Veterans representatives from around the state gathered Tuesday morning at the Cass County Council on Aging to announce the grand opening of a new veterans center.

The temporary location for the center will be in the board room and dining room of the senior center at 115 S. Sixth St. while officials search for a permanent location in Logansport.

The center will serve Fulton, Pulaski, Cass, Carroll, White, Howard and Miami counties. It is the first of its kind, combining the Veterans Benefits Administration, Vets Center and Veterans Health Administration in one location. Currently, veterans are traveling as far as Indianapolis, South Bend and Fort Wayne for services.

“Ensuring that America’s veterans have top-quality and accessible care and services is one of my top priorities,” U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., said during Tuesday’s ceremony. “Our veterans have fought hard for us, and our responsibility is to fight hard for them.”

A benefits counselor will be available at the center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning this week.

The counselor will inform veterans of the benefits available to them and help veterans in filling out applications for benefits. The benefits administration will increase hours if there is a need.

The health administration and Vets Center will also provide services at the facility as soon as they receive approval from the Veterans Administration. Donnelly said they hope to have that approval soon.

Donnelly had announced plans for the center at a news conference in February.

Timothy F. Twiss, health system specialist at the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, said the health administration and Vets Center would be available two days a month.

Twiss said the health administration would focus on providing mental health services at the facility. The health administration plans to offer outpatient group therapy, targeting veterans who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Services likely will be expanded to include other treatments such as substance abuse counseling.

All services will be provided by a clinical psychologist or social worker. Psychological assessments and readjustment counseling will also be offered.

Twiss said the health administration hoped in 2009 to open a full-service outpatient clinic in Peru to offer both physical and mental services for veterans.

Currently, Donnelly and area veterans representatives are searching for a permanent location for the center. Twiss said they are looking at facilities in the downtown area.

Mayor Mike Fincher also turned out for Tuesday’s ceremony. He said the idea of using the senior facility was to get the multi-use center up and running as quickly as possible.

Bernie Holloway, veterans service officer in Rochester, said the facility would be of much benefit to area veterans.

“It gets really tough for the guys in their 80s to go to Indianapolis,” he said.

He said many of the veterans in Rochester had been traveling to Fort Wayne or Marion as often as four times a week.

According to Larry Lowry, Cass County veterans service officer, Cass County is home to more than 4,400 veterans.

“It’s good to know that Logansport is leading the way for the rest of the nation,” Donnelly said.