Veterans committee gets update from new Veterans service officer

After six weeks in the position, Taylor County Veterans Service Officer Dan Judnic reported to members of the veterans service committee on Friday that he was making progress toward his certifications.

He said he was still relying heavily on the knowledge and skills of benefit specialist Nikki Sherman to serve the needs of community veterans until he gets up to speed.

“She is literally doing the work of two people,” Judnic said.

Judnic gave the committee an update on the progress he was making to get the certifications and clearances needed to access records. He explained that he was moving quickly to get up to speed with his third week in the job spent working on a weeklong online course through the state veterans office which was finished with an exam on the middle of the fifth day.

He said he applied himself to the course bringing home material to study at night. Going into it, they had told him that for people who had been at the job for less than six months it would be a difficult class to pass. Of the 150 people taking the course that week, he had the least hands-on experience, but was able to pass it while there were four participants who had been working in their jobs for four to six months who had not passed.

The next step, he said, was for the veterans administration legal office to investigate him and his background, a process that typically takes two to three months before sending him accreditations. In early February to March he will then be able to apply for Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card through the department of Homeland Security. The card is needed to gain access to government portals of information to access veterans records. He explained that in order to get the PIV card he will have to go to Madison to deliver the application in person and then come back in person and pick it up when it is ready.

Judnic praised Sherman for her work in keeping the office running and continuing to help veterans as he completes his trainings and certifications. He said he is working hard to get up to speed as quickly as possible. “I need to be able to help her as soon as I can,” Judnic said, noting she is so busy.

Committee member Larry Peterson asked Judnic about the average age of the veterans coming into the office. Judnic said the majority are Vietnam era. He explained that veterans are entitled to a few more benefits after age 65 and their health overall is declining. He said all those who have come in are on seriously fixed incomes.

Judnic said the people coming into his office are also very proud and resistant to accepting charity. “We make sure they know what they are eligible for and leave it up to them,” Judnic said.

He said the PACT Act, federal legislation that greatly expanded the range of eligible claims, was also impacting the office workflow. “It is getting us a lot of extra claims coming in,” he said.

Judnic said they could use a third person in the department and that he has some ideas for how that could work, but did not have a request to be made at this time. He said as with any office there are times that are busier and times that are slower, however he said it is important to be able to address veterans needs as they come in.

Judnic also supported expanding the office across the hall into what had been the human resources space before that moved to the third floor. “It is cozier and quieter and much easier to have a quiet conversation,” he said.

The veterans service committee had previously supported moving the office across the hall and keeping the current office as a waiting room space and for storage.

Judnic said he would like to see this happen. After the previous veterans service officer resigned, the buildings and grounds committee had delayed the formal approval of the office switch in order to see if the new veterans service officer had different ideas.

While the buildings and grounds department said the move would take only a few hours, Judnic said he would expect it to take at least a full day to get it set up. He also said he was working with the information technology department to get Sherman a third monitor for her computer. This would allow her to have records up on two monitors while filling out forms on a third.

Committee chairman Lester Lewis suggested Judnic take the time to get to know other departments particularly human services. He noted that the human services department has other resources that can help the veterans in addition to what is available through the veterans service office. “Take the time to meet people over there,” he said.

Swiantek asked about a new grant program that was coming out which would assist in veterans issues. Judnic said he believed the application was at the state and tribal level which would then disburse program funds to the counties or other agencies. He said it was his understanding that it would not be intended to supersede any locally budgeted funds but would be for hiring more veterans service officers and providing more services.

Wisconsin is unique in that there is a dedicated veterans service office in every county. Other states have a handful of service officers that cover large areas. Lewis and human resources director Nicole Hager will also look into the grant and assist in applying for any available funding for the county.

Going forward, committee members discussed how often they felt they should meet. A majority of committee members favored going to an every-other-month meeting schedule with the idea that they may go to less frequent meetings as Judnic grows into the position.

Committee members also formally approved having Sherman and Judnic attend the upcoming training which will be held out of office. It was suggested that for the day the office is closed for training would be a good time to move the existing office into the new space and set it up as being least disruptive to those coming in for assistance.