It might look like any other office building, but the meaning behind it is truly something special.

Local, state and federal officials gathered Friday to cut the ribbon on the new Berks County Etchberger Veterans Affairs Center. Located at 20 Commerce Drive in Spring Township, the building offers a much-needed upgrade in space that will allow the office to meet the growing demand of serving the county’s veterans.

“This is home to more than 23,000 veterans and their families who call Berks County home,” Jay Ostrich, director of the county veterans affairs office, said during the ceremony.

Ostrich has said that the relocation, which took place in September, came at a pivotal time as the office has been seeing an unprecedented increase in compensation claims and a growing need for private consultation.

According to statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Veteran and Military Affairs, the Berks office is on track to return $40.9 million to local veterans, positioning the county as the second best in the state for veteran compensation and revenue return.

The uptick in claims is partially attributed to the passage of the PACT Act in 2022, which granted new disability benefits to veterans who suffered toxic exposure injuries while in the ranks.

The office has also seen an increase in claims related to posttraumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma, highlighting the need for increased privacy in its operations. The new space offers five private offices providing veterans with the security they need to openly discuss their injuries and trauma.

The relocation will make services more accessible with convenient disabled parking spaces at the office entrance, things that weren’t available at the office’s previous home in the 700 block of Cherry Street in downtown Reading.

During the ceremony Friday, State Rep. Mark Gillen said the amount of effort Berks puts into supporting its veterans is a small price to pay for people who have given so much to their country and community.

Gillen, who represents communities in Berks and was recently named chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, said the new facility represents a renewed focus on service and advocacy for veterans.

“This is a new service station, but the reality is it’s just another down payment on the eternal debt that we owe to veterans,” he said. “This is not the end, this is really the beginning because, as much as anything else, I think we ought to recognize that there is a certain divine incompleteness with what we are doing. There is more work to be done.”

County Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach said he and his fellow commissioners are dedicated to doing that work because it’s a worthy task.

“In Berks County, when it comes to veterans we do more,” he said. “Veterans affairs offices are not a required statutory responsibility of counties, but we do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

Leinbach said it’s important to make sure veterans get the benefits they deserve because the community owes them deeply for their service.

“This is about repaying, to the extent that we can, a debt we owe to every man and every  woman that has put on that uniform,” he said. “They have earned the right to be served.”

Maj. Gen. Terry Koudelka, who spoke on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said the new center is a prime example of how a community can come together to meet the changing needs of veterans and improve the way we serve those who have served.

“Yes, we are celebrating the opening of this incredible veterans affairs office, but today is really about more than the brick and mortar,” he said. “It is about the men and women who walk through the door asking for help seeking assistance. They are heroes who put their lives on the line so that we can all live free and safe.”

Koudelka said the facility communicates to veterans of all generations that they are not forgotten.

“What you have done is taken veteran care to another level by increasing privacy and improving accessibility in an innovative and welcoming setting,” he said.

County Commissioner Michael Rivera said that when Ostrich first approached the commissioners about the need for a new center he emphasized the need for private offices so that the staff can sit down with veterans and have hard conversations about what they are going through.

“When doors get closed veterans and their families know that it is a private conversation and that allows them to open up,” he said. “That’s why this new space is so great.”

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who represents communities in Berks and is a veteran herself, said that how we fight wars has changed and so has the way we care for our veterans.

Houlahan spoke about the invisible wounds of war, commending the Berks center for providing privacy so veterans can freely express their struggles.

Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. said he’s happy to have played a small part in moving the office into a new home, sharing a personal story about how they help veterans.

He said his 93-year-old father is a Korean War veteran who lost his wife of 67 years over the summer. The life-changing event left his father with questions and concerns about his veterans benefits, so he set up an appointment with the office.

The staff thoroughly and kindly provided all of the help he needed, Santoni said.

“From a personal standpoint, I want to thank everyone for all the great things that you do here for all veterans,” he said.