2024 VSO Excellence Award Winner Blog: Multiple Winners

Tyler’s VSO Excellence Awards recognize the outstanding work Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) provide to those who have served in our nation’s armed forces. We are pleased to honor the Veteran Service Offices of Outagamie, Winnebago, and Calumet Counties, Wisconsin, which together won the Exceptional Outreach award for their deep commitment and excellent service to Veterans in their communities.

Deepening Collaboration

There are more than 9,800 Veterans in Outagamie County, more than 2,300 Veterans in Calumet County, and approximately 10,800 Veterans in Winnebago County (Data source: VA GDX 2023).

Because these counties are geographically close to one another, the Veteran Service Officers from each county decided to pool their resources for the region’s first-ever, tri-county Mission: Possible Veteran and Family Symposium.

Enhancing Access to Services

Acclaimed as the largest Veteran event in the history of Wisconsin, the two-day symposium enabled the three Veteran Service Offices to reach more than 700 veterans and family members. Approximately 160 Veteran-supporting organizations participated in the event, including Veteran-owned businesses and Veteran-ready employers prepared to conduct job interviews on site.

In addition to garnering significant support from local businesses, the symposium also provided the opportunity for attendees to ask local, state, and federal Veterans Administration representatives questions about benefits, pensions, health care, and more. Meanwhile, in the event’s dedicated Resource Room, VSOs leveraged Tyler’s VetraSpec application to assist Veterans and their families with documentation processing, appointment scheduling, claims status checks, and general inquiries, providing a one-stop shop for comprehensive support.

Engaging veterans and their families

Complementing these resources and support services were a wide range of engaging activities, including a museum-quality Vietnam War display and a display honoring women Veterans. Food trucks, therapy animals, and an obstacle course for children added to the family-friendly atmosphere, and a TEDx-style stage hosted talks from incredible speakers, including a three-time Super Bowl winner, an Emmy winner, a movie director, local Veteran organization leaders, a New York Times bestselling author, a recording artist and Purple Heart recipient, and the first female POW post-Vietnam, Jessica Lynch.

This incredible collaborative effort demonstrates the power of county partnerships and the significant impact they can have on the lives of Veterans and families, making these three Veteran Services Offices truly deserving of this award.

Congratulations to the Outagamie, Winnebago, and Calumet County Veteran Service Offices for their exceptional outreach and service to our veterans.

Interested in how this technology can improve your agency’s delivery of veteran services? Learn more about Tyler’s Veterans’ Benefits solution, and the full suite of Workforce Case Management solutions