Find veterans benefits contacts for Essex County, New Jersey.
If you live in Essex County, free claims help is available from accredited representatives at the DAV National Service Office in Newark and NJ DVA veterans service offices in East Orange and Newark; confirm availability before traveling. The American Legion and VFW contacts in Newark are also listed for claims help. For a remote referral, call the NJ DVA statewide Veterans Service Office hotline and ask to be connected with a current Veterans Service Officer in your county. The East Orange VA Medical Center is 2 miles from the county center, and the Bloomfield Vet Center is 3 miles away; these are straight-line distances, not driving distances. The county has about 17,300 veterans, and the Vietnam era only is its largest service era, with about 4,960. Agent Orange exposure questions depend on where and when you served. The linked state page has full benefit terms.
Disabled American Veterans
DAV National Service Officer contact for free VA claims and appeals help.
Hours are not confirmed. Contact the provider before planning a visit.
New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs
State Veterans Service Office for benefits and claims questions.
East Orange VA Medical Center, 385 Tremont Avenue, Room #3-206, East Orange, NJ 07018Monday / Wednesday / Friday; 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM; Closed Alternate Fridays
New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs
NJ DVA lists the Essex County VSO and Newark liaison VSO in the same VA Regional Office room for benefits and claims questions.
VA Newark Regional Office, 20 Washington Place, Floor 4, Room #439, Newark, NJ 07102Essex County contact: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., closed alternate Fridays. Newark liaison contact: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The American Legion
The American Legion lists a department service officer for free VA benefits and claims help. Call to confirm the current representative.
Hours are not confirmed. Contact the provider before planning a visit.
New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs
State Veterans Service Office for benefits and claims questions.
Newark City Hall, 920 Broad St., Room B-3, Newark, NJ 07102Monday - Thursday; 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Veterans of Foreign Wars
VFW lists this contact in its Find a Service Officer results for free VA claims assistance.
20 Washington Place, Newark, NJ 07102Hours are not confirmed. Contact the provider before planning a visit.
For statewide phone and remote help, see the New Jersey directory.
NJ DVA Essex County and Newark Liaison Veterans Service Office, NJ DVA Newark City Hall Veterans Service Office, NJ DVA East Orange Veterans Service Office, and 3 other listed contacts appear in this guide. Call the provider to confirm the type of claims help, current appointment and meeting location.
Call the Claim Raven 24-hour VSO prep line to get your records ready before your appointment. Claim Raven is not a VSO office. Your VSO's number is listed above.
Call (833) 387-1649The ACS estimates about 17,300, give or take 1,140 civilian veterans in Essex County.
By ACS estimates, Essex County has the 7th largest veteran population among New Jersey's 21 counties and equivalents.
| Measure | Essex County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share with a service-connected rating | 23 percent above the New Jersey share; below the national share. | 20 percent | 30 percent |
| Share rated 70 percent or higher | 8 percent below the New Jersey share; below the national share. | 9 percent | 13 percent |
Essex County has about 4,640, give or take 456 veterans 75 and older, making up 27 percent of its veterans compared with 35 percent in New Jersey.
Essex County has about 1,010, give or take 324 veterans under 35, making up 6 percent of its veterans compared with 7 percent in New Jersey.
Women veterans in Essex County number about 1,760, give or take 398; their 10 percent share is above New Jersey's 8 percent.
| Measure | Essex County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran median income, age 18 and over with income | $51,157 ± $3,828 | $59,939 ± $915 | $54,224 ± $147 |
| Nonveteran median income, age 18 and over with income | $43,138 ± $732 | $49,812 ± $257 | $41,154 ± $99 |
| Veterans below poverty level, age 18 and over | 11.2% ± 2.4 points | 6.2% ± 0.4 points | 7.4% ± 0.1 points |
| Veterans with a disability, age 18 and over | 25.1% ± 2.8 points | 28.5% ± 0.7 points | 30.7% ± 0.1 points |
| Employed share of veterans, ages 18 to 64 | 78.4% ± 5.1 points | 77.6% ± 1.3 points | 73.9% ± 0.2 points |
| Unemployed share of veterans in the labor force, ages 18 to 64 | 4.8% ± 2.7 points; small survey sample; treat as rough | Not compared | Not compared |
| Veterans with high school or more, age 25 and over | 94.6% ± 1.6 points | 94.7% ± 0.4 points | 95.5% ± 0.1 points |
| Veterans with a bachelor’s degree or more, age 25 and over | 26.5% ± 2.4 points | 32.1% ± 0.8 points | 31.8% ± 0.2 points |
Income is in 2024 dollars. These figures describe civilians. Poverty and disability shares use veterans whose poverty status is determined. Census disability measures daily functioning, not a VA service-connected rating. Tables and method.
VA projects fewer veterans here in 2035: about 13,000 on September 30, 2035, compared with 18,000 on September 30, 2026. VetPop2023 projections are rounded to the nearest 1,000 as VA directs. Projection source and method.
VA reports 4,145 veterans in Essex County receiving disability compensation in FY2025.
| Rating group | Recipients |
|---|---|
| 0 to 20 percent | 843 |
| 30 to 40 percent | 408 |
| 50 to 60 percent | 456 |
| 70 to 90 percent | 1,117 |
| 100 percent | 1,321 |
FY2019: 4,831 recipients. Change to FY2025: -686.
VA does not publish some small counts. Those show as “Not published.” VA county compensation data (opens in a new tab).
In 2025, lenders reported 229 VA-backed home loans out of 11,652 home loans made in Essex County (2.0% VA), under the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).
Average VA loan amount reported: about $591,000.
The 2026 FHFA one-unit county loan limit here is $1,209,750. This limit matters for a VA loan only when part of your entitlement is still tied to another VA loan. VA explains remaining entitlement and loan limits (opens in a new tab).
The largest reported service groups are Vietnam era only (about 4,960, give or take 570) and between the Vietnam and Gulf War eras (about 3,940, give or take 628).
For questions about Vietnam-era exposure rules, read the Agent Orange presumptive conditions list; eligibility depends on your service and condition.
VA reported about $119.8 million in compensation and pension spending and about $176.3 million in medical care spending in Essex County for FY2025.
East Orange VA Medical Center (opens in a new tab)
385 Tremont Avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018-1023
New-patient wait for mental health: 22 days (VA, as of October 1, 2026).
New-patient wait for primary care: 18 days (VA, as of October 1, 2026).
about 2 miles in a straight line from the county center.
Paterson VA Clinic (opens in a new tab)
11 Getty Avenue, DePaul Center, Building 275, Paterson, NJ 07503-2650
New-patient wait for primary care: 10 days (VA, as of October 1, 2026).
about 9 miles in a straight line from the county center.
Bloomfield Vet Center (opens in a new tab)
2 Broad Street, Suite 703, Bloomfield, NJ 07003-2551
about 3 miles in a straight line from the county center.
Newark VA Regional Benefit Office (opens in a new tab)
20 Washington Place, Newark, NJ 07102
about 5 miles in a straight line from the county center.
Call to confirm hours before you go.
Outside New Jersey, in New York, NY, Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus (opens in a new tab) is Essex County's second-nearest medical center, about 15 miles in a straight line from the county center.
The second-nearest Vet Center to Essex County is Secaucus Mobile Vet Center (opens in a new tab) in Secaucus, NJ, about 9 miles in a straight line from the county center.
The state registry lists Newark RO (station 309); county claims jurisdiction is unconfirmed.
Washington Crossing National Cemetery (opens in a new tab)
830 Highland Road Newtown, PA 18940
215-222-7510
About 50 miles in a straight line from the county center. Burial space: open.
St. Albans National Cemetery (opens in a new tab)
177-33 Baisley Boulevard Queens, NY 11434
718-298-8545
About 26 miles in a straight line from the county center. Burial space: cremation only.
Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery (opens in a new tab)
350 Provinceline Rd Wrightstown, NJ 08562
609-738-2400
About 50.7 miles in a straight line from the county center. Burial space: open.
State veterans cemeteries set their own eligibility rules.
National Cemetery Administration lists checked October 2, 2026. Cemetery coverage and distance method.
Military branch is not listed in the USACE FY2024 property data.
These lists use site points within county boundaries. A site may extend into another county.
For VA’s service-location rules, see the presumptive conditions list. A location listing does not establish personal exposure or eligibility.
On one night in January 2024, Newark/Essex County CoC counted 62 veterans experiencing homelessness (43 sheltered, 19 unsheltered).
NJ-504 is the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) selected by this county's geographic center (polygon centroid).
The HUD workbook reports 88 veterans for the 2019 comparison.
This is a one-night count for the whole CoC area, not a county or annual total. CoC mapping method.
If you need housing help, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. You can call any time, day or night.
Your nearest VA medical center by straight-line distance is East Orange VA Medical Center (opens in a new tab), 973-676-1000. Ask for the homeless coordinator.
VA's FY2026 Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) intake list names these providers. About VA SSVF (opens in a new tab).
Census incorporated places and census-designated places, sorted by ACS 2020-2024 population. Figures are ACS estimates for the whole place, not only the part inside this county. Places are assigned by their 2024 Census internal point and may cross county boundaries. Sources and mapping method.
For the Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 then press 1. VA crisis support (opens in a new tab)
Eligible New Jersey veterans rated 100 percent permanent and total can receive a property tax exemption.
No other benefit is documented here.
Ask the office about VA Form 21-0966 to preserve a potential benefits start date while gathering evidence. Check your intent to file deadline.
ACS 2020-2024; VA FY2025; geography/locations/benefits 2026; adjacency 2024. Distances: straight line from county center. The summary paragraph was drafted by AI from the facts on this page and checked automatically against them. Full method.
Distances are straight-line estimates between county internal points. Representatives may serve clients outside their local area.
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