As a result of your service to the country, eligible military veterans may be entitled to specialized services. Many of these services can be accessed at the Racine County Workforce Development Center. The Veterans Services Team of the WDC includes the County Veterans Service Officer (Richard Bayer) as well as the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) representative Tom Pitchford. These services include, but are not limited to the following:
- Individualized job search assistance.
- Skill testing.
- Both the State of Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) and The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offer loan programs for home-buying veterans. Your County Veterans Service Officer can explain the differences and advantages of these two programs.
- Federal G.I. Bill applications as well as State of Wisconsin Veteran's Tuition and Retraining Grants can be applied for through the County Veterans Service Office. Specialized retraining programs related to local industry or labor situations should be investigated through the Veterans Employment Representative or the Disabled Veterans Outreach Specialist.
- The State of Wisconsin offers grants to vets unable to meet the cost of certain health care, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs operates one of the largest hospital/clinic systems in the world. Check with your County Veterans Service Officer for your eligibility to apply for either State or Federal Veterans health benefits.
- Grave markers, cemetery lots, military funeral honors and burial flags are available to veterans and, in some cases, reimbursement of funeral expenses up to specified amounts can be awarded to the families of qualifying, deceased veterans. Your County Veterans Service Officer can provide details on eligibility.
For more information about the extensive list of veterans` benefits, contact a Workforce Development Center Veterans` Representative:
Or click here to schedule an appointment with one of these representatives.
Mr. Tom Pitchford is the Disabled Veterans Opportunity Program (DVOP) case manager and can be reached by calling on Thursday and Fridays (262-638-6564) or on Mondays and Tuesdays (262-697-4713 in Kenosha) to arrange an appointment. He will be bi-weekly at the VAP (Cottage 16 in Union Grove) on Wednesday and at the Racine Workforce Development Center on Thursdays and Fridays each week.