Writer appreciates time, skills of Iowa County Veterans Affairs Officer

To the Editor,

I am writing to acknowledge an employee of Iowa County who is like a diamond in the rough. Her name is Jennifer (Jenni) Olson and she serves as the Veterans Affairs Officer (VAO) for Iowa County. Accolades from me do not come easy; my expectations and standards are high. I retired from the Army after 31 years of active service and then worked in the Military Health Care System for 12 years as a federal civilian employee and have firsthand knowledge of the challenges of getting veterans their earned benefits.

In February, my 91-year-old mother, who lives in Williamsburg, suffered a stroke and required nursing home care. I began the process of contacting various agencies about programs/agencies available to her, including the VAO, since my mother is the widow of a veteran. What a pleasant surprise it was to call the VAO number and actually have someone answer the phone, not to mention schedule me to meet with her at my convenience.

I live in Texas, and was only going to be in town for two weeks, and Jenny told me what documents to bring with me, and sat for almost three hours inputting all the information for the application. She didn’t refer me to the website (and expect me to fumble around with filling it out like most others do these days), she explained each step of the process, asked questions to ensure she understood the situation, and gave advice on other things I should look into.

She did all this with genuine concern, compassion, humor and competency that made me feel confident about her ability to make this happen. She has regularly followed up with me and was readily available (promptly answering phone calls and emails) for the many questions I had in the weeks that followed, often answering questions not even related to the VA application. As I continued to communicate with other local agencies, the nursing home, attorneys, the bank, many of them would ask if I had been in contact with “Jenni at the VA office in Marengo” and all shared similar thoughts about her knowledge, care and concern.

She has built a valuable reputation with the surrounding community. I sincerely hope that the veterans and family members of Iowa Count realize just how fortunate they are to have a VAO of this caliber available to you. I have dealt with many VAOs over the years and never found anyone as personable, capable and committed to Veterans as Jenni Olson. I can guarantee that as a county employee she is not doing it for the pay; she is passionate about her job and the veterans she serves. She is a veteran who continues to serve by taking care of those who have served, and their families- thanks from the bottom of my heart, Jenni!

Sandy (Meade) Townsend, Georgetown, Texas