Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

07/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/24/2026 09:16

07/24Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin’s Veteran Employment Services Rank Top Five in the U.S. for Third Consecutive Year

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), today announced that in 2025, Wisconsin retained its top five national ranking for successfully helping veterans find employment for the third year in a row. Once again, Wisconsin was ranked fourth in the nation for these efforts, underscoring Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration's continued commitment to supporting Wisconsin's approximately 300,000 veterans and connecting them with available jobs to ensure they have the resources and tools needed to thrive in their civilian lives. This announcement comes as Sat., July 25, is National Hire a Veteran Day.

"Our veterans often face unique hurdles in their civilian lives, but the skills and training they've received through their service make them invaluable assets to our workforce," said Gov. Evers. "Whether it's getting folks connected to available jobs, expanding opportunities for education and job training, or ensuring they have the healthcare, housing, and supports they need to thrive, supporting our veterans has been a cornerstone priority of my administration since Day One. I'm incredibly proud of our work over the last seven years to support Wisconsin's veterans, and the proof of that good work is clear as we continue to lead the nation in providing the critical tools our veterans need to live their best, fullest lives and support their families."

Wisconsin has been ranked fourth 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 (OVES), the Jobs for Veterans State Grants program, and the Wagner-Peyser-funded Employment Service.

"With continued low unemployment rates in our state, employers are looking to fill high-skill job openings across many industries," said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. "Veterans bring invaluable experience and skills to the workforce, but they often face unique challenges in finding family-supporting employment when they return to civilian life. DWD's OVES provides individualized services to veterans and partners with Wisconsin companies to help them build their workforces."

OVES 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 OVES to access funding for on-the-job training, offer subsidized transitional employment, and build a diverse workforce from a broad pool of skilled candidates.

In the program year that ended June 2025, the Veterans' Entered Employment Rate in Wisconsin exceeded the national threshold, with over 62 percent of participating veterans securing employment after using DWD's services. DWD's Veterans Employment Services website outlines the agency's additional veteran employment programs like the Vets Ready Employer Initiative, Hire Heroes program, and other resources available to veterans and employers.

Under Gov. Evers' leadership, OVES 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 overcom ing barriers to employment, coordinate community resources, and gain access to education and job training opportunities ;
  • Local Veterans Employment Representative s (LVER ) , who conduct outreach to employers to promote the advantages of hiring veterans. LVER staff al so 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 attract ing and retain ing veteran talent. Applications for this year's recognition are open through July 31, 2026. Winners will be announced in November on Veterans Day. 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.

"Wisconsin's veterans bring discipline, leadership, and hard-earned skills to our workforce, and this ranking reflects what happens when state agencies work together on their behalf," said DVA Secretary James Bond. "WDVA is part of a larger effort to make sure Wisconsin is delivering on its commitment to those who have served in the armed forces. We are grateful to have dedicated partners in our mission from the local level all the way to the governor's office."

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 in their civilian lives has been a top priority for Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration since Day One. In 2022, Gov. Evers signed 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 DWDannounced 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 t o 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 transpor tation 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 office r s 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.
While Gov. Evers was able to secure several important investments in the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget to support Wisconsin ' s veterans, Republican lawmakers who control the state ' s bu dget committee, the Joint Committee on Finance, several of the governor ' s funding request s he had originally proposed , which included $1.9 million for the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP) . As the Legislature was deliberating the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau noted for Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance that "without additional funding, the Department [of Veterans Affairs] would not have sufficient resources to maintain the program ' s three sites." Nevertheless, Republican lawmakers ultimately rejected Gov. Evers ' request, instead approving $0 in new funding for the program, which ultimately caused two of the three VHRP locations to close. VHRP, overseen by DVA, provides housing and supportive services to military veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to help them obtain permanent housing.

Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration continue to work in earnest to remedy the failings of Republican s in the Wisconsin State Legislature and ensure that Wisconsin ' s veterans don ' t have to worry about being able to afford to keep a roof over their heads.

If you or someone you know may be a veteran experiencing housing insecurity, there are resources available:

  • 211 - 211 is a free and confidential service that connects you with thousands of local programs and services. Dial 2-1-1 on your phone to reach trained community resource specialists available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • 988+1 - Call 988 and press ' 1 ' or text 838255 to get connected to the Veteran Crisis Line for 24/7/365 confidential crisis support. You will be connected to a real person qualified to support veterans.
  • Veteran Outreach and Recovery Program (VORP) - VORP is a DVA program that connects veterans to community services and provide s case management and support, with a special focus on treatment and recovery.
  • U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs Resources - Call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838) to access veteran homeless resources or visit VA.gov/homeless .
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development published this content on July 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 24, 2026 at 15:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]