Veteran's Priority Of Service

Veterans Come First!

Veterans Priority of Service

Niagara County is proud to offer Priority of Service to veterans and their eligible spouses. What does this mean? If you served in the military, you will be:

Served first by the next available staff member.
Given first priority for jobs and training for which you are eligible and qualified.

Meet America's Best Employers for Veterans

“Veterans bring discipline, leadership and tech skills and a unique perspective and passion for the work they do,”

Click here to see the Forbes list of Best Employers in America for Veterans.

Scholarships for Military Service Members and Student Veterans

There are a multitude of active-duty military scholarships, disabled veteran scholarships, and grants available for military service member and student veterans!!! Click here to see the comprehensive list!

Paws & Patriots

The SPCA Paws & Patriots program was developed for veterans in our community in need of giving and receiving special love and attention, and for animals at the SPCA who need exactly the same thing.

Some veterans have trouble readjusting upon their return home. They may experience a sense of loss or loneliness. Some shelter animals are lonely or depressed. They need a dedicated team of people to help them overcome their fears. Paws & Patriots brings veterans and animals together, providing each other with companionship and devotion. And training? It’s hard to tell who’s learning more…the animal or the veteran.

Veterans interested in joining the SPCA Paws & Patriots program should contact the Veterans Relations Representative at pawsandpatriots@yourspca.org

Paws & Patriots is an SPCA program designed to engage the community in helping both Western New York’s military veterans and SPCA dogs and cats. Using a positive reinforcement method of working with shelter animals, veterans are trained on three tiers of animal enrichment that provide long-term mutual benefits for both pets and people. Veterans assist the animals with readjustment issues, improve the animals’ responses to humans, increase the animals’ potential for being adopted, and improve their lives. At the same time, veterans receive similar enrichment from working with the animals.

The program assists in their coping skills and readjustment from their experiences in uniform to civilian life. As bonds are established with shelter animals, veterans’ actions and overall perspectives improve. They gain further confidence in themselves. They once again find purpose contributing to a mission higher than self, similar to the purpose they found in the military. The camaraderie, trust, empathy, and compassion established between shelter animals and veterans through the SPCA Paws & Patriots program provide mutual benefits, usually prompting the question, “Who is rescuing whom?”

SPCA1 SPCA2 SPCA3

Resume Builder for Veterans

Resume Builder offers this comprehensive veterans' resume and job hunting guide, tailored specifically to help the veteran community as they transition smoothly into civilian careers. This guide is designed to provide veterans a way to support them in their post-service lives. The guide is packed with invaluable tips, strategies, and resources to assist veterans in crafting standout resumes and navigating the job market successfully.

Niagara County Veterans Service Agency

Our mission is to ensure that all veterans and their dependents have access to any benefits to which they may be eligible as the result of the veteran’s active duty military or naval service. There are benefits due to some reservists and national guardsmen, but this must be determined on an individual basis.

111 Main St., Suite 200, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 438-4090

Niagara County Veterans Service Agency

Informational flyer

"Thank-A-Vet" Discount Programs

Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPs)

Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialists are disabled veterans themselves. They provide intensive case management services to veterans with significant barriers to employment, special disabled and disabled veterans, and veterans ages 18 to 24. They also provide a full range of employment services, including comprehensive assessments, individual employment plans, job referrals, referrals to training and support services, and resume and interview preparation assistance.

In Niagara County

Ian Bone, DVOP - 716-278-8258
Find the your closest Veterans' Program Staff Member

Veterans One-stop Center of WNY, Inc.

The Veterans One-stop Center of WNY, Inc. is located at 1280 Main St. 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14209.

"The VOC of WNY is an independent, nonprofit collaborative, that will offer U.S. veterans, service members, and their families the convenience of a barrier-free “one-stop” location to access coordinated, individualized and integrated social, health, educational, economic, and supportive services.

Services include accredited benefits counseling; employment resources & services; peer mentoring; readjustment, behavioral, and mental health counseling; legal services & veterans treatment court mentorship; financial counseling & coaching; education resources & services; and housing & emergency services."

To visit the Veterans One-stop Center of WNY, click here.

Operation Recognition = High School Diplomas for Veterans

Operation Recognition allows certain veterans to earn high school diplomas if they left school without graduating. Section 305 of the NYS Education Law created Operation Recognition to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans who left school before graduation by awarding them a high school diploma.

Operation Recognition can help you get your diploma!

NYS Veterans Temporary Hiring Program

Did you serve active duty after September 11, 2001? You may qualify for the NYS Veterans Temporary Hiring Program.

The Veterans Temporary Hiring Program Portal provides a centralized location for qualifying Veterans to submit up-to-date employment and contact information for consideration by New York State agencies interested in filling temporary employment assignments.

Click here to complete your online application for these positions and to view available jobs. Your application will be kept on file for future job opportunities as well.

To apply, you will need:

Your Social Security number
DD214 showing reason for discharge as other than “Dishonorable”
Your resume

Security Guard Training through Experience Counts Initiative

Are you a Veteran who is interested in training as a Security Guard or Armed Security Guard?

If you completed certain training courses during your Military service, you may qualify for training as a Security Guard or Armed Security Guard, at no cost to you. The online training will be completed at Niagara's WorkSourceOne One-Stop Center, and fingerprinting will be required as part of your licensing application.

View and print the application

Training is sponsored by the New York State Department of Labor and federal Workforce Investment Act funding.

Skills Center at the VA Medical Center

The Skills Center is located in room 309A of the VA Medical Center, 3495 Bailey Avenue, Buffalo
Hours of Operation; M, Tu, Th & F from 8am - 4pm, W from 8am - 2:30pm
Provides assistance with;
- Writing a Resume
- TASC (GED) preparation
- Intro to the Internet
- College Entrance Preparation Typing Tutor
- Increasing Vocabulary Skills, Introduction to Computers, Math Skills
- Grammar and Spelling

Resources

Smart Phone browser e-tool: Veterans Job Search
US Customs and Border Patrol currently hiring for Border Patrol Agents and Custom and Border Protection Officers....and are giving Veterans preference in their hiring process!