(1) The board of county commissioners of each county in this state shall establish a county veterans service office and shall appoint a county veterans service officer for such county, and such board of county commissioners may also appoint any assistant and such clerical help as may be deemed necessary, each at such compensation as shall be fixed by such board, together with the necessary and actual traveling and other expenses incurred in their work as shall be approved by such board of county commissioners and such other expenses as such board may deem necessary for the proper operation of such office, payable monthly out of the county general fund in the manner provided by law. The board of county commissioners, in its discretion, may appoint any county officer, official, or employee as such county veterans service officer or as such assistant, if qualified to serve as such under the provisions of section 28-5-802, or as clerical help to such county veterans officer, at such additional compensation for such additional duties as shall be fixed by the board of county commissioners.

(2) The boards of county commissioners of adjacent counties may act jointly in establishing a veterans service office for such counties and in appointing a veterans service officer and an assistant and such necessary clerical help as may be deemed necessary to operate such office for such counties, at such compensation as may be fixed by the joint action of the boards of county commissioners joining in the appointment of such officer and assistant and clerical help, together with the actual and necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of their work, as shall be approved by such boards of county commissioners. The salaries and expenses and all other jointly approved expenses necessary for the proper operation of such office shall be paid monthly by the boards of county commissioners out of their respective county general funds in the manner provided by law, each county bearing its share thereof in the proportion that the population of each county bears to the total population of the counties combining to establish such office.