Board Minutes April 2006

8/8/2019 Board Minutes April 2006

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EXHIBIT 1WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

WDVA Briefing of April 20, 2006Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Board Members Present WDVA Staff Members Present

Don Heiliger John A. Scocos, SecretaryMack Hughes Bill Kloster, Deputy SecretaryMarv Freedman Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant

Pete Moran Bill Crowley, Commandant, KingWalter Stenavich John Rosinski, Chief Legal CounselKen Wendt Glen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove

Colleen Holtan, Budget OfficeLegislative & Program Review Members Present Ken Black, Veterans BenefitsBill Hustad Tom Rhatican, Div. of Veterans HomesJosh Sniegowski Andy Schuster, Public Relations DirectorSteve Lawrence Mike Trepanier, OOSBud MautzDuane Miskulin Council on Veterans Programs Present

Tim Thiers Russ Alsteen, NCUSAPaul Weprinsky Paul Bialk, MCLVera Roddy Pat Brown, USSVWWII

Rick Cherone, MOPHLong Term Care Committee Members Present Rick Gates, CVSOAKevin Kavanaugh Bill Hustad, WVVRobert Morzenti Steve Lawrence, VFWArnold Miller Bud Mautz, Am. LegionJerry Rabetski Jerry Rabetski, PLAVJerry Polus Vera Roddy, UWVAlan Walker William Sims, NABV

Clif Sorenson, WACVOFinancial Committee Members Present Tim Thiers, AMVETSConnie Allord Paul Weprinsky, JWVJim Gausmann Ron Rutkowski, VVAWJohn O’Brien Paul Fine, ANU

Bill BottomsJoe Campbell Others PresentJim Endres Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO

Owen Williams, US Submarine Vets CommanderEllen Blissenbach, Gold Star WivesRoger Fetterly, Military Officers Assoc. of AmericaJoAnn Mautz, American Legion AuxiliaryTerry MacDonald, AMVETS Post 51Peter Santner, AMVETS Post 51Gene E. Wagner, AMVET Post 1032 ReedsvilleChris Demmin, AMVETS Post 51Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSOAllan C. Miller, VFW Post 9290 QuartermasterRoger Ohnesorge, VFW Post 9290 Commander

The briefing session by WDVA staff for Board, Council and Committee memberscommenced at 2:00 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. It was made knownthat the notice of meeting was posted in accordance with the open meetings law.

Board Chairman Wendt introduced Door County Board Chairman Charlie Most whowelcomed the group to Sturgeon Bay. Mr. Most thanked Scott McFarlane, Door CountyVeterans Service Officer for his work with veterans who deserve the many programs thatare available to them in Wisconsin.



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Secretary Scocos presented a recognition plaque to Scott McFarlane on behalf of

the Board and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

1. Certification of Notice of Meeting and Roll CallRoll call of Board members: 6 members present; 1 member excused. Quorum present.Roll call of Legislative and Program Review Committee members: 10 members present, 2members excused. Quorum present.

Roll call of Long-Term Care Committee members: 8 members present; 4 membersexcused. Quorum present.Roll call of Financial Committee members: 7 members present; 3 members excused.Quorum present.Roll call of Council on Veterans Programs members: 16 members present, 3 membersexcused, 4 vacancies. Quorum present.

Secretary Scocos introduced Congressman Mark Green who welcomed thegroup to Sturgeon Bay. He talked about the new veterans’ clinic in Green Bay that hasdramatically improved access to health care. Progress has been made in the area ofconcurrent receipts. The survivor benefit program and veterans funding on the national

level are being addressed. Congressman Green said the State of Wisconsin has a verystrong commitment to veterans and veteran’s health care.

On behalf of the Board, Secretary Scocos thanked Congressman Green andpresented him with a plaque of appreciation.

2. Legislative Report—Anthony HardieMr. Hardie said that QVMB legislation remains part of the tax relief extenders

package that is pending in Congress. VA funding, including the FY07 budget remains atop issue among the veteran’s service organizations. The Administration’s FY07 budgetproposal for veterans enrolled in VA healthcare as Priority 7 and 8 to share in the costs

of their care through an annual enrollment fee and increased co-pays is not supportedby a majority of the House Veterans Affairs Committee members. The Committeeinstead proposed an increase of $795.5 million over the Administration’s budgetrequest. Mr. Hardie noted a 14.2% cost-of-living increase in VBA’s mandatory funding.Senate Bill 2415 would increase the VA burial plot allowance for state veteran’scemeteries.

• Senate Bill 613 remains pending at the state level. The most significant piece ofthis legislation would be an increase in the Wisconsin GI Bill from 50% tuition remissionto a full, free 100% tuition program for Wisconsin veterans. An amendment to the billwould delay implementation to FY07. The expansion of the Wisconsin GI Bill would

save the Veterans Trust Fund approximately $2.3 million in the first two years of itsenactment.

Mr. Hardie highlighted other pieces of legislation that the Department ismonitoring:

• Wisconsin Act 139 has to do with Registers of Deeds and recording ofinstruments that contain social security numbers.

• Wisconsin Act 140 allows individuals to restrict release of credit reports.• Wisconsin Act 187 authorizes medically related actions by advanced practice

nurse prescribers and physician assistants.



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• Wisconsin Act 238 designates and marks State Highway 173 as the 173 rd Airborne Brigade Highway.

• Wisconsin Acts195 and 196 have minor impact for pharmacists and members atthe Wisconsin Veterans Homes.

• Assembly Bill 378 regarding college reenrollment of persons called into activemilitary service was signed into law as Wisconsin Act 324.

• Wisconsin Act 239 relates to the display of POW/MIA flags at certain Departmentof Transportation rest areas.

• Assembly Bill 383 is now Wisconsin Act 350 and it requires criminal historybackground investigations of applicants for certain state government positions.

• Wisconsin Act 351, formerly Senate Bill 579, relates to caregiver backgroundinformation.

3. Programs Report—Ken BlackMr. Black gave an update on Bulletins sent out since the last briefing.

• #731 addresses the change in funeral honors stipends by the National Guardraising it from $35 to$50.

• #732 discusses grave registrations.• #733 informs the CVSO community assisting incarcerated veterans.

The Northwestern Veterans Memorial Cemetery has eight columbarium nichesleft and expansion plans are in the works to add another columbarium. There are plentyof in-ground spaces to accommodate the deceased. On Memorial Day, ceremonies willbe conducted at all three cemeteries.

To date WDVA has paid at least one stipend to 354 veteran’s serviceorganizations in all 72 counties. During the month of March, the Military Funeral HonorsTeam participated in 114 funeral services.

A VA per diem inspection recently occurred in all three VAP locations. Theresults were very positive. Due to positive changes in the program we were able toincrease the daily per diem we receive from the VA at McCoy and Union Grove.

The spring processing season for the VetEd program begins in Mid-May. Asecond VetEd process action team has been organized to recommend strategy andchanges to the VetEd program after the first of July.

There has been a 117% increase in the number of Assistance to Needy VeteransGrant applications coming to the Department. Seventy percent of those applicationshave been approved.

More than $148,000 has been collected on accounts referred for legal actionover the past two years. The delinquency rate is down to an all-time low of 1.81%.

WDVA is in the process of distributing loan brochures as part of a marketingplan. Initially we will only advertise in certain areas of the state.

The Transportation Grant was discussed in a process action team. The CVSOswill be coming back with some clear concerns. The next meeting is May 11th. (NOTE:this is unrelated to the new Code language.)



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4. Veterans Homes Report

Commandant Brower reported that the census at the Union Grove Home at theend of March was 105. There are 6 pending applications. The Union Grove Home has98 employees and anticipates adding an additional 30 employees in July. Once thecook-chill operation comes on line, another 31 employees will be added. More positionswill be phased in as more beds are filled in the skilled nursing facility.

Construction projects:• The skilled nursing facility was turned over the Department and a few items

remain to be finished up. To date the federal VA has paid 65% of the cost ofbuilding the skilled nursing facility. Thus far we have received $11.3 million withabout $1.7 million to be received. The 20th of May is the dedication ceremony.

• The VA has done a pre-inspection and further VA and state safety inspectionswill occur in June.

• The renovation of the activity center continues and the building will be turnedover to WDVA later this month.

• The food service project continues to move along. $1.3 million from the federalVA has been received so far.

The Commandant recognized the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the VFWand motorcycle guests who contributed to the St. Patrick’s Day event.

Q: Where will your population come from who will reside in the skilled nursingfacility?

A: 191 letters were sent throughout the state to people who have expressed aninterest in nursing home care. A 48% response was received and 38 individuals saidthat they were interested in getting into the facility.

Q: Will you discontinue the dementia program at Fairchild Hall?

A: That is being looked at right now, but probably not. There seems to be aneed in the dementia process for this service.

Commandant Crowley said the census at King stands at 708 with 51 pendingapplications. Ten individuals are approved for admission into King and 41 otherapplications are in various stages of review. The average length of time from the dateof application to the date of admission is 21 days. The category of care still remainshigh. There were some flu cases, contained in Ainsworth Hall and Stordock Hall overthe course of the past month.

The Home Exchange reported a net gain of $61.00 for February and March.

Current projects at King:• Well #1 is now on line and the water supply comes from a combination of Well #1

and lake water. Well #2 should be on line by the summer of 2007.• Construction on the steam and condensate lines has resumed and is expected to

be done in June 2006. Congressman Green presented a $404,000 check towardthe cost of that project at King. That is the 65% cost sharing from the federal VA.



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The unified fundraising effort for the buses for King and Union Grove currentlystands at about $270,000 raised of the $370,000 needed.

On Saturday, May 13th the PLAV King delegation will be at the Home. Sunday,May 21st is the Annual Open House Event. May 29th is the annual Memorial DayProgram beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Marden Center and continuing on to thecemetery. At 5:30 a.m. volunteers will place over 4,000 flags on the graves at thecemetery. On April 19th a Banquet was held to recognize volunteers. The Home isgrateful for the over 66,000 volunteer hours put in at the Home. Chairman Wendt has

2,500 hours of documented volunteer hours at the Home.

At this point several checks were presented to Commandant Crowley for the busfund: $5,000 from the Peters Foundation, a Regional AMVETs check for $500, PLAVPost 186 Auxiliary donated $200; the President of the Ladies Auxiliary, State ofWisconsin--$25.00; PLAV Post 186 $250.00 to be followed by another $250.00 in Julyand from the PLAV State Department--$300. The American Legion Women’s Postcontributed $100.00. New Glarus VFW Post 10549 and Wisconsin Vietnam VeteransChapter 3 donated $200 to the bus fund, $200 for the Union Grove Veterans Home, and$200 for the King Veterans Home. The generosity shown to add to the quality of life forthe veterans at the Veterans Homes is greatly appreciated.

5. Financial Report—Colleen HoltanMs. Holtan presented financials as of March 31, 2006. The King Home had an

ending cash balance of $19.6 million. The Union Grove Home had a negative operatingincome for the month of March of $630,499. The operating loss is due to threefactors—the posting of operating revenues was not completed as of the end of themonth, there were three pay periods in the month, and start up costs related to the newskilled nursing facility. Cash uses exceeded receipts by $248,700 in March, resulting ina negative YTD cash balance of $3.01 million.

The Veterans Trust Fund had an operating loss before transfers of $674,418 for

the month of March. The YTD loss before transfers is $6.6 million. The VTF fundequity has decreased to $78.6 million since the beginning of the fiscal year. The cashbalance for the month of March was $29.6 million, a decrease of only $86,540.

The Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund had a net income of $1,038,575 duringMarch 2006, reducing the year-to-date net loss to $600,335. Investment income in theMortgage Loan Repayment Fund as well as the Trust Fund continues to be positivelyimpacted by increasing earnings rates for cash deposits. The rate for March 2006 was4.553%, which is more than 2% higher than it was one year ago. The cash balancedecreased nearly $11.1 million to $106 million during March as a result of a bondprepayment call made on March 1st.

The delinquency rates in the overall Veterans Trust Fund and the PLP was1.81%, which is the lowest rate since November 1998. The delinquency rate for PLPswas 1.77%. The Primary Mortgage delinquency rate for February 2006 is 0.70%.

During March 2006, the Department received six new applications for primarymortgage loans, one less than received in March 2005.

6. Recess/Adjournment



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It was moved by Mr. Stenavich, seconded by Mr. Moran and carried unanimouslyon a voice vote to adjourn.



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M I N U T E S

LEGISLATIVE AND PROGRAM REVIEW COMMITTEE

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Meeting of April 20, 2006

Committee Present WDVA Present

Pete Moran John A. Scocos, Secretary

Don Heiliger William Kloster, Deputy Secretary

Vera Roddy Anthony Hardie, Executive AssistantJosh Sniegowski John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel

Duane Miskulin Ken Black, Division of Veterans Benefits

Bud Mautz Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King

Steve Lawrence Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove

Bill Hustad Colleen Holtan, Budget Office

Paul Weprinsky Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes

Tim Thiers Andy Schuster, Public Relations Director

Mike Trepanier, OOS

Committee Excused

Lewis Harned

Jim Young

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

The meeting of the Legislative and Program Review Committee was called to order at

2:00 p.m. to hear a WDVA briefing (see Exhibit 1). The Committee stood in recess after the

WDVA briefing. A quorum was present at the WDVA briefing and upon reconvening at 3:00

p.m.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

It was certified that proper notice of the meeting occurred.

3. Approval of Minutes.

It was moved by Mr. Mautz seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried on a voice vote toapprove the minutes of the February 21, 2006 meetings.

4. Secretary’s Matters.

Mr. Scocos talked about the listening session held last evening in Sturgeon Bay with

Senator Feingold’s representative, Congressman Green’s representative, Rep. Bies and Rep.

Gard. There were questions from area veterans on federal and state issues. The property tax

credit was discussed and is something that the Wisconsin Legislature will take up again in the

fall. Wisconsin and Louisiana are two states that do not give some type of tax credit to its

veterans. The 2005-06 legislative session is coming to a close and Senate Bill 613 for 100%

tuition credit must be addressed by the Legislature in the next few weeks. The Department will

be preparing its budget this August and September for presentation to the Board.

This summer the Department will relook its Strategic Plan and phase two of the ten-year

solvency plan. There will be a Stakeholder’s Conference this summer.



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May 12-13 is a Supermarket of Veterans Benefits in Oshkosh. May 6 and 7 is the USS

Lagarto Remembrance Day event in Manitowoc, and there are many Memorial Day events that

will be attended by Department staff and Board members.

5. Public Input.

None.

6. Committee Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).

Committee members had some comments with regard to Wisconsin Act 324 (formerlyAssembly Bill 378)—college re-enrollment of persons called into active military service.

Mr. Thiers thanked Board member Don Heiliger for speaking to two classes at Lincoln

High School in Manitowoc.

7. Next Meeting Date.

The next meeting will be June 15, 2006 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home--King

8. Adjournment.

It was moved, seconded, and carried on a voice vote to adjourn the meeting.

Pete Moran

Chairman



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M I N U T E SLONG TERM CARE COMMITTEE

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSMeeting of April 20, 2006


Walter Stenavich John A. Scocos, SecretaryMack Hughes William Kloster, Deputy Secretary

Kevin Kavanaugh Anthony Hardie, Executive AssistantJerry Polus John Rosinski, Chief Legal CounselRobert Morzenti Ken Black, Division of Veterans BenefitsArnold Miller Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-KingAlan Walker Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union GroveJerry Rabetski Colleen Holtan, Budget Office

Mike Trepanier, OOSCommittee Excused Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans HomesKen Koon Andy Schuster, Public Relations DirectorChris KornkvenDave Gough

Mary Meyer

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the Long Term Care Committee was called to order at 2:00 p.m. to hear a

WDVA briefing (see Exhibit 1). The Committee stood in recess after the briefing. A quorumwas present at the briefing and upon reconvening at 3:15 p.m.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.It was certified that proper notice of the meeting occurred.

3. Approval of Minutes.

It was moved, seconded, and carried on a voice vote to approve the minutes of theFebruary 21, 2006 meeting.

4. Secretary’s Matters.The Secretary welcomed the new members to the Long Term Care Committee.

Mr. Scocos talked about attending the Volunteer Banquet at King. He was veryimpressed by the amount of volunteer time put in throughout the years. The Open House at Kingwill be on May 21st.

The dedication of the new skilled nursing facility at Union Grove is set for May 20th.Two or three years ago there were fewer than 30 residents at the Union Grove facility and todaythere is a census of 105. The Secretary complimented Commandant Brower for his hard work.

In February Congressman Green presented a check for over $400,000. This was thefederal grant portion of the steam condensate line installation project at King.



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Mr. Polus said that veterans who are service-connected 70% or greater are eligible underVA health care for long term care and in many communities there are contract nursing homeagreements. Why is it that the veterans home cannot be eligible for contract nursing home care?

Mr. Crowley said that the reason is because WDVA receives per diem payment from thefederal VA which goes toward the overall cost of providing care to the veterans living at theHome. The veterans home belongs to the National Association of State Veterans Homes and

that association has a 50-year history of working with the federal VA on issues such as this.They are trying to get the federal VA to agree to contract with state veterans homes for veteranswho are 70% or more service-connected. At this time the federal VA Regulations allow the VAto contract with a community nursing home and pay them the full cost of care for keeping a 70%service-connected veteran in that environment, but VA Regulations do not allow the VA to enterinto that same contract with a state veterans home.

Mr. Brower said the Union Grove home is going to be holding its first volunteerrecognition day on April 30th from 11 to 1.

5. Public Input.

None.

6. Committee Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).None.

7. Next Meeting Schedule.June 15, 2006 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home—King.

8. Adjournment.It was moved, seconded, and carried on a voice vote to adjourn the meeting.

Walter StenavichChairman



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M I N U T E SFINANCIAL COMMITTEE

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSMeeting of April 20, 2006


Marv Freedman John A. Scocos, SecretaryConnie Allord William Kloster, Deputy Secretary

Bill Bottoms Anthony Hardie, Executive AssistantJim Endres John Rosinski, Chief Legal CounselJoe Campbell Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-KingJim Gausmann Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union GroveJohn O’Brien Colleen Holtan, Budget Office

Mike Trepanier, OOSCommittee Excused Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans HomesKathy Marschman Ken Black, Division of Veterans BenefitsMike Demske Andy Schuster, Public Relations DirectorAl Kochenderfer

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the Financial Committee was called to order at 2:00 p.m. to hear a

WDVA briefing (see Exhibit 1). The Committee stood in recess after the WDVA briefing. Aquorum was present at the briefing and upon reconvening at 4:00 p.m. Mr. Freedman welcomedthe new Committee members.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.Notice of meeting was certified.

3. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Mr. Endres, seconded by Mr. Bottoms and carried on a voice vote to

approve the minutes of the February 21, 2006 meetings.

4. Secretary’s Matters.Secretary Scocos said the Department will soon begin to prepare its fiscal assessment in

phase two of the ten-year solvency plan. The Secretary thanked Ken Black and his staff for thelowest delinquency rate in Trust Fund loans since 1998. He talked about the budgetdevelopment for the Department. A good number of our major initiatives come from talking toveterans at the Stakeholders Conference.

Q: What exemptions are California and Texas speaking about with regard to QVMB?A: At this point there are five QVMB states: California, Oregon Texas, Alaska and

Wisconsin. The five states together have about 20% of the nation’s veterans. With theeconomic decline across the United States in the last several years, all the five states weresimilarly hit with declining interest rates and the inability to refinance those loans. Wisconsin,Alaska and Oregon have not been able to issue a QVMB loan in many years. California andTexas have a much larger program so the impact has been less and they still have the ability toissue QVMB loans. Also, California and Texas are receiving states for military retirees. Theseolder veterans are looking to buy a home because they are newly moving into these states.



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Therefore, California and Texas sought an exemption from the QVMB legislation because of thephase in process which would limit their funds for the first couple of years. The phase-inamounts do not negatively impact Wisconsin, Oregon and Alaska because some amount of money is better than nothing.

Q: Do we have a point person within the conference committee who is championing thislegislation? Were you surprised by Senator Grassley’s substitute amendment that struck QVMBfrom the Senate version?

A: We were a little surprised that QVMB was not included in the Senate side but as wehear from the House Ways and Means Committee there is not a particular concern that it was notincluded. Congressman Bill Thomas is heading up the conference committee and he is from oneof the QVMB states, California. He also chairs the House Ways and Means Committee onwhich Congressman Paul Ryan sits and whose agreement he received. Congressman Thomasalso chairs the Joint Committee on Taxation that reviewed the provision that would exemptCalifornia and Texas.

Q: With respect to phase two of the Veterans Trust Fund Solvency Plan, we have a longhistory of being on record about having administrative costs shift to GPR for the managementand operation of Trust Fund programs. What would be the practical fiscal impact if the

administrative costs were taken from the Trust Fund and placed in GPR and secondly, on themortgage repayment fund, what would be the fiscal impact in the biennium for that as well?

A: The Veterans Trust Fund would be $3,626,000—44% and the mortgage loanrepayment fund is $4,608,000—a total of $8.2 million.

5. Public Input.None.

6. Committee Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).A Committee asked for the Glossary of Acronyms to be distributed to all members (copy

attached to these minutes).

Mr. Freedman asked for a brief explanation page at the end of the report for extraordinarypositive or negative amounts that are discussed in the financials.

Congratulations to Mr. Black and his team for bringing the delinquency rates down.

7. Next Meeting Date.June 15, 2006 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home--King

8. Adjournment.It was moved by Mr. Bottoms, seconded by Mr. Endres and carried on a voice vote to

adjourn the meeting.

Marv FreedmanChairman



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M I N U T E S

COUNCIL ON VETERANS PROGRAMSWISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Meeting of April 21, 2006

Members Present WDVA Present

Russ Alsteen, NCUSA John A. Scocos, Secretary

Paul Bialk, MCL William Kloster, Deputy SecretaryPat Brown, USSVWWII Anthony Hardie, Executive AssistantRick Cherone, MOPH John Rosinski, Chief Legal CounselPaul Fine, ANU Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-KingRick Gates, CVSOA Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union GroveBill Hustad, WVV Colleen Holtan, Budget OfficeSteve Lawrence, VFW Ken Black, Division of Veterans BenefitsBud Mautz, Am. Legion Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans HomesJerry Rabetski, PLAV Mike Trepanier, OOSRon Rutkowski, VVAW Andy Schuster, Public Relations DirectorVera Roddy, UWV Rich Calcut, Public Information Officer-King

Clif Sorenson, WACVOWilliam Sims, NABVTim Thiers, AMVETSPaul Weprinsky, JWV

Members Excused Jesse Haro, CWVSteve House, VVAWalter Peterson, Am. ExPOWJack Stone, PVAWWI vacancy

FCDV vacancyARC vacancyDAV vacancy

1. Call to Order and Roll Call of Members.The meeting of the Council on Veterans Programs was called to order by Chairman

Alsteen at 8:00 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.It was certified that proper notice of the meeting occurred.

3. Introduction of Guests and Announcements.The Chairman acknowledged the presence of Board Chairman Ken Wendt; Board

member Stenavich; Board member Moran; Board member Hughes; Board member Heiliger;Board member Freedman; Door County Veterans Service Officer Scott McFarlane; andAMVETS State Commander Dennis Barrington.

4. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Mr. Fine, seconded and carried unanimously on a voice vote to accept

the minutes of the February 21-22, 2006 meetings.



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5. Council Communications.Mr. Alsteen said two organizations seeking membership on the Council, MOAA and

TREA, say that there are 16,000 military officer retirees. Most of them enlisted from the State of Wisconsin and most have spent 20 years in military life.

6. Museum Foundation Report.

Mr. Hustad said the Foundation met for informational purposes only because they did nothave a quorum. They discussed the updating of the Foundation web site. An audit must beconducted every three years and that audit is due to be performed this year. The Foundation isgetting bids from some banks to see if its present bank is giving them the best deal. Oneinteresting event coming up on May 3rd is a program by the Wisconsin State Historical Societyand the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on the book, “Thieves of Baghdad”.

7. Report of Special Committee to Study the Reorganization of the Membership of the Councilon Veterans Programs.

The Committee met yesterday and determined that any organization member that has notsubmitted its biennial report to the Legislature and/or has three consecutive unexcused absences

will be sent a letter advising them that we will seek their discontinuation on the Council throughthe Legislative process. The other issue was the Council’s ability to take a position onapplications for membership, such as what was made by the MOAA and TREA. The Committeerecommended sending them a letter supporting their application to become members of theCouncil on Veterans Programs.

It was moved by Mr. Sorenson and seconded to send a letter to any individual and his orher organization after they have three unexcused absences and/or have not submitted therequired biennial report to the Legislature explaining that these inactions will jeopardize theirmembership. Motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.

It was moved by Mr. Sorenson and seconded by Mr. Fine that this Council send a letterof support to MOAA and TREA on their application for membership on the Council. Motioncarried unanimously on a voice vote.

8. Secretary’s Matters.Secretary Scocos thanked the Chairman and members of the Council for supporting the

budgetary process. He anticipates a Stakeholder’s conference sometime in July. The new GIBill for 100% tuition reflects our commitment to the largest group of veterans now, the VietnamEra veterans. It gives veterans of every era the opportunity to go back to school if they want.WDVA’s commitment is for every veteran in this state to have a property tax credit in someform. We are also relooking the 100% property tax credit for the disabled veteran who is 65 orolder to include ExPOWs and spouses. Age and residency factors will also be revisited for theproperty tax credit. We need to continue to work on educational and health care benefits for ourveterans.

The Secretary noted the following events: May 6-7 is the USS Lagarto Remembranceevent in Manitowoc. May 23-13 is the Supermarket of Veterans Benefits in Oshkosh. May 20th is Armed Forces Day and WDVA will dedicate the new skilled nursing facility in a ceremonycommencing at 11 a.m. May 21 is the Open House at King. Memorial Day events around thestate and we will be honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. June 14th is Flag Day.



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June 15-16 the Board of Veterans Affairs will meet at King. The CVSO/TVSO training isscheduled for the last week in July.

The Secretary announced that Anthony Hardie was appointed to the VA’s ResearchAdvisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Issues. Mr. Hardie has long been involved in thisarea of research and with the Gulf War Association. We are proud to have a member of our staff and a veteran from our state on a federal committee.

The Secretary gave a brief update on the prospect for a bigger veteran’s museum inMadison. The process would begin by buying the building that houses the museum and theDVA offices which WDVA is currently leasing for $1.3 million per year. The structure wouldbe razed and a new one built that would house agency offices and the new exhibits, includingpost-1991 conflicts, American Indian veterans and a hall honoring stand-out Wisconsin soldiers.If the money can be raised for the project, estimated to cost between $18 and $21 million, itcould be finished by 2011.

9. Old Business.The Chairman passed out a note keeping format that Council members can use. He asked

that notice be posted that the Special Committee will meet again in June to discuss this note

keeping format and possibly additional matters that could require action on discontinuing oradding new members to the Council. The Council was reminded that they do get minutes fromWDVA that are very comprehensive.

A motion was made at the last meeting that stated if a Council or Committee memberchose not to attend the briefings on Thursday, their overnight lodging would not be paid for.That motion was withdrawn so that the Department could do a study. That matter is still beingresearched by the Department.

10. New Business.Mr. Alsteen said the Council needs to bring more information to the Department and to

the Board. The membership is the eyes and ears of the veteran’s community. It is up to us tobring veteran matters up for Board review and action.

11. Activities within the Veterans Community.Mr. Sorenson went to Georgia to welcome Jason home from Iraq. Mr. Sorenson is on the

VISN 23 Consumer Advisory Board. He has been to Washington, DC a couple of times sincethe last meeting and will be out there again in June for the National Coalition for HomelessVeterans on behalf of the American Legion.

Annually, the women veterans’ community holds an all women veterans luncheon andthis year it will be October 28

that the Elks Club in Milwaukee. The host organization is

Milwaukee Women’s Post American Legion Milwaukee Women’s Club. They try to outreach towomen veterans who are outside the southeast Wisconsin area.

Mr. Hustad provided flyers on behalf of Cliff Borden regarding the 2006 AnnualCommemorative Program at the Wisconsin Korean War Veterans Memorial at Plover in centralWisconsin to be held on Sunday, June 4th.

Mr. Sims said a Day of Honor for WWII minority veterans will be held at the CulturalCenter on Sunday, May 21st.



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Mr. Alsteen is going to Washington, DC on May 3rd

for the annual Secretary of the Navybriefing of the Navy Marine Corps Council, along with the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Mr. Gates said a veteran’s supermarket was held in Park Falls earlier this month. WDVAprovided quite a bit of assistance and it went really well. As CVSO President, Mr. Gates wasinvited to take part in the Governor’s Avian Flu Taskforce. CVSOs were invited because theywork closely with the National Guard.

Mr. Bialk mentioned the Wheelchair Games for Milwaukee in 2007 on the Woodgrounds. May 7th at the Legion Post on 63rd and Grange, is a pancake breakfast to raise moneyfor the kick-off of the wheelchair games.

For the purpose of introduction, Mr. Crowley asked Rich Calcut to stand. Mr. Calcut hasworked very hard getting donations for the bus fund.

Mr. Fetterly said his organization, MOAA, has been trying for the last two years to getmembership on the Council. He has approached legislators and written letters to no avail. Theendorsement letter that the Council on Veterans Programs will be sending is a good approach.Mr. Fetterly is also in support of including TREA on the Council.

June 11-18 the American Legion will again sponsor Badger Boys State at Ripon College.They teach high school juniors about government and how to run for public office. There will be800-850 high school juniors attending.

Mr. Hardie said that the Public Affairs Office sends out email notifications wheneverthere is either a federal or state proclamation to lower the flag to half staff. For thoseorganizations that have not signed up to receive those email notifications, please see AndySchuster and he will add you to the list.

Ms. Hoppe announced that the Menominee Nation is going to have gathering of warriors

on the 19th to the 21st of May. The PowWow will be held in Keshena.

12. Next Meeting Date.June 15-16 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home—King. The Special Committee will meet

one hour before the first regularly scheduled meeting.

13. Adjournment.It was moved, seconded and carried on a voice vote to adjourn.

Russ AlsteenChairman



B O A R D M I N U T E SWISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Meeting of April 21, 2006Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Board Members Present Council on Veterans Programs Present

Ken Wendt Russ Alsteen, Navy Club USAPete Moran Paul Bialk, MCLMarv Freedman Cleon “Pat” Brown, USSVWWIIDon Heiliger Rick Cherone, MOPHMack Hughes Paul Fine, ANUWalter Stenavich Rick Gates, CVSOA

Bill Hustad, WVVBoard Members Absent Steve Lawrence, VFWKathy Marschman Bud Mautz, American Legion

Jerry Rabetski, PLAVWDVA Present Vera Roddy, UWVJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Ron Rutkowski, VVAW

Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary Clif Sorenson, WACVOAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant William Sims, NABVJohn Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Tim Thiers, AMVETSGlen Brower, Commandant-Union Grove Paul Weprinsky, JWVBill Crowley, Commandant-KingColleen Holtan, Financial OfficerKen Black, Division of Veterans BenefitsAndy Schuster, Communications DirectorTom Rhatican, Division of Veterans HomesMike Trepanier, OOSRich Caclut, Public Information Officer-King

1. Roll Call and IntroductionsThe meeting of the Board of Veterans Affairs was called to order at 9:00 a.m. The

Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a moment of silence. A quorum was presentafter roll call of members. Chairman Wendt introduced and thanked Door County VeteransCouncil Chairman Terry MacDonald; AMVET Post 51 Commander Pete Sander; TomKowalski from American Legion Post 527; and Door County Veterans Service Officer ScottMcFarlane for sponsoring a reception. Commandant Crowley introduced Rich Calcut who isdoing a great job in fundraising for the buses at King and Union Grove. Linda Munro, pastdepartment president of the VFW Auxiliary, wife of Ken Munro who has been very activewith the VFW for many years, recently suffered a stroke. Your cards can be sent to VFW

State headquarters in Madison to be forwarded to her. Mr. Scocos recognized Kerry Nemcek from Congressman Green’s office and thanked her for her assistance and participation in thetown hall meeting.

The Secretary presented David Ripp with a plaque in recognition of the Ripp familymilitary service and their contributions to veterans of Door County.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting

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It was certified that proper notification of the meeting occurred.

3. Approval of MinutesIt was moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to approve the minutes of the February 21-22, 2006 meetings and the telephoneconference of March 9th.

4. Public Hearing on Proposed Administrative Rule for Transportation GrantThe Chairman opened the public hearing. Mr. Rosinski explained that the hearing is

on a proposed order adopting administrative rules for the County Transportation ServicesGrant. Current language says that prospective, expected, estimated miles are used tocompute the grant. Under this proposed rule, data from the prior 12-month period is used forcalculating the grant. The rule will retain the capability of using future data for counties thatdo not have a transportation service in place or if they are increasing their current servicemore than 50%. The rule language was approved by the Board at its last meeting.

The Chairman called for public testimony. Hearing none, the public hearing was

closed. It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded and carried on a voice vote to authorize theDepartment to submit the rule to the Legislature and complete the promulgation process.

5. Board Members’ MattersChairman Wendt thanked everyone for the cards and letters he received while

hospitalized. Mr. Wendt attended the Northeast Wisconsin CVSO meeting and he alsoattended the Volunteer Banquet at King.

Mr. Freedman said he joined Chairman Wendt and Mr. Stenavich at the VolunteerBanquet at King and was very impressed. While Mr. Freedman was in Myanmar (Burma) hevisited an allied cemetery and found it to be the most impressive veteran’s cemetery that he

has ever seen. There are 6,700 allied soldiers buried there and a memorial to 25,000 whosebodies were never recovered.

Mr. Stenavich was impressed with the Volunteer Banquet at King and he thankedRich Calcut for the exceptional program.

Mr. Heiliger said that two weeks from today is the 33rd

reunion of Vietnam POWs inDayton, Ohio. They will be flying on the last flight of the C-141 that brought them out of North Vietnam, after which the plane will be retired.

Election of Board Officers—Mr. Moran nominated Mack Hughes for Chairman. It

was moved by Mr. Freedman and seconded by Mr. Stenavich that a unanimous ballot be castfor Mack Hughes as Chairman of the Board of Veterans Affairs. Motion carriedunanimously on a voice vote.

Mr. Freedman nominated Pete Moran for Vice Chairman. It was moved by Mr.Heiliger and seconded by Mr. Stenavich that the nominations be closed and a unanimousballot be cast for Pete Moran as Vice Chairman of the Board of Veterans Affairs. Motioncarried unanimously on a voice vote.

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Mr. Moran nominated Marv Freedman for Secretary, it was seconded by Mr.Stenavich. There being no further nominations Mr. Wendt called for a unanimous ballot forMarv Freedman for Secretary, motion carried.

At this point Mr. Hughes took over as Chairman. He thanked his fellow Boardmembers for having confidence in him to chair the Board. Mr. Hughes thanked Mr. Wendt

for his leadership.

Assignment of Board Chairs and Vice Chairs to the Three Committees of theBoard—Long Term Care Committee—Ken Wendt, Chairman and Walter Stenavich, Vice Chair.Financial Committee—Pete Moran, Chairman and Don Heiliger, Vice Chair. Legislative andProgram Review Committee—Marv Freedman, Chairman and Kathy Marschman, ViceChair.

Discuss Setting Dates for Ceremonies to Name WDVA BuildingsMr. Scocos said the skilled nursing facility will be dedicated as Boland Hall on May

20th

. Other proposed dates are: the dedication of the Edo Maccari Administration Building atthe Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery on May 28 th; the dedication of theMoses Administration Building during the Board meeting at King on June 16 th; thededication of the Italo Bensoni Administration Building at the Northern Wisconsin VeteransMemorial Cemetery during the Board meeting in Spooner on August 18th; and the dedicationof the Maurer Administration Building during the Board meeting in Union Grove onDecember 8th.

It was moved by Mr. Stenavich, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried unanimouslyon a voice vote to approve the above schedule of building dedications.

6. Approval of HILP Interest Rates and Home Improvement Loan Program PolicyMr. Kloster provided a methodology by which interest rates can be set for the Home

Improvement Loans (HILP) and Personal Loans. The money for the HILP comes frombonding sources through the Primary Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund. The funding sourcefor the Personal Loan Program (PLP) is the cash in the Veterans Trust Fund. The Secretarycurrently has the authority to set interest rates for the PLP. The proposed policy would makeHILP and PLP very similar in methodology and interest rates. (Copy attached to theseminutes.) The interest rates will be set quarterly on the HILP as well as the PLP, adjustingthem to stay within the parameters of the policy as opposed to coming to the Board to ask forthat permission.

It was moved by Mr. Wendt and seconded by Mr. Freedman to approve the proposedHILP and PLP rate policy.

Mr. Gates, President of the CVSO Association, stated that the only advantage for aveteran in the State of Wisconsin to use these programs is the lower rates. He cautionedagainst trying to mimic business to the point where WDVA veterans’ loans are essentially nodifferent than what can be obtained at a commercial lending institution.

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Mr. Heiliger asked that the Department relook the language about rates being at least50 basis points higher than those offered for an 80% or lower loan-to-value ratio. Mr.Scocos said he would have clarifying language sent to the Board next week.

The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.

7. Board Action from Committee and Council MeetingsLegislative and Program Review Committee meeting of April 20, 2006. (See Exhibit1 attached to these minutes.) There were no motions to bring before the Board.

Long Term Care Committee meeting of April 20, 2006. (See Exhibit 1 attached tothese minutes.) There were no motions to bring before the Board.

At this point in the meeting Mr. Brower and Mr. Crowley received the followingdonations for the bus fund: A check from AMVETS in the amount of $17,000 (bringingAMVETS and AMVETS Auxiliary contributions to the bus fund to $50,000). On behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 529, a check for $500.00. Mr. Arnie Miller turned in

a check for $5,000 from his foundation. Mr. Calcut said that prior to receiving these checkstoday, the bus fund consisted of $266,583.90.

Mr. Freedman asked where the King Home stands on filling the 44 nursing positionsthat were approved in the last budget and what the affect of those positions has been onforced overtime. Mr. Crowley said the King Home has a career ladders program that enablesqualified CNAs who are recommended by their supervisor to participate in the LPN stipendprogram. To date 19 people have graduated from that program and they have come back towork for us as LPNs. There are 11 more who will graduate in May and the new class thatstarted last month, will give us another six LPNs in May of 2007. There is also an RNstipend program for anyone who was a student in the last two years of their course of

education to become eligible to write the state exam to become a registered nurse. Currently,two present employees are taking part in that stipend program, six others have alreadycompleted and come to work for the King Home as RNs. Some were current employees andsome were from the outside. Currently, there is an overall vacancy rate of 9% in the threenursing categories—nursing assistant, LPN and RN. There is some mandatory overtime forthe RNs. There are different approaches being taken to work that issue. Over the course of the last two years the RNs as a group at King have averaged less than three hours per payperiod in overtime. That overtime figure includes the mandatory overtime and the voluntaryovertime.

Mr. Freedman is trying to gain an understanding of the 44 new nursing positions

approved in the current budget and how many of those positions are now filled? Mr.Crowley will have to get that information and provide it at a later time.

Financial Committee meeting of April 20, 2006: (See Exhibit 1 attached to theseminutes.) The Committee made no motions to bring before the Board.

Council on Veterans Programs meeting of April 21, 2006: (See Exhibit 1 attached tothese minutes.) The Council made no motions for Board action.

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It was moved by Mr. Wendt, seconded by Mr. Moran and carried unanimously on avoice vote to accept the reports of the Committees and Councils.

8. VISN 12 and VISN 23 ReportsMs. Oshinski spoke on behalf of both VISN 12 and VISN 23. VISN 23 reports a

growing number of OIF/OEF veterans being treated at Minneapolis, primarily in the

polytrauma center. VISN 12 has a designated level two polytruma center at Hines that wasselected as a spinal cord injury center as well as a blind rehab unit. VISN 23 feels it is infairly good shape with the 2006 budget. They have been able to plan for the openings of some CBOCs. There were three North Dakota CBOCs that were approved last week, but notthe one for western Wisconsin. The Sawyer/Barron CBOC that VISN 23 has proposed ismoving through Central Office and seems to have very good support. At the ChippewaValley CBOC the wait list has improved, they continue to work on Twin Ports and overallthe waiting list has declined in the last couple of months.

Ms. Oshinski talked about VISN 12 events. While this doesn’t affect Wisconsindirectly, you have all heard about issues with compensation and pension for veterans being at

the very low end in a number of states in the Midwest. In particular, Illinois got a lot of publicity about having the lowest compensation rate for veterans of any state in the country.The end result of that in the FY06 appropriation for the DVA Military Quality of Life andVeterans Affairs Appropriation was that they are mandated to go back to the six states withthe lowest rates of compensation for their veterans and offer them the opportunity to get theircases looked at again. Those letters will be going out soon and Illinois, Indiana, Michiganand Ohio.

Another national issue that does affect Wisconsin has to do with letters that are goingout to veterans who were treated at the Milwaukee VA where a particular kind of transfuserwas used and there are some safety concerns about it. Mr. Hughes asked to be kept apprised

on this matter.

Mr. Bill Feeley is the new Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations andManagement for the Veterans Health Administration. He used to be the Network director inVISN 2 and is now the operational director over all the Networks across the country. Mr.Feeley is pushing to make sure that we have implemented advanced clinic access, which isthe ability to call a clinic on a particular day and get in to be seen on that day and eliminatewaiting lists. This is something VISN 12 has struggled with because of fairly strained budgetincreases in the last few years.

Two months ago VISN 12 had about 5,000 people on the waiting list—people who

are waiting more than 30 days to get into a clinic—sometimes that’s primary care andsometimes that’s specialty care. In the last several months there has been a reduction by2,000 people from that waiting list. This has been done by improving the productivitylocally and also contracting with various entities across the state to try to do some of thesespecialty visits outside of the VA. The goal is to completely eliminate that waiting list by theend of the year.

Q: The hold that Secretary Principi put on Priority 8 continues under the currentbudget, do you see any change down the road?

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A: The actuarial projections for the dollars that it would take to add Priority 8veterans would be a budget buster.

Q: Some veterans have to drive 150 miles to Milwaukee just for a simple blood test.Why can’t we get that type of a test taken care of by a local doctor?

A: Ms. Oshinski would need to get specifics on that. They do have contracts with

local labs to take blood.

Q: VA has approved funding for a new spinal cord injury unit at Zablocki, do youknow how far along that is?

A: The spinal cord unit is currently on the 10th floor which makes it very difficult forpatients to access. A new, ground level building will be constructed and it is part of the 2006budget approved category. It is the highest priority of the Department at this point in timeand could be expected to be completed by 2010.

Q: Are they taking action on the Appleton CBOC and on eligibility, in the past youalways used income on whether or not you get enrolled and now income and assets are being

looked at—are there changes in the works?A: There is nothing that I know about. Appleton is a place where they are looking at

extension of clinic hours. They do not have any more space there.

Ms. Oshinski added that in the FY06 appropriation act there has been a lot of focuson dental services because the backlog on dental was so great. There is dental service atevery site in the Network.

9. Secretary’s MattersMr. Scocos gave recognition to Ken Wendt for all his volunteer hours at the Home at

King and presented him with a plaque of commendation.

Secretary Scocos looks forward to working with new Board Chairman Hughes on theupcoming budget and phase two of the solvency plan. A stakeholder’s conference isanticipated in July. WDVA’s next budget will look at the financial cost of health care andeducation.

There are some new County Veterans Services Officers and the Secretary welcomedKim Wallen who replaces John Urling of Ashland County; Mr. Doug Stubbe who replacesJim Sundquist of Burnett County; Margaret Garvin who replaces Gerald Paar of JacksonCounty and Richard Bayer who replaces John Weibel of Racine County. Bruce Severson,formerly the Buffalo CVSO replaced Bob Hovland as Pepin County Service Officer.

Events:

• Supermarket of Veterans Benefits, May 12-13 in Oshkosh

• Dedication of Boland Hall on May 20 in Union Grove

• Memorial Day events across the state

• June 15-16 the Board of Veterans Affairs will meet at King

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• Anthony Hardie was selected by Secretary Nicholson to serve on the AdvisoryCommittee on Gulf War Veterans

10. Public Input.Ellen Blissenbach, Gold Star Wives, explained a coupon collection project for

families of service members serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Send coupons you’ve clipped

from the Sunday paper to:Ellen Blissenbach, 7525 Tree Lane #221-H, Madison. WI 53717-2063.

Mr. Miskulin said the National Symposium for young veterans will be held inChicago at the Hyatt on October 18-21. There will be subcommittees that will work onbenefits, health care, employment and homeless. For more information, contact DuaneMiskulin or Arnie Miller or go to the internet at veteransnationalsymposium.org

Mr. Fine said that the Masons have a group that supports veterans and services at theveterans hospitals.

Mr. Gates, President of the CVSO Association, invited the Board and memberships tothe State Association’s Convention at the Radisson Hotel in Pewaukee from April 24-27.

11. Other Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).None.

12. Next Meeting Date and LocationJune 15-16, 2006 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home--King

14. AdjournmentIt was moved by Mr. Stenavich, seconded by Mr. Moran and carried on a voice vote

to adjourn the meeting.

Mack HughesChairman



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M I N U T E S

CVSO ADVISORY COUNCIL

April 27, 2006Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Members Present Others Present

Holly Hoppe, Oconto Tom Taber, Grant CVSOJohn Solis, Rock Duane Bauer, Dunn CVSO

Nick Benzinger, Shawano John Margowski, Waukesha CVSORick Gates, Polk Ken Brown, Ozaukee CVSOMike Haley, Chippewa Mark Baldwin, Washington CVSOTed Mynyk, Iowa David Thomas, Taylor CVSOJim Young, Vernon Jerry Polus, Brown CVSOMark Grams, Dodge Chris Scoville, Dane County

Eleanor Harris, Dane CountyMembers Excused Michael Jackson, Dane CVSODon Lander, Clark Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSO

Kimberly Wallin, Ashland CVSOWDVA Present Jim Riesenberg, Sheboygan CVSOJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Mary Lux, Langlade County

Andy Schuster, Public Affairs Office Tammy Walters, Oneida CVSORuss Peck, WDVA Claims Bob Wilson, Langlade CVSOMarianne Halverson, Records Evelyn Williams, Vernon CountyRoger Boeker, SAA Clif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSOKenneth Black, Division Administrator Debbie Waite, Eau Claire CountySeth Perelman, Division Administrator Chris Jordan, Walworth CVSOMark Rutberg, Claims Bureau Doug Stubbe, Burnett CVSORonald J. Erskine, Claims Tony Tyczynski, Sauk CVSONate Nez, Regional Coordinator Charleen Moscinski, Wood CountyMel Brandl, Regional Coordinator Tani Tatman, Marquette CVSO

Russell Scheu, Lincoln CVSOBarb Olson, Barron County

Todd Wagner, Barron CVSOJoe Aulik, Kewaunee CVSOBill Thoma, Trempealeau CVSOKenneth Wendt, Veterans Board MemberTom Lois, Kenosha CVSOJose Leon, Office of Senator KohlTheodore Harvey, Price CVSOVern Lovley, Jefferson CVSOTim Thiers, Manitowoc CVSOGladys Morgan, Ho-Chunk NationLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSOChris Beer, Green County

Jim Hannah, Crawford CVSORobert Morzenti,Iron CVSOBruce Severson, Pepin CVSOLeAnne Loesel, Buffalo CountyMerlin Blaisdell, Pierce CVSOMargaret Garvin, Jackson CVSODave Weiskircher, Lafayette CVSOCarl Krantz, Washburn CVSO



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James Greendeer, Ho-Chunk Nation TVSOSandra Kramer, Richland CVSOAndrew Clark, Outagamie CVSOTeresa Hartjes, Wood CountyGreg Sniegowski, Wood Assistant CVSOKerry Metoxen, Oneida TVSOShari Zeichert, Marathon CountyMary Dunn, Marathon CountyScott Berger, Marathon CVSORay Boeckman, Sawyer CVSOChris Johnson, Bayfield CVSOJohn Wertschnig, Fond du Lac CVSORobert Stone, Rusk CVSOJon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSOFred Kaiser, Waushara CVSOBill Krizek, Calumet CVSO

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the CVSO Advisory Council was called to order at 1:30 p.m. The Pledge

of Allegiance was recited. A quorum was present.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.So noted.

3. Approval of Minutes of December 8, 2005.It was moved by Mr. Gates, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on a voice vote to

approve the minutes of the February 21st CVSO Advisory Council meeting.

4. Announcements and IntroductionsMs. Hoppe recognized Board Member Ken Wendt and the Secretary and his staff from

WDVA. She announced that from May 19-21 there will be a gathering of Warriors and on theevening of the 20th there will be a PowWow at 7 p.m. At noon on the 21st there will be a grandmarch for women veterans. This takes place at the Natural Bowl in Neopit.

5. Special Election of Council OfficersHolly Hoppe was nominated by John Solis and seconded by Rick Gates to be Council

Chair. It was moved by Mr. Grams, seconded by Mr. Gates and carried unanimously on a voicevote to elect Holly Hoppe as Chair.

Ted Mynyk was nominated by Mike Haley and seconded by Jim Young to be CouncilVice Chair. It was moved by Mr. Gates, seconded by Mr. Grams and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to elect Ted Mynyk as Vice Chair.

6. Possible Property Tax Credit for Ex-POWsLegislation giving 100% service-connected disabled veterans over the age of 65 a

property tax credit was recently passed. The widow and widower are eligible. The CVSOswould like to see Ex-POWs become eligible for this tax credit as well.



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7. Secretary’s MattersSecretary Scocos congratulated the newly elected officers. He thanked outgoing

chairman Margowski for all his hard work on the Council. Thanks to Association President Rick Gates for inviting the Department to the Conference.

SB 613 is a bill to grant 100% remission of academic fees for veterans and willhopefully, be passed before the end of this session. The passage of this bill alone brings us outto close to 2019 on our Trust Fund solvency plan. At the close of this session the Department is

preparing itself for a stakeholder’s conference sometime in July. We have begun work on phasetwo of the solvency plan, which is inter-related with the biennial budget. We will propose totransfer $19 million in administrative cost from the Trust Fund to general purpose dollars. TheSecretary thinks all veterans should have property tax credit--$500 to $1,000 off their propertytax and that will be a proposal in the next budget. Property tax credit for Ex-POWs will be onthe table this fall along with residency issues. A Process Action Team will be convened toreview VetEd. The license plate issue will be looked at—the veterans plates are out there, it’s amatter of adding medals to the plate. Ninety-eight percent of phase one of the solvency plan wasput in the budget. The burial honors was taken out and a couple other smaller items. We have totake a hard look this fall on where we’re going with the next budget.

The dedication of the new skilled nursing facility will be on May 20th in Union Grove.The facility will have start-up costs for the next two years—the Secretary has givenCommandant Brower 24 months to get the facility at the break even point. Union Grove is atabout $365,000 a month in cost overruns. He has also tasked the Commandant at King to look atdifferent ways we can compete in the community for different sources of money as the economychanges and the veteran structure changes.

Military credit where a veteran could buy back from one to eight years of militaryservice—there is no general purpose dollars involved in that. School teachers unions are againstany type of change so that was a major stumbling block with that legislation. The Secretarywould like to include it in some type of actuarial study in January 2007.

The Supermarket of Veterans Benefits is May 12-13 in Oshkosh.

8. Public InputOn the ANV grants, could someone from WDVA check on how those are being tracked.

Grants input via the computer have gone unworked until personal contact was made with one of the grant specialists who hadn’t realized the grant was out there. Please check the trackingprocedure to make sure they are finding those grants via the computer.

Notification needs to be made to the CVSOs when there is a change in a WDVAbrochure or form.

The Process Action Team results on eligibility, is there going to be a recommendationfrom that for the next budget? The Secretary said he plans to lay those out at the stakeholder’sconference as was done in the previous year. The PAT Committee chair will give their findingand the group will come up with a recommendation.

9. Council Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption)



Mr. Margowski, on behalf of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 414, presented a$2,000 check for the veterans homes bus fund.

10. Next Meeting ScheduleJune 15, 2006 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home-King

11. AdjournmentIt was moved by Mr. Gates, seconded, and carried on a voice vote to adjourn the Council

meeting.

Holly HoppeChair

Documents

Board Minutes April 2006