rap #64 03/31/10
FREEHOLDERS COMMEND THE VA FOR OPENING A COUNSELING CENTER FOR COMBAT VETERANS IN OCEAN COUNTY
WITH MORE THAN 42 percent of National Guard troops and reservists returning from duty in the Middle East in
need of some mental health treatment, the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders praised the pending opening of a
Veterans Affairs counseling center in Lakewood Township.
“I commend the Department of Veterans Affairs for recognizing the need for an onsite counseling center here
in Ocean County,” said Freeholder Gerry P. Little. “For our troops, the trauma of war doesn’t end when they board the
plane for home.”
A study commissioned by the Pentagon and completed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found that
while a percentage of all new veterans face a difficult time transitioning to civilian life, the problem is most
acute in Guards and reserve troops.
“This study confirms the importance of counseling for our returning Ocean County veterans,” said Little, who
is liaison to the Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau.
The VA has announced the Ocean Vet Center, located at 1255 Route 70 on the third floor of the Parkway 70
Plaza in Lakewood, will formally open on April 23.
The county already has an extensive counseling program for veterans run in partnership with Veterans Affairs.
However, the new center will make VA counselors more accessible to the local veterans who need them, Little said.
“Our Veterans Bureau has understood the importance of providing these critical services to our 68,000
veterans,” Little said. “Too often, the wounds of war aren’t visible and can be carried by our brave men and women
for years to come.”
Freeholder Director James F. Lacey said the county began discussing the need for a local clinic with the VA
several years ago.
“I’m very pleased they responded to this important need,” Lacey said, adding that the clinic will serve
veterans in several surrounding counties as well.
“The need is here and the VA recognized that,” Lacey said.
Little said the county’s veterans service bureau works hand-in-hand with the VA on many veterans’ issues.
The bureau provides job placement and training information to local vets and works with homeless veterans in
need of a place to live.
Bureau officials also help process veteran’s claims with the VA.
“We are ready to help our brave veterans in any way we can,” Little said. “They were there for us when we
asked them to protect our freedom and now Ocean County will be there for them.”
The new facility joins four other Vet Centers in New Jersey. They are located in Bloomfield, Ewing, Secaucus
and Ventor.
