Lebanon County is home to the state’s first-ever veterans service center

Calling it a one-stop shop for veteran services, Gov. Josh Shapiro and military personnel officially opened the $3.8 million Lickdale Veterans’ Outreach Center on Friday.

The center is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.

“To know that my father and the nearly 800,000 Pennsylvania veterans have a one-stop shop place to go with loving caring people – who I got the chance to visit with today – who care about them, who want to serve them, who want to make sure to show them the level of respect that they have earned. So this is a truly special day,” Shapiro said. 

Shapiro noted the duty the state has to take care of those who served their fellow Pennsylvanians and the nation.

“I believe that there should be no wrong door for accessing support and assistance in our commonwealth,” Shapiro added. “That is especially true for our commonwealth’s veterans who bravely served our commonwealth and our country, who put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms at home and abroad.”

Marcus Ferraro, executive deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, said the state purchased the former Lickdale Elementary School to convert into the center, which will assist veterans and their families on various issues.

Ferraro told LebTown after the dedication ceremony that the center initially will serve veterans from this region of the state and as far away as Philadelphia. There is a plan to open more centers across Pennsylvania in the future, according to state officials, although locations have not yet been selected.

“As we were preparing to celebrate the 249th birthday of our nation next week, what a better way to do this by honoring our veterans and introducing a new way of how the department will deliver services for those who fought so valiantly for our freedom,” said Ferraro. “The Lickdale Veterans’ Outreach Center is our first veterans center in Pennsylvania. This outreach center concept represents a paradigm shift in the delivery of services for the veterans of the commonwealth.”

Ferraro said the regional centers will combine resources from the commonwealth, federal partners, other state and county agencies, and non-governmental agencies and partners who will streamline “how we give benefits and programs to our veterans.”

“Pennsylvania has the fifth largest veteran population and there are many areas within the commonwealth that are austere where veterans cannot have easily accessed those benefits. The purpose of these regional centers will be to bridge that gap. This would be a place of true support,” he said. “Veterans will find a welcoming environment filled with professionals from multiple agencies eager to assist them in resolving issues of any magnitude that may impact their quality of life.”

Major General John R. Pippy, adjutant general of the Pennsylvania National Guard, said the center represents a change in how services are offered to Pennsylvania’s veterans. The center will employ 40 individuals with more staff to be added later, according to Ferraro.

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“We’re going out to bring these services to those individuals. And this is a piece of that cog, because now we’ll have a central hub where we can then go out, service our veterans, and then also bring them back in (here),” said Pippy. “At the center and hopefully others like it, we’ll represent that new model, where we meet our veterans in their communities, face-to-face, in a space that’s built for them.”

Shapiro noted the center provides walk-in services, meaning no appointment is necessary to receive assistance. The center, at 40 Fisher Ave., is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“If you’re a veteran and you need, say, a copy of your service records but you’re not sure where to turn, come here. One of those wonderful people is going to be here to help if you’re having problems accessing the benefits that you rightly earned,” Shapiro said. “If you’re a family member caring for an aging veteran and you need help finding care for that loved one who served us, come here and someone will help you. If you’re a veteran and you suspect someone is trying to poach your pension, come here and someone’s going to help you and protect you.”

Those are just a few examples of the services the center will offer to Pennsylvania veterans.

“If you’re planning a funeral for a veteran, for that loved one that served our nation and gave so much to your family, come here to ensure that they receive a proper burial with military honors. We’re gonna help you here. It’s that simple,” Shapiro said. “If you’re a veteran, if you’re a service member, if you’re a family member and you’ve got any issue, come here and we will resolve it for you. There should be no wrong door. Whether you walk in here, you call here, you email here, you text here, we are going to make sure you get the help that you need.”

Pippy told LebTown after the ceremony that the center is conveniently located just off I-81 and is ADA-compliant with all services on one floor. Additionally, Ferraro said the project would have cost $20 million dollars if the state had constructed a new center instead of repurposing an existing structure. 

Shapiro said Lebanon County is a critically important area for military veterans and their families.  

“We’ve got a lot of veterans in the Lebanon County area in this entire region. And the fact that the general and his team were able to work with the (Northern Lebanon) school district to repurpose this facility at certainly a reasonable rate to the Pennsylvania taxpayers, it’s now going to give our veterans in these communities a one-stop shop to get the help that they deserve, the help that they need,” he said. “I’m incredibly proud of the team that made this happen and I want our veterans to know that we’re open, we are here for them. We literally have an agency of our state government that is here to serve you and support you and this is your one-stop shop to get that help.”

Ferraro said the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs was tasked with opening a veteran service resource center. LebTown reported in August 2023 that the DMVA purchased the former East Hanover building and its 8.74 acres for $2.1 million and the Lickdale Elementary building and its 9 acres for $2.3 million.

Read More: Northern Lebanon School District sells four elementary buildings for $9 million

State officials are working to renovate the East Hanover building into a readiness center. Following the ceremony, Pippy told LebTown that no work has occurred at that location at this time nor has the readiness center project entered the design phase.

For more information on the Lickdale outreach center, visit the state’s website.