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Veterans Service Bureau to expand outreach, launch women veterans supports and add deputy post
Summary
Albany County Veterans Service Bureau told the committee it will expand outreach with a VSO split between the VA hospital and SUNY Albany, create a women veterans MST/PTSD support group and seek a deputy director to increase claims processing capacity.
Scott Leslie, director of the Albany County Veterans Service Bureau, told the finance committee the bureau will expand outreach and programming in 2026 while not expecting budget impacts from recent vehicle-related legislation.
"In 2026, we'll expand our outreach by assigning a dedicated veteran service officer split between the VA hospital and SUNY Albany student veteran office," Leslie said, describing a plan to place a VSO where veterans already access care and services. He said the bureau is also seeking a proposed deputy director position to streamline case management and certifications and to increase the office’s capacity to file more claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bureau plans to launch a women veterans program and an MST/PTSD support group in January and hold a spring summit in partnership with the Albany Stratton VA, local veteran agencies and clinicians. Leslie described those efforts as responses to a growing need among female veterans for trauma-informed, peer-supported services.
The bureau expects to continue using the PFC Dwyer peer-support grant from New York State for fitness, mental health, and suicide-prevention programming. Leslie said Dwyer funding is flexible and typically supports locally tailored peer- and fitness-oriented activities meant to reduce isolation and improve mental health.
Legislators asked about staffing and the shift of one VSO position to temporary help to allow a proposed deputy director hire. Leslie said one VSO 1 position was eliminated and the bureau plans a partial shift to a temporary line for part-time staffing needs while establishing the deputy director role.
On metrics, the bureau said it recorded well over 7,000 veteran touchpoints in 2025 through outreach and service activity and cited that the office’s work increasingly focuses on filing claims and expanding direct service capacity.
