Pike County Veterans Affairs Office to hold grand opening

The Pike County Veterans Affairs Office invites all to attend the grand opening ceremony to celebrate the successful relocation of the office on June 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the new facility at the Shohola Business Center, 837 Route 6, Unit 3, Shohola, PA 18458.

The grand opening celebration will begin with the Honor Guard and welcome remarks by Veterans Affairs Director Jesiah Scrader and the Pike County Commissioners, followed by a brief tour of the facility while enjoying light refreshments.

Throughout the event, veterans and their families will have the opportunity to speak with county veteran service officers as well as meet representatives of the PA Department of Veterans Affairs to learn about the available veteran’s benefits.

The Office thanked the community partners who helped make this move possible: VetStock, Stone Furniture, American Legion Post 139 Marsch-Kellogg, and Marine Corp League Tri-State Gung Ho #909.

About the new facility

Prior to the move, the Veterans Affairs Office operated out of a single room with one accredited veteran service officer (VSO) assisting Pike County’s 4,000 veterans. When office space became available in Shohola, the commissioner took the opportunity to expand to a larger space to better support the needs of the County’s veteran population.

The layout consists of a welcoming reception area, one large meeting room equipped with audio and visual equipment, one multi-purpose room, and three offices.

Services provided by the office include county, state and federal benefits, including real estate tax exemption programs, cemetery flags, filing of claims such as disability, service-connected deaths, dependent and indemnification, pensions, VTA Grants, and assistance with homelessness.

“We are excited by the growth opportunity this space presents. In the coming months, we plan to continue to grow the office to accommodate the influx of veterans seeking access to benefits. We also are looking at expanding upon the current offerings to become a one-stop hub assisting veterans and their families navigate veteran benefits processes,” said Schrader.

About the office

In 2023, the Pike County Veterans Affairs Office brought in $8 million for veterans in Pike County through a combination of local, state, and federal VA benefits. Schrader also helped expand the local Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption program to allow more individuals to qualify for the tax exemption. This is the first of its kind program in the state.

This year, the office is on track to bring in $12 million in federal benefits to veterans in the Pike County area through compensation and veterans pension programs.

Commissioner Matthew Osterberg said, “We feel it is important that we expand our office and continue to expand and support Veteran services. The new office is a beautiful space. We are very thankful to have such a dedicated individual serving as the Director of Veterans Affairs.”

The Veterans Affairs Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact Veterans Affairs Director Jesiah Schrader at 570-296-3563 or jschrader@pikepa.org to schedule an appointment.