Located on the ground floor of the historic Franklin County Courthouse at 33 Market Street, Room 103, Apalachicola, FL 32320 ((850) 653-8096, Fax (866) 545-8606, veteranservice@franklincountyflorida.gov), the Franklin County Veterans Service Office (CVSO) is the official statutory county agency mandated under Florida Statutes § 292.11 and accredited by the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs (FDVA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of General Counsel (38 C.F.R. § 14.629). Directed by County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO) Charles Elliott, the office provides 100% free, federally accredited legal-administrative claims representation to wartime veterans, disabled veterans, and surviving spouses across Apalachicola (32320), Eastpoint (32328), St. George Island (32328), Carrabelle (32322 — historic site of WWII Camp Gordon Johnston), Lanark Village (32322), and Alligator Point (32346). Core elder benefit advocacy includes preparing, filing, and appealing claims for the tax-free VA Aid & Attendance Improved Pension and Housebound Pension (which provide monthly long-term care income to help seniors pay for in-home caregivers, assisted living, or skilled nursing care), Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivors Pension for widows and widowers, PACT Act / Agent Orange / Camp Lejeune toxic-exposure disability claims, Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) Higher-Level Reviews and Supplemental Claims, DD-214 military discharge record retrieval, and statutory certification for the Florida 100% Permanently & Totally Disabled Veteran Homestead Property Tax Exemption (F.S. § 196.081) and Combat-Wounded Senior Property Tax Discount (F.S. § 196.082) filed with the Franklin County Property Appraiser in Courthouse Suite 101, while coordinating VA geriatric healthcare enrollment with the Sgt. Ernest I. 'Boots' Thomas VA Clinic in Tallahassee (2181 E Orange Ave, (850) 878-0191) and the Panama City Beach VA Clinic (2600 Veterans Way, (850) 636-7000) (acceptsMedicaid: false).