The Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative is pleased to announce a new office schedule for Veteran Service Officers to support the Santa Clarita Valley veteran community. VSOs are individuals who can process and execute Veterans Administration paperwork on behalf of veterans and their families. The SCV has been without a dedicated VSO for some time which created some frustration in the timely processing of claims and VA benefits, according to SCVSC officials.

“As the daughter and sister of veterans, I know first-hand how important it is to have access to critical resources like health care, mental health services, job training, and more.” said California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo. “For quite some time, our Santa Clarita Valley community has been without a dedicated Veteran Service Officer. On the campaign trail, I heard story after story from vets about traveling long distances for resources that should be available to them in our community. That’s why we made it a priority to station a VSO back in Santa Clarita. Now, veterans will be able to access these resources right here at home.”

In a statement released by the Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative the organization expressed its gratitude “to Schiavo and her veteran liaison, Gaby Gurrola, for their efforts in quickly resolving this situation. We also would like to express our appreciation to Chris Ward, veteran liaison to Congressman Mike Garcia’s office, Jim Zenner, director of Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles County, Keith Niesen, VSO, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and Alejandro Rocha, squad leader, Veteran Peer Access Network, for their assistance in this effort.”

“Supporting veterans and their families is our prime objective and it was a team effort to get this important piece in place.”

For more information on the new schedule, or answers to questions, please contact the Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative at (661) 753-3559 or visit https://www.scv-vets.org/.

The Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative, a 501c3 non-profit, is a gathering of dedicated businessmen and women, non-profit organizations, and individuals pledged to care for the interests of local veterans, active- duty military and their families who have given and sacrificed so much for their country.