Toccoa Veterans Services Office Closed Until July 1

State officials said that the Toccoa office of the Georgia Department of Veterans Services will re-open when the new state budget year starts in July.

The office closed last month in what was called a temporary measure.

Georgia Department of Veterans Services Spokesman Jon Suggs said a tight budget has affected offices that are open on a part-time basis, like Toccoa.

“We anticipate all of these that have been temporarily closed to re-open on July 1, when a new fiscal year starts,” said Suggs.

The Toccoa Veterans Services office in the Stephens County Courthouse Annex on Tugalo Street in downtown Toccoa is traditionally open two days a week, while the other three days Manager Randy Woodie works out of the Clarkesville office on Georgia Highway 115.

Suggs said that these budget cutbacks are affecting other part-time offices than just Toccoa.

“Toccoa is a little unusual in that it is open two days a week,” said Suggs. “In most cases, our part-time offices may be one day a week, one day a month.”

The state Veterans Services office says that Toccoa’s office typically serves residents mainly in Stephens and Franklin counties, while the Clarkesville office covers Banks, Habersham, and White counties.

The closure had caught the attention of Toccoa City Commissioners, who wrote a letter to the Department of Veterans Services supporting the Toccoa office.

Toccoa City Commissioner Jeanette Jamieson said she is happy to hear that the office closure is temporary.

“It is critical in a community like ours because so many of our veterans, widows, and widowers, use our office,” said Jamieson. “They are not all computer savvy where they can look something up on the Internet. Many of them are elderly, handicapped, or disabled and cannot travel.”

Jamieson went on to say that she appreciates the commission writing a letter in support of the Toccoa office.

Suggs said the Toccoa office will be back on its two day a week schedule starting at July 1.

He said the department tries to avoid taking steps like these and will try to avoid this in future budget years.

In the meantime, the Clarkesville Veterans Services office at 6257 Georgia Highway 115 is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the phone number is 706-754-4316.