Westmoreland seeks drivers for veterans transportation program

A program that provides free rides to Westmoreland County veterans needs drivers.

Veterans Affairs Director Matt Zamosky said the van service that offers transportation to medical facilities in and near Pittsburgh is understaffed and in urgent need of volunteers to continue.

“Before covid, we had six to seven drivers and the van was able to go every day. Through covid, we lost drivers, and we’re now down to three full-time drivers,” Zamosky said.

The door-to-door trips through Disabled American Veterans and the U.S. Veterans Health Administration previously carried as many as 10 people each weekday from homes throughout Westmoreland County. A lack of drivers has reduced the program to operating just three days a week.

Covid-era restrictions remain and allow only four passengers daily on the vans, meaning the county program that once served as many as 50 veterans a week now provides transportation to only 12.

Drivers are unpaid and are assigned to one daily trip that carries veterans to facilities in Oakland, Aspinwall and — starting this summer — a new outpatient clinic scheduled to open in Monroeville.

“This is my way to give back,” said Marty Pattyn, a volunteer driver for the program since 2014. “Now that I am retired, it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Pattyn, 68, of Penn Township, is a former computer specialist who drives veterans one day a week. He said he volunteered nearly a decade ago in response to a plea from the county for van drivers as a way to honor his father and father-in-law, both World War II veterans.

“If you talk to any people we take down to Pittsburgh, they are very appreciative. It makes me feel good to help them,” he said.

Zamosky said he wants to offer transportation to more veterans and is seeking five additional drivers to increase the number of days and trips for the program.

About 25,000 veterans live in Westmoreland County.

“Pennsylvania has one of the highest median ages of veterans in the country, and the VAs in Pittsburgh are where people access resources that are available. Accessing resources that are available to veterans can be challenging, and this program makes it less challenging,” Zamosky said.

Volunteers do not need to be veterans. They must pass a criminal background check.

People interested in volunteering can contact the county’s Veterans Affairs Office at 724-830-3530.