 Welcome to Sheboygan County Government working for you. My name is Adam Payne, Sheboygan County Administrator and co-host of this program with Chairman Tom Wagner. As you know, every month we strive to focus on a different department, a different department head and their roles and responsibilities. And we've got a new one for you today. I'm very pleased if you haven't met Mr. Todd Richter, our new Veterans Service Officer. Todd, welcome. Thank you, Adam. He's not new to Sheboygan County as you're going to learn, but he certainly is passionate about Veterans and their families. We're so pleased he's part of our management team. Todd, please begin by just sharing a little bit about yourself and how long you've been working in the Veterans Service Office. All right. Well, real brief. Back in 1994 after high school, I knew I wasn't college bound, but I wanted to do something with my life. I joined the military and I was basically to get the college benefits and then move on with life and do great things. And then I found myself at 22 and a half years and retiring from the service. And there was an opportunity to come and work as the Assistant Veterans Service Officer for Sheboygan County. So I saw that opportunity. Didn't really think I had what it took to make the cuts into the final draft. And the next thing I know, I started in with the Veterans Service Office about five years ago. I grew up in Sheboygan and then my journey has taken me over to the Middle East on three tours, the Persian Gulf twice. I've been to Germany stationed on the West Coast and Washington. And that's a brief summary of where I was and here I am today. And very brief. I can only imagine serving abroad like that and the experiences you've had. You may be new as a department head and a leader in your position, but from a standpoint of perspective and things you've seen and done, not everyone can see things through your lens. It's amazing. It is. I've had a lot of great mentors along the way that really helped me get through and become the person I am and get to where I am. So I was very thankful for all the good leadership that I had and still have up to this point. So Veterans Service Officer very recently, but you've been in the office now for five years? Yes, that is correct. And what's the mission of the Veterans Service Office? Serving those who served. And could you touch on the primary roles and responsibilities or some of the programs that you help administer? We work on multiple layers of government. So the big ones we work with with the federal government would be the mortuary or fair side, the compensation and pension side, and then the health care side. And then at the state level we do health benefits as well. And then we also work with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs in partnership on various programs to ensure that the benefits are getting all the benefits they deserve. So annually, about how many veterans and family members come to our office or contact you for assistance? Last year we had just over 1,600 veterans come in for appointments and walk-ins. And that varies month-to-month and day-to-day. And when you think about the veterans in this community, the family members in this community, obviously that's a lot of people coming in going or needing assistance. How many staff do you have that support the office and assist people? There's myself and then I have two other full-time employees. And then I also have a third person who works through a federal-funded program. And she does clerical work and helps us with our day-to-day business. Yeah. Well, very important work and obviously serving some wonderful people who have earned it. And I know Charlene Cobb, some of our viewers might recall Charlene Cobb, our former veteran service officer. She as well was very passionate about helping veterans and their families. And I may be hitting you with a question you don't have the exact figure on, but about how many veterans do we have living in Sheboygan County? The last census that was taken, we're just shy of 7,000 veterans in the county. So 7,000 veterans and then of course their spouses or family members. So serving quite a few people in the community. We usually say when people ask that question, it's usually anywhere from 14 to 21,000 people that were helping in the county because generally there with every veteran there is a spouse and at least one child. So we do cover that gamut. And are you finding the veteran population is going up or is it going down? According to the statistics that are out there, it ebbs and flows. Right now we're in a small recession. Back when I started in the office, we were right around 9,000 veterans. But a lot of the downsizing is due to our World War II and Korean veterans passing away. Yeah, and so important that people talk to those individuals and get some insight before it's too late. So the mission, serving those who served, when we established our county mission statement maybe 20 years ago and every department put together a mission statement and we had a lot of input from county board supervisors and others. I always thought the veterans office mission statement was one of the best. Short, sweet to the point and people can remember it. But you touched on it a minute ago, some of the programs and services that you offer, but what are the challenges of serving those who have served and making sure you're reaching out and getting information to them? The way that the federal VA changes how they operate, updating forms, requirements that have to be met in order to be eligible for some programs can be challenging because they're not always up to date with what they want to do. They'll come out and say we're going to start doing things this way and then it kind of falls to the wayside. For instance, we have a program that's starting June 6th for veterans, but only the people in Washington, D.C. know about that. They're not releasing any information until June 6th, so then we're going to be behind the eight ball trying to catch up and figure out what's going on with these programs. It's not always that way and sometimes the way if budgets are passed or not passed, right now the state for instance is facing a program, it's called the Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program, that is transitioning into LTE positions right now, waiting for the state budget to get passed. It plays a crucial role because it helps our office immensely. Having a small budget, we're very limited as to what we do and we get very creative on how we handle these situations, but having the state there to help us takes a lot of pressure off of us and helps our veterans in ways that we may not necessarily be able to help them otherwise. So obviously there's state support, there's federal support, there's different players to work with but you've got to be communicating and as we all know sometimes things trickle down from Washington slowly or you need to wait for the information before you can pass it on. Absolutely. And I've also heard over the years that many of our veterans, they're very proud of their service and they're just wonderful people and sometimes I've heard that they might be a little reluctant to pick up that phone or stop by the office and ask for help. What's been your experience there? That is a very true statement. Veterans by nature are proud people. As a veteran you're trained to help those who need help and you don't need the help and it's just kind of ingrained into you that that's your mission is to always move forward, always help those in need and at the end of the day when I don't know how or why it came to but we always have this mentality that there's somebody that needs it more and it's not true and I'd like to dispel that because by not asking for the benefits that they deserved, that they fought for, that they enlisted for, we can't show the federal government, the state government, the county government that we need these programs that are in place or we need these tools to help us do our job. So we spend a lot of time educating spouses more than the veterans because the spouses pay particular attention and help us and understand that we need the benefits that are out there. We need these guys to come forward and gals to come forward and get these benefits started so we can show the need and get the care that is needed for the veterans and their families. So rather than thinking of it as a helping hand, it's almost better to think of it as something they've earned. Absolutely. And in some cases have given the ultimate sacrifice for. Final question before I turn it over to Tom. Certainly as you're well aware and our building services department is well aware, we had a transition where your office was relocated from the Sheboygan County Courthouse Annex where it had been for decades to over to the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Sheboygan Falls. Tell us a little bit about that transition when the move occurred and how it's benefiting our veterans. The move occurred back in March and I think it was a cruel joke that it was probably the coldest day of the winter that building services had to come in and get all our stuff out and take it out to the new building. So we're very thankful and appreciative that building services and their staff were able to help us with that. One of the projections and hopes that we had by moving out to Sheboygan Falls trying to get more centrally located in the county was that we would attract some of our older veterans or the ones that didn't want to necessarily traverse into Sheboygan and we've seen that immensely grow since we've been out there. Our numbers have almost doubled on walk-ins on a daily basis and our appointments are up to about 20, anywhere from 20 to 25 appointments a week now since moving out there. So it was a positive move and it's a positive reflection and what we can do to help our veterans and better serve our veterans. Outstanding and I know also one of the other attributes that Tom and the county board were excited about was just that cooperation with the Aging and Disability Resource Center because many of the veterans are older and there's programs and services there that can be helpful as well. That actually started on the first day we were out there. We got introduced to the staff out there and we immediately made that connection and started working back and forth with each other. So that was another huge positive that came out from that move out there and we shared the services and we're in collaboration right now and a few things we're going to try and do moving forward to help each other out and maybe reduce some costs for upcoming years so that we can better serve the veterans and their families. Outstanding. Thank you, Todd. Tom. Welcome, Todd. Thanks for coming. Thank you. I can't help but talk about it. Just say something very quickly about when you talked about the veterans, you know, somebody else needs it more. My dad was a World War II veteran and he had a situation where he probably should have done something with, you know, but he was doing just fine in his son and his exact line was to me, was somebody else needs it more than me. You know, and so he chose not to go forward with it and that would not be unique to him is what I think. Right. Especially from that generation in particular. So we've got a lot of these important holidays. You know, certainly we just had Memorial Day, we've got Veterans Day and we have one big one coming up, 75th anniversary of D-Day this week. Why do you think it's so important that we take a moment to think about the veterans and in particular those people who gave the ultimate sacrifice on some of these days? I see in life today that we move at such a fast pace that if we don't take a pause and reflect on where we came from in order to get where we are and to move forward, we're going to lose the sight of what happened with the veterans that gave the ultimate price because it was when they enlisted, you didn't get to enlist, I want to go into a war, I don't want to go into a war, I want to serve only during peacetime or not, you signed a contract and then as things transpire, they just move forward and go from there. So moving forward, you know, we definitely want to make sure that we're taking care of our veterans and try and change the attitude, if you will, that there's somebody that needs it more because they serve their time, they wouldn't go to work and say, you know, I'm here, but I don't want to collect a paycheck. They earned it, they deserve it, we want to get it to them. In particular, when we talk about Memorial Day, I think that one gets misinterpreted sometimes. You want to talk about that a little bit? Yes, that one does get misinterpreted. A lot of times it comes back to thanking all the veterans instead of remembering the veterans that paid the ultimate sacrifice and it kind of gets into a gray area too where some people think it's the ones that paid the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield or those that just were lucky enough to make it back and then just pass on in later years. So it is important that, you know, we distinguish the difference between the days, we take the moment to reflect and thank the veterans when it's appropriate and pay our homage to the veterans that came before them. You talked earlier about how many veterans are in Sheboyin County. What about veterans' organizations? There are multiple veteran service organizations and there's different ones that are popping up. For instance, AMVETS, the local chapter, actually just turned in their charter and through attrition it was going to happen anyways because they're from the Vietnam era and that was the only requirement that you had to meet to get in there so they did that. But the big ones that we work with a lot in the area are the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. How can people get more information about either your group or veterans' organizations if they need that? They can definitely go online and take a look at the different organizations. Some of it is as clear as muddy water so we would just recommend that they just either call or stop into our office. We have a list of all the local commanders for all the different posts. We can go over the different requirements for the different groups and point them in the direction that they feel best to go in. I'm really glad to hear that you're getting a lot more walk-ins than that because that was the hope, but it's a hope. It wasn't like we had all this study and all this data out there and it would be a guarantee. There was a thought and also with the collaboration out there too, that's just great. Thank you for your service. Absolutely, it's my pleasure and thank you for all the support. You're welcome. So back to the veterans' organizations a little bit. Todd, if you don't mind me raising it, I know you participate in a veterans' organization. In fact, I understand you're very active and you're helping spur-more membership. Share a little bit about your experience there and help encourage other veterans who aren't part of an organization to consider doing so. One of the big things that all the service organizations are facing right now is recruiting the younger members. I use the term recruiting loosely. We're not looking for a lot of commitment. The big thing, I'm a member of the American Legion, the local post 555 here in Sheboygan. Our focus is family because we understand to get the younger members in, they're young, so they're going to be working second shift or they're going to be in school. They're going to have young kids. So the family focus is what the big thing is. That's where we're going to get these younger members in to continue on this tradition. And the big focus after that is getting back into the community and giving back to the community. It's because of the community support that we're able to come to work. We're able to help provide services for the veterans and their families and those in need. So community service and family is the big focus and that's how we're going to move forward in helping grow these organizations. I think that's common for a lot of service organizations but I've occasionally gone to the Plymouth Post and been asked to be a speaker there and I've always really enjoyed those evenings. You know, there's a drink or two and then dinner and fellowship and then I'll give an update for 10 or 15 minutes but one of the things I've observed each time is it is an older crowd. It's more of a senior crowd and there don't appear to be, just as I'm part of Noon Rotary or Winooski Bowman, there don't appear to be a lot of young people joining and I gotta believe from any of the service organizations that's a concern if you're not seeing new people coming in and helping and being part of that fellowship. Absolutely. I think some of the problem is, and it's just my thoughts and opinions on it, is that we're still doing things just because we've done them that way. We're not taking that step forward. We're not taking our blinders off and looking forward and saying, okay, we're gonna move into the future but how do we take that step into the future? And I think that's starting to break down and people are starting to understand and realize that we can't do things the way we've done them just for the sake of doing it. Well, if you are watching this or if you know a veteran, I think I've yet to meet anybody who wouldn't like to have more friends and doesn't enjoy fellowship with folks that you can relate to and share stories and all these veteran organizations I think are so valuable. As you know, we have the Legionnaires supporting our youth government day every year and we get six, eight of the Legionnaires at least to come out and sponsor high schools from around the county and they learn about the roles and responsibilities of county government and also get an appreciation for all the job opportunities at Sheboygan County. So it's a wonderful day and our Legionnaires deserve so much credit for not only that public service but as you said, many of the other service projects that they get involved in. So if you aren't involved or you know someone who potentially could benefit, Todd would be a great person to talk to because he certainly can provide some insight and maybe even help while this is one that might be better suited for you. And of course with 26 of them, they're located throughout the county. Absolutely. I would highly encourage anybody who might be thinking about it or maybe hasn't really thought about it just come down and do a little fact finding. We're not here to recruit. We're not doing high pressure sales. We're just here to inform and educate. Yeah, terrific. Well, back to where we started. You know, you started a little bit about your mission to serve those who served and your roles and responsibilities, the different programs and you really did give that a nutshell overview because I know there's a lot of depth and it's so helpful to have a county veteran service office to explain those federal veteran administration program services. You're one of our smallest departments yet you have a huge impact on the community. Touch on the economic impact over the years that the veteran service office makes on this community. I know in 2017 through state and federal funding or benefits that we brought in over $30 million to the county. And then in 2018, they just released the statistics not too long ago and we had jumped up another $5 million. So last year we brought $35 million of compensation and pension benefits and education benefits into our county. It's $35 million coming into this community to support veterans and their families. I mean, that's not an additional $35 million. That's the growth of these revenue, these services over time, right? Correct. But it makes a real impact. It does. It really does. And moving forward, we strive a little more each day and I think we're going to see those numbers going up now that we have more access to more of our veterans that are out there. When I started here, Jim Riesenberg was our veteran service officer and I always had such respect for him and just a hard-working, passionate person. Of course, Charlene Cobb then came aboard. She was with us for, I think, about 10 years. Yes. And very passionate about veterans. I see that same passion in you, Todd and your co-workers. And one of the stories I always appreciated, Jim, Charlene, or you sharing, is when you have a veteran or a family member come in and they could use some help. They've earned these benefits and they could use these benefits. And because you assist them with filling out the applications and know who to get them in touch with and know what obstacles to overcome, all of a sudden people are getting real help in the form of sometimes some significant revenue to help pay those mortgages or get food on the table. Do you find that that's something that happens daily, weekly? What's been your experience? Again, it depends on the season and what the economy is doing as well. Now that there are jobs out there and people are able to work, we're not seeing it as heavily. We're in the last few years, there's been more need for assistance going in. Now our big need has shifted and focused more towards getting our veterans to medical appointments because they're older and they don't necessarily want to try and get through the Milwaukee traffic in order to get to see their doctor and traverse safely. Is that where most of the veterans go for medical services around here, Milwaukee versus Green Bay? It's kind of broken up, one by personal preference and two where is the provider at. They are still trying to grow the Green Bay VA clinic, but for instance, cardiology or oncology, they would generally have to go down to Milwaukee because that's where they are. One of the great things about that is that they actually work with the medical college and freighter doctors, so there's a lot of talent on there serving our veterans. Thanks. What are some of the new initiatives? You're a new department head, you're not new to the office, but every new leader brings in different ideas and approaches. In the few minutes we have remaining, what are some of the new initiatives or any new program or service that you're looking to offer? One of the things we do right now as we offer, we have a volunteer group of drivers that take veterans to and from the Cleveland VA clinic here. I'd like to expand that program to the state and Milwaukee, and I've started talks with the aging and disability resource center to try and make that happen because the services offered in Cleveland are very basic, so as we talked about before with some of the specialty care, that they're going to need to go to other facilities, and depending what the procedure is or what they're having done, they may not be able to drive after so, you know, try and help the ease of the family, so people don't necessarily have to take time off of work to take mom or dad down to or from an appointment. We'd like to offer those services and help the families out that way. Wonderful, wonderful. I see the aging and disability resource center has two new vehicles there that they're ready to get fired up and work with you on this. That'd be terrific. Absolutely, I've been working with Marie and Tracy and we think we've got about all the bugs worked out and we're ready to move forward with it. One of the things that we need though is some volunteer drivers. I was just going to say, you might want to put a plug in for that, so if someone wants to help veterans and their families with these medical appointments and they're willing to spend some time driving, being a driver, who do they contact to get more information? They can contact our office and then depending on how they want to volunteer, we can get that ball rolling. And if we have viewers or if our viewers know veterans who aren't savvy with the computer or are getting on to a website, where are you located and do you have a general phone number that you can share? Yes, we're in the aging and disability resource center out in Sheboygan Falls. Our number out there is 920-459-3053 and I ask that you just give us a call. Or get an appointment or get the question answered that you have and make sure you're taken care of. And the aging and disability resource center in Sheboygan Falls, if they're not familiar with that or your new office, it's right off of Highway 32 there, across from what there's a bowling alley there, right? Yes, our physical address is 650 Forest Avenue and that's right down in the industrial park right off of Highway 32. And that phone number one more time please. 920-459-3053 Well, I hope you got a little better appreciation for the very important work that is conducted in our veteran service officer. We're so pleased that Todd Richter is with us. We had such a smooth transition. Todd was able to work with Charlene for a number of years and knows these programs like the back of his hand. He's got a wonderful team that he has surrounded himself with and we really welcome your calls and your interest and certainly if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Todd and his team. Todd, thank you so much for your nice overview. Thank you. Thank you, Todd. Thank you. So again, thank you for joining us and if you have questions, check out that website or contact that number and until next month when we have Aaron Brault here, our Planning and Conservation Director, I hope you have a wonderful, safe summer. Be careful out there with all the road construction. I had a friend say to me the other day, we should have gone into the barrel business. Whoever came up with it, doing quite well for him or herself. Absolutely. So be safe out there. Take it easy. Thanks for joining us. On behalf of Tom Wagner myself again, thank you. Take care.