Chapter 45, VETERANS

45.001 Recognition of persons who served in the armed forces. The state of Wisconsin recognizes, as veterans, the men and women of Wisconsin who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated in the U.S. armed forces, the men and women who served in a re…

45.01 Definitions. In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Active duty” does not include active duty for training purposes. (2) “Active duty for training purposes” has the meaning given in 38 USC 101 (22). (3) “Board” means the board of veterans affairs. (4) …

45.02 Eligibility for benefits. (1) Any person whose service on active duty with the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces makes that person eligible for general U.S. department of veterans affairs benefits shall be considered to have served…

45.03 Department of veterans affairs. (1) POLICY. It is the policy of the state to give health, educational, and economic assistance to veterans and their dependents who are residents of this state to the extent and under the conditions determined by the board within the limitati…

45.04 Release of information and records. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Duly authorized representative” means any person authorized in writing by the veteran to act for the veteran, the veteran’s guardian if the veteran is adjudicated incompetent, or a legal representati…

45.045 Veteran registry. The department shall establish a voluntary statewide registry that will collect information from veterans and inform veterans on health issues, including posttraumatic stress disorder, Agent Orange, and Gulf War syndrome. History: 2007 a. 20.

45.05 Registration of certificate of discharge. Every person who has served in the U.S. armed forces at any time, and who has been honorably discharged or given a certificate of service or relieved from active service may record with the register of deeds of any county, in a suit…

45.06 Security. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to receive or accept as a security or to withhold from a veteran or a person who was honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces any discharge paper, citation, warrant, medal, badge, or evidence upon which the veteran is…

45.07 Wisconsin Veterans Museum. (1) The department of administration shall provide suitable space for the purpose of a memorial hall, designated as the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, dedicated to the veterans of Wisconsin and to the men and women of Wisconsin who served in the U.S. …

45.08 Memorial Day. (1) Every department and agency of the state government, every court of the state, and every political subdivision of the state, shall give a leave of absence with pay for the last Monday in May of each year, the day of celebration for May 30, Memorial Day, to…

45.09 Veterans as classroom volunteers. (1) In this section: (a) “Private school” has the meaning given in s. 115.001 (3r). (b) “Public school” has the meaning given in s. 115.01 (1). (c) “School term” has the meaning given in s. 115.001 (12). (d) “Tribal school” has the meaning …

45.095 Donation of abandoned vehicles. A nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance or other services to veterans and their dependents that receives a vehicle donated under s. 342.40 shall use at least 50 percent of the proceeds obtained through the donation to ser…

45.10 Veteran appearances. The department may reimburse any veteran who incurred travel expenses relating to an appearance that occurred at the request of the state, subject to the following: (1) A veteran seeking reimbursement shall submit to the department documentation of trav…

45.12 Wisconsin veteran-owned business logotypes. (1) In this section: (a) “Disabled veteran-owned business” means a business certified by the department of administration under s. 16.283 (3). (b) “Veteran-owned business” means each of the following: 1. A disabled veteran-owned b…

45.13 Wisconsin commission for the United States semiquincentennial commission. (1) (a) The Wisconsin commission for the U.S. semiquincentennial commission shall plan, coordinate, and implement a program to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States an…

45.20 Tuition reimbursement. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Institution of higher education” has the meaning given in 20 USC 1001 (a). (c) “Part-time classroom study” means any of the following: 1. Enrollment in courses for which no more than 11 semester or the equivalent…

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 financ…

45.40 Assistance to needy veterans. (1g) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Health care provider” means an advanced practice registered nurse who may issue prescription orders under s. 441.09 (2), an audiologist who is licensed under subch. II of ch. 459 or who holds a compact pr…

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 incorp…

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 un…

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 d…

45.437 Veterans employment and entrepreneurship grant program. (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. (2) GRANTS. (a) Fro…

45.44 Veterans fee waiver program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “License” means any of the following for which a fee is required: 1. A license under s. 13.63 (1) or registration of an interest under s. 13.67 (2). 2. A license or permit specified in s. 29.563 (15). 3. A l…

45.46 Grants to nonprofit organizations that serve veterans and their families. From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (th), the department may make grants of up to $250,000 annually to nonprofit organizations, as defined in s. 108.02 (19), and no more than $25,000 to each gr…

45.47 Record-keeping and audit requirements for grant programs administered by the department. (1) DEFINITION. In this section, “grant recipient” means a county, American Indian tribe or band, nonprofit organization, or other person that is not an individual and that receives a g…

45.48 Veterans outreach and recovery program. (1) To be funded from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (qs), the department shall administer a program to provide outreach, mental health services, and support to individuals who reside in this state, who may have a mental health…

45.49 State matching grants for recipients of federal per diem payments. (1) DEFINITION. In this section, “eligible entity” means an eligible entity under 38 USC 2011 (d) other than the state that, on the date of application under this section, has been awarded per diem payments …

45.50 Veterans homes; management. (1) VETERANS HOME AT KING. The department shall operate the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King and employ a commandant for the home. (2b) VETERANS HOME AT UNION GROVE. Subject to authorization under ss. 13.48 (10) and 20.924 (1), the department may …

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 b…

45.55 Notes and mortgages of minor veterans. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or any other law to the contrary, any minor who served in the active U.S. armed forces at any time after August 27, 1940, and the husband or wife of such a minor may execute, in his or her …

45.57 Veterans homes; transfer of funding. The department may transfer all or part of the unencumbered balance of any of the appropriations under s. 20.485 (1) (g), (gd), (gk), or (i) to the veterans trust fund. The department shall notify the joint committee on finance in writin…

45.58 Grants for fire and emergency medical services. From the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (kj), the department may make in each fiscal biennium up to $600,000 in grants to fire districts, cities, villages, and towns that provide fire and emergency medical services to veter…

45.60 Military funeral honors. (1) PROGRAM. (a) The department shall administer a program to coordinate the provision of military funeral honors in this state to all of the following: 1. Military personnel on active duty. 2. Former military members who served on active duty and w…

45.61 Wisconsin veterans cemeteries. 45.61(1)(1) Construction and operation of cemeteries. Subject to authorization under ss. 13.48 (10) and 20.924 (1), the department may construct and operate veterans cemeteries in central, northwestern, and southeastern Wisconsin and may emplo…

45.62 Burial places compiled. (1) The department may compile a record of veteran’s burial places located within the state that may, so far as practicable, indicate all of the following information: (a) The deceased veteran’s name. (b) The service in which the deceased veteran was…

45.70 Veterans memorials. 45.70(1b)(1b) Establishment and modifications of memorials. 45.70(1b)(a)(a) The board may approve, recommend, and veto any proposed plans, modifications, and changes or policies with respect to established state memorials and any future veterans state me…

45.71 Catalog of memorials. The department shall prepare a catalog of memorials, describing each memorial and giving its location and condition. The department shall periodically update that catalog. History: 2005 a. 22.

45.72 County and municipal memorials. (1) In this section and s. 45.73, “local unit of government” means a city, village, town, or county. (2) Any local unit of government may by gift, purchase, contract, or condemnation acquire property, real or personal, for the purpose of prov…

45.73 Sites for veterans memorial halls. (1) Any local unit of government may donate to any organization specified in s. 70.11 (9) land upon which is to be erected a memorial hall to contain the memorial tablet specified in s. 70.11 (9). (2) The action of any local unit of govern…

45.74 Memorial corporations organized under 1919 act. (1) Any commission or board of trustees that governs a corporation organized to construct a memorial under s. 45.057 (5), statutes of 1919 to 1943 (created by chapter 598, laws of 1919, and repealed by chapter 301, laws of 194…

45.75 Memorials in populous counties. (1) Any county having a population of 750,000 or more may establish and maintain a memorial or memorials in the county under s. 45.72 by agreement between the county board of the county and any nonprofit private corporation without capital st…

45.80 County veterans service officer. 45.80(1)(1) Election or appointment. 45.80(1)(a)(a) Except as provided under par. (b), the county board shall elect a county veterans service officer who shall be a Wisconsin resident who served on active duty under honorable conditions in t…

45.81 County veterans service commission. (1) There is created in each county a county veterans service commission consisting of at least 3 residents of the county who are veterans appointed for staggered 3-year terms by the county executive or county board chairperson in a count…

45.82 Grants to counties and tribes for improvement of services. (1) Each county may annually apply to the department for a grant for the improvement of service to former military personnel of the county through the county veterans service office. A county may not allocate any po…

45.83 Transportation services grants to counties. (1) Annually, from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s), the department shall award grants to counties that are not served by transportation services provided by the Wisconsin department of Disabled American Veterans to devel…

45.84 Burial allowance. (1) Each county veterans service officer shall cause to be interred in a decent and respectable manner in any cemetery in this state, other than those used exclusively for the burial of paupers, the body of any veteran, spouse, or surviving spouse who was …

45.85 Care of graves. (1) Every town board, village board, or common council of every city shall at all times see that the graves and tombstones of all veterans, including women’s auxiliary organizations created by act of Congress, who shall at any time have served in any branch …

45.86 County tax for needy veterans. (1) Every county board shall annually levy, in addition to all other taxes, a tax sufficient to carry out the purposes of this section. The tax shall be levied and collected as other county taxes for the purpose of providing aid to needy veter…