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San Juan Regional Office

Meet Our Leadership Team

 

Director: Leanne Weldin

Mrs. Leanne Weldin was appointed as the Executive Director of the San Juan Veterans Affairs Regional Office on December 5, 2021. In her role as Executive Director, she oversees the administration of a wide array of benefits in the areas of Compensation, Pension, and Veteran Readiness and Employment. She is directly responsible for the delivery of benefits and services to nearly 70,000 Veterans and their families living in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Disability Compensation and Pension benefits administered by the San Juan Regional Office total over $70 million monthly. Benefits are administered by approximately 240 employees throughout the San Juan jurisdiction, 73% of whom are Veterans themselves.

The San Juan Regional Office has a Regional Call Center that assists Veterans and their beneficiaries with benefits delivery, claim information, and general benefits orientation, handling over 90% of Spanish speaking calls received in the Veterans Benefits Administration’s benefits toll-free number.

Mrs. Weldin is an Operation Iraq Freedom Army Veteran (2003-2004), Bronze Star recipient for actions as a convoy commander.  She Commissioned as an Army Officer (1999) and transferred to Army National Guard (1998-2004). Enlisted in Air Force Reserve (1997).

She has a Bachelor’s of Science in English Education from Northern Arizona University (1988) and a Masters in Health Care Administration from St. Joseph’s University (2017).  She is married to Sam, a Navy Veteran, for 35 years and have two adult children, a daughter who is an Army Veteran and a son who is a Navy Veteran.


Assistant Director

Assistant Director: Anthony D Coltrane

Anthony D. Coltrane was appointed Assistant Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs, San Juan Regional Office (SJRO) on January 6, 2020. He assists the Director in the management of all aspects of the Regional Office and assumes full responsibility for the station’s activities in the Director’s absence. The San Juan Regional Office administers a wide array of benefits in the areas of Compensation, National Call Center and Veteran Readiness and Employment to nearly 152,000 Veterans and their families living in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. There are administered by approximately 256 employees throughout the San Juan VARO jurisdiction.

He has been in Federal service for 35 years and has had the privilege of serving Veterans in several capacities of greater responsibility.  

Anthony joined the VA in 2006 as a Veterans Service Representative (VSR). Prior to that, Anthony served in the United States Army as a Senior Leader for 21 years retiring in 2005.

Since January of 2008, Anthony has worked in the following positions: Assistant Coach, Coach, Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager (AVSCM) and Veterans Service Center Manager (VSCM). He has also completed details at the Indianapolis Regional Office, Baltimore Regional Office, New York Regional Office, and Compensation Service as the Executive Advisor to the Compensation Service Executive Director. In addition, during his detail as the Executive Advisor to Comp-Service in Washington D.C., he worked on the preparation and implementation of the “Blue Water Navy” Project.

Anthony is a graduate of several VA leadership programs at the National level beginning with Initial Leadership Training Course (2008), Workload Management (2009), Leadership Enhancement and Development Program (2014), Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (2017), Executive Leadership Coaching Program (2017), and Assistant Director Program (2019).

Anthony has several degrees of higher education.

Anthony is a combat Veteran, with three (3) combat tours. He is honored to continue serving the United States of America, as a federal career employee, and is privileged to serve Veterans and their families.

EDUCATION:

MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University 2012

Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from Excelsior College 2005

Computer Technology Degree from Maricopa Community College

 

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS:

Master Certificate in Six Sigma/Black Belt from Villanova University 2017

 

Veterans Service Center Manager: Vacant

 

Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager: Acting Veterans Service Center Manager

 

Angela Briscoe, MST Ops VSCM

Military Sexual Trauma Operations Center:  Angela Briscoe, Veterans Service Center Manager

 


Military Sexual Trauma Operations Center:  Marvin B. Dinoso, Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager

 

Regional Call Center Manager: Vacant

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Officer: Jose A. Vega, MS, CRC, CPCC

Mr. Vega was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico and moved to Allentown, PA in 1982 where he graduated from Louis F. Dieruff high school in 1984. He joined the U.S. Navy and in October of that same year he left for Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, IL.

Mr. Vega is a Navy Veteran with over 26 years of active Naval service. He retired honorably from the U.S. Navy in 2010.  Mr. Vega held various DoD Contractor positions as Community Support Coordinator and DoD Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Coordinator for Puerto Rico & USVI.  In 2014, after completing a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Central University of Bayamon, he joined the Department of Veterans Affairs in the capacity of Veterans Service Representative, assisting Veterans with their claims for compensations.  He was later hired as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) – for the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, where he helped Servicemembers going through medical boards discover their potential and exploring vocational goals. In August 2021 Mr. Vega was promoted to the position of Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Officer for the San Juan VA Regional Office.   

Mr. Vega completed studies and earned a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with concentration in Management and Administration from Excelsior College.  He also completed all course work to earn a Certificate in Homeland Security from that same academic institution and holds a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Universidad Central de Bayamon.

Mr. Vega maintains national certification from the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).  He also completed preparation and earned an industry gold-standard career coaching credential as a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC), from the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches (PARW /CC), enhancing his professional expertise and contributions to the career coaching industry. 

As a Navy Veteran, Mr. Vega is passionate about helping fellow Veterans and believes in rehabilitation and is an advocate for the management of the many benefits available from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) program. 

Mr. Vega was selected as Veteran Readiness and Employment Officer in San Juan on August 2021.  Previously he was the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) at the San Juan Regional Office operating from Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico. 

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