Another vacancy in Veterans’ Services Office

Town’s “very promising” VSO leaves to take job in Brookline

By Mark E. Vogler

For the second time in less than a year, the town seeks to fill the full-time veterans service officer (VSO) position. The town’s most recent VSO, SueAnn Cheung, resigned early last month after a little more than nine months on the job to become director of the Brookline Veterans’ Services Office.

Cheung told The Saugus Advocate this week that she left the Saugus post for a job with more opportunity and one that was closer to her home. “As a VSO in Saugus, I enjoyed working with the veterans community,” Cheung said.

“And I especially loved working with the Saugus Veterans Council. The Veterans Council is excellent and does amazing work, and the entire community is lucky to have the Veterans Council, because of everything they do,” she said.

“I’m happy to have met each of the veterans I worked with. I hope I gave them great customer service and helped them with their benefits,” she said.

Cheung, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, made Saugus history last Sept. 26 when Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree announced he had hired her to become the town’s first full-time VSO. “I think she’s going to make a great advocate and continue the things that we think are important [for veterans services],” Crabtree told selectmen several days later.

“I think she’s very promising. I think she brings a lot of experience from working at the Veterans Services Office in Boston and for the state. We’re happy to have her on board,” he said.

But Cheung’s service to Saugus was brief. The town began advertising for the vacancy in the veterans office several weeks ago.

“I was disappointed to hear SueAnn left from serving our Veterans for such a short period of time,” said former Selectman Corinne Riley, who has been active in local veterans’ affairs and serves as public affairs officer of the Saugus Veterans Council.

“I wish her well and I’m sure she will serve the Veterans of Brookline well with her experience. I hope that the position in Saugus is filled in a timely manner, as it is an extremely important position and our Veterans deserve a VSO in place quickly,” Riley said.

Saugus Veterans Council Commander Stephen L. Castinetti said he wasn’t surprised about Cheung’s departure. “She had a chance to get closer to home and have a significant increase in pay,” Castinetti noted. The Town of Brookline has a population of 63,766 – more than twice the size of Saugus, which is slightly over 29,000.

Crabtree’s appointment of Cheung last fall was a controversial one in the Saugus veterans community. Then-VSO Paul J. Cancelliere learned he had lost his 18-an-hour-a-week part-time job on June 30, 2025 – the end of the 2025 Fiscal Year. Cancelliere, who had worked in the position for about two years, applied for the full-time VSO position that the town began advertising for in July of last year. But Cancelliere never received an invitation to be interviewed. Meanwhile, the VSO position remained vacant for nearly three months, prompting local veterans to worry about their benefits being jeopardized.

Then in mid-September, several leaders and members of the Saugus Veterans Council took a vocal stand at a Board of Selectmen’s meeting, calling for former Veterans Service Officer Cancelliere to be reappointed full-time to the job he held on a part-time basis for two years. More than three dozen local veterans and members of the Saugus Veterans Council responded in the show of support for Cancelliere – including former Saugus VSO Jay Pinette, who served the town for four years.

“I have heard nothing but glowing praise for the job that Paul has done since he’s been here,” Pinette told selectmen. “And it will be a credit to him and to the town and the veterans and their dependents in Saugus if he is fortunate enough to be reappointed.”

The elimination of Cancelliere’s part-time position happened because of the collapse of the Regional Veterans Service District, which also included Melrose and Wakefield. Under the previous arrangement, Cancelliere was hired by the City of Melrose to work in Saugus. The City of Wakefield previously pulled out of the district.

Castinetti, a former selectman who had been commander of the Saugus Veterans Council for 15 years, told selectmen at their meeting last September that Saugus “had a great VSO until the coalition broke up between Saugus, Melrose and Wakefield” earlier last year. Melrose and Wakefield went on to hire full-time VSOs while Saugus did nothing, Castinetti noted.

“We don’t understand why Paul Cancelliere wasn’t reappointed the day they broke up. Paul has been one of the best VSOs,” Castinetti said.

But less than two weeks later, Crabtree decided that Cheung was the best candidate for the job among those who had applied. “SueAnn brings an exceptional blend of service, leadership, and compassion to the Veterans’ Services Office,” Crabtree said in a press release issued by his office last Sept. 26.

“Her distinguished military background, combined with her extensive work supporting veterans and managing human services programs, make her uniquely qualified to serve as our full-time Veterans’ Service Officer. We are proud to welcome her to this vital role, and we are confident she will have a positive impact on the lives of Saugus veterans and their families,” the town manager said.

In an interview this week, Castinetti said Cancelliere should be the next full-time VSO. “Since there is a vacancy now, I’m hoping Paul Cancelliere applies for it because he should still be the Veterans Service Officer today,” Castinetti said.

“There’s no reason for him to have been replaced by the town manager. There’s no reason for him to not have been picked for a position he had done part-time for over two years,” Castinetti said.

No matter who the town manager hires to be the next VSO, Pinette said, he hopes that filling the position with a qualified candidate as soon as possible is a top priority. “It’s very important that we maintain continuity in delivering Chapter 115 benefits to our neediest veterans and their dependents,” Pinette said.

“The role of the VSO has expanded greatly over the last few years on the VA benefits front. State and Federal funds that are returned to the town as a result of the VSO’s actions make a tremendous difference in the community,” he said.

What the job entails

The candidate hired by the town manager to be the next VSO will receive a salary of $75,000 to $85,000 annually, according to the job posting. Their chief responsibilities will be to:

• Administer the Chapter 115 benefits program for eligible Saugus veterans and their dependents, including processing applications, auditing payments, and generating reports.
• Assist veterans in applying for federal and state benefits, such as disability, pensions, Aid and Attendance, VA health-care programs, and DD 214 upgrades.
• Serve as the Town’s primary resource for veterans’ services, connecting veterans and their families with counseling, health care, housing assistance and social service programs; will also help families with burial benefits and grave markers.
• Collaborate with other Town departments and community partners to maintain veterans’ memorials and organize events and outreach initiatives.
• Represent the Veterans’ Services Office at Veterans Advisory Board meetings, coordinate budgets for the department, and work closely with the Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) and regional VSOs.
• Maintain the confidentiality of veterans’ records, manage departmental staff and projects and participate in continuing education and accreditation.

Residents seeking assistance or information about veterans’ benefits and programs are encouraged to contact the Saugus Veterans’ Services Office at 781-231-4010 or visit www.saugus-ma.gov/veterans-services-office. The Saugus Veterans’ Service Office is also staffed by Nancy Stead, the Veterans’ Services Office Administrative Assistant, who can be reached at 781-231-4196.