A five member committee has been appointed by the Bay County Board of Commissioners to oversee the new Department of Veterans Affairs.

County Executive Jim Barcia says the change finalized Tuesday means more state grant money becoming available for veterans services. He added the first grant of $76,000  came through in early January.

Barcia noted no other Michigan county exceeds Bay County in the proportion of population with military service or veterans status. He says the committee members, all with military backgrounds, including County Commissioner Vaughn Begick were
appointed for staggered terms.