45.03(13)(b) (b) Cooperate with any federal departments, agencies, and independent establishments relating to veterans housing, benefits, priorities, and finances.

45.03(13)(c) (c) Assist any housing authority, municipality, or private enterprise engaged in supplying veterans housing in the acquisition of materials, finances, legal aid, and compliance with federal regulations.

45.03(13)(d) (d) Utilize the services and facilities of state agencies and county veterans service officers, including legal services furnished to the department by the department of justice.

45.03(13)(e) (e) Provide county veterans service officers with the information provided to the department by the adjutant general under s. 321.04 (1) (o) and may provide county veterans service officers with information on all necessary military points of contact and general deployment information for reserve units of the U.S. armed forces.

45.03(13)(f) (f) Provide services related to post-traumatic stress disorder to service members and veterans, which shall include at least one of the following services:

45.03(13)(f)1. 1. Outreach services to service members and veterans who may be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

45.03(13)(f)2. 2. Information on the availability of post-traumatic stress disorder medical services and referrals to those services.

45.03(13)(j) (j) Provide grants to eligible persons who administer a program to identify, train, and place volunteers at the community level who will assist national guard members, members of the U.S. armed forces or forces incorporated in the U.S. armed forces, and their spouses and dependents, who return to this state after serving on active duty. The department shall make available to the volunteers, veterans, and their spouses and dependents, a packet of information about the benefits that they may be eligible to receive from the state or federal government. The annual amount that may be expended under this paragraph may not exceed $201,000. This paragraph does not apply after June 30, 2011.

45.03(13)(k) (k) Provide $117,300 in 2005-06 and $117,300 in 2006-07 to a housing authority in a 1st class city in a county with a population of at least 500,000 to supplement the housing costs of chronically homeless veterans and their families if the housing authority does all of the following:

45.03(13)(k)1. 1. Provides evidence that the money will be used to provide multi-family housing for individuals and families that contain at least one veteran who has been chronically homeless.

45.03(13)(k)2. 2. Uses at least 50 percent of the money for supplementing temporary privately owned rental housing costs and the remainder for subsidizing public rental housing costs.

45.03(13)(k)3. 3. In coordination with the department, submits reports to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) and to the governor by August 15, 2006, and August 15, 2007, that contain the following information related to the money received in the previous fiscal year:

45.03(13)(k)3.a. a. The number of veterans that received a housing supplement.

45.03(13)(k)3.b. b. The size of the veterans' households.

45.03(13)(k)3.c. c. The amount of the supplement and time that the supplement was provided to each veteran's household.

45.03(13)(k)3.d. d. The housing status of the assisted veteran's household at the time the supplement ended.

45.03(13)(k)3.e. e. Any other information that the department considers necessary to evaluate the program.

45.03(13)(L) (L) Provide verification to the educational institution of the information required under s. 36.27 (3p) (a) 1r. or 38.24 (8) (a) 1r.

45.03(13)(m) (m) Provide verification to the educational institution of the information required under s. 36.27 (3n) (a) 1m. or 38.24 (7) (a) 1m.

45.03(13)(n) (n) Provide verification to the department of revenue of the information required under s. 71.07 (6e) (a) 2. or 3.

45.03(13)(o) (o) Provide verification to the department of transportation of the information required under s. 343.14 (2) (j).

45.03(13)(p) (p) Before June 30 of each even-numbered year, submit to the joint committee on finance a report describing the condition of the veterans trust fund. The report shall include information regarding all of the following:

45.03(13)(p)1. 1. The projected revenues and expenditures of the veterans trust fund beginning with the fiscal year that starts immediately after the submittal of the report.

45.03(13)(p)2. 2. Any changes in the programs administered by the department that have been implemented after the enactment of the most recent biennial budget act and that are expected to affect the projected revenues, expenditures, or balances of the veterans trust fund.

45.03(14) (14) Liberal construction intended. This chapter shall be construed as liberally as the language permits in favor of applicants.

45.03(15) (15) Deferral of payments and interest on loans. When a veteran or a member of the veteran's family makes application for deferment of payment of monthly installments and waiver of interest charges on veterans loans made under this chapter, showing that the ability of the veteran to make payment is materially and adversely affected by reason of military service, the department may, with the approval of the board, defer payment of monthly installments and waive interest charges on veterans loans made under this chapter for the duration of any period of service in the armed forces of the United States during a national emergency or in time of war or under P.L. 87-117 and 6 months from date of discharge or separation and the time for payment may be extended for the same period. However, when funds estimated to be received in the veterans mortgage loan repayment fund to pay debt service on public debt contracted under s. 20.866 (2) (zn) and (zo) are less than the funds estimated to be required for the payment of the debt service, the board may grant deferral of payments and interest on loans provided under s. 45.37 only when so required by federal law.

45.03(16) (16) Application requirements and penalties.

45.03(16)(a) (a) If the department finds that an applicant for benefits from the department has willfully made or caused to be made, or conspired, assisted in, agreed to, arranged for, or in any way procured the making of a false or fraudulent affidavit, declaration, certificate, statement, or other writing, it may suspend all benefits available to the applicant from the department under this chapter.

45.03(16)(b) (b) Any person who, with the intent to secure any benefits under this chapter for personal benefit or for others, willfully makes or causes to be made, or conspires, assists in, agrees to, arranges for, or in any way procures the making or presentation of a false or fraudulent affidavit, declaration, certificate, statement, or other writing, may be fined not more than $500 or be imprisoned for not more than 6 months, or both. The fine or imprisonment may be imposed in addition to the penalty provided in par. (a).