2008 News

July 9, 2008

Commissioners, Military Affairs Office Announce Bucks County Chosen As One Of 39 US Veterans Center Sites

The Board of Bucks County Commissioners, James F. Cawley, Chairman, Charles H. Martin and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, are proud to join Chief Operating Officer David M. Sanko and Military Affairs Director Dan Fraley in announcing that Bucks County has been chosen as one of 39 counties nationwide that will be opening a Vet Center in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Vet Center which will be fully operational at a Bucks County location, as yet to be determined, by the end of December, 2009, will provide quality outreach and readjustment counseling to all combat veterans. Site selection is based on analysis of demographic date from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), projection of the veteran population by county, and by input from seven RCS Regional Offices.

“We look forward to working hand in hand with the Veterans Center to continue providing quality outreach services for the brave men and women of our armed services,” Chairman Cawley said. “This announcement represents another way that we can help those returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the globe.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, some of the main criteria for the new Vet Center site selection are the veteran population, area veteran market penetration by Vet Centers, geographical proximity to VA Medical Centers, and number of Community Based Outreach Clinics in the Vet Center’s Veterans Service Area (VSA). Of the 39 new Vet Center sites, only two are in Pennsylvania – Bucks and Montgomery counties.

The additional resources provided by the Vet Centers will address the growing need for readjustment counseling/services to existing and new combat veterans and their families to include families of those killed while on active duty.