Veteran Decal Plate Revenue to Be Shared

The first distribution of money from a state license plate program for veterans should bring a small cash infusion to the Orange County veterans service office this year, but the program promises to yield more in the future, officials said.

Drivers cruising the state with plates purchased under the California Veterans License Plates Program have generated nearly $200,000. Funds from the program, started last year, will be distributed this spring to county veterans offices.

“Whatever monies we receive would go to help offset the loss of county general fund revenue, which merely means it will help a little,” said Doug Boeckler, supervisor of the veterans service office. “If more license plates are bought, the potential is that a greater amount of money would become available. So it is the promise of the program, not what it is currently providing, that is giving us hope.”

Drivers pay $30 for a set of plates with a decal showing their affiliation to a military branch or veterans-related organization. The plates can be personalized for an additional $10. In addition to raising money, the plates allow drivers to show military pride, but they do not have special privileges attached.

Gerald Rucker, chief of the division of veterans services of the California Department of Veterans Affairs, said the money collected so far is “the first of a long stream of payments.”

Each county veterans office will determine how the money is spent, Rucker said, but he is strongly encouraging many of them to invest in computers and software that will make the offices more efficient and able to accommodate more people.

Orange County is among the 56 California counties participating in the program. The money is needed because the offices suffered substantial budget cuts last year.

Rucker said the program has proven successful in other states and he expects similar results in California. There are 3.3 million veterans in the state, 250,000 of whom live in Orange County.

“I’d like to see every veteran in the state of California have one,” Rucker said.