Bergen County Division of Veterans Services

"The Division of Veterans Services was established in 1977 to provide resident veterans and their dependents with information and assistance in obtaining earned entitlements from federal, state, and local governments, as well as any that are available from the private sector." Its staff advise veterans of their rights and benefits, guide them through the proper channels, supply and assist with forms, advise and assist veterans' widows and children, maintain a list of employment opportunities, and make referrals; its daily work includes directing requests for VA compensation, pension and home-loan information, burial and memorial benefits, education and training availability, lost military separation papers and military medal forms. Office. Bergen County Department of Human Services, Division of Veterans Services, One Bergen County Plaza, 2nd Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601-7076; Director Shaun Hutchinson, (201) 336-6325, fax (201) 336-6327; division phone (201) 336-7474. The division runs an online veteran intake portal at bergencountynjgov.org/veteranintake/ - "Thank you for your service! ... Please log in to complete the intake or sign up to start one." A Veterans Advisory Council of not less than 12 nor more than 25 members "make[s] recommendations on policies, procedures, and programs for Bergen County's veteran population." Tracers. The all-volunteer outreach group the division launched in 1993 locates homeless veterans and links them to community-based and VA-sponsored programs; it "has established a transitional home in the city of Garfield with support services for eight homeless veterans. The home opened in 2003," and the division has given more than $100,000 in bus tickets to homeless veterans since inception. The Alfred J. Thomas Home for Veterans provides transitional housing and support services for Bergen County's homeless veterans (operator Community Hope, Inc.); the board's window carries the funding trail for it - a $200,000 budget transfer for the Mahwah Disabled Veterans Housing Project (199-26, February 17, 2026), $355,000 for oversight and support (366-26, March 31, 2026), $94,433 of HUD funding (954-26 and 1268-26) and a $203,333 HUD Continuum of Care renewal (1043-26, August 19, 2026). Hire a Vet: (201) 336-6329, matching veterans with employers. Each year the division supplies veterans groups and Scout troops with flags for Memorial Day placement on war veterans' graves. The division also facilitates interment at the state's Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown - the state cemetery, not a county one.