Croak, Williams look to continue positive impact for veterans in county office
LOCK HAVEN -- Clinton County Veterans Affairs staff are continuing their work in assisting veterans and their families in a variety of ways following a change-up in its staffing.
Following the departure of Director Todd Warner in late June, Jeff Croak has assumed the role.
Croak, a retired Marine Corp. sergeant who served his country from May 2004 to July 2015 -- including four overseas deployments, previously served as service officer and assistant director with the department.
Croak said he was hired by the county in November 2019 as its veterans service officer before shifting into the assistant director position in 2024. He started his role as director on June 29.
Joining Croak is Harry Williams as the county's veterans service officer.
Williams retired from the Pennsylvania National Guard at the rank of sergeant first class. In total, he served 29 years, from January 1997 to December 2025, including in the Army in active duty and the commonwealth's national guard. He told The Express his final 10 years were spent as a recruiter locally.
"This kind of bookends my career," Williams said. "I helped get guys into the service and now I can help them at the end of it. I've really enjoyed helping people."
Croak and Williams both aim to help veterans in a variety of ways.
"We'll be retaining most of what Todd did during his time here," Croak said.
This includes a program with the state's department of corrections.
Croak explained he and Williams travel to various state prisons in the area to speak with the veterans they employ about what benefits they may be able to receive.
"Since Clinton County doesn't have a state facility we go to Clearfield, Centre and Lycoming (counties) to speak to veteran staff and assist them," he said.
In the three years the program has been running, Croak said the county's VA office has helped 125 veterans settle claims.
Outside of just assisting with claims, Croak said the VA's office is partnering with The New Love Center to expand its monthly MilitaryShare program.
He said The New Love Center will assist with the administrative end of the program, helping to secure funding and grants to better serve the veterans and families of Clinton County.
"We'll still be running the distribution," he added.
MilitaryShare distributions take place the third Thursday of every month from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Castanea Picnic Grounds. The program is available to veterans and their surviving spouses.
Those who would like to sign up for the program may contact Croak and Williams at 570-893-4339.
Croak said something new his office is doing is working to bring outside entities into the area to enhance benefits for veterans.
All-in-all, Croak said though the staff has changed a bit, the mission of the VA's office is still the same.
"We're here for all veterans and their families to provide any services a veteran requires or point them in the right direction," he said.
Clinton County's veterans affairs office is one of the strongest in the commonwealth according to statistics previously presented to the county's board of commissioners.
In the county, veterans received over $13 million each year in benefits through the office.
And, though on average counties in Pennsylvania typically average 39 percent of its veterans receiving benefits, in Clinton County 42 percent of its resident veterans have received some level of compensation for a VA service connected illness or injury.
The county also sees about 86 percent of its resident veterans using the VA healthcare system for a medical need, while the average across the commonwealth is 48.5 percent.