Waukesha County Veterans Service Office works to help local vets navigate
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Veterans helping veterans. One group is trying to raise awareness about free services offered.
On this Veterans Day, Jeremy Johns is not only reflecting on his years in the army, but also on the thousands of veterans in need of help.
"When deployments came up, and I fit the bill, I volunteered for those deployments," Johns said. "I spend a lot of my own time researching claims, getting veterans connected and finding the evidence they need."
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Johns works alongside Jay Urbano in the Waukesha County Veterans Service Office.
"We discuss veteran home loans, veteran education benefits, pension benefits," Urbano said. "The veteran population in Waukesha County is the third highest in the state, behind Milwaukee and Dane."
Urbano is also a veteran. He served 23 years in active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard. He’s trying to help get the word out about free services for veterans.
Urbano said the most common request is to help navigate complex and lengthy paperwork for disability services.
"We go through their service treatment records and their service records to see if it’s something we can claim for them," he said.
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The office sees three or four veterans every day. Each receives an hour-long, one-on-one consultation to help them with housing assistance or health care questions.
"A lot do not know those benefits are out there and the extent of those benefits," Urbano said. Veterans can open up a little more when they know you’re a fellow veteran. A lot of those things they don’t like to talk about – they become a little more willing to."
Walk-in appointments at the Waukesha County Veterans Service Office will shift from Thursdays to Wednesdays in 2025.
Urbano said they will never turn a veteran away, so it’s best to call ahead and book an appointment.