Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin Ranks Among Top Three States in America for Helping Veterans Find Employment
Under Gov. Evers, Wisconsin’s veteran employment services ranked in top five in the nation for four consecutive years
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin now ranks among the top three states in America for successfully helping connect veterans with available jobs and maintain employment. Under Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Wisconsin Departments of Workforce Development (DWD) and Veterans Affairs (DVA), Wisconsin has retained a top five national ranking for four consecutive years, underscoring the governor’s and his administration’s commitment to supporting Wisconsin’s approximately 300,000 veterans and working to ensure they have the resources and tools needed to thrive once they return to their civilian lives.
“I’m incredibly proud of our hard work over these last eight years to help support the 300,000 veterans who call Wisconsin home, including working to make sure our veterans can get connected to available jobs once they return to their civilian lives. It’s been important to me as governor that we deliver on the promise we make to our veterans to take care of and serve them, just as they have protected and served us, and this is one of the ways we’re working to make it happen,” said Gov. Evers. “We’re proud Wisconsin is now among the best three states in America for helping veterans find employment and has ranked in the top five states for four consecutive years running during my time as governor. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the folks across my administration who’ve supported this important work.”
Wisconsin has been ranked in the top five in the nation every year since 2023 in the Uniform National Threshold Entered Employment Rate (UNTEER) for veterans and eligible persons, a standard created by the U.S. Department of Labor to measure how effective states are in providing employment services to veterans. The standard covers state service delivery systems, including programs administered by DWD’s Office of Veterans Employment Services, the Jobs for Veterans State Grants program, and the Wagner-Peyser-funded Employment Service.
“We know that veterans often face unique barriers when transitioning from military service to civilian careers, and our focus in DWD’s Office of Veterans Employment Services is on supporting our veterans and their families to ensure they can get connected to good, family-supporting jobs right here in Wisconsin,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “I’m incredibly proud of DWD’s efforts to help make Wisconsin one of the top states in America for helping veterans find a rewarding career and build a fulfilling life.”
DWD’s Office of Veterans Employment Services assists veterans through the entire employment process, from developing a resume and translating military experience into civilian job qualifications to making connections with employers for available jobs. Employers can also work with the Office of Veterans Employment Services to access funding for on-the-job training, offer subsidized transitional employment, and build a diverse workforce from a broad pool of skilled candidates.
“Finding a good, family-supporting job is one of the most important steps in transitioning from military to civilian life,” said DVA Secretary James Bond. “DVA is honored to partner with DWD to support veterans in Wisconsin. Congratulations to the Veterans Employment Services team for their efforts and thank you to the many Wisconsin businesses that see the value veterans bring to their workplace.”
In the program year that ended June 2026, the Veterans’ Entered Employment Rate in Wisconsin exceeded the national threshold, with 63.2 percent of participating veterans securing employment after using DWD’s services. DWD’s Veterans Employment Services website outlines the agency’s veteran employment programs, including the Vets Ready Employer Initiative, the Hire Heroes program, and other resources available to veterans and employers.
Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, DWD’s Office of Veterans Employment Services has continued to advance employment opportunities for Wisconsin veterans through targeted efforts, including:
- The Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP), which works to provide individualized career services to a targeted population of veterans who have significant barriers to employment and who are economically or educationally disadvantaged in competing in today’s labor market. DVOP specialists assist veterans in overcoming barriers to employment, coordinate community resources, and gain access to education and job training opportunities;
- Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER), who conduct outreach to employers to promote the advantages of hiring veterans. LVER staff also plan and participate in job fairs, conduct job clubs, and coordinate with apprenticeship and internship programs, business organizations, and unions in promoting and advocating the benefits of training programs for veterans;
- The Vets Ready Employer Initiative, which encourages and recognizes employers that go above and beyond for Wisconsin’s veteran workforce. The recognition honors those employers that hire and retain veterans, build veteran support systems, and connect with veterans in the community while assisting employers in attracting and retaining veteran talent. Applications for this year’s recognition were open through July 31, 2026, and winners will be announced in November. The number of employers recognized as Vets Ready Employers reached a record high in 2025, including eight first-time recipients, reflecting the growing commitment of employers to hiring and supporting veterans in the workforce. Employers earning the Vets Ready recognition are highlighted on the Job Center of Wisconsin, where job seekers can search for jobs posted by Vets Ready employers;
- The Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment, which allows veterans who have served in the Armed Forces, who have a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more, and are not currently employed in a permanent position with Wisconsin State Government, to be considered for jobs in state agencies without having to compete or take a civil service assessment; and
- The Military Career Crosswalk Reference, offering veterans a reference to help translate their military skills into civilian job categories.
ADDITIONAL EVERS ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS TO SUPPORT AND INVEST IN WISCONSIN’S VETERANS AND FAMILIES
Supporting Wisconsin’s veterans and their families and ensuring they have the resources and tools needed to thrive has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration since Day One. In 2022, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #157, creating a Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity to develop comprehensive, long-term efforts to support the state’s veterans and address the challenges they face. Based on the Commission’s recommendations, Gov. Evers invested $10 million toward addressing gaps in existing veteran services and reducing barriers to economic security, including efforts to expand access to higher education and job training, address housing insecurity, and increase mental and behavioral health support and substance use disorder treatment.
Additionally, Gov. Evers has invested approximately $168 million into the Workforce Solutions Initiative to address the state’s workforce needs, including the workforce needs of Wisconsin’s veterans, and support innovative pandemic recovery efforts. Projects funded through the Workforce Solutions Initiative included Mid-State Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology, and Apprenticeship (AMETA) Center in Stevens Point, which offers advanced manufacturing training and upskilling for current employees and wraparound services such as career coaching and childcare to help remove barriers to work and education. More than 10,000 individuals have been served through the AMETA Center’s programs, including over 3,000 veterans in Central Wisconsin who gained access to workforce training and supportive services. The AMETA Center and Mid-State have partnered with organizations, including a local veterans reentry group, to provide services in Stevens Point.
Gov. Evers has also been a champion for Wisconsin’s veterans amidst the Trump Administration’s repeated actions to undermine efforts and institutions that work to support veterans across the country, including firing tens of thousands of employees from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including many at Wisconsin VA facilities already enduring staffing challenges. In response to President Trump’s reckless mass firings, Gov. Evers and DWD announced a new portal and additional resources designed to support fired federal workers and other displaced professionals, including veterans, as well as those seeking different employment opportunities to help connect them with available work. The Evers Administration also hosted a series of virtual job fairs for displaced federal workers and provided additional resources to make it clear that federal workers had a home in Wisconsin.
To build on these efforts, Gov. Evers worked hard to ensure that the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget, signed by Gov. Evers last year, would provide investments and provisions to help expand access to affordable housing and comprehensive support services for veterans. This includes:
- $5 million to support the operations of the Wisconsin Veterans homes;
- $200,000 to increase transportation grants to counties;
- $50,000 to increase the grant amount for Camp American Legion;
- Providing a five percent increase for county veterans service officers and Tribal veterans service officers that serve veterans in communities across the state;
- $2.5 million for a new grant program to fund housing and comprehensive support services to veterans;
- $35 million for needed capital building projects at the Wisconsin Veterans Homes to repair plumbing, abate lead, replace boilers, and improve technology, with over $3.4 million devoted to continuing expansion of the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery; and
- $5 million to support a grant for war memorials in populous counties to honor our nation’s heroes.
The governor also continues to be a staunch advocate for increasing the eligibility for the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property tax credit and offering a credit to those who rent their homes to provide tax relief to veterans and their families and investing in the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project, as well as fixing the failures of the Legislature in the 2025-27 state budget to invest in the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP) that provides housing and supportive services to veterans. The governor believes these must continue to be top priorities for elected leaders in the state.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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