The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) was created in 1945 to consolidate separate veterans programs under one agency. Today, WDVA provides grants, loans and a variety of services to eligible Wisconsin veterans and their families.

WDVA is governed by a seven-member citizen Board of Veterans Affairs. Board members are appointed by the Governor in staggered six-year terms, with the advice and consent of the Wisconsin State Senate. Administrative powers and duties are exercised by the department secretary, who is appointed by the board.

     Secretary's Vision

I am honored and humbled to be named Secretary of this Department. My intent is to provide the leadership necessary to ensure the debt we owe our veterans continues to be paid. The mission we perform for our fellow service members and their families is essential and we, as a team, must be ever vigilant in our efforts to promote integrity, efficiency and humanity as we accomplish the goals set forth by the Board.

Those goals have changed as the nature of our society and the nature of military service has changed. Our largest population of veterans, those who served in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War, has matured and has far different needs. Our youngest veterans face many challenges as they attempt to reintegrate from their tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our National Guard and the Reserves have been mobilized in unprecedented numbers and we must ensure they are part of any mission. In short, we must re-evaluate our goals and adapt the mission of the Department to meet these new goals.

This will not be an easy undertaking. The Board must process complex information, assess the Department’s resources and respond to the stakeholders who represent the thousands of Wisconsin veterans we serve. The Department staff must assist the Board, provide a “boots on the ground” response once a course of action has been chosen, and monitor the chosen course. The stakeholders must provide the building blocks of these actions:  the places where help is most needed, the volunteers to assist with legislation and implementation, and feedback on whether the chosen actions are accomplishing the goals.

During my 20 plus years of service, I developed, planned and accomplished many missions. Most of those missions required careful planning. As we chart the mission we must undertake, I would offer my experience, and I would offer the following outline as a starting point.

1. Define our mission(s)
   1. We must examine our demographic base and determine their needs.
   2. We must assess our resources:  what we have and what we might be able to obtain.
   3. We must determine what goals need to be our first priority and what resources we must devote to those priorities.
2. After ascertaining what our mission is, we must review and refine our delivery system
   1. We must review all existing programs and create, revise or eliminate as necessary to successfully accomplish the mission.
   2. We must determine if operational realignment is appropriate.
   3. We must initiate any new or revised program based on specific goals and be prepared to alter the course if the goals are not being met.
3. We must secure the resource base to accomplish the mission each and every year.
   1. Once programs have been determined, we need to project the costs for the next five years at a minimum.
   2. We must then determine what resources can be used to minimize reliance on other entities.
   3. Once we know what resources are necessary from outside the Department, we must use teamwork to secure the necessary resources.
4. Every mission requires review and adjustment:  it is essential that the mission and specific goals be evaluated on an annual basis.
   1. Re-examine our demographic base and ensure our programs remain vital for our constituents.
   2. Review the operational efficiency of our programs.
   3. Seek stakeholder input for enhancing, expanding or eliminating programs.

No worthwhile goal is easy. The best things in life are often the hardest to achieve. But I want the best for our veterans and I know each and every one of you does too. Every man and woman who has served our country knows how to pull together to accomplish a mission. I stand ready to assist the Board in these tasks, as I am sure the stakeholders and Department staff do, and look forward to a bright future for Wisconsin veterans.

It is a difficult time for the veterans community. My intent is to stay focused on supporting veterans and I will be out and around the veterans community to reconnect and ensure we are all working towards our common goal—taking care of our veterans.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is:

• Serving Wisconsin veterans, their families, and their survivors with dignity and compassion in recognition of their sacrifices and service to Wisconsin and the nation
• Serving as their principal advocate in the state
• Providing outreach, programs and services to ensure they receive the benefits to which they are entitled
• Developing, coordinating, administering, and maintaining state programs and services that provide health, educational, economic, and social assistance and lasting memorialization, in supplement and complement to those provided by the federal government
• Acknowledging, commemorating, and affirming the role of Wisconsin veterans in the United States of America's military past by means of instructive exhibits and other educational programs

History of Wisconsin Veterans’ Benefits

Wisconsin has earned a distinguished reputation nationally for instituting programs and services that meet the needs of its residents who served in the U.S. armed forces and their families.

The state’s proud tradition of providing assistance to veterans and their families began soon after the Civil War. Most of this early assistance was intended to alleviate the suffering of destitute veterans and their families.

In 1887, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a prominent organization representing Civil War veterans, founded the Grand Army Home at King. This facility near Waupaca was eventually turned over to the State of Wisconsin and became the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King. In August 2001, the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove opened.

In 1901, the state honored Civil War veterans by establishing a GAR headquarters and museum in the State Capitol. In 1989, the Legislature authorized the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to build a new museum, honoring veterans from all wars, across the street from the Capitol. The award-winning Wisconsin Veterans Museum opened in 1993.

In 1919, the state issued its only wartime bonus to Wisconsin veterans of World War I. In 1945, rather than issue a wartime bonus with little lasting value, the Legislature created programs that offered long-term benefits for state veterans and their families.

To administer state veterans programs, the Legislature created the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs in 1945. The department was given the administrative responsibility for the Grand Army Home at King, the GAR Memorial Hall in the Capitol, the state’s economic and education assistance benefits for veterans, and other programs. It also assumed responsibility for segregated funds for veterans that were combined in 1961 to form the Veterans Trust Fund.

Today, the WDVA provides an array of benefits and services to eligible state veterans, and in some instances, veterans’ family members.

To deliver these benefits and services, the WDVA works closely with county veterans service officers (CVSOs). Each county has a veterans service officer who offers outreach, counseling and processing of benefit applications for both state and federal programs.

Wisconsin has three state veterans cemeteries.

The Wisconsin Veterans Home at King offers high-quality skilled nursing care and retirement options for veterans and their spouses. A second veterans home opened in August on the campus of the Southern Wisconsin Center, near Union Grove.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison attracts visitors from around the world and has earned national awards for its portrayal of veterans’ history.