Welcome to the Veterans’ Service Office

To ensure that our clients' privacy is protected, we will no longer be accepting walk-in appointments.

 Please call our office to schedule an appointment @ 608.269.8618 

 Thank You for your service and understanding!

Mission Statement

The County Veterans Services Offices assists Veterans, their widows and or their dependents with applications for compensation, pensions, VA application for healthcare, and other benefits through an intake process that includes information and referral services. The County Veterans Service Office conducts outreach within the community to assist Veterans, their widows, and or their dependents in their endeavor to better themselves. The County Veterans Services Office works with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other nationally chartered, state and County Veterans Service Organizations to ensure that Veterans, their dependents and or their survivors receive any benefits they may have earned or so richly deserve.

Resources

• Monroe County Suicide Prevention Task Force- To find out more about how you can help prevent suicide in Monroe County please check out our link.

• Cemetery Request for Reimbursement – If you are a city, town, cemetery applying for reimbursement for the care of a Veteran’s and or their spouse’s grave site please use this form to apply.

• Monroe County Mental Health Resource Guide

• County Veteran Service Officers of Wisconsin

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. We're committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness.

The Lifeline and 988

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While some areas may be currently able to connect to the Lifeline by dialing 988, this dialing code will be available to everyone across the United States starting on July 16, 2022.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 988

Intervention Is Key by Charles. E Weaver Jr. 

Monroe County Veterans Service Officer

SUICIDE. That’s right, I said it. This isn’t an easy topic to discuss, but it’s incredibly important that we do. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the state of Wisconsin has an adult population of 4.6 million. Of those, 331,340 (7.2%) are veterans. In 2019, 815 Wisconsin residents ended their lives, 95 (12%) were veterans —10 aged18-34; 25 aged 35-54; 36 aged 55-74; and 24 were 75 or older.

Why is this important? The answer is simple. Suicide does not discriminate. It does not care about your race, religion or political beliefs. Recent studies show that when a person commits suicide, it affects at least 136 people. These could be family members, friends, first responders, medical personnel or others. These are your constituents, neighbors and the people we serve.

What can you do? I challenge you, as a community, to have open discussions about suicide. Start a task force on suicide prevention. To address veteran suicides, partner with your county veterans service officer or tribal veterans service officer, local veteran service organizations, mental health organizations, a local veterans’ hospital or a community-based outreach clinic for veterans.

For too long, we’ve held on to the belief that if we talk about suicide, it will encourage someone to commit a suicidal act. That isn’t true. If someone has a plan or an intent, then intervention is key. If they know there is a confidential program or support in their local community, they may take that first step forward in getting help, and you may have just saved a life.

As county board members, I encourage and challenge you to take a moment out of your busy schedules to check in with your first responders, medical examiners, law enforcement and others affected by a suicide or traumatic event. We are all going through something, one way or another. It may just take one kind word or smile to change someone’s day. And if you do have concerns about someone, don’t be afraid to ask the hard
questions, “Are you thinking about taking your life, how can I keep you safe right now?” If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. As I like to tell my friends, fellow veterans and others: “None of us are leaving this world alive. The least we can do is leave it better than we found it.” If you are a veteran, do your buddy checks. Semper Fi!