The Cumberland County Veterans Service Office is returning to its permanent location inside the historic courthouse following a multi-year renovation project.
Deputy Mayor Beth Davis said the office is moving back to the first floor of the courthouse.
“Their space was ready,” Davis said. “We had a total renovation, so they couldn’t be in that office while we were renovating. So we just moved them out temporarily, that got finished, we’re moving them back.”
Davis said the renovated space features a reconfigured layout that includes its own lobby to make the office more user-friendly for visitors, and more accessible for veterans. Davis said the project also included building-wide upgrades to the painting and the HVAC system.
“They’re going to think it’s phenomenal because it’s so much easier to get in and out of,” Davis said. “Especially if they have any kind of disability of all or are on a walker or any of that kind of stuff, because it’s just straight in the back door because there’s a parking spot there and they can come straight in that back door and they’re just right there.”
Davis said the county has designated a specific parking spot on the Thurman Avenue side of the building reserved exclusively for veterans. Davis said providing easy access for disabled veterans was a priority for the project.
“Well, that’s always a priority,” Davis said. “We have to always make it super easy for our veterans to be able to get to the services that they need.”
Davis said Cumberland County has one of the largest veteran populations in the state, which makes local access to benefits essential. Davis said the Veterans Service Office has added staff and expanded its physical footprint to handle the influx of veterans moving into the area.
“It’s a huge deal, to make it easier so they don’t have to go to another county to get any of their services,” Davis said.
Davis said Veteran Service Officer Jeffrey Connors and his staff work to ensure veterans receive the federal stipends and money they are attributed to for their service. Davis said the office also conducts community outreach programs to reach veterans who have recently moved to the county and may not be aware of the local resources.
“If they are a veteran and they are getting some kind of some stipend from the federal government for their service duty, then they need to contact the VSO because they go to bat for them and get them all of the money that they are attributed,” Davis said “So it’s very important that they are getting all the money that they can and our VSO office does a fabulous job of doing that.”
Davis said any veterans who have recently moved to the area should visit the courthouse to introduce themselves to the staff and learn about their available benefits.
