For Information Contact:

Brian Adey
 798-5800

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced that the Oneida County Veterans’ Service Agency will be relocating its Rome office into the Donald J. Mitchell VA Outpatient Clinic located on the grounds of Griffiss Business and Technology Park.

“Relocating the Oneida County Veterans’ Service Agency will help veterans from across central and western Oneida County by offering them expanded availability to our services and a more convenient location in terms of parking and access,” Griffo said. “By co-locating our office at the VA Clinic, veterans will have the convenience of seeing our staff when they need clinic services. This will help reduce the trips needed to get services, and help people with VA-related issues get some advice from our staff on the spot. Because so many of the veterans and their families we serve have business at the clinic, relocating the Rome office was a very natural step to help better serve our veterans and their families.”

Griffo said that the County office complements the services available through the VA. “Our Rome office will, of course, continue to provide assistance and service for veterans and their families who do not need Clinic services. Changing location will enhance, not diminish our ability to meet the needs of veterans and their families. The new location will offer better and more convenient parking as well as increased accessibility for people with disabilities,” he said. “There is one other great plus to the move. By vacating rented space and moving into a rent-free location, funding that used to go to pay rent can now be used to support services.”

Griffo said that in addition to the physical changes impacting the Rome office, the Veterans’ Service Agency has also realigned structure to better meet needs based on an analysis of the use of the office by local veterans and their families.

“Rome’s new location will have a fully trained counselor – one of the very few in New York State who will be trained in all aspects of counseling and program delivery related to veterans. This means that when there are questions, vets will get the right answers,” he said. “Our new counselor, who is a veteran of the current conflict in Iraq, brings a new dimension to the services we can offer to new veterans and their families.”

Griffo said that Joseph Perrone, who serves as Director of the Oneida County Veterans’ Service Agency, will be based in Utica to provide leadership and service in the eastern area of Oneida County. “The needs of veterans are increasing because of the return to our communities of veterans who have served their country in Iraq and other global trouble spots,” Griffo said. “To meet the rising needs, we will continue to adapt the structure and services we offer at the county level so that veterans and their families who have questions or problems will have a supportive, trained effective advocate who can help them with whatever problem they face.”