October 1, 2018 at 5:17 p.m.
The Waters hosts CVSO fall conference
Javenkoski: 'We learn best from each other'
The Waters hosts CVSO fall conference
Oneida County's CVSO, Tammy Javenkoski, is the outgoing president of the association, an office she's held for the past year.
She said the fall conference is usually hosted by the outgoing president.
"The purpose for this is every year county veterans service officers and their staff are required to take 16 continuing education units - or CEUs - in order to maintain their accreditation," Javenkoski said. "Accreditation is required in order for us to really help veterans."
Once accredited, she said CVSOs and assistant CVSOs can actually go into the Veterans Administration system "and see the same thing the VA sees."
"We can track their claim, we can make sure that all the evidence that we submitted with their claim is there," Javenkoski explained. "We can do anything the VA can do, with the exception of adjudicate or make a decision on a claim. In order to do that, we have to maintain these CEUs every year."
In addition to classes, business meetings and seminars, those attending the conference Wednesday had an opportunity to travel to the site of the national cemetery being constructed in the town of Cassian. Later the same night they toured Camp American Legion.
Javenkoski said the association wants and needs a better budget plan and that was one of the items she began work on during her tenure as president of the Wisconsin CVSOA.
"We supported the 'Green Alert Bill' in the legislature," she said. "It's like an Amber Alert only it's for veterans who have special or mental or physical needs."
Javenkoski said the association doesn't write legislation or lobby for it.
"But if it's better for veterans ... you know, a lot of times, legislators will come to us and ask for our support on something," she said. "We will meet as an association and decide if we will support something and the 'Green Alert' is something we did decide to support."
Another item Javenkoski said was a "huge thing for me, personally," was passage of legislation in support of the Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program, or VORP.
"VORP representatives help homeless veterans, at risk of homeless veterans or veterans with emergent mental health care needs," she said. "Before VORP came along, there was zero VA help for homeless veterans. We had to do it all within our own office. Financially, that was very difficult to do."
With VORP, Javenkoski said there are now other options for CVSOs to use to help veterans who are eligible.
She testified before the legislature's joint finance committee in support of the legislation establishing the program.
Javenkoski said the VORP representative, who is based in Rhinelander and covers a nine-county region, began her work a few weeks ago.
"I'm very passionate about that legislation and for me, that was the biggest thing to happen during my time as the association's president," she said.
Javenkoski said there is also a spring conference held by the association and the benefits of getting everyone whose job it is to serve veterans together at least twice a year is substantial.
Kevin Johnson, a four-year Marine Corps veteran and a first sergeant with the Wisconsin Army National Guard's First Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, is Bayfield County's CVSO.
He completely agreed with Javenkoski's assessment.
"These conferences are absolutely vital," he said. "The pace at which things change with the VA and other programs is pretty fast. There's also turnover - there's always some new faces at these meetings. We have to hold these training conferences as often as we do and get everybody on the same page."
Javenkoski said one of the most beneficial aspects of the conferences for her are the "after hours" get-togethers where the CVSOs share their "I have a veteran story."
"I bet 95 percent of the people in a room gathered for a seminar or class at one of these conferences will tell you they learn the best when they're sitting outside around a fire, telling other CVSOs their 'I have a veteran story,'" she said. "It's great to have the VA regional office come and train us but everybody will say we learn best from each other."
Brian Jopek may be reached via email at bjopek@lakelandtimes .com.
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