Celebrating Military Appreciation Month with our ADVS VBCs
PHOENIX - May is a month to celebrate all of our military men and women who served on and off the battlefield and sacrificed for our freedoms and protection.
Did you know the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS) Veteran Benefit Counselors (VBC) division is mostly made up of former and active service members who continue to serve by helping their fellow Veterans obtain their due benefits?
More than 50 VBCs across the state advocate for Arizona’s service members, veterans and their families in pursuit of their federal and state veteran benefits! Our VBCs help Arizona Veterans obtain more than $85 million in benefits each month.
Luckily for our Arizona Veterans, ADVS’s VBCs are some of the best in the business!
Last month, six VBC’s were recognized for their outstanding performances at their annual VBC conference/training. All of our winning VBCs are also Veterans themselves.
The awardees were:
Top Performers by Region:
- Central Region- Chris May, Air Force Veteran
- Southern Region- Liliana Edwards, USMC Veteran
- Northern Region- Josephine Sibole, Navy Veteran
Rising Star by Region:
- Northern Region- Jessica Rau, Navy Veteran
- Central Region- Raul Ilizaliturri, Army Veteran
- Southern Region- Vine Bahe, USMC/Navy Veteran
VSD VBC Top Performer:
- Central Region- Chris May, Air Force Veteran
Also recognized were four of our VBCs who have been helping our Arizona Veterans for five or more years:
- Gary Ochoa- 15 years
- Amber Koehler- 10 years
- Nathan Hutchins- 10 years
- Larry Clark- 10 years
- Heather Alainz- 5 years
This Military Appreciation Month, we thank all of our VBCs and all of our Arizona Veterans for their service to the community.