10. Payment of origination fees, on behalf of veterans who have at least a 30 percent service-connected disability rating for purposes of
38 USC 1114 or
1134, to authorized lenders under sub. (5) (b).
11. Payment required of the department under sub. (5) (a) 6.
12. Payment of obligations arising from the acquisition of a headquarters and museum building for the department under s. 45.03 (5) (b).
(b) The board may amend the system of accounts established under par. (a) only by resolution of the board that is approved by the building commission.
(c) If revenues of the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund are insufficient to meet all current expenses, the secretary of administration shall establish a repayment schedule whereby the general fund will be reimbursed in an orderly manner for moneys advanced. Interest rates to be charged on loans subsequently issued shall be adjusted to provide sufficient revenues to meet all of this repayment schedule.
(d) After meeting all expenses and providing for reserves under par. (a) 3., assets in the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund, upon prior approval of the building commission, may be transferred to the veterans trust fund and used to fund loans under s. 45.42.
(8) Use of surpluses. Surpluses may be used under sub. (11) (c) only if there are no unrestricted fund balances available for that purpose in the funds created under sub. (10). Section 20.001 (3) (e) shall not be construed to prohibit this action.
(9) Limitation on remodeling or alteration for a disabled veteran. Not more than 50 percent of the proceeds of a loan granted under this section for a purpose under s. 45.34 (1) (a) may be used for remodeling or alteration of the housing accommodation after purchase to meet the special needs of a permanently and totally disabled veteran. That portion of the proceeds used for this purpose shall be reserved and distributed by the authorized lender.
(10) Repayment of revenue obligations. (a) All moneys received from any source for repayment of loans, mortgages, or mortgage loan notes funded with proceeds of revenue obligations issued under sub. (6) (c) shall be deposited into one or more separate nonlapsible trust funds in the state treasury or with a trustee appointed for that purpose by the authorizing resolution for the revenue obligations. The board may pledge revenues received by the funds to secure revenue obligations issued under sub. (6) (c) and shall have all other powers necessary and convenient to distribute the proceeds of the revenue obligations and loan repayments in accordance with subch. II of ch. 18. Unrestricted balances in the funds may be used to fund additional loans issued under sub. (6) (c) and pay the balances owing on loans after the assumptions of the loans or the closings of the sales of residences under sub. (11) (c).
(b) Revenue obligations issued under sub. (6) (c) may not exceed $280,000,000 in principal amount, excluding obligations issued to fund or refund outstanding revenue obligation notes or to refund outstanding revenue obligation bonds.
(c) Except as may otherwise be expressly provided in resolutions authorizing the issuance of revenue obligations or in other agreements with the holders of revenue obligations, each issue of revenue obligations shall be on a parity with every other revenue obligation issued under sub. (6) (c) and payable in accordance with subch. II of ch. 18.
(11) Guaranteed loans. (a) Upon any sale of the residence which secures a guaranteed loan made under this section after April 3, 1980, except for the purchase of the residence at the time the loan is initially made, the guaranteed loan may be assumed or continue to be paid in regular monthly installments if the person who assumes the mortgage loan payments or who will make the regular monthly installments agrees to all of the following:
1. To pay interest on the loan from the date of the assumption of the loan, if the loan is assumed, or from the date of the closing of the sale of the residence at the maximum rates of interest being charged on guaranteed loans on the date the loan was initially made.
2. To increase the amortization payments on the loan by an amount sufficient to amortize the loan by the date the balance on the loan is payable in full according to the original terms of the loan.
(b) The department and authorized lenders shall increase the interest rates and amortization payments on loans assumed under par. (a).
(c) After the assumption of a guaranteed loan funded under sub. (6) (c), if the loan is assumed, or the closing of the sale of a residence on which a balance is owing on a guaranteed loan funded under sub. (6) (c), the balance owing on the loan on the date of the assumption of the loan, if the loan is assumed, or the closing of the sale may be paid to the funds created under sub. (10) from available surpluses, if any, in the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund under sub. (7) (d). The loan and the mortgage and mortgage note pertaining to the loan may be purchased by the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund under sub. (7).
(12) Prior program loans. Subject to this section and ss. 45.33 to 45.35, neither the department nor an authorized lender may deny a person a loan under this section because of the reason the person sold any property previously mortgaged by the person to the department or an authorized lender, if the person completely paid the balance of any previous loan under this subchapter in accordance with the terms and conditions of the promissory note and the mortgage or other agreement executed in connection with the previous loan.
(13) Repayment of loan. Any money appropriated or transferred by law from the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund for purposes other than those listed in sub. (7), other than moneys made temporarily available to other funds under s. 20.002 (11), shall be repaid from the general fund with interest at a rate of 5 percent per year from the date of the appropriation or transfer to the date of repayment.
sUbchapter IV
Assistance programs
45.40 Economic assistance. (1) Subsistence aid. (a) The department may provide subsistence aid to an incapacitated veteran or a dependent of a veteran in an amount that the department determines advisable to prevent undue hardship. The department may provide subsistence aid under this subsection to a person whose incapacitation is the result of alcohol or other drug abuse, if the person is participating in an alcohol or other drug abuse treatment program approved by the department. The department may provide subsistence aid on a month-to-month basis or for a 3-month period. The department may provide the aid for a 3-month period if the veteran or dependent whose incapacity is the basis for the aid will be incapacitated for more than 3 months, as determined by a health care provider as defined in s. 146.81 (1), and if earned or unearned income or aid from other sources will not be available in the 3-month period. Subsistence aid shall be limited to a maximum of 3 months in a 12-month period unless the department determines that the need for subsistence aid in excess of this maximum time period is caused by the person's relapse.
(b) 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 subsection. 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 subsection. Notwithstanding s. 13.101 (3) (a), the committee is not required to find that an emergency exists. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the secretary within 14 working days after the date of the department's submittal that the committee intends to schedule a meeting to review the request, the appropriation account shall be supplemented as provided in the request. If, within 14 working days after the date of the department's submittal, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the secretary that the committee intends to schedule a meeting to review the request, the appropriation account shall be supplemented only as approved by the committee.
(2) Health care aid. The department may provide temporary health care aid for a veteran or the dependent of a veteran if the department considers it advisable to prevent undue hardship. Health care aid to pay medical or hospital bills under this subsection is limited to a payment of up to $5,000 per veteran or dependent for a 12-month period beginning on the first day of care for which the person seeks reimbursement under this subsection. The department may issue a certificate of entitlement stating that a veteran or dependent is eligible for health care aid under this subsection if the treatment is received within a time period that the department promulgates by rule. The department may not provide health care aid to pay for care provided to the veteran or dependent before the time period identified in the certificate of entitlement, except for emergency care, as determined by the department, if the application for the health care aid is submitted within 90 days after the emergency care ends. Health care aid may be used to provide payment for the treatment of alcoholism or other drug addiction or to provide payment for health care required because of alcoholism or other drug addiction or alcohol or other drug abuse. The department may not provide health care aid under this subsection unless the person's health care provider agrees to accept, as full payment for the medical treatment for which the aid is to be granted, the amount of the aid, the amount of the person's health insurance or other 3rd-party payments, if any, and the amount that the department determines the person is capable of paying. The department may not provide health care aid under this subsection if the combined liquid assets of the veteran and veteran's dependents who are living in the same household are in excess of $1,000.
(3) Appropriations. The department may provide aid under this section from the appropriation in s. 20.485 (2) (vm). Nothing in this section empowers the department to incur any state debt.
45.41 Payments to veterans organizations. (1) In this section:
(a) "Regional office" means the U.S. department of veterans affairs regional office in Wisconsin.
(b) "State veterans organization" means the state organization or department of a national veterans organization incorporated by an act of congress.
(2) Upon application the department shall 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. The 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 payment shall be as follows:
(a) If the total amount paid under sub. (3) is from $1 to $2,499, the organization shall receive the amount paid.
(b) If the total amount paid under sub. (3) is from $2,500 to $9,999, the organization shall receive $2,500.
(c) If the total amount paid under sub. (3) is from $10,000 to $119,999, the organization shall receive 25 percent of the amount paid.
(d) If the total amount paid under sub. (3) is $120,000 or more, the organization shall receive $30,000.
(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.
(4) From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s), the department shall annually provide a payment of $100,000 to the Wisconsin department of the Disabled American Veterans for the provision of transportation services to veterans.
45.42 Veterans personal loans. (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.
(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. 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.
(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.
(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. The department shall pay all interest and principal repaid on the loan into the veterans trust fund.
(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.
(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:
(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.
(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 workforce development or its designee within 7 working days before the date of the application.
(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).
(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.
(8) (a) The department may borrow from the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund under s. 45.37 (7) (a) to obtain money to make loans under this section.
(b) 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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
45.43 Veterans assistance program. (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 to persons whose need for services is based upon homelessness, incarceration, or other circumstances designated by the department by rule. The department shall designate the assistance available under this section, which may include assistance in receiving medical care, dental care, education, employment, and transitional housing. The department may provide payments to facilitate the provision of services under this section.
(2) The department may charge fees for 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.
sUbchapter V
Veterans homes
45.50 Veterans homes; management. (1) (a) The department shall operate the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King and employ a commandant for the home. The department shall employ a commandant for the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove and may employ a commandant for the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls. The department may employ any personnel that are necessary for the proper management and operation of veterans homes. In compliance with the compensation plan established pursuant to s. 230.12 (3), a commandant may recommend to the director of personnel charges for meals, living quarters, laundry, and other services furnished to employees and members of the employees' family maintained at veterans homes. The department shall provide complete personal maintenance and medical care, including programs and facilities that promote comfort, recreation, well-being, or rehabilitation, to all members of veterans homes.
(b) All moneys received as reimbursement for services to veterans homes employees or as payment for meals served to guests at veterans homes shall be accumulated in an account named "employee maintenance credits" and shall be paid into the general fund within one week after receipt and credited to the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (gk).
(c) Veterans homes with a skilled nursing facility shall include a geriatric evaluation, research, and education program. The program staff shall be funded from the appropriations under s. 20.485 (1) (hm), (j), and (mj).
(2) (a) Subject to authorization under ss. 13.48 (10) and 20.924 (1), the department may construct or renovate and operate residential, treatment, and nursing care facilities, including a community-based residential facility, to be known as the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove.
(b) Subject to authorization under ss. 13.48 (10) and 20.924 (1), the department may develop, construct or renovate, and operate residential, treatment, and nursing care facilities and programs for veterans in northwestern Wisconsin, on the property of the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Chippewa Falls to be known as the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls. The programs and facilities may include an assisted living facility, a skilled nursing facility, a medical clinic, an adult day health care center, an activities center, and a veterans assistance program.
(3) The department may acquire, by gift, purchase, or condemnation, lands necessary for the purposes of the veterans homes. Title to the lands shall be taken in the name of this state and shall be held by and for the uses and purposes of the veterans homes. No payment may be made out of the state treasury or otherwise for the land until the title has been examined and approved by the attorney general. Every such deed of conveyance shall be immediately recorded in the office of the proper register of deeds and filed with the secretary of state.
(4) The department may use moneys appropriated under s. 20.485 (1) (h) to purchase, erect, construct, or remodel buildings, to provide additions and improvements, to provide equipment, materials, supplies, and services necessary for the purposes of veterans homes, and for expenses that are necessary and incidental to acquisition of property under s. 45.51 (10) and (11).
(5) The department may accept gifts, bequests, grants, or donations of money or of property from private sources to be administered by the department for the purposes of veterans homes. All moneys received shall be paid into the general fund and appropriated as provided in s. 20.485 (1) (h), except that gifts or grants received specifically for the purposes of the geriatric program at veterans homes are appropriated as provided in s. 20.485 (1) (hm). The department may not apply to the gifts and bequests fund interest on certificate of savings deposits for those members who do not receive maximum monthly retained income. The department shall establish for those persons upon their request individual accounts with savings and interest applied as the member requests.
(6) (a) The department may enter into agreements for furnishing and charging for water and sewer service from facilities constructed at and for veterans homes to public and private properties lying in the immediate vicinity of veterans homes.
(b) Agreements under this section shall be drafted to hold harmless the department, to require all expense to be paid by the applicant, and to be terminable by the department when other water and sewer services become available to the applicant.
(7) A commandant and employees designated by the commandant may summarily arrest all persons within or upon the grounds of veterans homes who are guilty of any offense against the laws of this state or the rules governing veterans homes. For this purpose, a commandant and deputies have the power of constables.
(8) A fire department at a veterans home in response to emergency fire calls may make runs and render fire fighting service beyond the confines of a veterans home.
(9) The department may develop a program to provide stipends to individuals to attend school and receive the necessary credentials to become employed at veterans homes. If the department develops a stipend program under this subsection, the department shall promulgate rules related to the program, including the application process, eligibility criteria, stipend amount, repayment provisions, and other provisions that the department determines are necessary to administer the program.
(10) The department may establish a hospital at the veterans homes. All hospitals established under this subsection may not have a total approved bed capacity, as defined in s. 150.01 (4m), greater than 16 beds. The approved bed capacity of a skilled nursing facility operated at a veterans home is reduced by one bed for each approved bed at the hospital established under this subsection at that home.
45.51 Eligibility for membership. (1)
General statement. Within the limitations of veterans homes, the department may admit to membership in veterans homes persons who meet the qualifications set forth in this section.
(2) Eligibility. (a) The following persons are eligible for benefits under this subchapter if they meet the applicable requirements of this subchapter:
1. A veteran.
2. A person who has served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces for 90 days or more and at least one day during a war period or under section 1 of executive order 10957, dated August 10, 1961.
3. A spouse, surviving spouse, or parent of a person under subd. 1. or 2.
(b) A person under par. (a) 1. or 2. may be admitted to a veterans home if the person meets all of the following conditions:
1. Is a resident of this state on the date of admission to a veterans home.
2. Is permanently incapacitated due to physical disability or age from any substantially gainful occupation.
3. Has not been convicted of a felony or of a crime involving moral turpitude or, if so, has produced sufficient evidence of subsequent good conduct and reformation of character as to be satisfactory to the department.
4. Provides a complete financial statement containing information that the department determines is necessary to evaluate the financial circumstances of the person. The department may require a member of a veterans home to provide the department with information necessary for the department to determine the financial circumstances of the person. If a person fails to provide the additional information, the department may discharge the person from the veterans home.
5. Has care needs that the veterans home is able to provide within the resources allocated for the care of members of the veterans home, including chronic alcoholism, drug addition, psychosis, or active tuberculosis.
(3) Admission priorities. (a) Except in cases where there is an immediate need for physical care or economic assistance, the department shall act on applications based upon the date of receipt of the application by the veterans home. The department may defer establishment of the priority date of the application to the date that the veterans home is able to verify its ability to provide appropriate care to the applicant or to assure that the appropriate care setting is available within the home.
(b) Spouses, surviving spouses, and parents derive their eligibility from the eligibility of the person under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. Surviving spouses and parents of eligible persons under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. are eligible for admission only to a skilled nursing facility at a veterans home.
(c) 1. The order of priority for admission to a veterans home shall be as follows:
a. Eligible persons under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. have 1st priority.
b. Spouses of eligible persons under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. have 2nd priority.
c. Surviving spouses of eligible persons under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. have 3rd priority for admission.
d. Parents of eligible persons under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. have 4th priority for admission.
2. The department may deviate from this sequence upon order of the board to prevent the separation of a husband and wife.
(4) Additional eligibility requirements of a spouse of a veteran. A spouse of an eligible person under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. is eligible only if the spouse meets the requirements of sub. (2) (b) 3. to 5. and if all of the following apply:
(a) The person under sub. (2) (a) 1. or 2. is a member, or if not a member is institutionalized elsewhere because of physical or mental disability, and the spouse had lived with the person for not less than 6 months immediately before making application for membership.
(b) Separation from the spouse necessitated by reason of employment, hospitalization, or because of a physical or mental disability of either spouse shall not be taken to constitute an interruption of the 6-month period.
