Bresnahan Hosts VA Secretary Doug Collins for Roundtable with Local Veterans

KINGSTON, PA: Today, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) welcomed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to Northeastern Pennsylvania to hear directly from veterans, community leaders, and veteran advocates to discuss how the VA serves those who have served our nation.

"Supporting our veterans means making sure they can easily access the benefits and care they've earned," said Rep. Bresnahan. "Today's conversation was about hearing directly from veterans and advocates about what they are seeing, hearing, and experiencing, and how we can help improve the system. I'm grateful to Secretary Collins for coming to Northeastern Pennsylvania to hear directly from our community and for his commitment to making the system work for our veterans."

"Under President Trump we are transforming VA from a bureaucratic organization to a service organization that puts Veterans at the center of everything we do," said Secretary Collins. "Veterans in Northeastern Pennsylvania have a strong advocate in Rep. Bresnahan, whose leadership has been vital to accomplishing this goal."

During the roundtable, participants engaged in a broad and productive discussion about how to better support veterans and their families. Key topics included simplifying VA forms, expanding access to benefits and housing resources, and increasing awareness of available services through constituent casework. Attendees also shared ideas for streamlining processes and strengthening coordination between federal, state, and local partners to better serve veterans.

In addition to Rep. Bresnahan and Secretary Collins, the roundtable was made up of 22 people from across the district who are involved in veterans advocacy. Participants included State Senator Lisa Baker; Tim Booth, Lackawanna County Veterans Affairs Director; Oscar Flores, Luzerne County Veterans Affairs Director; Lisa Kaye, Monroe County Veterans Affairs Director; Jesiah Schrader, Pike County Veterans Affairs Director; Frank Araujo, Wayne County Veterans Affairs Director; Vito Ruggiero, Gino Merli Veterans' Center Commandant; Jim Wansacz, Agency for Community Empowerment of NEPA Executive Director; Susan Allen, Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade Committee Chair; Judge Tom Munley, Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas Retired Judge and Host of "Veterans Views;" Bob Suhosky, Northeast Infrastructure Owner; Rob O'Donnell, WILK Radio Host; Bill Roland, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States PA State Commander; Vince Benedetto, Bold Gold Media CEO; John Baum, Voyager Technologies Chief Marketing Officer; Sung "John" Nam, Nam's Tae Kwon Do Centers Owner; Mark Price, Black Diamond American Legion Post 395 Post Commander; John Fronzoni, Black Diamond American Legion Post 395 President, Home Association; and Nate Gerace, U.S. Senator Dave McCormick Northeast Regional Director.

Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to more than 44,000 veterans. Rep. Bresnahan's office maintains a dedicated caseworker focused on assisting veterans with navigating federal agencies, and ensuring local veterans have direct access to support when they need it.

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