Dauphin County Veterans Affairs Office connects veterans with record $2.7 million in pension and medical benefits

HARRISBURG, PA (August 28, 2018) – Dauphin County Veterans Affairs, which provides a host of free services for veterans and their families, has helped 129 local veterans with securing a total of $2,708,814 in medical and pension benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs between July 2017 to June 2018.

“We’re here to help veterans and their family members get the benefits and services they deserve,” said Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries, who oversees the county’s Veterans Affairs Office. “Oftentimes, however, veterans are unaware of their eligibility for certain benefits. That’s where we can help.” 

Led by veteran Tony DiFrancesco, Dauphin County Veterans Affairs assists veterans with processing paperwork needed to obtain federal, state and county benefits and provides free grave markers, marriage and divorce records and discharge certificates. The office also offers $100 to assist with burial expenses for a veteran and $75 toward the installation of a headstone.

“The county’s Veterans Affairs Office acts as an advocate by connecting veterans not only with the benefits they’ve earned but also with counseling, housing, job training and other services they may need,” said Chairman Jeff Haste. “Our goal, always, is to serve those who have served our country.”

Dauphin County Veterans Affairs holds office hours on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Dauphin County Administration Building, 2 S. Second St., in downtown Harrisburg. Office hours are also held at the Northern Dauphin Human Services Center, 295 State Dr., in Elizabethville on the first Wednesday of every month. Appointments for both locations can be scheduled by calling 717-780-6356.

“If you are a veteran in need of help, a veteran’s widow or family member, please call us,” said Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III. “We’re humbled by your service and sacrifice and are here to help.”

To learn more about Dauphin County Veterans Affairs, please call 717-780-6356 or visit www.DauphinCounty.org.