Press Release from the Custer County Veteran Service Office—March 7, 2025

I wanted to take a second to introduce the new Custer County Assistant Veteran Service Officer, Cortney Shank.
Cortney is a proud Westcliffe native and a proud 21 year USAF veteran/retiree. Her career field in the US Air Force was Traffic Management Office (TMO) and she also served as a First Sergeant. Her active duty experiences have helped shape her for this role; networking and seeking out additional resources are both critical components to supporting our veterans and their families.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to not only support my community, but do it by helping those that made it possible for me to serve.” she said.
Cortney is currently trying to get through her initial state/federal training to garner access to systems, and become a fully accredited representative. Once completed, she will primarily be taking on initial intakes so [VSO Dominic Edginton] can focus more heavily on claims. Courtney will eventually start taking on claims of her own. Her office hours will be Monday and Tuesday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. by appointment, and Wednesday 8 a.m.-12 p.m (Wednesday morning is veterans coffee followed by a statewide CVSO huddle).
VSO Dominic Edginton remarked “I am grateful that the BOCC recognized the need for the additional support and I am confident that Cortney will be an amazing asset to the Custer County veterans community. “