Carbon County is proud of its area veterans and the services its Veterans Affairs office provides them.

Last week, the county commissioners spoke about the benefits Carbon veterans are receiving.For the fiscal year of 2015-2016, Carbon County veterans received a total of $3,182,808 in VA benefits, Henry Desrosiers, director of the county Veterans Affairs office, said Tuesday afternoon.“The funds dispersed go only to the veteran or their families,” he said.The commissioners pointed out that Carbon brings in “more money collectively” than most counties across the state.“We are high ranked in the amount of benefits coming into Carbon County,” Commissioner William O’Gurek said. “It’s the work that is being done here trying to make the veterans aware of what is available to them. I’ve seen us outperform some of the biggest counties in the state, and I think that is something to be proud of.”Carbon County has a large population of veterans living in the area.Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that the investment Carbon County made in having a full-time, certified Veterans Affairs director is paying off for the veterans.He pointed out that years ago, some counties only had part-time directors or shared directors between counties, some not even certified in Veterans Affairs, but a study showed the need for Veterans Affairs directors to be certified to better serve the community and legislation was successfully passed.“We wanted to make sure all veterans throughout the commonwealth get fair treatment and get their share of benefits they so rightfully deserve,” Nothstein said.Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard commended the work Desrosiers and Bonnie Gawlik do in the county Veterans Affairs office, pointing out that Desrosiers has a “huge presence” in the state.In a related matter, Desrosiers has 15 books left of “The 25th Anniversary, The Liberation of Kuwait, Honoring the Veterans of Desert Storm,” available to veterans of Desert Storm. The books are a gift from the Kuwait government.If a veteran who served during Desert Storm has not received a book and would like one, Desrosiers asked them to bring their DD-214 with them into his office on the second floor of the courthouse annex in Jim Thorpe, to show they are in receipt of the Southwest Asia medal.Veterans who also would like online information on benefits, programs and service can sign up for the Pennsylvania Veterans Registry at

register.dmva.pa.gov.According to the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the registry is an online application that allows veterans to connect with the state to request information.Participant information is shared with county directors for Veterans Affairs and other state agencies to help create local connections.For more information on available options for county veterans, call the Carbon County Veterans Affairs office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 570-325-3986 to set up an appointment.