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VSO remains open in Atmore
The Veterans Service Office in Escambia County will remain in Atmore.
The back-and-forth and uncertainty of the last several months ended last week when Escambia County Commission Chairman David Stokes received a letter from Commissioner Clyde Marsh, State of Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA).
The letter left no doubt that the Brewton office is closing and Atmore’s office will serve the veterans in this area.
Earlier this year, the county commission was made aware of plans by the ADVA to consolidate the two offices (Brewton and Atmore) in the county. It appeared the plan was to close the Atmore office.
At the April 8 county commission workshop, some commissioners said they thought the Brewton office would remain open and the Atmore office would close.
However, Commissioner Brandon Smith said he was under the impression that the commission would be allowed to decide which office remained open. Smith made a case for the Atmore office – more veterans on this end of the county and easier access to the office.
On Wednesday, April 14, Smith and Commissioner Larry White went to Montgomery to talk with Marsh. From that meeting came the letter recommending the Atmore office remain open and the Brewton office close.
The commission received a letter dated April 28 from Marsh which stated, “The ADVA would prefer that the centralized office be maintained in Atmore … ”
That letter drew much discussion at the next commission workshop on May 7, which was attended by about 20 veterans from Atmore.
The commissioners talked about trying to keep both offices open and decided to request an opportunity to address the State Board of Veterans Affairs on July 2. However, that meeting will be moot.
Smith said representatives from Marsh’s office visited the Brewton and Atmore offices recently and made the determination that the Atmore office should remain open.
Following are excerpts from Marsh’s letter to Stokes. Emphasis is included in the letter.
“For clarification, veteran’s services are not being lost in Escambia County. Two offices are being consolidated into one and the same number of days will be provided in the Atmore office that was previously provided in both Brewton and Atmore.”
“The decision has been made by ADVA to suspend services in the Brewton office and provide veterans county office services in Atmore The consolidation will occur as previously scheduled on June 24, 2010. It is in the best interest of our agency and veterans to implement our plan and not delay this initiative any longer.”
“Again, based on our agency’s assessment, the Atmore office is best suited to handle the veterans’ service requirements for Escambia County. It is a modern facility with larger office accommodations and room to expand. It is easily accessible to all veterans, but especially disabled veterans due to handicap or veteran friendly / accessibility. Finally, the Atmore office has the largest county veteran population in a closer proximity.”
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