Bridge to Benefits: NYS Department of Veterans’ Services Unveils Digital Kiosk at the WNY Welcome Center on Grand Island

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Photo from today’s DVS Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosk unveiling at the WNY Welcome Center on Grand Island. Featured here are DVS Commissioner Viviana M. DeCohen (speaking at podium) and DVS Executive Deputy Commissioner Joel Evans (left).

DVS Digital Kiosk at the WNY Welcome Center.

Newly installed digital kiosk connects Western New York’s Veterans and Military Families with more than 60 state programs, services, and supports

GRAND ISLAND, NY, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) today unveiled its newest Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosk, now available inside the Western New York Welcome Center on Grand Island.

Grand Island’s location, situated between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, serves as a symbolic and strategic site for this latest installation, bridging access to benefits and services for the thousands of Veterans and Military Families who call Western New York home or pass through its scenic high-traffic corridors.

The DVS Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosks are interactive digital portals providing convenient, 24/7 access to over 60 state programs and services. Designed with the specialized needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families in mind, the DVS digital kiosks offer a modern, user-friendly interface that connects users directly with vital benefits, support, and contact information for DVS’s accredited Veterans Benefits Advisors, all of whom are Veterans themselves.

The Grand Island unveiling marks another milestone in the successful statewide expansion of the digital kiosk program, which places this innovative technology in highly visible and accessible public locations across New York State. Since 2023, DVS Digital Kiosks have been installed at airports, welcome centers, shopping malls, train stations, museums, and government buildings, bringing helpful government services closer to all who served. With today’s unveiling, DVS will have fulfilled Governor Hochul’s promise to install a Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosk inside all the New York State Welcome Centers.

Initially launched during Veterans Month 2021, the kiosk initiative was highlighted in Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State addresses in both 2022 and 2023. The program reflects a robust interagency collaboration between DVS, the New York State Office of Information Technology Services, Empire State Development, and several key state partners, including the Office for the Aging, Office of Mental Health, Office of General Services, Department of Labor, and SUNY.

DVS’s innovative Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosks were recently featured on the website Kiosk Marketplace, the leading source of news about the kiosk industry worldwide.

In 2024, the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services was honored with the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award by the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA), recognizing the kiosk program’s national impact. DVS’s initiative has since drawn inquiries from other states—including Florida, Maine, Nevada, California, and Missouri—interested in replicating New York State’s success.

Viviana M. DeCohen, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, said: “Whether they are returning home or just visiting, Veterans in Western New York now have a trusted, easily accessible place to connect with the benefits they have earned. By placing our digital kiosks in welcoming, well-traveled locations such as the Western New York Welcome Center on Grand Island, we are removing barriers and building bridges, ensuring that no Veteran is left behind.”

Joel Evans, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, added: “This cutting-edge technology reflects the future of Veteran service delivery. Our kiosks are secure, intuitive, and immediate – and they empower Veterans to take charge of their well-being, access resources quickly, and find personalized support no matter where they are in New York State.”

DVS Veterans Welcome Center Digital Kiosks are now located at the following statewide locations:

• Tompkins County International Airport;
• Long Island Welcome Center;
• Adirondack Welcome Center;
• Mohawk Valley Welcome Center;
• Empire State Plaza Concourse;
• North Country Welcome Center;
• Woodbury Commons Shopping Center;
• Grand Central Terminal;
• Palisades Center Mall;
• Buffalo Niagara International Airport;
• Niagara Falls State Park (in partnership with NASDVA);
• Southern Tier Welcome Center;
• National Purple Heart Hall of Honor;
• LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum; and
• Western New York Welcome Center, Grand Island.

Western New York Veterans Service Organization leaders joining DVS for today’s unveiling included Casey Kvale, Acting Director, Buffalo Regional Office, United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Fran Davis, President, Western New York Gold Star Mothers; David Coombs, Director, Veterans Law Practicum, University at Buffalo School of Law; Jerry Kowalski, Commander, Erie County American Legion; Anthony Kuhn, Managing Partner, Tully Rinckey PLLC; Cheri Alvarez, CEO, COMPEER Buffalo; Lynn Magistrale, Executive Vice President, WNY Heroes; Apple Domingo, Director of Veteran Services, Western New York Veterans One-Stop Center; David Wohleben, Veterans Service Officer, Niagara County Veterans Service Agency; Kenny Williams, Director, Veteran & Military Services, Buffalo State University; Dan Ryan, Director of Veteran Services, SUNY Buffalo; Karl R. Hinterberger, Director of Veterans Services, Niagara University; Walter Wallace, New York State Department of Labor’s Local Veterans Employment Representative for Erie County, Judge Robert Russell, Founder, Veterans Treatment Court movement, and Robert Stutz, Outreach Team Supervisor, New York State Department of Veterans’ Services.

The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services proudly serves New York’s Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families, connecting them with benefits, services, and support. All who served should contact the Department at 888-838-7697 or via its website – veterans.ny.gov – to meet in-person or virtually with an accredited Veterans Benefits Advisor to receive the benefits they have earned. Follow DVS on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

Joshua Fitzpatrick
New York State Department of Veterans' Services
+ +1 518-419-4206
joshua.fitzpatrick|veterans.ny.gov| |joshua.fitzpatrick|veterans.ny.gov
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