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Sioux Falls

Veteran Volunteer Driver Retires After 22 Years

Bill VerMulm, a Navy veteran, has stopped driving veterans to VA appointments for the Disabled American Veterans, leaving a gap the group is working to fill.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Military Jobs

Photograph of a parked sedan with its passenger door open at a brick medical building entrance under a flat, overcast winter sky.
Bill VerMulm, a Navy veteran who drove veterans to VA appointments for 22 years, has retired as the Disabled American Veterans seeks four to five new volunteer drivers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Bill VerMulm retired after driving veterans to and from VA appointments for 22 years, logging more than 9,000 volunteer hours for the Disabled American Veterans. The Disabled American Veterans is seeking four to five volunteer drivers to fill the role he vacated.

Why it matters

VerMulm stopped driving because of his age and concern about winter driving, leaving a volunteer position that veterans in the Sioux Falls area rely on to reach medical care. Filling the slot will require several new volunteers.

Over 22 years of volunteer driving, Bill VerMulm logged more than 9,000 hours transporting veterans to VA appointments. The Disabled American Veterans expects it will need four to five volunteer drivers to replace him, and how quickly those roles get filled has not been reported.

The players

Disabled American Veterans

The Disabled American Veterans is a national nonprofit that provides transportation and other services to veterans, and it operates volunteer driver programs that take former service members to VA appointments.

Bill VerMulm

Bill VerMulm is a Navy veteran and former Sears employee who spent 22 years as a volunteer driver for veterans.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the federal agency that runs the VA health system and the medical appointments veterans are driven to.

The details

VerMulm began driving for the Disabled American Veterans shortly after retiring from a 40-year career at Sears, and he recently turned 87 and gave his last ride. He said he could get hearing aids for free at the VA, a benefit tied to hearing loss from a 40-millimeter gun on a ship during his Navy service.

Timeline

  1. Shortly after his Sears retirement, VerMulm began driving for the Disabled American Veterans.

  2. Over the next 22 years, he drove veterans to and from VA appointments.

  3. This winter, VerMulm cited concern about possible accidents as a reason to stop driving.

  4. He recently gave his last ride, and the story was published November 4, 2026.

Legacy Service

VerMulm's 22 years with the Disabled American Veterans program show how dependent veterans' transportation to VA care is on a small pool of long-serving volunteers. His retirement leaves the DAV needing four to five new drivers to keep that service running in the Sioux Falls area.

Veterans in the Sioux Falls area who need rides to VA appointments should check with the Disabled American Veterans about current driver availability. Volunteers interested in filling the four to five open driver slots can contact the DAV for requirements and scheduling.

The takeaway

Volunteer driving programs depend on individuals who stay in service for decades, so their departures can quickly leave veterans without reliable access to care. Anyone with time and a clean driving record can help keep these programs running.

Further reading

Explore more Military Jobs opportunities that connect veterans with volunteer and paid roles.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Dakotanewsnow.

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