Bedford County Veterans Affairs

Pennsylvania's counties maintain a director of veterans affairs under 51 Pa.C.S. 8942 (see the Pennsylvania entries); Bedford's is a county office with its own section of the county site. What it offers, from that section: "All services are 100% free to eligible Veterans, surviving spouses, and dependents in Bedford County." "Our staff help Veterans, surviving spouses, and their families navigate VA benefits from start to finish": disability claims assistance ("file, develop, and track service-connected disability compensation claims"), pension applications ("Veterans pension and Survivors pension, including Aid & Attendance and Housebound benefits"), VA health care enrollment, education and GI Bill benefits (Post-9/11 Chapter 33, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation Chapter 35), "Burial and Memorial Benefits - Assistance with federal and county burial benefits, VA grave markers, U.S. flag requests, and memorial observance coordination", "Military Records and DD-214 - Help locating discharge papers filed locally or submitting requests to the National Archives", and survivor and dependent benefits (DIC and death pension). The Pennsylvania and county benefits the page carries are the Disabled Veterans' Real Estate Tax Exemption ("Have one of the following VA ratings: 100% permanent service-connected disability; Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU); Service-connected blindness, paraplegia, or loss of two or more limbs"; the $114,637 presumptive income level, above which expenses may still qualify) and Veterans' Temporary Assistance ("up to $1,600 in a 12-month period"). The page links the state's DMVA program pages and posts the state's "Benefits and Services for Veterans and Their Beneficiaries in Pennsylvania" booklet. Where and who. Veterans' Service Office, 200 S. Juliana St., Bedford, PA 15522 - "We are located on the 1st floor of the Bedford County Courthouse", reached through the second-floor security checkpoint; the office is marked by "the military flags and wall mounted shadow boxes". Phone (814) 623-4848, fax (814) 623-7431; general inquiries [email protected]. Hours Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - the page marks Friday "Emergencies only" - and "All visits are by appointment only. Appointments can be made over the phone or through email." The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs' county directors list of September 9, 2026 names Theresa Montgomery, 200 S. Juliana St., Bedford (814-623-4848; [email protected]). The county's own staff directory carries Montgomery as Director of Veterans Services; the Salary Board minutes name James D. Francis Veterans Service Officer from July 20, 2026 (see the commissioners entry). The site's staff section still listed Matthew Ortiz as Veterans Service Officer when read; the July 2026 minutes moved him to Tax Assessment. The transportation program. "Bedford County Veterans are offered free transportation to and from VA health appointments or any compensation exams at the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Altoona. The service is sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and the DAV van is driven by our fantastic team of volunteer drivers. Van slots are scheduled weekly, but in order to ensure you are able to obtain a ride, please call us at least 2 weeks before your appointment date (if possible)." Bookings and volunteer-driver applications run through the office at (814) 623-4848 during office hours. The office lends wheelchairs to veterans who need assistance ("The county provides wheelchairs for Veterans that need assistance") and posts the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center's address, phone and hours beside the Veterans Crisis Line (988 then press 1). The county's part. The office "can search for [a discharge] on your behalf" in the Recorder's records ("Check locally first. Many Veterans filed their discharge papers with the Bedford County Recorder of Deeds"), takes the State exemption and VTA applications, and points to Veterans Grove - the citizen-led memorials at Penn and Juliana Streets in Bedford borough - and the county's burial allowance (see the commissioners entry for its budget line).