hereinbefore provided, shall sign a written request to examine the same, which shall contain an agreement on the part of the signer that the signer will not utilize any information gained therefrom for commercial or political purposes.

It shall be unlawful for any person,

35B.11 Data furnished state commission.

The commission of veteran affairs of each county shall provide information to the state commission of veterans affairs as the state commission may request.

35B.12 Benefit information confidential.

It shall be unlawful for any county board of supervisors or any county commission of veteran affairs to place the administration of the duties of the county commission of veteran affairs under any other agency of any county, or to publish the names of the veterans or their families who receive benefits under the provisions of this chapter.

35B.13 Burial--expenses.

The commission is responsible for the interment in a suitable cemetery of the

35B.14 County appropriation.

The board of supervisors of each county may appropriate moneys for the food, clothing, shelter, utilities, medical benefits, and funeral expenses of indigent veterans, as defined in section 35.1, and their indigent spouses, surviving spouses, and minor children not over eighteen years of age, having a legal residence in the county.

The appropriation shall be expended by the joint action and control of the board of supervisors and the county commission of veteran affairs.

35B.15 Expenses and audit.

Burial expenses shall be paid by the county in which the person died. If the person is a resident of a different county at the time of death, the latter county shall reimburse the county where the person died for the cost of burial. In either case, the board of supervisors of the respective counties shall audit and pay the account from the funds provided for in this chapter in the manner as other claims are audited and paid.

35B.16 Markers for graves.

The county commission of veteran affairs may furnish a suitable and appropriate metal marker for the grave of each veteran, as defined in section 35.1, who is buried within the limits of the county. The marker shall be placed at the individual's grave to permanently mark and designate the grave for memorial purposes. The expenses shall be paid from any funds raised as provided in this chapter.

35B.17 Maintenance of graves.

The county boards of supervisors shall each year appropriate and pay to the owners of, or to the public board or officers having control of cemeteries within the state in which any such deceased service person is buried, a sum sufficient to pay for the care and maintenance of the lots on which they are buried in all cases in which provision for such care is not otherwise made, or may conclude their responsibility by paying a mutually agreed to fee for perpetual care when the cemetery authority has established a perpetual care fund for the cemetery, to be paid either as a lump sum, or in not to exceed five installments in a manner agreed to by the parties.

35B.18 Payment--how made.

Such payment shall be made at the rate charged for like care and maintenance of other lots of similar size in the same cemetery, upon the affidavit of the superintendent or other person in charge of such cemetery, that the same has not been otherwise paid or provided for.

35B.19 Burial records.

The county commission of veteran affairs shall be charged with securing the information requested by the commission of veterans affairs of every person having a military service record and buried in that county. Such information shall be secured from the undertaker in charge of the burial and shall be transmitted by the undertaker to the commission of veteran affairs of the county where burial is made. This information shall be recorded alphabetically and by description of location in the cemetery where the veteran is buried. This recording shall conform to the directives of the state commission of veterans affairs and shall be kept in a book by the county commission.

35B.3 County commission of veteran affairs.

The county commission of veteran affairs shall consist of either three or five persons, as determined by the board of supervisors, all of whom shall be veterans as defined in section 35.1. If possible, each member of the commission shall be a veteran of a different military action. However, this qualification does not preclude membership to a veteran who served in more than one of the military actions.

35B.4 Appointment--vacancies.

Members of the commission of veteran affairs shall be appointed by the board of supervisors to staggered three-year terms at the regular meeting in June. However, a member shall serve until a successor has been appointed and qualifies. The board may remove an appointee at any time for neglect of duty or maladministration. A vacancy on the commission shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the regular term in the same manner as regular appointments are made.

If the board of supervisors increases the commission of veteran affairs membership to five members, the initial terms of the two new members shall be two and three years respectively. However, the new members shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualify.

35B.5 Compensation.

A member of the commission shall receive twenty-five dollars for each month during which the member attends one or more commission meetings and shall be reimbursed for mileage the same as a member of the board of supervisors. Compensation and mileage shall be paid out of the appropriation authorized in section 35B.14.

35B.6 Qualification--training--offices.

1. a. The members of the commission shall qualify by taking the usual oath of office, and give bond in the sum of five hundred dollars each, conditioned for the faithful discharge of their duties with sureties to be approved by the county auditor. The commission shall organize by the selection of one of their members as chairperson, and one as secretary. The commission, subject to the approval of the board of supervisors, shall have power to employ an executive director and other necessary administrative or clerical assistants when needed, the compensation of such employees to be fixed by the board of supervisors, but no member of the commission shall be so employed. The executive director must possess the same qualifications as provided in section 35B.3 for commission members. However, this qualification requirement shall not apply to a person employed as an executive director prior to July 1, 1989.

b. Upon the employment of an executive director, the executive director shall complete a course of initial training provided by the commission of veterans affairs pursuant to section 35A.3. If an executive director is not appointed, a commissioner or a clerical assistant shall complete the course of training. The commission shall issue the executive director, commissioner, or clerical assistant a certificate of training after completion of the initial training course. To maintain annual certification, the executive director, commissioner, or clerical assistant shall attend one commission training course each year. Failure to maintain certification may be cause for removal from office. The expenses of training shall be paid from the appropriation authorized in section 35B.14.

2. Two or more boards of supervisors may agree, pursuant to chapter 28E, to share the services of an executive director. The agreement shall provide for the establishment of a commission of veteran affairs' office in each of the counties participating in the agreement.

3. The commission with the approval of the board of supervisors shall appoint one of the deputies of the county auditor to serve as administrative assistant to the commission, to serve without additional compensation, unless for good reasons shown, this arrangement is not feasible.

4. In counties where a commission has established an office, the office shall be open a minimum of four hours each work day. The hours that the office is open shall be posted in a prominent position outside the office. In lieu of an office being open a minimum of four hours each work day, the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, and duties of commission members shall be posted.

35B.7 Meetings--report--budget.

The commission shall meet monthly and at other times as necessary. At the monthly meeting it shall determine who are entitled to benefits and the probable amount required to be expended. The commission shall meet annually to prepare an estimated budget for all expenditures to be made in the next fiscal year and certify the budget to the board of supervisors. The board may approve or reduce the budget for valid reasons shown and entered of record and the board's decision is final.

35B.8 Accounting system.

The state auditor shall prepare sample copies of a system of accounting and case records for the use of all county commissions of veteran affairs and this uniform system of accounting and case records shall be used by the several counties.

35B.9 Names certified--benefits changed.

At each regular meeting the commission shall submit to the board of supervisors a certified list of those persons to whom benefits have been authorized and the amounts so awarded. The amount awarded to any person may be increased, decreased, or discontinued by the commission at any meeting. New names may be added and certified thereat.