Waukesha veterans honored as county expands benefit services

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Veterans issues were front and center at a ceremony honoring vets in Waukesha. Resources available to help may not be as well known.

Honoring local veterans

What To Know:

Dozens of people came to Veterans Park in downtown Waukesha to honor local vets Tuesday. Among the speakers was a woman with the Sussex Area Service Club. She tried to get the word out about projects volunteers do to help veterans, including things like helping vets with transportation to appointments, yard work and even painting rooms.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Expanding veterans services

What To Know:

Waukesha County’s Veteran Service Office is expanding, with plans to add a new benefits specialist position in January.

Veterans Service Officer Jeremy Johns said that position is badly needed. He noted there is currently a delay of a week or more to get back to vets who call with questions about their benefits.

Johns said Waukesha County alone has 20,000 veterans – and their dependents – who rely on service benefits. Sometimes, he said, veterans do not even know they qualify.

What To Know:

"For example, Vietnam – served in Vietnam, had prostate cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes – never filed for benefits. Didn’t know they were eligible or had the attitude that others deserve it more. By them not participating, applying for those benefits – they are actually harming other veterans. Congress does not allocate money unless it’s being used," said Johns.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News 

When asked what the biggest issue facing veterans in the county is, Johns said, hands down, it is housing and the lack of Section 8 housing.

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

Veterans IssuesWaukeshaNews