When Michael Iwanicki was named superintendent of the McHenry County Veterans Assistance Commission in 2003, there were only two employees: an administrative assistant and Iwanicki himself.

They mostly helped provide financial assistance to veterans and transportation to the Veterans Administration hospital in North Chicago, now called Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.

“By 2005, the commission and myself worked out a 10-year plan to shift the burden from McHenry County taxpayers to the federal government” while ensuring those veterans received the benefits they are due, Iwanicki said.

“That is the purpose of the Veterans Assistance Commission. Our goal when a surviving spouse or a veteran comes to our office is, ‘Let’s see if there is something the VA has to help with this need and help them get that,’” he said.

After 27 years with the agency – the past 22 as superintendent – Iwanicki is set to retire Jan. 2. He will leave the same day as county Administrator Peter Austin.

Iwanicki is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving from 1980 to 1986, including on the U.S.S. Elliot. At just 22, on Sept. 1, 1983, he was on the ship when it was sent to the Sea of Japan following the downing of Korean Airlines flight 007 by Soviet aircraft.

The seamen “saw large prop Soviet aircraft off our bridgeway,” Iwanicki said.

He spent five years on the destroyer, reaching the rank of petty officer 1st Class. In 2000, he joined the U.S. Naval Reserves, mostly because of his work at the county and familiarity with the VA and its paperwork.

Iwanicki said he “pushed a lot of paper” during his time in the Reserves, adding that “they didn’t need me in the desert” for post-9/11 deployments.

After his time in the Navy, Iwanicki got a degree in enterprise management and economics from Northern Illinois University. What he found was that he really enjoyed retail management.

He worked at Menard’s in Prospect Heights, but he knew he eventually wanted to do something else. So, he went back to school to learn about computers.

Working with a temp agency, he was told about “a really boring job, and they want a veteran,” Iwanicki said.

That is how he started at the McHenry VAC.

Iwanicki said he “didn’t really get paid on par” with other departments, but he saw the dedication there to caring for veterans.

It was 2005 when the office began focusing on claims and ensuring McHenry County veterans got what was due to them, he said. According to the most current data, McHenry County vets and their families now receive $95 million from the VA by way of medical care and other direct investment.

“That has a huge impact. ... It is so much money to help people pay medical bills they are receiving through the VA,” Iwanicki said.

He also has taken on leadership roles at the state level.

Iwanicki “not only was the superintendent in McHenry County, but also was the state association’s president in the early 2010s and also ... during COVID. His leadership in all of those roles had an immeasurable impact on our veterans,” said Jake Zimmerman, superintendent of the Kane County Veterans Commission.

“He has always been known as a knowledgeable and dedicated advocate for the veterans of McHenry County and for the state of Illinois,” Zimmerman said.

Iwanicki’s replacement also is coming from Kane County. Nate Johnson, the assistant superintendent there, will shadow Iwanicki from early November until his retirement.

“I view my position as incorporating him into the team and understanding the differences – Kane County has their way of doing things,” Iwanicki said.

Not that things won’t change under new leadership.

“If he feels the need for change, he can change it,” Iwanicki said of Johnson.