Outagamie County VSO

10/21/2026

☀️ Good morning from the Outagamie County Veterans Service Office! 🇺🇸

Our Benefit Specialists, Chelse and David, will be at the Appleton VA Clinic (John H. Bradley) today from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, sharing information and resources about benefits available to Veterans.

If you’re in the area, stop by and say hello! We’d love to connect with you and help point you in the right direction.

10/20/2026

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it processed a record 3.11 million disability compensation claims in Fiscal Year 2026, surpassing the previous record set in FY 2025.

📊 Additional highlights include:
✅ A reported 46% reduction in average disability claims processing time since January 20, 2025.
✅ A claims processing accuracy rate of 94%, the highest in two years.

While faster processing is an important step, accuracy remains essential to ensuring Veterans receive the benefits they have earned.

📌 Need assistance with a VA disability claim? The Outagamie County Veterans Service Office is here to help!

📞 Call us at (920) 832-5697 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

🇺🇸

10/20/2026

*Friday, November 13, 2026*

As a reminder the deadline for applications is Friday, November 13, 2026. Please spread the word!

Happy October 1st! For many, especially during these difficult financial times, the worry and anxiety start to kick in with the holidays - especially Christmas - just a few months away. Budgets are very tight - and many are choosing between energy and food.

There are some amazing organizations out there like OPERATION: Christmas Angel through the Patriot Guard Riders Fan Page in our area who want to brighten your season. Please see the attached flyer for the applicable information.

Keep an eye out on this page. We often have other organizations ask to support Veterans, too! It's truly a beautiful thing.

Remember, our office has many incredible partnerships with different helping organizations - and we can help connect you. Also, if you have never been to our office and are a Veteran, there may be incredible benefits you're missing out on right now. Do you have ringing/buzzing/crickets in your ears? That's a simple claim typically and may result in a monthly compensation of $180.42 a month tax-free - for life! PLUS, that opens a door to VA Health Care, potentially saving the Veteran thousands of dollars a year!

We are YOUR advocates and want to you succeed in ALL areas. Give us a call today at (920) 832-5697 to schedule a face-to-face appointment.

10/19/2026

Let’s Show Our Support for SPC Cayden Koehn!

We wanted to share this post to help spread the word and show our support for Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldier SPC Cayden Koehn.

🎂 As SPC Koehn approaches his 20th birthday, let’s help brighten his days with cards, letters, and messages of encouragement as he continues his recovery.

📣 Please take a moment to read the original post and consider sharing it with others. Even a small gesture of kindness can make a meaningful difference!

We’re wishing SPC Koehn strength, encouragement, and continued healing.

*** Mail Call (Mount Hope, WI) ***

"In January 2026, a young Soldier whom I had the honor of enlisting into the Wisconsin Army National Guard was involved in a devastating car accident.

After completing only his second drill weekend after being handed off to his unit, he was on his way home when severe Wisconsin winter weather caused him to lose control of his vehicle and collide head-on with a snowplow.

Since that day, SPC Koehn has been fighting a battle far greater than anything he could have imagined.

For nearly nine months, he has remained hospitalized, recovering from life-altering injuries that required multiple surgeries, including the placement of plates and screws to repair broken bones, as well as brain surgery.

But his story is about more than the injuries he has endured. It’s about a young man who had a dream of serving his country, wearing the uniform, and being part of something bigger than himself.

On October 31st, SPC Koehn will celebrate his 20th birthday.

His mother has reached out with a simple but heartfelt request: She would love for her son to receive birthday cards, letters of encouragement, military patches, and other small gestures of support to help brighten his days during his recovery.

Whether you’ve served for 20 years, just raised your right hand, or simply support those who wear the uniform, you have an opportunity to make a difference in this young Soldier’s life.

A birthday card, a unit patch, a handwritten letter, or a few words of encouragement might seem like a small gesture to us, but to a young Soldier spending his 20th birthday in the hospital, it could mean the world."

Cards, letters, and patches can be sent to:
SPC Cayden Koehn
PO BOX 124
Mount Hope, WI 53816

10/19/2026

10/16/2026

A Big Thank You to Cornerstone Caregiving!

As we head into the colder months here were grateful to Kris with Cornerstone Caregiving for generously donating backpacks to help Veterans in need! 🎒

❄️ These backpacks include items to help provide extra warmth and comfort as temperatures drop for veterans who may need a little extra assistance this season.

🇺🇸 If you or a Veteran you know could use one of these backpacks, please reach out to our office at (920) 832-5697 or stop in! We’re happy to help connect Veterans with available resources and assistance.

👏🏽 Please join us in thanking Kris and Cornerstone Caregiving for their generosity and for supporting those who have served our country!

10/07/2026

Long read ahead, but important. We stand in solidarity with our County and Tribal Veteran Service Officers across Wisconsin and the nation. We, too, have seen an uptick in mistreatment to our team members and have had to go as far as remove Veterans from our office with the support our our Outagamie County Sheriff's Office - that's quite unfortunate!

We also had a situation recently where a Veteran completely misunderstood our VSO, took things out of context, took a random photo, was extremely condescending to him (also a Veteran with hearing challenges) as they were leaving, and then made a scathing social media post about him and the office - again, completely out of context and very slanderous to all our staff honestly. Very unfortunate.

We are NOT the VA; we are NOT the US Government. We are here to advocate FOR Veterans and FOR their families at the County level. We understand the overall "temperature" is hot right now in the nation - we see it and experience it, too.

However, we WANT to help in every way possible. We do our best with the training we have, the regulations on hand, and the support for one another due to different levels of experience. It truly takes about 2-3 years to train a Benefits Specialist to understand the majority of the VA claims world - and there are still daily surprises for us all, even the experts in the room!

We noticed a sign at the VA clinic - two actually - one at the Green Bay VA and one at the front door of the Appleton VA clinic. The signs essentially said "Zero Tolerance Policy" for violent, threatening, or intimidating behavior. It's mindboggling they even have to post this! They appear to be having issues with irate Veterans, too. Again, many are very frustrated and we completely understand. However, it's imperative to allow our staff (& others) to sit down and work through the issues TOGETHER to find the best solutions and answers.

NOW - the answers WE provide may not be the answers a Veteran/family WANT. When that happens, Veterans ask for the supervisor, ask for the supervisor's supervisor, or go to a different C/TVSO ... and typically get the same exact answer. We do really work hard to exhaust every avenue and WANT to get to "yes." Often times regulations, laws, policies, and systematic challenges keep us from getting to "yes" all times. We leverage appeals processes, our Congressional and Senatorial represenatives, as well as other Veteran organizations. Again, we truly work hard to represent YOU.

If we mess up, we'll own the error quickly and work hard to resolve the issue; we're human, too. We REALLY enjoy serving the 99.95% of our Veterans who treat us with utmost respect; the .05% who cause great consternation can make it difficult to want to continue serving ... honestly. It's not easy. At the end of the day, we REALLY love to serve and we'll take a few "on the chin" and carry on. Not all will do so, so we'll lose some staff collectively over time.

If you've read this far - thank you. We appreciate you! We DO want to serve you, so if you do need an appointment, PLEASE call our office at (920) 832-5697 and we'll get you in as quickly as possible.

10/07/2026

We understand it's a difficult season for many. The local Salvation Army is making it just a little easier, especially as the Fall temperatures start to drop and usher in the *gasp* winter season just around the corner. Please see the flyer FMI. Also, there's a Spanish and Hmong version in the comments section.

Our office has many ADULT winter coats still from last year and we welcome you to see if one fits before the need arises. You can stop in during our normal operating hours, typically M-F, 8am to 4:30pm. Or, give us a call at (920) 832-5697.

We would love to help connect you to other resources this holiday season, too. Soon, we'll be getting several inquires from various organizations looking to sponsor Veterans. If you feel you have some needs, please contact Tammy or Chelse at (920) 832-5697.

The BEST gift? Coming and seeing if YOU qualify for compensation and benefits through the state or VA. We would enjoy meeting you face to face for a Benefits Review. Call today for an appointment at (920) 832-5697.

10/06/2026

Approximately 150 soldiers returned home from their deployment overseas. It was a mixture of units and some individual augmentees. It was a gorgeous Fall day with a light breeze at the Appleton International Airport - far side at Hanger 3.

There were lots of cheers, applause, and many tears of joys as the men & women embraced their loved ones after being gone for 310 days. It was the "DADDY!!!" that got us as the father embraced his little ones - just allergy eyes, right?!?

These units were overseas creating a strong forward presence in light of several conflicts in that region of the world.

Our office set up an information table - predominantly to ensure the families saw our banner - and at some point we'll start getting some foot traffic from those who may qualify for VA claims.

It was very awesome to be out there today - we owe our men & women in uniform a great round of applause & graditude - at a minimum!

10/02/2026

EXCELLENT RESOURCE for those beating Prostate Cancer!

Lee from Us Too Fox Cities stopped by this morning to share a little about this amazing organization providing great education, but more importantly, a friendly group to those beating prostate cancer! This is NOT your typical "TV" support group - it's way more!

Lee is an Army Veteran who served in Alaska during the Vietnam War period; although not exposed to Agent Orange, he developed & beat prostate cancer ... twice. He decided to launch a chapter here and they're welcoming 50-75 attendees on a monthly basis.

The groups meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month in Neenah (see more info in the comments section), often welcoming in prominent guest speakers from around the area - from doctors, to nurses, to experts in the field, to survivor testimonials - to ensure those on this journey feel supported, informed, and loved. Attendees' guests are welcome, too! We know these challenges take many "battle buddies/wingmen" to walk with the patient. It takes a village!

Sadly, many of our Vietnam Veterans, firefighters, and even those who worked with (often unknowingly) toxic chemicals are at a much higher risk for prostate cancer than your average citizen. Lee also informed me that those families with a history of breast cancer will often find the males develop prostate cancer in the future for whatever reason, too. Apparently they are very similar in nature, medically speaking.

Lee is a HUGE advocate for this community, having beat prostate cancer TWICE and skin cancer once. He is often invited to speak on panels, at conferences, but most importantly, being a friend to those in need.

IF you are a Veteran and have been exposed to chemicals known to cause prostate cancer (e.g., Agent Orange), PLEASE call our office for an appointment. Also, if you are a widow/er of a Vietnam Veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange and subsequently passed of cancer (or a number of other presumptive medical conditions), please call us, too. There MAY be benefits for those widow/ers, too (although a little more complicated claims).

We look forward to serving you by calling (920) 832-5697.