Pike County Department of Veterans Affairs

Pike County's Veterans Affairs Office is the office every Pennsylvania county must have: a director of veterans affairs appointed by the county (16 Pa.C.S. 15524). See the Pennsylvania entry on county directors for the State programmes that go through it. The county's page: the office "is committed to honoring and supporting the men and women who have served our Nation. The office provides comprehensive assistance to Veterans and their families, helping them understand, access, and apply for Federal, State, and County benefits they have earned." It helps with "VA disability compensation and pensions, healthcare enrollment, education benefits, survivor and dependent benefits, burial and memorial assistance, service-connected claims, and other programs", and serves "as a local advocate, ensuring Veterans receive accurate information, personalized support and help navigating complex paperwork or eligibility requirements." Schedule an appointment by calling 570-296-3563. Who and where. Director Jesiah Schrader, VSO (an Army veteran-medic, by his own report to the Commissioners); Associate Director Nicole Heck, VSO; Veterans Service Officer Chris Davis, VSO, whose title the Salary Board changed from Veteran Service Specialist on July 15, 2026, when it also created a part-time Veteran Service Specialist position under 1,000 hours a year; Davis's hourly rate had gone to $22.00 on his first anniversary, February 2, 2026. Shohola Business Center, 837 Route 6, Unit 3, Shohola, PA 18458; 570-296-3563, fax 570-296-3410, [email protected]; Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. County benefits the office carries. A $100.00 county death benefit for burial for a veteran or widow; grave flag holders and flags for veterans' graves at Memorial Day and Veterans Day, placed by the office; a $100.00 county headstone installation benefit and a $75.00 headstone engraving benefit where the grave already has a headstone; recording of DD-214s and discharges free of charge, with certified copies; grave registrations for veterans buried in Pike County; and help with parades and the county's Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances. The year. Director Schrader reported to the Commissioners on May 20, 2026: the office represents about forty-three percent of Pike County veterans receiving benefits - "one of the highest Veteran populations by per cent utilizing and receiving VA benefits" among the sixty-seven counties - and is on track to return $17 million of VA benefits to Pike veterans and their spouses; its State and local crisis assistance has paid out over $30,000; and the 2026 point-in-time count put Pike's homeless veterans low, with programmes for temporary and long-term placements through the office. At the November 5, 2025 meeting the Commissioners credited the office with benefits then "reaching $15M to $16M". The 2026 budget funds the department at $275,726 (2024 actual: $217,953), with the department head line at $75,612 and assistants at $93,837. The board's recognitions. Resolution No. 25-26, Operation Green Light for Veterans, November 2025, adopted November 5, 2025; and Resolution No. 26-16, proclaiming June 12, 2026 Female Veterans Recognition Day in Pike County, adopted May 20, 2026, which also carries the county's salute to the VA's Women Veterans Program. The office also took part in the county's August 2026 senior-and-veterans resource event.