By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – The city’s new director of veterans services, Nicholas Charbonneau, is settling into his new position, which primarily entails providing veterans with information on benefits and assisting in obtaining them.
“Many veterans are not aware of what they are eligible for and welcome the information and rewards,” he said.
“The city and town VSO (Veteran Services Officer) is responsible for administering local benefits such as Chapter 115 which is a stipend to assist low-income vets,” Charbonneau explained.
There is also federal compensation available for many. Among the services available for veterans and their families are healthcare, education and training, home loans, life insurance and vocational rehabilitation.
“A few vets that were recently separated have come by my office during the past few weeks and I can say from personal experience being an OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) vet myself, that asking for help is very difficult,” he said. “My goal is to reach out to more vets that have been recently discharged and urge them to seek the help they deserve. Veterans are trained to be service providers not service consumers so it is especially tough for them to seek assistance. Fortunately I have navigated those challenges and know how to help.”
In recommending Charbonneau to the City Council for approval, Mayor Arthur Vigeant stated: “Nick worked one-on-one with veterans with a goal that was not just to get a veteran any job he could, but to find meaningful work that would result in long-term employment and improved lives.”
Before accepting the position in Marlborough, Charbonneau worked directly with veterans at the Employment and Training Resources Centers in Framingham and Norwood. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mass. Amherst. Charbonneau’s office is in the Senior Center building at 40 New St. He also works cohesively with the Veterans Outreach Center and the Marlborough Veterans Council.