Wayne County Veterans Service Agency

The agency's own statement: "Veteran Service Officers are here to guide you through the complex process of accessing federal, state, and local veterans’ benefits. We provide support in gathering the necessary documentation, submitting claims, and tracking their progress - especially through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system. In addition to assisting with VA benefits, we can help identify and apply for other programs you may be eligible for, including state and local services, tax exemptions, education benefits, housing assistance, and more. If your claim is denied, our officers are also trained to help you file appeals and pursue the benefits you’ve earned." Its available-benefits list runs from Aid and Attendance and DIC to burial benefits, civil service veterans credits, education benefits, home loan guaranty, hunting and fishing licences, health care, the New York State real property tax exemption and park pass, the non-service-connected pension, replacement of lost documents, VA insurance, spousal death pension and transportation, and the page names the PACT Act. Transportation. "Wayne County Veterans Service Agency currently has one transportation option. The RTS bus will pick you up at home and bring you to your medical appointments": Mondays and Wednesdays to the Canandaigua VA, Tuesdays to the Rochester VA, Thursdays and Fridays to the Syracuse VA. "All transports MUST be arranged at least two weeks in advance"; call RTS at 315-946-5617 to be added to the schedule. The Board's January 20, 2026 Resolution 7-1 set the underlying subsidy agreement with RTS Wayne for calendar 2026, at $61.20 per hour with cancellation charges of $100 in Ontario and Monroe Counties and $200 in Onondaga County. Records. "If you can’t locate your separation papers (DD214), our office may be able to help. We maintain a large archive of military records for Wayne County veterans. If your records are not available locally, we can guide you through the process of requesting an official copy from the National Personnel Records Center." Where and who. 7376 Route 31, Suite 1300, Lyons, NY 14489; 315-946-5993, fax 315-946-5994; 9 am to 5 pm. Director Samantha Wilson (her permanent appointment is the Board's May 19, 2026 business); "one director, and two Veteran Service Officer and their services are FREE". The August 3, 2026 committee minutes record that "The Veterans Services Officers will soon begin their training and are expected to receive accreditation." The Board's February 19, 2026 Resolution 85-26 added $3,750 to the agency's training line for the State Department of Veterans' Services' Certificate in Legal Studies with Albany Law School and the New York Health Foundation, "a first-in-the-nation educational opportunity" for VSOs and agency directors; the May 19, 2026 Resolution 312-26 created a Senior Account Clerk Typist for the agency; the July 21, 2026 Resolution 403-26 funded office supplies and a Panoramic VetPro software licence. The year's outcome. The Human Services Committee's January 5, 2026 minutes record the director's year-end data: "in 2025, the agency facilitated approximately $773,620 in Veteran Financial Awards." The October 6, 2026 budget transfer moved $15,000 to burials "a higher number of veteran deaths requiring indigent burial assistance than anticipated", $6,000 of it reimbursed.