Chapter 45

45.20 History History: 2005 a. 22, 25; 2007 a. 20, 200; 2009 a. 28, 297, 302; 2011 a. 32, 260; 2017 a. 59; 2023 a. 104.

45.20 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 2, Wis. adm. code.

45.21 45.21 Retraining assistance program.

45.21(1) (1) Amount and application. The department may pay a veteran not more than $3,000 for retraining to enable the veteran to obtain gainful employment. The department shall determine the amount of the payment based on the veteran’s financial need. A veteran may apply for aid to the county veterans service officer of the county in which the veteran is living. The department may, on behalf of a veteran who is engaged in a structured on-the-job training program and who meets the requirements under sub. (2), make a payment under this subsection to the veteran’s employer.

45.21(2) (2) Eligibility. The department may provide aid under this section if all of the following apply:

45.21(2)(a) (a) The veteran is enrolled in a training course in a technical college under ch. 38 or in a proprietary school in the state approved by the department of safety and professional services under s. 440.52, other than a proprietary school offering a 4-year degree or 4-year program, or is engaged in a structured on-the-job training program that meets program requirements promulgated by the department by rule.

45.21(2)(b) (b) The veteran meets the financial assistance criteria established under sub. (3) (c).

45.21(2)(c) (c) The veteran is unemployed, underemployed, as defined by rule, or has received a notice of termination of employment.

45.21(2)(d) (d) The veteran requesting aid has not received reimbursement under s. 45.20 for courses completed during the same semester for which a grant would be received under this section.

45.21(2)(e) (e) The department determines that the veteran’s proposed program will provide retraining that could enable the veteran to find gainful employment. In making its determination, the department shall consider whether the proposed program provides adequate employment skills and is in an occupation for which favorable employment opportunities are anticipated.

45.21(3) (3) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules for the distribution of aid under this program, including all of the following:

45.21(3)(a) (a) Standard budgets for single and married veterans.

45.21(3)(b) (b) Selection procedures.

45.21(3)(c) (c) Uniform need determination procedures.

45.21(3)(d) (d) Application procedures.

45.21(3)(e) (e) Coordination with other occupational training programs.

45.21(3)(f) (f) Other provisions the department deems necessary to assure uniform administration of this program.

45.21(4) (4) Report. The department shall include in its biennial report under s. 15.04 (1) (d) information relating to the veterans retraining assistance program, including the number of veterans obtaining gainful employment after receiving aid and a description of the veterans receiving aid, including their sex, age, race, educational level, service-connected disability status, and income before and after obtaining gainful employment. This information may be based on a valid statistical sample.

45.21 History History: 2005 a. 22, 25; 2017 a. 59.

45.21 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 2, Wis. adm. code.

subch. IV of ch. 45 SUBCHAPTER IV

ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

45.40 45.40 Assistance to needy veterans.

45.40(1g) (1g) Definitions. In this section:

45.40(1g)(a) (a) “Health care provider” means an advanced practice nurse prescriber who is certified under s. 441.16 (2), an audiologist who is licensed under subch. II of ch. 459 or who holds a compact privilege under subch. III of ch. 459, a dentist who is licensed under subch. I of ch. 447 or who holds a compact privilege under subch. II of ch. 447, an optometrist who is licensed under ch. 449, a physician who is licensed under s. 448.02, or a podiatrist who is licensed under s. 448.63.

45.40(1g)(b) (b) “Illness” or “injury” means a physical or mental health problem that has been diagnosed by a health care provider acting within the scope of the health care provider’s license.

45.40(1m) (1m) Subsistence aid.

45.40(1m)(a) (a) The department may provide subsistence payments to a veteran on a month-to-month basis or for a 3-month period. The department may pay subsistence aid for a 3-month period if the veteran will be incapacitated for more than 3 months and if earned or unearned income or aid from sources other than those listed in the application will not be available in the 3-month period. The department may provide subsistence payments only to a veteran who has suffered a loss of income due to illness, injury, or natural disaster. The department may grant subsistence aid under this subsection to a veteran whose loss of income is the result of abuse of alcohol or other drugs only if the veteran is participating in an alcohol and other drug abuse treatment program that is approved by the department. No payment may be made under this subsection if the veteran has other assets or income available to meet basic subsistence needs or if the veteran is eligible to receive aid from other sources to meet those needs. When determining the assets available to the veteran, the department may not include the first $50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance.

45.40(1m)(b) (b) The maximum amount that any veteran may receive under this subsection per occurrence during a consecutive 12-month period may not exceed $3,000.

45.40(1t) (1t) Completion of health care forms. A health care provider may complete the medical forms necessary for the receipt of aid under this section if the provider has diagnosed the veteran and determined the veteran’s medical condition.

45.40(2) (2) Health care.

45.40(2)(a) (a) The department may provide health care aid to a veteran for dental care, including dentures; vision care, including eyeglass frames and lenses; and hearing care, including hearing aids.

45.40(2)(c) (c) The department may not provide health care aid under this subsection unless the aid recipient’s health care provider agrees to accept, as full payment for the health care provided, the amount of the payment, the amount of the recipient’s health insurance or other 3rd-party payments, if any, and the amount that the department determines the veteran is capable of paying. The department may not pay health care aid under this subsection if the liquid assets of the veteran are in excess of $1,000. When determining the liquid assets of the veteran, the department may not include the first $50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance.

45.40(2m) (2m) Dependents eligibility.

45.40(2m)(a) (a) The unremarried spouse and dependent children of a veteran who died on active duty, or in the line of duty while on active or inactive duty for training purposes, in the U.S. armed forces or forces incorporated in the U.S. armed forces are eligible to receive payments under subs. (1m) and (2) if the household income of those persons does not exceed the income limitations established under sub. (3m).

45.40(2m)(b) (b) The spouse and dependent children of a member of the U.S. armed forces or of the Wisconsin national guard who has been activated or deployed to serve in the U.S. armed forces who are residents of this state, who have suffered a loss of income due to that activation or deployment, and who experience an economic emergency during the member’s activation or deployment are eligible to receive assistance under subs. (1m) and (2).

45.40(3) (3) Limitations. The total cumulative amount that any veteran may receive under this section may not exceed $7,500.

45.40(3m) (3m) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules establishing eligibility criteria and household income limits for payments under subs. (1m), (2), and (2m). The department may not include in the rules establishing eligibility criteria and household income limits any consideration of the first $50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance that is available to the veteran’s household.

45.40(4) (4) Appropriations. The department may make payments under this section from the appropriation in s. 20.485 (2) (vm). Nothing in this section empowers the department to incur any state debt.

45.40(5) (5) Joint finance supplemental funding. The department may submit a request to the joint committee on finance for supplemental funds from the veterans trust fund to be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.485 (2) (vm) to provide payments under this section. The joint committee on finance may, from the appropriation under s. 20.865 (4) (u), supplement the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vm) in an amount equal to the amount that the department expects to expend under this section. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the request for a supplement within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the supplement to the appropriation is approved. If, within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed supplement, the supplement may occur only upon approval of the committee.

45.40 History History: 2005 a. 22, 25; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 37, 113; 2011 a. 258; 2023 a. 56, 88.

45.40 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. VA 2.01, Wis. adm. code.

45.41 45.41 Payments to veterans organizations.

45.41(1) (1) In this section:

45.41(1)(a) (a) “Regional office” means the U.S. department of veterans affairs regional office in Wisconsin.

45.41(1)(b) (b) “State veterans organization” means the state organization or department of a national veterans organization incorporated by an act of congress.

45.41(2) (2) 

45.41(2)(am) (am) Upon application the department may make a payment to any state veterans organization that establishes that it, or its national organization, or both, has maintained a full-time service office at the regional office for 5 consecutive years out of the 10-year period immediately preceding the application. Any payment shall be calculated based on the total amount of all salaries and travel expenses under sub. (3) paid during the previous fiscal year by the state veterans organization to employees engaged in veterans claims service and stationed at the regional office. The department shall pay an amount equal to 50 percent of all salaries and travel expenses under sub. (3) or $175,000, whichever is less, to a recipient under this paragraph.

45.41(2)(e) (e) An organization that receives a payment under par. (am) shall maintain records as required by the department concerning the organization’s expenditure of the payment. That organization shall give the department access to those records upon request of the department, and the department may audit those records.

45.41(3) (3) A state veterans organization shall file an application annually with the department for the previous 12-month period ending on March 31 of the year in which it is filed. The application shall contain a statement of salaries and travel expenses paid to employees of the organization engaged in veterans claims service activities at the regional office by the state veterans organization covering the period for which application for a payment is made. The statement shall be certified as correct by a certified public accountant licensed or certified under ch. 442 and sworn to as correct by the adjutant or principal officer of the state veterans organization. The application shall include the state organization’s financial statement for its previous fiscal year and evidence of claims service activity that the department requires. The state veterans organization shall submit with its initial application sufficient evidence to establish that it or its national organization, or both, has maintained a full-time service office at the regional office for 5 consecutive years out of the 10-year period immediately preceding the application. Subsequent applications shall be accompanied by an affidavit by the adjutant or principal officer of the state veterans organization stating that the organization, on its own or with its national organization, maintained a full-time service office at the regional office for the entire 12-month period for which application for a payment is made.

45.41(3m) (3m) If the total amount of payments committed to be paid under sub. (2) (am) exceeds the amount available for the payments from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vw), the department shall prorate the reimbursement payments among the state veterans organizations receiving the payments.

45.41(4) (4) 

45.41(4)(a) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s), the department shall annually provide a payment of $200,000 to the Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans for the provision of transportation services to veterans.

45.41(4)(b) (b) The Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans shall maintain records as required by the department concerning its expenditure of the payment under par. (a). The Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans shall give the department access to those records upon request of the department and the department may audit those records to ensure that the Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans is using the payment under par. (a) to provide transportation services to veterans.

45.41(5) (5) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vs), the department may annually grant up to $75,000 to the Wisconsin department of the American Legion for the operation of Camp American Legion.

45.41 History History: 2005 a. 22; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59; 2021 a. 58.

45.41 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 7, Wis. adm. code.

45.42 45.42 Veterans personal loans.

45.42(1) (1) It is determined that the loan program established under this section is a special purpose credit program for an economically disadvantaged class of persons for purposes of 15 USC 1691-1691f.

45.42(2) (2) The department may lend a veteran, a veteran’s unremarried surviving spouse, or a deceased veteran’s child not more than $25,000, or a lesser amount established by the department under sub. (9). The department may prescribe loan conditions, but the term of the loan may not exceed 10 years, or a shorter term established by the department under sub. (12). The department shall ensure that the proceeds of any loan made under this section shall first be applied to pay any delinquent child support or maintenance payments owed by the person receiving the loan and then to pay any past support, medical expenses, or birth expenses owed by the person receiving the loan.

45.42(3) (3) The department may lend to the remarried surviving spouse of a deceased veteran or to the parent of a deceased veteran’s child not more than $25,000, or a lesser amount established by the department under sub. (9), for the education of the deceased veteran’s child.

45.42(4) (4) The department may execute necessary instruments, collect interest and principal, compromise indebtedness, sue and be sued, post bonds, and write off indebtedness that it considers uncollectible. If a loan under this section is secured by a real estate mortgage, the department may exercise the rights of owners and mortgagees generally and the rights and powers set forth in s. 45.32, 2017 stats. The department shall pay all interest and principal repaid on the loan into the veterans trust fund.

45.42(5) (5) The department may charge loan expenses incurred under this section to the loan applicant. The department shall pay all expenses received under this subsection into the veterans trust fund.

45.42(6) (6) The department may provide a loan under this section to an applicant whose name appears on the statewide support lien docket under s. 49.854 (2) (b) only if the applicant does one of the following:

45.42(6)(a) (a) Provides to the department a repayment agreement that the applicant has entered into, that has been accepted by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5), and that has been kept current for the 6-month period immediately preceding the date of the application.

45.42(6)(b) (b) Provides to the department a statement that the applicant is not delinquent in child support or maintenance payments and does not owe past support, medical expenses, or birth expenses, signed by the department of children and families or its designee within 7 working days before the date of the application.

45.42(6)(c) (c) Agrees to use the loan proceeds to pay any delinquent child support or maintenance payments and to pay any past support, medical expenses, or birth expenses if the applicant fails to meet the requirements under par. (a) or (b).

45.42(7) (7) No person may receive a loan under this section in an amount that, when added to the balance outstanding on the person’s existing loans under s. 45.351 (2), 1995 stats., and s. 45.356, 1995 stats., would result in a total indebtedness to the department of more than $25,000.

45.42(8) (8) The department may enter into transactions with the state investment board to obtain money to make loans under this section. Transactions authorized under this paragraph may include the sale of loans.

45.42(9) (9) Subject to the limits established in subs. (2) and (3), the department may periodically adjust the maximum loan amount based upon financial market conditions, funds available, needs of the veterans trust funds, or other factors that the department considers relevant.

45.42(10) (10) The department may periodically adjust the interest rates for loans made under this section, which may vary based upon the term of the loan, the type of security offered, the method of payment, or other factors that the department considers relevant.

45.42(11) (11) If an applicant’s total indebtedness for loans made under this section is more than $5,000, the loan shall be evidenced by a promissory note and secured by a mortgage on real estate located in this state. A loan of $5,000 or less made to an applicant whose total indebtedness for loans made under this section is $5,000 or less shall be evidenced by a promissory note and secured by a guarantor or by a mortgage on real estate located in this state. A mortgage securing a loan made under this section is acceptable if the applicant has equity in the property subject to the mortgage equal to or exceeding a minimum amount that the department establishes by rule.

45.42(12) (12) Subject to the limit established in sub. (2), the department may periodically adjust the maximum term limits for loans based upon financial market conditions, funds available, needs of the veterans trust fund, or other factors that the department considers relevant.

45.42 History History: 2005 a. 22, 25; 2007 a. 20; 2019 a. 9.

45.42 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 12, Wis. adm. code.

45.43 45.43 Veterans assistance program.

45.43(1) (1) The department shall administer a program to provide assistance to persons who served in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The department shall provide assistance under this section to persons whose need for services is based upon homelessness, incarceration, or other circumstances designated by the department by rule. The eligibility requirements under s. 45.02 (2) do not apply to a person applying for assistance under this section. The department shall designate the assistance available under this section, which may include assistance in receiving medical care, dental care, education, employment, single room occupancy housing, and transitional housing. The department may provide payments to facilitate the provision of services under this section.

45.43(2) (2) The department may charge fees for single room occupancy housing, transitional housing, and for other assistance provided under this section that the department designates. The department shall promulgate rules establishing the fee schedule and the manner of implementation of that schedule.

45.43 History History: 2005 a. 22; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 20.

45.43 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 13, Wis. adm. code.

45.437 45.437 Veterans employment and entrepreneurship grant program.

45.437(1) (1) Definition. In this section, “disabled veteran” means a veteran who is verified by the department to have a service-connected disability rating of at least 50 percent under 38 USC 1114 or 1134.

45.437(2) (2) Grants.

45.437(2)(a) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (qm), the department may award up to $500,000 annually in grants to veterans, employers, and nonprofit organizations under this section.

45.437(2)(b) (b) The department may not award a grant under par. (a) unless the department determines that the grant is likely to improve employment outcomes for veterans in this state. Subject to that limitation, the department may award grants to assist veteran entrepreneurs, to give employers in this state incentives to hire veterans, especially disabled veterans, to help fund employment training for veterans, especially disabled veterans, and for other programs or purposes as determined by the department by rule.

45.437(3) (3) Annual report. Annually, the department shall submit a report to the governor and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) that includes all of the following:

45.437(3)(a) (a) The number of grants awarded under this section.

45.437(3)(b) (b) The amount of each grant awarded under this section.

45.437(3)(c) (c) The purpose of each grant awarded under this section.