Veterans' Affairs Office Reopens in Sidney

SIDNEY, 02/01/18 -- State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I/Ref – Oneonta) and Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch (R-Guilford) this week toured the new satellite office of the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) in Sidney.  The office, located in the Town of Sidney Municipal Office Building, will be open every Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. beginning on February 7.

Senator James L. Seward said, “We need to do all we can to pay back our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms and our way of life.  Shuttering a Veterans’ Affairs office in a rural area sends the wrong message.   Reopening an office in Sidney will mean a great deal to area servicemen and women from the Tri-Town area who want to access vital services in their home community.” 

Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch said, “Our veterans deserve the services and assistance they earned while serving our country.  This satellite DVA office is a key resource and I am extremely pleased that our veterans will once again have the support they need available here in Sidney.”

The DVA closed its satellite office in Sidney in June in what was announced as a cost cutting measure.  Senator Seward and Assemblyman Crouch opposed the move and called on Governor Cuomo to reverse the decision.   The legislators worked closely with local officials to secure an alternate location that would pacify cost concerns raised by DVA.  Area veterans also voiced their concerns and implored state officials to reopen a Sidney location.  In the absence of a Sidney office, veterans were forced to travel to Oneonta, Delhi, or Binghamton to meet with a veterans’ benefits advisor.

“We salute the Town of Sidney for stepping up and providing office space, free of charge, to make certain our veterans are able to meet with a veterans’ counselor locally and attain the benefits they rightfully deserve,” Seward and Crouch concluded.

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