Board Minutes February 2007

8/8/2019 Board Minutes February 2007

1/32

1

M I N U T E S

CVSO ADVISORY COUNCIL

February 21, 2007Madison, Wisconsin

Members Present Others Present

Holly Hoppe, Oconto Russ Alsteen, Navy ClubsDon Lander, Clark William Andersen, Board Appointee

Ted Mynyk, Iowa Duane Bauer, Dunn CVSOJim Young, Vernon Ellen Blissenbach, GSWMichael Jackson, Dane Bill BottomsNick Benzinger, Shawano Cleon Brown, Submarine Vets WWIIMike Haley, Chippewa Joe Campbell, VVAJohn Solis, Rock Rick Cherone, MOPH

Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSOMembers Excused Andrew Clark, Outagamie CVSOMark Grams, Dodge Dan Connery, Asst Dane CVSO

Yvonne Duesterhoeft, Jefferson CVSOWDVA Present Roger FetterlyJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Paul Fine, ANU

Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary Marvin Freedman, Board MemberAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Jim Gausmann, La Crosse CVSOJohn Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Lewis HarnedBill Crowley, Commandant, King Home Jesse Haro, CWVGlen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove Home Don Heiliger, Board MemberAndy Schuster, Communications Mack Hughes, Board ChairmanSeth Perelman, Division Administrator Bill Hustad, WVVKen Black, Division of Veterans Benefits Kevin KavanaughMel Brandl, Regional Coordinator Al KochenderferMike Diaz, Division Administrator Jim Larson, Dane CVSO staffJoe Bertalan, Training and Employment Section Steve Lawrence, VFW AdjutantChris Schuldes, Veterans Benefits Bureau Jon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSO

Susan Bay, Grants Section Rocky Marcoux, City of MilwaukeeKathy Scholl, Public Affairs John Margowski, VVAMel Brandl, Regional Coordinator Bud Mautz, American Legion

Kerry Metoxen, Oneida TVSOArnold Miller, AMVETS

Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Duane Miskulin, AMVETSRodney C. Moen, Board MemberPete Moran, Board MemberBob Morzenti, VVAJerry Rabetski, PLAVCletus Rataichek, AMVETS CommanderVera Roddy, UWV

William Sims, NABVLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSOClif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSOClarence Stoel, DAVRobert Stone, Rusk CVSOTim Thiers, AMVETSRoger Treece, DAVDeborah Waite, Eau Claire CVSO StaffAlan WalkerKen Wendt, Board Member


2/32

2

Cullen Werwie, Aide to Sen. LeibhamMarcia Ziegler, Clark CVSO Staff

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the CVSO Advisory Council was called to order at 8:00 a.m. A quorum

was present. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.So noted.

3. Approval of Minutes of December 7, 2006It was moved by Mr. Lander, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on a voice vote to

approve the minutes of the December 7, 2006 CVSO Advisory Council meeting.

4. Announcements and IntroductionsIntroductions included: Yvonne Duesterhoeft, Jefferson CVSO; Dan Connery, Assistant

Dane County Veterans Service Officer; and Jim Larson, Dane County Veterans Service Office.

5. Waive Employment Testing for Accredited CVSOs (brought back from Dec. Meeting)

Ms. Hoppe said that some already accredited CVSOs desire to move from one county toanother. They want to know if the employment testing can be waived. Mr. Kloster said thatunder the requirements of Chapter 45, Section 45.82(2), in order for a county to receive a grantfrom the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs for the CVSO office, they must either havetaken the exam, which is issued by the Office of State Employment Relations (OSER), or theymust be appointed under civil service competitive examination procedure under 55.52(8) orChapter 63. There are three ways that a CVSO can be appointed in a county. Some of thesmaller counties have the authority to just appoint a CVSO. Other counties use a quasi-civilservice examination which is covered under Chapter 63 or Chapter 59 of the Statutes. The largercounties use a full civil service examination. OSER reports that the examination was given fourto five times during the last 18 months. They do realize that it is out of date and they are looking

at trying to upgrade or renew the questions on that exam. The problem that were faced withhere is that there are three different ways in which a CVSO can be hired. Each one of thecounties has their own discretion on how they choose to do that under the rules of the statutesand civil service laws that they fall under. For WDVA to dictate to the counties that they mustallow the transfer from one county to another, which could be two completely different systems,would not be consistent with the law. In this case the Department is powerless in trying to forcethis particular issue. OSER will honor an exam that is six months old. The hurdle is if thecounty will accept an exam taken previously.

6. Income Earned Before Date of Injury Should not Count Against Veteran if Received AfterDate of Injury

Mr. Black explained that the issue was raised when an unemployed veteran got a job andwas subsequently hurt. Obviously the veteran had an increase in income because before theinjury he had no income. The way the analysis is conducted for income is the differencebetween the previous income (in this case no income) and the current income and that is whatWDVA would normally issue. In this case it would be a positive. Code changes would berequired but we do not know the impact of the code if we were to go back and make changes sothat we would take into consideration only the income prior to the time of loss. WDVA needs todo more research and figure out the overall impact so that we can make an informed decision asto whether we want to change this code based on this anomaly.


3/32

3

7. CVSO Recommendation for WI GI Bill Eligibility/UW and Technical College Credit HoursMs. Hoppe said that if an individual starts in a technical college and then transfers to a

university, they may not be aware that the 120 credit hours starts anew. CVSOs are asking thatthe technical institution make sure that veterans are aware that their credits begin all over again.Mr. Kloster said that we can try to do that, we try to work together with as much cooperation aspossible. There is no requirement that they comply with what we tell them to do. TheDepartment has been fostering relationships with the universities and technical colleges in order

to try to inform veterans as much as possible about their education benefits. Secretary Scocossaid the Department will get a report out to the CVSOs on the staff visits to all the technicalcolleges.

Mr. Gausmann said he has both a technical college and a university in his county and itstrue that the university is not looking at the technical college credits. In a sense thats fair andwe should leave it alone because if you go to a technical college and then transfer to a university,they are not going to accept a majority of those credits anyway. The students are at adisadvantageif you take 60 credits at a technical college and want to go to the university, youare not going to get 60 credits toward your degree. If it is publicized, the university andtechnical colleges may work together and we may be hurting our veterans instead of assisting

them.

Mr. Kloster wanted to make sure everyone understood that this discussion is about theWisconsin GI Bill Program and not the VetEd Program. This program is funded through theuniversity and technical college systems.

8. Secretarys MattersSecretary Scocos thanked all the CVSOs who attended the successful Salute to the

Legislature event last evening. We look forward to working with the Governor in his support ofour programs. Secretary Scocos asked that the CVSO Association work with WDVA onlegislative initiatives. Property tax credit is clearly a key issue. Another issue is general purpose

dollars so that we can build a sound financial future for our mortgage loan repayment fund andtrust fund. The bonding cap should be expanded from $50 million back up to $180 million.These are the issues we see working on for the next nine months. Legislative leaders told us thatthey consider veterans issues a priority so we need to work with them to solve these issues. Mr.Scocos said he would get something out to CVSOs that will help them to help us work with thelegislature.

Secretary Scocos said that veteran representatives need to be at the Joint Committee onFinance public hearings held around the state on the budget. We will work with the CVSO whena hearing is in your county so that there is a good representation of all our organizationsspeaking with one voice on issues of importance to veterans.

Mr. Kloster gave a briefing on several items.

Distribution of grave registration information to individuals was addressed in Bulletin#773. State law requires WDVA to safeguard this information.

Characterization of discharge and VBATSthere was one of the variouscharacterizations of discharge that was not available in the drop down menu for therecords personnel to utilize. That problem has been corrected and it is now in the systemand is recorded in VBATS.

The BO100 benefit booklets have been reprinted and they are available for distribution.


4/32


5/32

5

It was moved by Mr. Jackson, seconded by Mr. Solis and carried on a voice vote toadjourn the CVSO Advisory Council meeting, the time was 8:40 a.m.

Holly HoppeChair


6/32

1

M I N U T E SLEGISLATIVE AND PROGRAM REVIEW COMMITTEEWISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Meeting of February 21, 2007

Committee Present Others PresentMarvin Freedman Connie Allord

Lewis Harned Russ Alsteen, Navy ClubsBill Hustad William Andersen, Board AppointeeVera Roddy Duane Bauer, Dunn CVSOJim Young Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSOSteve Lawrence Ellen Blissenbach, GSWDuane Miskulin Bill BottomsTim Thiers Cleon Brown, Sub-Vets WWIIBud Mautz Joe Campbell

Rick Cherone, MOPHCommittee Excused Andrew Clark, Outagamie CVSOPaul Weprinsky Yvonne Duesterhoeft, Jefferson CVSO

Roger Fetterly

WDVA Present Paul Fine, ANUJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Jim Gausmann, LaCrosse CVSOWilliam Kloster, Deputy Secretary Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSOAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Jesse Haro, CWVTom Rhatican, Division Administrator Ted Harvey, Price CVSOBill Crowley, Commandant, King Don Heiliger, Board MemberGlen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSOJohn Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Mack Hughes, Board ChairmanAndy Schuster, Public Affairs Director Michael Jackson, Dane CVSOMike Diaz, Division Administrator Chris Kanios, VFWKen Abrahamsen, Budget Director Kevin KavanaughKen Black, Division Administrator Al Kochenderfer

Larry Kleinsteiber, OPPB Jon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSORichard Zeitlin, Museum Rocky Marcoux, City of MilwaukeeKathleen School, Public Affairs John Margowski, Waukesha CVSOJulie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Kerry Metoxen, Oneida TVSO

Arnie Miller, AMVETSRodney C. Moen, Board MemberPete Moran, Board MemberRobert Morzenti, VVATed Mynyk, Iowa CVSOJerry Rabetski, PLAVCletus Rataichek, AMVETS CommanderWilliam Sims, NABV

Mike Smith, ARCLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSOClif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSOClarence Stoel, DAVRobert Stone, Rusk CVSOTim Thiers, AMVETSRoger Treece, DAV Chapter 24, ManitowocDeborah Waite, Eau Claire CVSO Staff


7/32

2

Alan WalkerKen Wendt, Board MemberCullen Werwie, Office of Sen. LeibhamMarcia Ziegler, Clark CVSO Staff

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the Legislative and Program Review Committee was called to order at

8:45 a.m.; a quorum was present. Mr. Thiers welcomed Cullen Werwie from Senator JoeLeibhams office. Mr. Miskulin introduced Cletus Rataichek, Department Commander forAMVETS.

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

3. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Ms. Roddy, seconded by Mr. Miskulin and carried on a voice vote to

approve the minutes of the December 7, 2006 meeting.

4. Legislative ReportMr. Hardie said the Governors budget bill was introduced on February 13 and is now

Senate Bill 40. The Department has put together a budget review on its web page. The mostrecent issue ofForward Veterans is now available on the web site and contains a good summaryof the WDVA biennial budget and some state and federal bills.

Mr. Hardie discussed Bills pending in the Wisconsin Legislature:

Creditable military service under the Wisconsin Retirement System was introduced in theAssembly by Rep. Musser as AB 43 and in the Senate by Sen. Jauch as SB 19. This doesdiffer from the Departments proposal that was contained in the budget. TheDepartments proposal was a buy-in for those with military service who would be

Wisconsin Retirement System beneficiaries and the teachers union would not beopposed to it. These bills have a higher cost to the employee trust fund.

Assembly Bill 44 by Rep. Musser provides that Memorial Day be observed by stateagencies on the originally proclaimed date of May 30

Assembly Bill 63 by Rep. Wieckert and Sen. Plale proposes Hire a Veteran Week,Veteran Recognition Week, and veterans who volunteer in schools to provide for acertificate program after a certain number of hours of volunteering.

Assembly Bill 70 by Rep. Benedict and Sen. Sullivan deals with employmentdiscrimination based on veteran status. It guarantees veterans a right to an interview inthe state civil service, local government and school districts.

A bill circulated by Rep. Wieckert would provide an $8,000 tax credit to businesses whohire veterans.

A bill circulated by Rep. Owens provides an income tax reduction for certain amounts ofmileage reimbursement by volunteer drivers.

A bill by Rep. Gottleib has to do with Gold Star license plates for family members. Itwould apply to those who are already authorized for the Gold Star pin at the federal level.Mr. Hardie continued with an update on legislation at the federal level:


8/32

3

There has been much discussion on the appropriations bills and the funding for FY07. At thispoint the FY07 budget has passed and was signed into law. For VA medical care there was anincrease of $3.55 billion over the FY06 level of funding. If the funding increased, there was tohave been an agreement with the VA that the spinal cord injury project for Milwaukee could becompleted.

5. Programs Report

Mr. Black gave a benefits update for February 2007. There are four new bulletins out since he last reported to the Legislative and Program

Review Committee; they are Bulletins #767, #774, #775 and #777. These are all postedon the Departments web site.

Cemetery Reportat the Northern Cemetery phase one of the expansion of the outsideburial garden was awarded and construction will start early this spring. Phase two,expanding columbariums, is going out for bid on March 13. At the Southern CemeteryWDVA is working with DOA and the architect firm to develop a master plan thataddresses the next expansion for that cemetery in FY08-09.

The Veterans Assistance Programat Ft. McCoy the annual VA inspection was recentlycompleted with minor deficiencies. Kings annual VA inspection will be conducted thismonth. At Union Grove we continue to progress toward completion of Cottage 16. Wehave completed negotiations with CVI and are in the process of finalizing the contract.Chippewa Fallswe are awaiting the signatures on a Memorandum of Agreement. Weplan to move an employee into the building at the end of March to start clean up, paintingand maintenance of that building so that we can prepare it for our veterans. We hope tohave the building ready for occupation for our veterans in late summer.

The Veterans Education Programin our continued attempt to refine the applicationprocess, revision of the VetEd portion of our VBATS program was activated on 12February as addressed in Bulletin #775. We have gathered current email addresses fromthe veterans in an attempt to keep the veteran notified of changes occurring within oursystem.

We are working to make the VetEd Program a much better program. In December 2006through January we received 500 more pre-applications and applications than at the sametime a year ago. We have been able to get about 90% of our veterans to submit the pre-application and application on line. This past fall we visited every campus, public andprivate, with five or more veterans using the VetEdthats about 100 schools. We madesure that all the representatives understood exactly how the program works and what isrequired. In January we sent emails to all veterans who received the VetEd in the past 12months and the school veteran officials to explain the application process and thedeadline.

Loans and grantsthe primary loan volume was about $1.9 million for December andabout $975,000 for January. The PLP loan volume was $128,000 for December andabout $478,000 in January. We will launch an extensive marketing plan around the firstof March.

The Veterans Trust Fund delinquency rate was about 2.6% for the month of Decemberand 2.54% in January.


9/32

4

Mr. Thiers would like to see a change in the tuition fee waiver for the GI Bill. There is aten-year delimiting date for spouses of 30% or more service connected. But it is from the date ofyour initial 30% and he would like to see that changed. Mr. Hardie said that it is an inter-agencyprogram and it would require a statutory change.

Mr. Jackson asked that the Department take into consideration the CVSOs in thenorthern/northwest part of the state when the March marketing plan is launched. There was a lot

of concern about the earlier marketing plan that did not cover that geography.

6. Consider Draft of Permanent Rule Language in the Administrative Code RE: CVSO GrantProgram

Copies of a proposed order relating to the CVSO grant program were provided to theCommittee. The Board previously authorized the Department to publish a Statement of Scopethereby allowing the Department staff to develop a proposed order for rulemaking to bereviewed by the Committee and the Board. Promulgation of the proposed order would eliminaterule language that links the CVSO grant to an obsolete pay schedule. Implementation of theproposed order will have no fiscal effect on the Departments budget.

It was moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded by Mr. Thiers and carried unanimously on a voicevote to approve the proposed order and authorize the Department to continue the permanent rulepromulgation process.

7. CVSO Resolutions F001-06 Veterans Education Grant Delimiting Date; F002-06 VeteransEducation Grant Pre-Enrollment Requirement; F003-06 Veterans Education Grant Income Limit;and F004-06 Aid to Needy Veteran Grant Improvement Recommendations

Mr. Freedman had requested a memo regarding the fiscal impact on the Departmentsbudget and the Trust Fund if Resolutions F001-06, F003-06 and F004-06 were to be adopted. Aprojection of cost was received at the opening of the Committee meeting. Mr. Freedmanproposed taking some time between now and the next meeting to review and evaluate the fiscal

analysis that was provided by the Department and then discuss it at the April meeting.

The Resolution regarding the pre-registration requirement was held over from theDecember meeting so that the Department could create a Process Action Team on this subject tocome up with recommendations and alternatives. At the December meeting the CVSO AdvisoryCouncils recommendations were also considered in which they had laid out a few alternativesand middle grounds. We should be seeking a middle ground that addresses the concerns of theCVSOs and so many other members of the veterans community and acknowledges the concernsof the Department. Mr. Scocos said a Process Action Team will have a report at the Aprilmeeting. `

8. Proposed Development of the VA-Milwaukee Historical District and USDVA MilwaukeeHospital Grounds

Rocky Marcoux, City of Milwaukee, took the opportunity to bring forward the latestproposal for the VA grounds at the Zablocki VA Medical Center concerning the enhanced uselease that the VA and the City of Milwaukee would like to engage in. Mr. Marcoux read a letterfrom Mayor Barrett explaining the City of Milwaukees intentions. He provided a proposed


10/32

5

concept as a work-in-progress reflection of the expressed interests and needs of veterans. Theproposal is also available on their web sitemkedcd.org/va and is viewable in its entirety alongwith a map.

Mr. Freedman asked what the target date is as far as the timeline to get a final proposal toVA from the City of Milwaukee?

Mr. Marcoux said that the proposal on their web site is essentially the framework of thefinal proposal. There is a secondary stage with a legal team that would have to put together theenhanced use lease. The Mayor and the VA would like to come to a decision in this process inthe next couple of weeks.

Mr. Scocos asked what the estimated investment is of the outside housing corporation onthe VA campus?

Mr. Marcoux said that the City of Milwaukee along with the provider as its partner isgoing to have to provide the restoration funds necessary to bring Building Six and Old Main upto historical standards. It would be in the range of $5 million for Building Six and slightly

higher for Old Main. If they are going to do housing there, they have to get the Section 42 taxcredits as well as the new market tax credit.

Mr. Pat Brown said that rather than see this turn into a City of Milwaukee project, he feltthat the land really belongs to the veterans and it should be used for veteran purposes. Mr. JoeCampbell shared a letter from the Mayor asking for the opportunity to address the MilwaukeeCounty Veterans Board of Directors and the Milwaukee Allied Veterans Council to present itsideas. Mr. Campbell responded to the letter by asking for the information which was requestedbut left unanswered from previous discussions. For example, the specific language contained inthe lease with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and sub leases with tenants in the historicdistrict and office park.

9. Secretarys Matters.Secretary Scocos thanked everyone who attended the Salute to the Legislature, it was a

great event whereby we were able to show our support for legislators who have supportedveterans issues in the past. In late March a joint Senate and Assembly Veterans AffairsCommittee hearing will be scheduled whereby the Department will brief its budget.

Our major goal is to work together with the legislature and the Governor and all ourveterans groups and the Board of Veterans Affairs to put back in some of the things that were notput into the budget that we think are important for the 21

stCentury veteran. The first one is

general purpose dollars. The transfer of monies means a positive cash balance for our Agencythrough fiscal year 2021. We can continue to make personal loans through fiscal year 2016 andno reductions in our Veterans Trust Fund Programs. If we receive general purpose dollars wewill move forward to look at different programs that we had to limit or eliminate in Phase 1 ofthe solvency plan. Without general purpose revenues, the Department will be in a positive cashbalance through fiscal year 2012. We will have to look at a major reduction/restriction in thePersonal Loan Program after fiscal year 2007.


11/32

6

Secondly, we talked about the property tax credit. The Department proposed that the

residency requirement for entry into service from Wisconsin would be dropped to ten years. The100% disability would be dropped to 30%, including the individual unemployability and dropthe age limit of 65.

Third, retirement creditthe Department had proposed in the budget a buy-back program

for our veterans who are retiring. We believe it is the right thing to do to offer this benefit.

Another issue the Department will fight for is caps. We requested $180 million on ourbonding cap, we received $50 million. We would like to see that increased and work withcommercial paper to do that. Give us the tools to make veterans able to purchase a home.

Secretary Scocos said the CVSOs are important assets for us, working as a team. Wewould like to put that $1,981,000 back into the budget. Lets work together as a team to solvethe GPR crisis and get it back in the budget so that we can offer the programs that had to berestricted in the past.

Mr. Freedman asked that in the next month a memo be prepared for the Board andCommittee members that would outline in more detail the impact of not having the GPR in thebudget.

10. Public Input.Mr. Roger Treese, Jr. Vice Commander for DAV Chapter 24, spoke in support of the

property tax relief effort. He has a petition that can be distributed by service organizationsstatewide so that we can present names to our legislators and the Governor to get the messageacross that this is needed.

11. Committee Members Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).

None.

12. Next Meeting Date.April 19, 2007 in Sturgeon Bay

13. Adjournment.It was moved by Mr. Hustad, seconded by Mr. Mautz and carried on a voice vote to

adjourn the meeting; the time was 10:05 a.m.

Marvin FreedmanChairman


12/32

1

M I N U T E SLONG TERM CARE COMMITTEE

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSMeeting of February 21, 2007

Committee Present Others PresentKen Wendt Connie Allord

Mack Hughes, Board Chair William Andersen, Board AppointeeKevin Kavanaugh Russ Alsteen, Navy ClubsArnold Miller Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSOJerry Rabetski Paul Bialk, MCLRobert Morzenti Ellen Blissenbach, Gold Star WivesAlan Walker Bill Bottoms

Cleon Brown, US Sub Vets WWII

Committee Excused Joe CampbellMary Meyer Rick Cherone, MOPHJerry Polus Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSODave Gough Andrew Clark, Outagamie CVSO

Chris Kornkven Yvonne Duesterhoeft, Jefferson CVSOKen Koon Roger FetterlyWalter Stenavich Paul Fine, ANU

Marvin Freedman, Board MemberWDVA Present Mark Grams, Dodge CVSOJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSOWilliam Kloster, Deputy Secretary Lewis HarnedAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Don Heiliger, Board MemberTom Rhatican, Division Administrator Bill Hustad, WVVBill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King Michael Jackson, CVSOA PresidentGlen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove Al Kochenderfer

John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Chris Kanios, VFWAndy Schuster, Public Relations Director Don Lander, Clark CVSOKen Abrahamsen, Budget Director Steve Lawrence, VFW AdjutantLarry Kleinsteiber, OPPB Jon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSOMike Diaz, Division of Veterans Homes Rocky Marcoux, City of MilwaukeeSeth Perelman, Division of Administration John Margowski, Waukesha CVSOJulie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Bud Mautz, American Legion

Kerry Metoxen, Oneida TVSODuane MiskulinRodney C. Moen, Board MemberPete Moran, Board MemberTed Mynyk, Iowa CVSOWalter Peterson, Am. Ex-POWsCletus Rataichek, AMVETS CommanderVera Roddy, UWVWilliam Sims, NABVLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO


13/32

2

Mike Smith, ARCClif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSOClarence Stoel, DAVRobert Stone, Rusk CVSOTim Thiers, Manitowoc CVSORoger Treece,DAV Chapter 24, ManitowocJim Young, Vernon CVSO

Marcia Ziegler, Clark CVSO Staff

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the Long Term Care Committee was called to order at 10:10 a.m., a

quorum was present.


3. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Mr. Rabetski, seconded by Mr. Miller and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to approve the minutes of the December 7th Committee meetings.

4. Veterans Homes ReportCommandant Brower reported that the census at the Union Grove assisted living facility

is 111 and there are 39 members in the skilled nursing facility. An application for admission isprocessed in around 29 days. That timeline can be expedited in unusual circumstances. Thenext milestone is to admit 40 additional members by the end of June. There are currently 171employees (112 full time and 50 part time and 9 LTEs) at the Union Grove Veterans Home. Anadditional 100 people will be hired over the course of the next ten months with a full level ofemployment of about 262 employees. The second floor of Boland Hall is complete andmovement of residents to that floor has commenced. Funding for construction of Boland Hall

comes from the federal government ($13 million) and about 98% of that amount has beenreceived to date. The activity center received state Office of Quality Assurance approval thatallows members to occupy the facility. The chapel is open and it has three scheduled churchservices each week. A number of items have been donated to the chapel from variousorganizations to include such things as an altar, the crucifix behind the altar, a hymn board,lectern, flower stands and hymn books.

Other miscellaneous items of interest:

The Union Grove Home is looking to contract out its deli, bar and gift shop in the nearfuture. No dates have been set for the opening of these facilities.

The food service operation is fully operational. The feedback from the members hasbeen positive for the most part but there have been some comments to the negative andsome issues with equipment failures.

The architectural plan for the remodeling in Fairchild and Shemanske from double roomsto single rooms has not been finalized. Twelve double rooms would be converted into 18single rooms.


14/32

3

Approval was received through DOA to purchase a gazebo from monies donated byUnited Auto Workers Region 4.

The marketing DVD has been updated and will be sent out to all CVSOs within the nextcouple of weeks.

The buses are under assembly. Two of the smaller busses will be delivered in the springand the larger two sometime in the fall.

This spring the Union Grove Home will establish a Veterans Association Council. Thefirst meeting is expected to be held in May.

Indigent veterans funds and proceduresfor FY07 we had $208,700 that had been setaside from segregated funding. All of those dollars are committed at this time. For fiscalyear 2008 and 2009 the Department has put in a budget request for GPR funding and hasremained in the Governors budget.

St. Patricks Day events will occur on March 11th.Mr. Jackson asked about the special funds for indigent veterans, what is the procedure for

a person to apply for these funds? Mr. Brower said the first priority is to the members, theyreceive a commitment from us so that they have enough funds to continue paying their rent.

Every time we commit to an existing current member, we have to obligate those fundsthroughout the remainder of the fiscal year. We can project out and tell how many dollars wehave left in the indigent veteran fund but we cannot guarantee funding to any veteran who is nota member of our facility. They apply for these funds through the CVSO.

Mr. Wendt asked what is the turnaround time or how many applications do we get whenwe advertise for new employees? Mr. Brower said it varies. Some of the less desirable secondand night shifts are harder to fill, particularly on a part time basis.

Commandant Crowley gave an update for the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King. Thereare 73 applications pending. The average length of time from the date of application to

admission is 51 days. The census as of the end of January remains strong at 707. The HomeExchange operation showed a net gain of $296.00 on receipts of $36,851.00 for the months ofDecember and January. The revenues in gifts and bequests since the last meeting of the KingCommittee amounted to $21,503; out of that there were expenditures of $14,816 for a differenceof $6,686. Last week we completed 104 pages of specifications for the new King Coach that weare acquiring for the benefit of the members. Realistically, it will be 18 to 24 months before wewill take possession of that bus. The total amount received in the fundraising effort was$460,000. The annual volunteer recognition banquet will be held on April 18th. (Subsequent tothe meeting, the date of the banquet was changed to April 11th to accommodate the VeteransBoard meeting schedule in April.) This is typically attended by about 250 of the nearly 400volunteers that contribute about 65,000 hours of volunteer time to the veterans at the Veterans

Home at King. This year marks the 120

th

anniversary of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King.

5. Member Rate Cost Comparison Between King and Union GroveMr. Crowley said that Public Law 109-461 was passed on December 22, 2006 and that

has a couple very significant features in it regarding veterans and specifically the state veteranshomes throughout the country. A major provision of Public Law 109-461 states thatconsideration is being given for the veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disabled


15/32

4

who may want to reside in a state veterans home. Because of the existing federal law and thefact that the federal VA pays the per diem amount to state veterans homes, the federal VA wasnot allowed to contract for the cost of care at state veterans homes. On the other hand they wereallowed to contract for the cost of care for 70% or more service-connected disabled veterans incommunity nursing homes or other nursing homes that are not part of the state veterans homeswhich receive the VA perdiem. The state veterans homes will now be allowed to contract withthe federal VA which will pay the full cost of care for those veterans residing in state veterans

homes. There was an additional provision that allows for the federal VA to pay the full cost ofthe prescription medications for veterans living in state veterans homes who are rated at 50% ormore service-connected. This impacts on what the veterans have to pay at the state veteranshomes at King and Union Grove.

Each home is allowed to and is charged with developing their own rate schedule based onthe cost of providing care to the veterans. The rates at Union Grove were initially establishedbased on the cost of care per member taking into consideration the limited amount ofmembership at the time. We have to look to the future and what it will cost in 2008 and 2009and apply that cost equitably to the members at both homes. Starting March 1st, the daily rate forveterans at Union Grove will be essentially identical to the daily care rate for veterans at King.

That will mean a slight decrease in the daily rate for veterans at Union Grove, reducing that costof care from $225 per day to $163.29 per day. The amount is the difference between the dailycost of $231 minus the federal VA per diem of $57.71 per day. For the non veteran spouse thecost of care is $231 per day (they do not receive the VA per diem). That could become effectiveby April 1, 2007. There will be standardization and uniformity in the costs of care between thetwo homes.

6. Secretarys Matters.Secretary Scocos thanked both Commandants for their hard work. The Governor was

very generous in his budget and showed a unique understanding for health care in this state.Over 100 new positions were granted to Union Grove in the last two years. There has been a

staffing improvement at King. Three years ago the nursing vacancies at King were 71. As ofJanuary 2007 we have less than 20 vacancies.

Mr. Scocos said that the solvency of our Trust Fund, the mortgage loan repayment andthe solvency of our Homes are the Departments major concerns. In April the Board will bebriefed on the business plan for the solvency of our Homes. The Board is going to be activelyinvolved in making decisions that will affect the future of our Homesfrom personneldecisions, financial decisions, construction decisions and where the skilled nursing facilities aregoing in the future and how we fit into that. Eighty percent of our veterans live in theMilwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha area. Vietnam Era veterans needs are going to double in thenext three to five years. We have to change with the trends and meet the needs of these veterans.

7. Public Input.Mr. Jackson said he understands that now the rates for the two Homes will be consistent

but the other items were that at King you dont need to bring clothes and at Union Grove you do.


16/32

5

At King you can get a haircut but you have to pay extra for that at Union Grove. Are there othersimilar items that people need to know about before they apply for admission?

Mr. Kloster said that all that information is spelled out in the individual agreements thatthe veteran signs before becoming a resident at either one of the Homes. The King Home andthe Union Grove Home are not the same. The biggest difference is that we have assisted livingat Union Grove and we do not have assisted living at King. The rules and the statutes for

assisted living are far different from the rules that apply to the skilled nursing facilities. Thereare certain amenities under the statute and code that WDVA is supposed to provide to veterans inour Homes and right now we are working to establish the contracts and means to provide thoseservices. There could be different services between the Homes, some of the amenities at Kingare provided by the massive volunteer force that has been established over the past one hundredyears.

Mr. Jackson asked if the agreement was in the original application packet or does theveteran sign that after theyve been accepted? Mr. Crowley said that form is only available atthe time of admission and they sign it at the time of being accepted to the Home. Mr. Jacksonsaid they need that information up front.

8. Committee Members Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).Mr. Wendt said he sits on the Recreation Committee at the Wisconsin Veterans Home-

King. The Home Exchange has had problems in the past making their break even goal. TheCommittee will implement free coffee for the veterans to get them down to the Home Exchangeand maybe spend money on other items. If every organization would send $30-$50 to theirrepresentative at King to put out free coffee three times a week, the Home Exchange couldattract more customers and perhaps make that break even goal. Mr. Crowley said they areevaluating how they can better serve the expectations of the members living at King. Therefore,in late March or April the Home Exchange will have a convenience cart that will go out to theunits to take those services to the members on their units and sell these special items. This may

also have an impact on the bottom line of the Home Exchange.

Mr. Walker said he wanted to let the Chairman know that he is interested in volunteeringat the Union Grove Home.

9. Next Meeting Schedule.April 19, 2007 in Sturgeon Bay

10. Adjournment.It was moved by Mr. Kavanaugh, seconded by Mr. Walker and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to adjourn the meeting; the time was 11:00 a.m.

Ken WendtChairman


17/32

1

M I N U T E SFINANCIAL COMMITTEE


Committee Present Others Present

Pete Moran Russ Alsteen, Navy Club

Don Heiliger William Andersen, Board AppointeeConnie Allord Paul Bialk, MCLBill Bottoms Ellen Blissenbach, Gold Star WivesJim Gausmann Cleon Brown, USSVWWIIJoe Campbell Rick Cherone, MOPHAl Kochenderfer Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSO

Roger Fetterly

Committee Excused Paul Fine, ANUMike Demske Marvin Freedman, Board MemberJim Endres Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSOJohn OBrien Jesse Haro, CWV

Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSOWDVA Present Mack Hughes, Board ChairmanJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Bill Hustad, WVVWilliam Kloster, Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson, CVSOA PresidentAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Chris Kanios, VFWBill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King Steve Lawrence, VFW AdjutantGlen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove Jon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSOMike Diaz, Division of Veterans Homes John Margowski, Waukesha CVSOJohn Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Bud Mautz, American LegionKen Abrahamsen, Budget Director Arnie MillerSeth Perelman, Division of Administration Duane Miskulin

Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Rodney C. Moen, Board MemberTed Mynyk, Iron CVSOWalter Peterson, Am. Ex-POWsJerry Rabetski, PLAVVera Roddy, UWV PresidentWilliam Sims, NABVLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSOMike Smith, ARCClif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSOClarence Stoel, DAVRobert Stone, Rusk CVSORoger Treece, DAV Chapter 24Alan WalkerKen Wendt, Board MemberJim Young, Vernon CVSO


18/32

2

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.The meeting of the Financial Committee was called to order at 1l:05 a.m.; a quorum was

present.

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

3. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr. Gausmann and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to approve the minutes of the Financial Committee meetings.

4. Financial ReportMr. Abrahamsen reported on fiscal year 2007 statements through January 31, 2007.

Wisconsin Veterans Home-King: Fiscal year-to-date, operating expenditures haveexceeded revenues, resulting in a net operating loss of $687,203. This represents a nearly $1.7million improvement over the results of operations for the same time period in FY06. Asignificantly higher Medicaid reimbursement rate and new Medicare Part D revenues havecombined to increase revenue at a faster rate than the increases in operating expenses. Fundequity as of January 31 was $43,547,050, a decrease of $387,079 since the start of the fiscalyear, but $19,584,847 greater than the balance as of January 31, 2006. The cash balance hasincreased $6,328,559 since June 30 and $19,203,786 since January 30, 2006. The increases aredue to the receipt of retrospective Medical Assistance payments for fiscal years 2002 through2006.

Wisconsin Veterans Home-Union Grove: Operating revenues for the WVH-Union Grovewere $3,608,622, contrasted with $1,673,412 for the same period last fiscal year. $783,000 ofthe $1,935,000 increase was generated by Assisted Living operations and $1,152,000 wasgenerated by Skilled Nursing operations. A fiscal year-to-date loss of $1,998,014 caused fundequity to decrease from $15,707,797 at June 30th to $13,709,784 on January 31, 2007. Cash useshave exceeded receipts by $2,712,953 for fiscal year 2007. The ending cash balance for theWVH-Union Grove is a negative $2,346,105, as compared to a negative $2,541,098 balance inJanuary 2006, an improvement of nearly $200,000.


19/32

3

Veterans Trust Fund: Assets were $74,423,352 as of January 31st, which is $8,033,224less than one year earlier. The net operating loss through January 31 was $2,618,936, virtuallyunchanged from fiscal year 2006. Fiscal year-to-date non-operating expenses were $1,348,470less than the fiscal year 2006 results for the same period due to a decrease of $879,254 of grantexpenditures, primarily education grants, and an increase in investment earnings and grantreceipts of $483,902. The ending cash balance of $28,098,779 is $945,762 less than the balanceat the start of the fiscal year.

Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund: Assets in the MLRF totaled $422,211,757 at the end ofJanuary 2007. The MLRF had a net loss of $1,184,949 through January 31, a $1,437,050improvement from the $2,621,999 loss for the same period in fiscal year 2006. The cash balancein the MLRF was $114,485,242 at January 31, which is an increase of $10,202,951 since June 30.

Veterans Trust Fund Delinquency Rate: The Veterans Trust Fund loan portfoliodelinquency rate for January was 2.54%, overall, and 2.52% for the Personal Loan Program.

Primary Mortgage Loan Delinquency Rate: The PML program delinquency rate for

December, the last month for which statistics were available, was 0.75%.

Primary Mortgage Loan Applications Received: Nine Primary Mortgage Loanapplications were received in January bringing the total number of applications received sinceJuly 2006 to 126.

5. Secretarys Matters.Secretary Scocos spoke on the solvency of the Trust Fund and general purpose dollars.

He has been an advocate for the last two years that we should not be any different than any otheragency and that general purpose dollars should pay for our employees and different programs.The receipt of GPR means a positive cash balance for our Agency through fiscal year 2021. We

can continue to make personal loans through fiscal year 2016 and no reductions in our VeteransTrust Fund Programs. If we receive general purpose dollars we will move forward to look atdifferent programs that we had to limit or eliminate in Phase 1 of the solvency plan. Withoutgeneral purpose revenues, the Department will be in a positive cash balance through fiscal year2012. We will have to look at a major reduction/restriction in the Personal Loan Program afterfiscal year 2007. Mr. Scocos said the Department will work with the Legislature to raise the $50million bonding cap back up to $180 million. The future of our Homes and our strategic plan iscritical for the future of this Department.

The Secretary explained what he meant by right-sizing the Homes. It could involve areduction of beds at one facility and adding beds at another facility, looking at personnelchanges, working with the unions, veterans groups and the community all to meet the needs ofthe 21

stCentury veteran and then moving forward with our plan for a Home in Chippewa Falls.

6. Public Input.None.


20/32

4

7. Committee Members Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).None.

8. Next Meeting Date.April 19, 2007 in Sturgeon Bay

9. Adjournment.

It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr. Campbell and carried unanimously on avoice vote to adjourn the meeting; the time was 11:20 a.m.

Pete MoranChairman


21/32

1

M I N U T E SCOUNCIL ON VETERANS PROGRAMS


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 Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-KingPaul Fine, ANU Mike Diaz, Veterans HomesJesse Haro, CWV John Rosinski, Chief Legal CounselBill Hustad, WVV Andrew Schuster, Communications DirectorChris Kanios, VFW Kathleen Scholl, Public InformationJon LiDonne, CVSO Association Ken Black, Division of Veterans BenefitsJohn Margowski, VVA Richard Zeitlin, MuseumBud Mautz, Am. Legion Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff AssistantWalter Peterson, Am. ExPOW

Jerry Rabetski, PLAV Others PresentVera Roddy, UWV Connie Allord, via videoconferenceWilliam Sims, NABV William Andersen, Board AppointeeMike Smith, ARC Ellen Blissenbach, Gold Star WivesClif Sorenson, WACVO Bill BottomsClarence Stoel, DAV Joe CampbellTim Thiers, AMVETS Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSO

Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSOMembers Excused Roger FetterlyRon Rutkowski, VVAW Marvin Freedman, Board MemberJack Stone, PVA Jim Gausmann, La Crosse CVSO

Paul Weprinsky, JWV Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSOWWI vacancy Mack Hughes, Board ChairmanFCDV vacancy Michael Jackson, CVSOA President

Mrs. Chris KaniosKevin KavanaughAl KochenderferSteve Lawrence, VFW AdjutantDuane MiskulinRodney C. Moen, Board MemberPete Moran, Board MemberTed Mynyk, Iowa CVSORenee Oshinski, VISN 12Cletus Rataichek, AMVETS CommanderRoger Treece, DAV Chapter 24Alan WalkerKen Wendt, Board MemberJim Young, Vernon CSO


22/32

2

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

Sorenson at 11:25 a.m.


3. Introduction of Guests and Announcements.None.

4. Approval of Minutes.It was moved by Mr. Fine, seconded by Mr. Margowski and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to accept the minutes of the December 2006 meetings.

5. Council Communications.Mr. Alsteen circulated to the members a letter he received from Senator Feingolds office

in regard to the Councils request for support of the spinal cord care unit at the VA facility inMilwaukee. Mr. Hardie said the overall project funding was included in the budget for FY07

and has now been signed into law. However, it is now a VA decision at the Central Office levelas to how that funding is spent. It appears that this project was number one on the priority list.It would be appropriate for letters to be sent to the VA in support of this project.

It was moved by Mr. Rabetski, seconded by Mr. Fine and carried unanimously on a voicevote to send a letter to VA Secretary Nicholson stating the support of the Council on VeteransPrograms and requesting that he keep the priority where it is so that the spinal cord care unit atthe VA Milwaukee can move forward.

Mr. Sorenson said that The Veterans for Peace wrote to Secretary Scocos requestinginclusion on the Council on Veterans Programs. Secretary Scocos said the organization is one of

several organizations seeking membership. It is one more group seeking to get the best benefitsfor our veterans. The Council members thought it would be appropriate for the Chairman tocontact the organization directly for more information.

6. Museum Foundation Report.Mr. Hustad said the Foundation Board had a strategic planning meeting in January. They

established short- and long-range goals for the Foundation. The Golf Outing will be on July17th. A new fundraising event is being planned for the spring or summer. They continueplanning for the Museum Gala. Mr. Hustad encouraged everyone to see the current museumexhibit called, Belly of the Dragon.

Mr. Cherone presented a $1,000 check to the Museum from Chapter 220, Military Orderof the Purple Heart.

7. Review Proposed Draft Legislation on Council MembershipClif SorensonMr. Sorenson updated the Council members. He is working on the draft legislation

requesting that two organizations be added to the Council and that two organizations be removedfrom the Council. Senator Sullivan and Representative Musser have given positive feedback andthe bill draft is proceeding. The organizations to be removed because of inactivity are theVeterans of WWI and the Federation of Minority Veterans. The additions would be the Military


23/32

3

Officers Association of America (MOAA) and The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA). Theprogress of this legislation will be an agenda item for the next Council meeting.

8. Proposed Amendment to Council ProtocolRuss AlsteenMr. Alsteen passed out proposed language for an amendment to the Protocol. It was

moved by Mr. Alsteen and seconded by Mr. Fine to codify a procedure to remove a memberorganization and notify them in a timely manner if: 1. Any organization that does not have a duly

appointed and current active representative. 2. Any organization that has not filed an activitiesand membership report by September 30th of every odd numbered year as required by WisconsinStatute. 3. Any organization whose Council representative has accumulated three consecutiveunexcused absences. Any organization which meets all three of the above-listed requirementsshall be considered inactive and unless these deficiencies are remedied, the Council on VeteransPrograms shall seek authorization from the Wisconsin Legislature to delete said organizationfrom membership on the Council on Veterans Programs.

Mr. Rosinski said the actual language was not provided until this meeting today. Youalso might want some reflection from legal counsel whether these things are within yourpurview. He strongly recommends that a procedure be followed whereby the actual amended

protocol is provided to Council members for review at least ten days before action. Mr. Hustadmoved that the motion be tabled. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

9. Secretarys Matters.None.

10. Old Business.Tim Thiers said it is in the Councils Protocol that by written notice to the Chairman or to

WDVA, an organization can have an alternate sit in on the Council if the appointee has asignificant medical or personal reason which necessitates his/her absence. Mr. Cherone asked ifthe expenses of that alternate would be paid by the state since he/she would have no vote.

Rick Cherone said there was previous discussion for a Fisher House on the VA groundsin Milwaukee. There was also talk about putting a safe house there to be used for Iraqi veteransto decompress and get some psychological help and educational training. Mr. Sorenson askedMr. Cherone to bring the issue forward to the April meeting of the Council.

11. New Business.Anthony Hardie said Congresswoman Moores office wanted to give a brief update by

telephone on the VA Milwaukee grounds. Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee was in Washington, DCin January for the Conference of Mayors. He spoke with Congresswoman Moores officeregarding an issue of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the licensing of another casino insoutheast Wisconsin. There was no discussion of the VA grounds in Milwaukee at that time.The next day the Mayor and Rocky Marcoux and several people within the USDVAs office andthe Congresswomans chief of staff attended a meeting regarding the enhanced use issue on theVA grounds in Milwaukee. They were pleased to hear that the City of Milwaukee would not goforward with its proposal without the support of the veteranscommunity. The Congresswomanwas the person who previously called the VA and insisted that they hold town hall meetings sothat the veterans voices could be heard. Congresswoman Moore has taken no position on anyproposed plan, she has stayed neutral.


24/32

4

Joe Campbell said that the Milwaukee Allied Veterans Council will meet at the WarMemorial on Thursday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m. The Milwaukee Veterans Board will meet onFebruary 26th at 7:00 p.m. They will inform the Mayor that they will not meet with him until theproposal is received and then they will call a meeting and present the City with the veteransproposal.

12. Activities within the Veterans Community.

Vera Roddy said that there will be a Womens Conference on September 28-29 at Ft.McCoy.

Tim Thiers announced that the AMVETS State Executive Committee will be held onMarch 17 at Cobblestone Creek in Brillion. This will also be Commander RataicheksTestimonial Dinner.

Clif Sorenson said that the WDVA will be holding a Veterans Benefits Information Fairin Menomonee in March.

Al Walker said that on February 22nd the VA Hospital is holding a 6th Annual Salute to

African American Veterans.

Russ Alsteen said the Nave Club is sponsoring a division at the Great Lakes TrainingCenter on February 22nd.

William Sims said there is a stand down in Milwaukee on Saturday, February 24th.

Joe Campbell said the Being There-Reaching Out organization gathers the families offallen Wisconsin veterans together three or four times a year. On April 13-14 there will be agathering in Madison. Wisconsin will be the first state to recognize Gold Star Families. TheGovernor will sign a proclamation recognizing the second Saturday of the Month of April as

Gold Star Family Day.

13. Next Meeting Date.April 19-20, 2007 in Sturgeon Bay

14. Adjournment.It was moved by Mr. Bialk, seconded by Mr. Mautz and carried on a voice vote to

adjourn. The time was 12:05 p.m.

Clif SorensonChairman


25/32

1

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

Meeting of February 21, 2007Madison, Wisconsin

Board Members Present Others Present

Mack Hughes Dr. Jamie AdlerPete Moran Connie AllordMarv Freedman William Andersen, Board AppointeeRodney C. Moen Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSODon Heiliger Ellen Blissenbach, Gold Star WivesKen Wendt Bill Bottoms

Cleon Brown, USSVWWII

Board Members Excused Joe CampbellWalter Stenavich Rick Cherone, MOPH

Donna Chrzas, Columbia CVSO

WDVA Present Paul Fine, ANUJohn A. Scocos, Secretary Jim Gausmann, La Crosse CVSO

Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary Jesse Haro, CWVAnthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSOBill Crowley, Commandant-King Michael Jackson, CVSOA PresidentGlen Brower, Commandant-Union Grove Al KochenderferAndrew Schuster, Communications Dr. Dean KronJohn Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Steve Lawrence, VFW AdjutantMike Diaz, Veterans Homes Bill Hustad, WVVKen Black, Division of Veterans Benefits Jon LiDonne, Waupaca CVSOKen Abrahamsen, Budget Director John Margowski, Waukesha CVSOSeth Perelman, Division of Administration Bud Mautz, American LegionRichard Zeitlin, Museum Arnie MillerMel Brandl, Regional Coordinator Duane Miskulin

Kathy Scholl, Public Information Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSOJulie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Renee Oshinski, VISN 12Walter Peterson, Am ExPOWsCletus Rataichek, AMVETSCommanderLarry Smerling, Winnebago CVSODr. Tracy Smith, Madison VAMCClarence Stoel, DAVTim Thiers, Manitowoc CVSOAlan Walker

1. Roll Call and IntroductionsThe meeting of the Board of Veterans Affairs was called to order at 12:10 p.m. A

quorum was present after roll call of members.

2. Certification of Notice of MeetingIt was certified that proper notification of the meeting occurred.

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

voice vote to approve the minutes of the December 7-8 Board meetings.


26/32

2

4. Board Members MattersMr. Moen had a parliamentary request with regard to the minutes. He would like it if

the minutes would reflect the name of individuals asking questions and the names of theindividuals answering questions, rather than generically referring to Q: and A:.

Board Member Freedman presented Dr. Zeitlin with the Iron Mike award for his

work and commitment to the Veterans Museum. Dr. Zeitlin said he is proud of his role andfor the role that all have played in making it possible for the museum to exist.

Board Chairman Hughes adjusted the agenda to take up the report from VISN 12.Agenda Item 6. VISN 12 and 23 Reports was heard at this point in the meeting.

Ms. Oshinski said a lot of the conversations that have taken place at these Boardmeetings over the last couple years have surrounded the mental health program in the VA,the services offered, plans for the future, where gaps are and what is being done now andwhat needs to be done in the future. As a result of that, Ms. Oshinski brought along Dr.Dean Kron who is the Chief of Psychiatry at the Madison VA Hospital. He also chairs the

VISN Mental Health Committee, coordinating all the mental health efforts within thenetwork.

Dr. Kron said that in FY06 the VISN 12 hospitals served 37,182 veterans for mentalhealth problems. Across VISN 12, somewhere between 67% and 97% of all new patientswith mental health problems are seen within 30 days. Relatively few sites have weekend andevening clinics, which a lot more of the OIF/OEF veterans would like to have. Twenty-twoof the 23 community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), that serve at least 1,500 veteransnow have basic mental health services. The 23rd (Madison) will be on board by March withthe hiring of a doctor for the Beaver Dam Clinic. There are more and better treatments forPTSD depression and addiction than ever before. The bad news is we don't have all of those

evidence-based services at all of the sites. It takes training and hiring to get there. Tele-mental health is a way of filling in the gaps for smaller sites. Access is not as quick at allCBOCs for all services. The National Mental Health Strategic Plan incorporates some basicareas that the VA is interested in improving over the next months and years. The first is totransform the system into a recovery oriented system. One that allows veterans no matterwhat their symptoms or disabilities to achieve the best life they can see for themselves. Nextis evidence-based care. There evidence on access to care and integrating mental health careinto primary health care, which is where a lot of patients want to get their care. And the finalgoal is suicide prevention. There has been $100 million extra in FY2005, 2006, 2007 and itwill probably be there in 2008 and 2009. During 2005, 2006 and 2007, Madison, Milwaukeeand Tomah had 67.6 new FTE approved for VISN 12 mental health services. The hiring has

gone slower than hoped for but the barriers have been removed and by March 31st

90% willbe hired. The other area receiving upgrades is tele-mental health. They are hiring peersupport clinicians, people who have had mental health problems and will be part of theevaluating committee and ongoing support services for people with significant mental healthproblems. Vet to Vet groups are a little like the peer support group and is a peer facilitatedgroup learning process that is very successful in Madison. Another use for the money was toincrease the number of grant and per diem social workers. Finally, each site is going to havea facility recovery coordinator. There are at least three new PTSD treatments--two medical


27/32

3

and one psychotherapy. Cognitive therapy for schizophrenia is being expanded. Dr. Kronsaid OIF/OEF seamless transition is a big goal.

The Department of Defense has instituted a program called Battle Mind. Instead ofsaying people with PTSD are damaged goods from the war, this basically is an educationalapproach for both the service person and their families. It de-emphasizes illness and damage

and makes it much more of a normal process.

Mental health providers are being added in the primary care clinic. There is anotherapproach called the behavioral health lab approach to help the primary care doctor managehis patients. March 1 has been declared suicide prevention day in the VA. There is anationwide kick-off and training programs start then. There has been funding for a suicideprevention coordinator for every VA in the country.

In summary, the VA is rapidly increasing the number of skills of mental healthproviders. The VA is a dramatically better mental health care system than any other publicor private mental health facility. VISN 12 is facing the return of an unknown number of

OIF/OEF combat veterans on an annual basis. All services have a baseline rate of mentalhealth problems and addiction. Those exposed to trauma have more mental health problems.The sooner they get treated, the more likely it is that the treatment will be shorter and moreeffective.

If anyone has problems in VISN 12, call Dr. Kron at 1-608-280-7015.

Mr. Freedman asked that, of the 37,000 veterans being treated within VISN 12 formental health related conditions, how many are seen as patients at CBOCs and VA Hospitalsas opposed to receiving services from contractors who contract out with the VA. Mr. Kronwill have to research that. Mr. Freedman asked that, of the 37,000, what percentage is

treated for PTSD? Mr. Kron said that is a complicated question. In the Madison outpatientclinic, historically we have 4,300 patients in the system. Probably 40% of those people havePTSD written on their chart somewhere. That may not be their only mental health problem.The majority are not in the specialty PTSD clinical team care at any given moment. Themajority are in the general mental health clinic and at points when they need it they will gothrough specialty care. Mr. Freedman asked how many veterans within VISN 12 are service-connected for mental health issues? Dr. Kron said that in VISN 12 our veterans aretraditionally about 40% less likely to have been rated as service-connected for mental healthissues. Our veteran population in 2000 was 1,221,864 and 1.4% had service-connected,which is 17,123.

Rick Cherone asked about the Vietnam veterans and WWII veterans and theirspouses who experience PTSD symptoms for the last 30-40 years. Is there any treatment thatis going to help the spouses? Dr. Smith said spouses are not treated at the Madison clinic. Acouples skills group for PTSD is being instituted. While were not getting funded fortreating a spouse, were not being told not to within the VA, so couples programs are muchmore common.


28/32

4

Agenda item 7. Briefing on Telemedicine was presented at this point in the agenda by Dr.Jamie Adler, mental health service at the Madison VA, the manager of psychosocial recoveryand also the tele-mental health coordinator for VISN 12 and for Madison.

Dr. Adler said that the VA has invested a lot of resources over the last couple of yearsto enhance the quality, scope and availability of mental health services which have

traditionally been underfunded and underdeveloped compared to the physical medicalresources in the VA. However, traditionally in the VA, when you expand programs there hasbeen a bias toward bricks and mortar approach to expanding care. We would expand thelevel of services in our main facilities and expect that veterans who want those serviceswould come and see us regardless of the travel distance. If travel distances were too greatthen we would develop residential programs and we would house veterans at our facilitieswhile they were being treated. Residential services are necessary for some people that needthat level of structure but it is a tremendous inefficiency. It robs resources from our ability toprovide more services to more veterans. There has been recognition over the last severalyears that we need to push resources out to where the veterans live as opposed to requiringveterans to come in for care. There also has been some research that would indicate that the

amount of follow through care declines with the farther the travel time required to get thecare. The VA has recognized this problem when it comes to general medical services andthey created a series of CBOCs. It has only been more recently that we recognized the needto plan for mental health services to those community care clinics. In some cases the clinicsare large enough that they can support a dedicated mental health staff. The majority of theclinics are relatively small, primary care oriented clinics that would not support salaries ofspecialty mental health care. Tele-mental health is not so new; tele-psychiatry has been donewith the Iron Mountain VA and with Rockford for several years but up until recently it wasprohibitively expensive to offer it to smaller settings. The equipment costs anywhere from$10,000 to $50,000 per set up with extremely expensive data lines to connect up theseremote clinics. The technology has increased and costs have come down and the VA now

has access to technology at affordable prices. The Madison pilot program has taken thenewer technology and equipped every one of the outpatient clinicians in all of the generalspecialty health care areas with the capacity of doing tele-medicine from their offices. And,every remote CBOC has the capacity to receive that connection. If you have a need to beseen for PTSD, all we need to do is check to see that the room is available at the CBOC andthat there is a slot in the clinicians schedule and you can be seen by any specialist in PTSD.There is no CBOC in southwestern Wisconsin, so the VA partners with agencies in thecommunity, typically these are mental health, general health care agencies to co-place ourtele-mental health equipment. In a partnership arrangement the VA will provide mentalhealth services to veterans living in that remote service area. Research evidence on tele-mental health is every bit as effective as a live session and customers give it an extremely

high satisfaction rating.

Dr. Tracy Smith is the PTSD Clinical Team Coordinator at the Madison VA. Thetele-mental service works as well as seeing patients in the office. Her personal mission is totreat as many veterans as she can.

Mr. Fine thought that PTSD could not be cured. He has been in treatment for sixyears and still has the same nightmares and triggers. Dr. Smith said that cognitive processingtherapy is a treatment where you meet once a week for twelve or thirteen weeks. Even


29/32

5

among veterans with chronic PTSD, the rate of losing the diagnosis is 50%. Someone whohas PTSD in the earlier stages or has had fewer traumas, the rate of losing the diagnosis is75%. Losing the diagnosis is not the same as being cured. Dr. Adler said that in addition tolooking at how much relief we can give you in terms of reduction in symptoms, we want totake a look at how you are doing in all your other areas of lifeare you able to put a lifetogether that is meaningful and worthwhile and fulfilling to you, despite the fact that you

continue to have PTSD symptoms.

Dr. Adler said that a lot of times clinicians in VHA are called upon to do theevaluations for the ratings for disability determinations. There has been a lot of controversyabout the whole issue of fairness and appropriateness of the disability rating system and whatis the long term impact going to be on disability for some of the OIF/OEF returnees. The VAis currently in a pilot program to create a training curriculum for the clinicians who do theserating evaluations. The idea would be to try to introduce some consistency and someevidence-base into the evaluations so that they are fairer and more consistent and moretimely.

Chairman Hughes returned to Agenda item 4. Board Member Matters.

Election of Board Officers: Mr. Freedman nominated Pete Moran for BoardChairman. The nomination was seconded by Mr. Heiliger and a unanimous voice vote wascast to elect Pete Moran for Board Chairman.

Mr. Moran nominated Marvin Freedman for Board Vice Chairman. The nominationwas seconded by Mr. Moen and a unanimous voice vote was cast to elect Marv Freedman forBoard Vice Chairman.

Mr. Wendt nominated Rodney Moen for Board Secretary. The nomination was

seconded by Mr. Moran and a unanimous voice vote was cast to elect Rodney Moen forBoard Secretary

Board Approval of CVSO Advisory Council Appointments: Three members of theCVSO Advisory Council have terms that expire on April 1, 2007. The President of theCVSO Association has recommended the following CVSOs to fill four-year terms endingApril 2011. Andrew Clark, Outagamie County; Robert Stone, Rusk County and Fred Kaiser,Waushara County.

It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded and carried on a voice vote to approve therecommended appointments.

Mr. Moran thanked the Board members for their trust in electing him as chairman.He pledged to maintain the same strong, forward leadership that was provided by the formerchairs. Mr. Moran commented on the outstanding stakeholders meeting and the Salute to theLegislature. He recognized Secretary Scocos for his receipt of the American LegionLeadership Award.

Mr. Freedman said he had the opportunity to attend the Gulf War Illnesses seminar onJanuary 17 as part of Gulf War Illnesses Recognition Day. The presentations were


30/32

6

extraordinarily well done. Mr. Freedman would like to see a discussion on how as a Boardand a Department we might help facilitate addressing the health care issues of returning vetswho are affected by environmental factors. We have an obligation to all veterans to see ifthere is something we can do at the state level or if there is anything we can do to hold thefederal government to its basic responsibilities on these types of matters.

5. Board Action from Committee and Council MeetingsMr. Freedman said that the Legislative and Program Review Committee didrecommend to the Board that it move forward on the Administrative Rule changes relating tothe CVSO grant program

It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr. Moran and carried on a voice vote toaccept the reports of the Council and Committees.

8. Consider Draft of Permanent Rule Language in the Administrative Code RE: CVSOGrant Program

It was moved by Mr. Wendt, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried unanimously on a

voice vote to direct the Department to continue with the rule making process regarding theCVSO grant program.

9. Suggested Modifications to the Board Rules of ProcedureJohn RosinskiMr. Rosinski said the Board, over the last several meetings, has been considering

amendments to its Rules with regard to dealing with veteran service organization resolutionsand how they can more properly be handled by the Board and the Legislative and ProgramReview Committee. Modifications to the language proposed at the last meeting put into therules the concept of modifying language that the veterans service organization had proposed.Mr. Rosinski advised that this is not to be voted on today, the Board wanted to engage indiscussion and receive feedback in considering some of these changes.

Mr. Freedman expressed his appreciation for the inclusion of the language thatrestates a basic right of the Board, that whether or not it accepts or rejects a resolution, theBoard always has the option to take a position based on a resolution. Mr. Rosinski said hewould wait for feedback from the Board as to whether the Board would want to contemplatean actual amendment to its rules at the April meeting.

10. CVSO Resolutions F001-06 Veterans Education Grant Delimiting Date; F002-06Veterans Education Grant Pre-Enrollment Requirement; F003-06 Veterans Education GrantIncome Limit; and F004-06 Aid to Needy Veteran Grant Improvement Recommendations

Mr. Freedman said that these four resolutions came before the Legislative and

Program Review Committee. The one relating to the pre-application process is being heldpending a report with recommendations from a Process Action Team (PAT) that theSecretary will be forming. The other three resolutions were put on the agenda for the nextmeeting in view of the fact that the fiscal assessments were just provided and a little time isneeded to review them. He asked that the three resolutions be scheduled for action at theApril meeting.

11. Secretarys Matters


31/32

7

Secretary Scocos welcomed Board member Moen and Board appointee Andersen.The Secretary thanked Steve Lawrence and the VFW for hosting the Salute to theLegislature. The speakers last night spoke on the issues we talked about today, our budgetand moving forward and working together as a team with the Governor and the Legislature tofind a middle ground to solve some of the issues we see for the 21st Century. We had theopportunity to honor the Governor with an Iron Mike award and to thank President Reilly

for support from the University.

Secretary Scocos attended the National Association of State Directors of VeteransAffairs midwinter conference in Washington, DC last week. Wisconsin leads the nation intaking care of its veterans. Congress believes mandatory funding for our VA should be thereand they are forming stakeholders meetings too.

Highlights: Another issue of Forward Veterans has been distributed. The GulfWar Illnesses Conference as a Womens Veterans Forum were held at the Departmentrecently. The Rolf Family gift cards were distributed to military families and our ReturningVeterans Recognition Dinner was a great event. Upcoming Supermarkets will be held in

Menomonee on March 22-23, Rhinelander May 3-4, Janesville May 12, Ft. McCoySeptember 7, Baraboo at Ho-Chunk October 23 and were working on a Waukesha event inthe Fall.

Congratulations to Chairman Moran, Vice Chair Freedman and Secretary Moen.Thanks also to Ellen Blissenbach for her donation of $153 to the building fund.

Mr. Moen thanked the Secretary for agreeing to attend the CVSO regional meeting inOsseo on March 9th.

12. Public Input.

Holly Hoppe said about 50 women attended the Womens Forum. A Committee wasformed to outreach to all the women in Wisconsin know about their veterans benefits. Thisprogram was started by the Department under Secretary Scocos.

13. Other Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).Board member Heiliger said that this was probably his last meeting after eight years

on the Board and he has truly enjoyed his association with the Board and Departmentmembers. Bill Andersen will be his successor.

Mr. Moen said that this is the only meeting in Madison this year. This being a budgetyear and knowing the process of the Legislature, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. He

would like the Chairman to take under advisement the possibility of having a special meetingsome time in early May and invite the two chairs of the standing Committees on VeteransAffairs to come in and address specifically those items that were not included in the budgetso that we can talk to them a bit about that. The budget will be up for a vote some time inlate June or early July.

Mr. Moran said he thought it was a great idea. He asked for a written request viaemail to the Board members and the Secretary so that it could be taken up for Board action inApril.


32/32

Documents

Board Minutes February 2007