RADCLIFF, Ky. — A group of veterans in Hardin County is helping guide service members through the tedious process of receiving VA benefits. 


What You Need To Know

  • Compensation & Pension Garage is located in Radcliff

  • The office is open Tuesday through Friday from noon until 6 p.m.

  • C&P Garage is helping over 500 veterans per month

  • All services are free of charge

Compensation & Pension Garage is run by three Army veterans, Carlos Fernandez, Demetrio Arroyo, and Patti Parrott, each with over 20 years of military service. 

In April, they moved into a new building in Radcliff after operating out of a VFW Post in Vine Grove for several years.

Their office only takes up about a quarter of C&P Garage’s new building. There are big plans for the rest of it.

“The whole building is going to be called the veteran’s hub, so when you need something you come to the veteran’s hub, it’s the one-stop-shop, said Demetrio Arroyo, communications manager for C&P Garage. “If we can’t help you with the services we have here, we will be able to connect you. We will be forming a community.”

Demetrio Arroyo sits at his desk inside S&P Garage (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)
Demetrio Arroyo sits at his desk inside S&P Garage. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

Arroyo served as a combat engineer for over 20 years in the Army before retiring in 2016. In his current role, Arroyo has helped renovate their new space. 

He hopes to offer real estate agent services, brokers, home health care assistance, and resources for homeless veterans. 

There are also plans to open a cafe as well, giving veterans a place to hang out while they wait for help. 

“Everything goes back to the veteran, and that’s been the goal from the get-go. It gives us purpose and we are firm believers that you get back what you put out and that’s the philosophy that we work on,” Arroyo said.

The nonprofit’s executive director Carlos Fernandez has been helping veterans file claims since he retired from the military in 2000. 

C&P Garage plans to offer a variety of services in their new space. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)
C&P Garage plans to offer a variety of services in their new space. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

Fernandez realized the process was difficult to navigate, and that others were in the same situation. Over the last two decades, his team has helped veterans from all across the country. 

Fernandez says every day they are open is busy and often times, they end up staying open late. 

One person who’s been helped by C&P Garage is retired Army logistician Travell Brown.

“It took from Sept. 2019 up until now to get the 100% disability, so I mean, you just have to have patience and diligence in order to be successful with the claim,” Brown said.

Brown added that Fernandez and his team have helped her the entire time and did everything in their power to make sure she got the help she needed.

“They are very helpful and they make sure that you, as a veteran, submit the correct paperwork to get your claim seen,” Brown said.

Everything here has been paid for thanks to donations. The workers are volunteers often working around the clock to do whatever it takes to get the job done. 

This group of veterans is a prime example that service to this country can carry on long after the last time veterans lace up their combat boots. 

Compensation & Pension Garage is open Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 6 p.m. Their office is at 341 Wilson Road in Radcliff, Ky. C&P Garage can be reached by phone at (270)-319-4061.