Westmoreland County expands, refocuses veterans affairs office
Share this post:
Westmoreland County’s veterans affairs department will be expanding to provide additional access to services for former military members and their families.
The five-person office will be renamed the Division of Veterans Affairs and Services and is expected to enhance service coordination, improve transportation to clinics in the Pittsburgh region and create a telehealth center at the courthouse in Greensburg, officials said Monday.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates as many as 22,500 veterans live in Westmoreland County. Veterans affairs director Matt Zamosky said services also are available to a larger number of residents, including spouses and family members of veterans.
The office in the past has primarily assisted veterans and their families in applying for pension and disability benefits. It provides free transportation to medical appointments and links veterans to outside agencies for additional social services.
The reorganization and expansion is expected to allow office staff to take a more hands-on approach to finding needed benefits and services for veterans, including those seeking housing, employment, mental health and other assistance.
“Our goal is to offer more comprehensive services to veterans. It allows us to do more to help,” Zamosky said.
One additional employee will be hired as a program coordinator to oversee transportation logistics and to manage a proposed telehealth hub at the courthouse. The hub will offer veterans an option to conduct private video calls with medical and mental health professionals.
The county uses volunteer drivers to transport as many as five veterans a day who live in central Westmoreland County to Pittsburgh-area hospitals and other treatment facilities, Zamosky said. The purchase of an additional van is expected to expand the transportation program to veterans who live in the northern part of the county, Zamosky said.
Human Services Director Rob Hamilton said about $150,000 — generated through savings attributed to internal changes related to the yearlong effort to integrate and consolidate the county’s human service programs — will be used to pay for the initial veterans department expansion.
“This expansion represents Westmoreland County’s unwavering commitment to our veterans. Our goal is to ensure that every veteran in our community has access to the services and support they deserve to lead healthy, fulfilling lives,” county Commissioner Sean Kertes said.
Creation of the proposed telehealth center at the courthouse and the purchase of a van is expected to be paid for through grants. Those programs could take up to a year to implement, Hamilton said.
The veterans office through mid-September served more than 660 veterans in 2024, officials said.
“We anticipate those numbers will grow with the expansion of services. They could double, triple and even quadruple over the next two years,” Hamilton said.