As Veterans Day approaches, Dauphin County Commissioners highlight free services available to veterans and their families

HARRISBURG, PA (November 3, 2017) – As Veterans Day approaches, the Dauphin County Commissioners are raising awareness about free county programs and resources to help veterans and their families.
 
“Our veterans are clearly the heart and soul of America – true heroes,” said Commissioner Mike Pries, who oversees the county’s Veterans Affairs office. “One of the ways we at the county level show our gratitude is to guide veterans and their families to programs and services that can help them.”
 
Dauphin County operates an Office of Veterans Affairs, led by veteran Tony DiFrancesco. The office provides the following benefits: burial allowance, grave markers, government headstones, marriage and divorce records, and discharge certificates. The office provides $100 to assist with burial expenses for a veteran and $75 toward the installation of a headstone. These county benefits are provided to qualifying veterans in addition to any state and federal benefits. Veterans can also get help with processing paperwork needed to obtain benefits or other services.
 
“If you are a veteran in need of help, a veteran’s widow or family member, or you know a veteran in need of help, please call us,” said Chairman Jeff Haste. “We are humbled by their service and sacrifice and are here to help.”
 
Dauphin County Veterans Affairs holds office hours to assist veterans and their families 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. Veterans can also meet face-to-face with staff at the county’s annual breakfast forums, which will be held again next year.
 
The county’s Veterans Affairs, in partnership with Dauphin County Recorder of Deeds Jim Zugay, earlier this year established a Dauphin County Veterans Discount Card Program that enables veterans to receive discounts at various participating county businesses. To register for the program, veterans must bring their DD-214 to the Recorder of Deeds office, 101 Market St., Room 102, in Harrisburg. A list of participating businesses can be found at www.dauphincounty.org/deeds/vets. Over 300 discount cards have been issued to date.
 
“On Veterans Day and beyond, we honor those who served, those who died, and those who still serve with courage today,” said Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III. “We all have a duty to help the men and women who have fought hard for our freedom.”
 
To contact Dauphin County Veterans Affairs, please call 717-780-6356 or visit www.DauphinCounty.org. To learn more about the Discount Card Program, please call the Recorder of Deeds at 717-780-6560.