Veterans Services Office Hours Restored to Putnam County

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — New York State resumes veterans services in Putnam County Monday. The twice-a-week office hours had been cut by the state to save money. It's the fourth time the state has tried to eliminate the program in Putnam.

SEE: Cutting Vets’ Services – Déjà Vu All Over Again: Letter to The Editor

The first time the New York Division of Veterans Affairs announced that they were going to close the Putnam County office for budgetary reasons was in 1991. The second time was in 2015, then again in 2016, then again in May.

As Karl Rohde, director of the Putnam County Veterans Service Agency, pointed out in a letter to Patch, the decision again made no sense. The county gives the state office space for free. The state employee would still be working full time, just in Castle Point — meaning Putnam's veterans would have to travel farther to deal with benefits issues.

However, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell announced that working together with Gov.Andrew Cuomo they were able to restore veterans services office hours to Putnam County. They and Rohde were successful in their appeal citing the unique needs of Putnam County veterans.

“I want to thank Governor Cuomo and County Executive Odell for being team players on this and working with us to protect the Putnam County Veterans Agency,” said Maloney, the son of a Navy Veteran. “It really doesn’t matter where you live – if you’re a veteran you should have somebody right in your community who can go to bat to help get the benefits you’ve earned.”

Starting Monday, July 24, a representative will be holding office hours on Mondays and Fridays. Veterans can make an appointment by calling (888) 838-7697.

“Thank you to Governor Cuomo and Congressman Maloney for doing the right thing for our veterans,” said Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell.

“Thanks to Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney who worked for some time on our behalf to get the office re-opened, this is great news for Putnam County Veterans. A thanks and salute to both the Governor and the Congressman for doing the right thing and making sure the needs of our Veterans will again be met by the Division,” said Rohde.