Foundations of the community: Veterans service office a one-stop-shop
(Photo by Jess Mancini) Bobby “Fitz” Fitzgerald and Shiloh, 7 months, pose in his office at the Washington County Veterans Service Office. Fitzgerald is the executive director of the office, which he calls a one-stop shop for veterans of the community.
(Photo by Jess Mancini) The staff at the Washington County Veterans Service Office in Marietta. Seated, from left, Todd Farrar, Bobby “Fitz” Fitzgerald, Tom Mullenix and Emily Maze. Standing, Tom Kukulka and Melinda Smith.
(Photo by Jess Mancini) Bobby “Fitz” Fitzgerald and Shiloh, 7 months, pose in his office at the Washington County Veterans Service Office. Fitzgerald is the executive director of the office, which he calls a one-stop shop for veterans of the community.
(Photo by Jess Mancini) The staff at the Washington County Veterans Service Office in Marietta. Seated, from left, Todd Farrar, Bobby “Fitz” Fitzgerald, Tom Mullenix and Emily Maze. Standing, Tom Kukulka and Melinda Smith.
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The Washington County Veterans Service Office is a one-stop shop where veterans needing help can find it.
"Anything that a veteran would need, we try to provide," said Bobby "Fitz" Fitzgerald, executive director of the agency located on Pike Street. 'We're veterans looking after veterans."
The Veterans Services Office provides a myriad of ways to help, he said. Among those are aiding the veteran in obtaining benefits, military retirements, the GI Bill, disability claims and emergency financial assistance, among others.
The financial assistance program helps when, through no fault of the veteran, income is lost and bills are piling up, Fitzgerald said.
"We have a short-term program here to help them back on their feet," he said.
Through the network of veterans organizations in the region, the Veterans Service Office through Emily Maze, emergency financial assistance officer, will find innovative ways to help a veteran whose plight falls between the cracks.
"And we get creative, too," he said.
Much of the services are provided to the families and dependents of veterans, too, particularly death benefit claims and pensions for the widows, Fitzgerald said.
Services also include the basics, such as transportation to a VA health care appointment.
Many services involve referrals to other agencies, which in turn often referred veterans to the Veterans Service Office, he said.
Fitzgerald retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service in December 2017. He became the executive director in January 2018.
The Veterans Service Office works with other veterans groups in the county, Fitzgerald said. Those include VFW Post 5108, VFW Post 6387, American Legion Post 64, American Legion Post 750, American Legion Post 389, Belpre Area Veterans and the Disabled American Veterans Pioneer City Chapter 52.
The Veterans Service Office will hold its Vietnam Welcome Home celebration from 6-8 p.m. March 29 at the Dyson Baudo Center of Marietta College. Food and live music from the Band of Brothers will be available.
In most cases the Veterans Service Office should be the first place where a veteran can go to get help, Fitzgerald said.
"We're kind of the nucleus of the veteran community," he said.
The economic impact of the agency is not insignificant for Washington County and the region, Fitzgerald said. With a budget of about $875,000 a year, the total federal VA funds spent in the county for 2021, the latest statistics available, were more than $47.2 million.
About 4,600 veterans live in Washington County, Fitzgerald said.
"If you look at it as a return on our investment, it's a no brainer," Fitzgerald said.