Veteran Resources in Morris County, NJ: Benefits, Health Care, Support and Places to Reflect

Plenty of help is available to Morris County veterans and military families, and a lot of it sits within a short drive of Morristown. The trouble is that it is spread across county, state, federal and nonprofit offices, each with its own phone number and its own piece of the puzzle.

So we pulled it into one place. Below are the offices that help with benefits and claims, where to get VA health care, who to call for counseling and peer support, help with housing and school, and a few places across the county to slow down, reflect and remember. Every address and phone number here comes straight from the organization that runs the service.

Benefits and claims help

Morris County Veterans Services Office, Morris Township

If you only make one call, make it this one. The Morris County Veterans Services Office at 540 West Hanover Avenue in Morris Township helps discharged Morris County veterans and their families apply for the VA benefits they have earned, including disability compensation claims, education benefits, home loans, health care, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and transportation. The office also handles applications for the county’s Distinguished Military Service Medal.

Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, with walk in hours Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 2 PM. Call 973-285-6866 or email MCVets@co.morris.nj.us. A county Veterans Services Officer is also on site at the County College of Morris Veterans Resource Center on the first and third Thursday of each month during the semester.

New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Service Office, Dover

The state runs its own Veterans Service Office for Morris County inside the Dover Armory at 479 West Clinton Street in Dover. The New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs staffs these offices with trained, accredited Veterans Service Officers who help veterans and their dependents reach local, state and federal benefits. It is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, and closed alternate Fridays, so call ahead at 609-671-3571 or toll free at 844-671-1019.

Veteran ID card at the Morris County Clerk’s Office, Morristown

Honorably discharged Morris County veterans can get a free Morris County Veteran ID card at the County Clerk’s Office at 10 Court Street in Morristown. Bring one proof of Morris County residency and your original or certified long form discharge document, such as the DD 214. Walk in hours are 9 AM to 3 PM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Thursday are by appointment at 973-285-6120. The county’s For Veterans page notes the card can also unlock discounts at participating Morris County businesses.

VA health care in and near Morris County

Morristown VA Clinic, Morristown

The Morristown VA Clinic is on the second floor of 540 West Hanover Avenue, the same building as the county Veterans Services Office, which makes it easy to handle paperwork and an appointment in one trip. Services include primary care, lab work, mental health care, nutrition, social work, toxic exposure screening and women veteran care. It is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call 973-539-9791.

Lyons VA Medical Center, just over the line in Somerset County

For hospital level care and round the clock services, Morris County veterans can turn to the Lyons VA Medical Center at 151 Knollcroft Road in Lyons, a short drive south of the county line in Somerset County. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The main number is 908-647-0180.

Counseling, peer support and crisis lines

Veterans Crisis Line

If you are a veteran in crisis, or worried about one, the Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential and available 24/7. Dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. In an emergency, call 911.

NJ Vet2Vet peer support helpline

Sometimes it helps to talk with someone who has been there. NJ Vet2Vet connects New Jersey veterans and their families with peer counselors who have served themselves, around the clock at 1-866-838-7654. It is run by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care with the state and has been answering calls since 2005. It is a peer support line rather than a crisis line, so use the Veterans Crisis Line above in an emergency.

Free counseling for veterans and families through Morris County and MHA

Morris County funds a Veteran and Family Support Program run by the Mental Health Association that offers free psychotherapy, group counseling, support groups, family education groups and case management to veterans and family members. Services are grant funded and free to veterans and their families. To get started, call 973-334-3496 extension 515 or email mwalsh@mhainspire.org.

Vet Center counseling at the county Veterans Services Office

The VA operates a Vet Center Community Access Point inside the county Veterans Services Office at 540 West Hanover Avenue in Morris Township, so veterans can meet with a Vet Center counselor close to home. Appointments are booked through the Bloomfield Vet Center at 2 Broad Street, Suite 703, in Bloomfield, at 973-748-0980. Vet Centers offer confidential counseling for combat veterans, service members, military sexual trauma survivors and their families, and you do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to use them.

Housing help

Community Hope, Parsippany

Parsippany based Community Hope describes itself as the largest nonprofit serving homeless veterans and families in New Jersey, and its work is all about helping veterans find and keep a home. Its Hope for Veterans program runs a 95 bed transitional housing program on the Lyons VA campus, along with permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, counseling, transportation and employment help. Its administrative office is at 959 Route 46 East, Suite 402, in Parsippany, at 973-463-9600. For transitional housing referrals, call the intake coordinator at 908-647-5717. Veterans and veteran families who are homeless or at risk can reach the Supportive Services for Veteran Families referral hotline 24 hours a day at 855-483-8466.

School and career

County College of Morris Veterans Resource Center, Randolph

The Veterans Resource Center at County College of Morris, 214 Center Grove Road in Randolph, is in Sheffield Hall, Room 200. It helps veterans and eligible dependents use their VA education benefits and offers academic and career advising, and it is open to veterans across the community, not just CCM students. The center’s coordinator is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and visitors can park in Lot 7. Call 973-328-5220 or email veterans@ccm.edu.

Places to reflect and remember

The Healing Garden at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morris Township

One of the most meaningful projects in the county is taking shape at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Veterans Valor of New Jersey, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is building The Healing Garden there in collaboration with the Morris County Park Commission, Rotary District 7475 and local veteran and health organizations. The garden is designed as a place of peace for military veterans, active duty service members, first responders and their families. Its first phase, The Gateway Entry Plaza, is complete, and more gardens are planned.

Veterans Valor also keeps a helpful list of hotlines and support services on its veteran resources page, covering many of the same lifelines in this guide plus national options. The arboretum is at 353 East Hanover Avenue in Morris Township and is open daily from 8 AM to sunset. Pets are not allowed on the grounds.

Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown

Morris County’s military story goes back to the Continental Army, which spent winters here during the American Revolution. Morristown National Historical Park tells that story at the Washington’s Headquarters Museum at 30 Washington Place and at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center at 586 Tempe Wick Road. There is no entrance fee, and the grounds are open year round except Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and New Year’s Day. It is a quiet, moving place to bring a veteran or a young person curious about service.

Veterans organizations

Morris County has an active network of veterans groups, including posts of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Marine Corps League and Vietnam Veterans of America, along with the American Veterans of Washington Township, Post 1776. They are a great way to find camaraderie and to give back. The VFW’s post locator is an easy place to find the one nearest you, and the county Veterans Services Office can point you to others.

What did we miss

If you know a Morris County organization, support group or memorial that belongs on this list, tell us about it and we will take a look for our next update.

Featured photo: the World War I memorial in front of the Vail Mansion in Morristown, by Zeete via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do Morris County veterans go for help with VA benefits?

Start with the Morris County Veterans Services Office at 540 West Hanover Avenue in Morris Township, 973-285-6866. It helps with VA claims, education benefits, home loans, health care and more, with walk in hours Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 2 PM. The state also has a Veterans Service Office at the Dover Armory, 479 West Clinton Street, at 609-671-3571.

Is there a VA clinic in Morris County?

Yes. The Morristown VA Clinic is on the second floor of 540 West Hanover Avenue in Morristown and offers primary care, lab work, mental health care, social work and women veteran care, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call 973-539-9791. For hospital level care, the Lyons VA Medical Center is at 151 Knollcroft Road in Lyons, just over the line in Somerset County.

Where can a veteran get free counseling in Morris County?

Morris County and the Mental Health Association offer free counseling, support groups and case management to veterans and their families at 973-334-3496 extension 515. Vet Center counselors also see veterans at the county Veterans Services Office in Morris Township, and appointments are made through the Bloomfield Vet Center at 973-748-0980.

What is the Healing Garden at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum?

The Healing Garden is being built by Veterans Valor of New Jersey, a nonprofit, with the Morris County Park Commission and partners at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Avenue in Morris Township. It is a place of peace for veterans, service members, first responders and their families. Its first phase, The Gateway Entry Plaza, is complete.

More on honoring veterans in Morris County: Veterans Day events in Morris County, the Healing Garden signing at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the Gateway to the Gardens groundbreaking, the Art of Valor fundraiser, the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall in Rockaway, the Marine Corps in Morris County and our local guide to Morristown.