Board Minutes August 2006

EXHIBIT 1
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

WDVA Briefing of August 17, 2006
Spooner, Wisconsin
Board Members Present WDVA Staff Members Present
Mack Hughes John A. Scocos, Secretary
Peter Moran Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary
Marv Freedman Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant
Ken Wendt Bill Crowley, Commandant, King
Don Heiliger Glen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove
Walter Stenavich Colleen Holtan, Budget Office
Ken Abrahamsen, Budget Director
Legislative & Program Review Members Present Ken Grant, Bureau of Program Services
Marv Freedman John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel
Vera Roddy Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes
Bud Mautz Andrew Schuster, Communications Director
Steve Lawrence Matt Bergs, Northern Cemetery Director
Jim Young Julie Van Metre, Ex. Staff Assist
Paul Weprinsky
Tim Thiers Council on Veterans Programs Present
Russ Alsteen, NCUSA
Long Term Care Committee Members Present Paul Bialk, MCL
Ken Wendt Cleon Brown, USSVWWII
Walter Stenavich Paul Fine ANU
Jerry Rabetski Rick Gates, CVSO
Robert Morzenti Jesse Haro, CWV
Jerry Polus Steve House, VVA
Steve Lawrence, VFW
Financial Committee Members Present Bud Mautz, American Legion
Pete Moran Walter Peterson, Am ExPOWs
Don Heiliger Jerry Rabetski, PLAV
Connie Allord Vera Roddy, UWV
Mike Demske Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
Jim Endres William Sims, NABV
Al Kochenderfer Mike Smith, American Red Cross
Bill Bottoms Clif Sorenson, WACVO
Tim Thiers, AMVETS
CVSO Advisory Council Paul Weprinsky, JWV
Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
John Solis, Rock CVSO Others Present
Don Lander, Clark CVSO Mike Bobin, Washburn Co. Board of Supervisors
Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSO Douglas Stubbe, Burnett CVSO
Jim Young, Vernon CVSO Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSO Mrs. Bud Mautz
Rick Gates, Polk CVSO
The briefing session by WDVA staff for Board, Council and Committee members
commenced at 12:30 pm.
1. Certification of Notice of Meeting and Roll Call

Roll call of Board members: 6 members present; 1 member excused. Quorum present.
Roll call of CVSO Advisory Council members: 8 members present; 1 member excused.
Quorum present.
Roll call of Legislative and Program Review Committee members: 7 members present, 5
members excused. Quorum present.
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MINUTES
CVSO ADVISORY COUNCIL
August 17, 2006
Spooner, Wisconsin
Members Present Others Present

Holly Hoppe, Oconto Russ Alsteen, Navy Clubs
Don Lander, Clark Ray Boeckman. Sawyer CVSO
Nick Benzinger, Shawano Bill Bottoms
Mike Haley, Chippewa Cleon Brown, Sub-Vets WWII
Ted Mynyk, Iowa Mike Demske, Finance Committee
Jim Young, Vernon Jim Endres, AMVETS
Rick Gates, Polk Paul Fine, ANU
John Solis, Rock Marvin Freedman, Board Member
Jesse Haro, CWV
Members Excused Don Heiliger, Board Member
Mark Grams, Dodge Steve House, VVA
Mack Hughes, Board Chairman
WDVA Present Al Kochenderfer
John A. Scocos, Secretary Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary Steve Lawrence, VFW Adjutant
Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Kathy Lehmann, Washburn CVSO Office
Bill Crowley, Commandant, King Bud Mautz, Am. Legion
Glen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove Dari McDonald
Colleen Holtan, Budget Office Pete Moran, Board Member
John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Robert Morzenti, Iron CVSO
Ken Grant, Bureau of Program Services Jerry Polus, Brown CVSO
Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes Jerome Rabetski, PLAV
Andy Schuster, Public Affairs Director Vera Roddy, UWV
Matt Bergs, Northern Cemetery Director Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
Tony Johnson, Northern Cemetery William Sims, NABV
Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
Mike Smith, American Red Cross
Clif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSO
Walter Stenavich, Board Member
Doug Stubbe, Burnett CVSO
Tim Tiers, Manitowoc CVSO
Ken Wendt, Board Member
Paul Weprinsky, JWV
1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

The meeting of the CVSO Advisory Council was called to order at 2:00 p.m. A quorum
was present.
2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

So noted.
3. Approval of Minutes of June 15, 2006.

It was moved by Mr. Gates, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on a voice vote to
approve the minutes of the June 15, 2006 CVSO Advisory Council meeting.
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4. Announcements and Introductions
None.
5. Request WDVA assistance in getting the word out via CVSO Bulletin about new form
applications, to include notification for new brochures and pamphlets.
Ms. Hoppe said this agenda item was sent to her by someone completing an application
for King and he did not know there was a new one. Mr. Kloster said he has given instruction to
the Madison office that every time we change a brochure or form, we have a form to fill out
before we can do that. That request for change form is being changed to include a block asking
that users of the new form be notified of the change.
6. Secretary’s Matters
Secretary Scocos thanked Carl Krantz and Kathy Lehmann for setting up the meeting
today and he welcomed the community leaders to the meetings. The Department continues to
focus on veteran priorities and this year we saw many dramatic changes for veterans. Property
tax credit for disabled veterans, the G.I. Bill, QVMB recently passed, our new 120-bed nursing
home in Union Grove, the growth of the Mission Welcome Home Program; and great
supermarket events across the state are some of the accomplishments. On September 1st there
will be a veteran’s benefit information fair at Ft. McCoy in conjunction with their retiree day.
Marketing for Union Grove this year has been underway for some time. We await the admission
of residents to Boland Hall. WDVA was able to do so many things for veterans in this budget
and the Secretary thanked all the stakeholders. A survey will go out to several thousand veterans
on what they think they need for the future and how they feel WDVA is taking care of them.
The Secretary has had the opportunity to attend many veteran organization state
conventions. He will be at the American Ex-POW Convention on August 23rd and at the VVA
Convention. About two years ago veterans helped pay for a bronze plaque for WWII and an All
Era bronze plaque to be placed in the State Capitol. Hopefully the dedication of those plaques
will be on Veterans Day.
The budget will be dramatic in terms of what we are doing for the future. The Secretary
will brief that budget to the Board tomorrow.
Q: What is the status of a bulletin for the Aid to Needy Veterans?
A: The law that was passed for that program that would allow us to give donated money
to families of service members who were deployed overseas was not written the way we needed
it to be written. Right now it allows the family members to be eligible for hearing aids, dental
work and the other things for the needy veterans. It was intended and sold to be a program that
would allow WDVA and CVSOs to give to a family of a deployed soldier some funds to help
them get over a crisis such as a furnace or water heater that goes out in mid-winter. A draft to
refine that legislation is being prepared for our budget request.
Mr. Gates pointed out that for those people on active duty, serving overseas, and they
leave a spouse and children behind, they are covered by Tri-Care and that will be an issue. If it
is an emergency need, most of these families would be covered not only by the local VFW,
American Legion, DAV Posts, but also by the army and navy relief. There are different avenues
for these people because they are on active duty. The American Red Cross coordinates with all
of the relief activities.
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Mr. Kloster said that this program that was initiated by the Legislature did not include
any funding or appropriation for it. It was designed to use donated money. It would not be Trust
Fund money funding this and we have gotten several thousand dollars in donations in for this
program.
7. Public Input
None.
8. Council Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption)

A question came up on the 100% state tax credit. A county had an individual that was
awarded 100% service-connected in 1946 and when the wife applied for the tax credit she had a
problem with the state giving a certificate. Is there a time limit? Mr. Rosinski said there is no
time limit and asked if the veteran died after the age of 65 because that is a restriction for the
surviving spouse. Mr. Kloster asked for specifics on the case and he would look into it.
9. Election of Officers
It was determined that this agenda item was entered in error—a special election was held
in June.
10. Next Meeting Schedule

The Council will meet at the CVSO Conference on September 25, 2006 in Hayward.
11. Adjournment
It was moved by Mr. Solis, seconded by Mr. Gates and carried on a voice vote to adjourn
the Council meeting; the time was 2:25 p.m.
Holly Hoppe
Chair
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Roll call of Long-Term Care Committee members: 5 members present; 7 members
excused. No quorum.
Roll call of Financial Committee members: 7 members present; 3 members excused.
Quorum present.
Roll call of Council on Veterans Programs members: 18 members present, 3 members
excused, 3 vacancies. Quorum present.
2. Legislative Report—Anthony Hardie

Mr. Hardie said there has been a fairly significant effort at the federal level with
regards to QVMB. Congressman Ryan had attached an amendment to the minimum
wage legislation that passed the US House to remove the 2010 sunset clause for the
QVMB legislation that was passed earlier this year. We continue to have two goals—
one raising the cap and second, removing the sunset or extending it beyond the 2010
sunset. The overall estate tax issue with the minimum wage bill may yet be considered
by the end of this calendar year. This is a very large package of tax measures and
many of them are controversial.
There are federal measures that would improve transition assistance for National
Guard service members, a provision for Troops to Nurses, mandatory PTSD
examinations for transitioning service members, and a number of other areas that focus
on outreach.
The Department, with the coordination and cooperation of the Military Order of
the Purple Heart, had an exceptional Purple Heart Day Ceremony in Sturgeon Bay.
Veterans Day at the State Fair took place on August 13th. Veterans Service Officer
training was held in Madison July 25-27 with 19 CVSOs and Tribal VSOs attending. A
veteran’s benefits information fair will be held on September 1st at Ft. McCoy from 11:30
a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Ft. McCoy Retiree Day. On September 11th
a state ceremony will take place at the State Capitol with tolling of the bells by VFW
Post 1318 at the times when the planes struck on 9/11. The UW Badger Salute to
Veterans will be on September 16th. There will be one color guard on the field
representing each branch of service. There will be a tent set up at the north practice
field hosted by local veteran’s service groups and that will be where tickets will be
picked up and refreshments will be sold. August 23-24 is the Ex-POW state convention
in Plover. September 15th is POW Recognition Day in Madison. September 23-24 is
the VVA State Convention. Stars and Stripes Sundays at Miller Park continue with the
next ones being August 20th, September 3rd, 10th and 24th.
3. Programs Report—Ken Grant

Mr. Grant is the bureau director for the honors program, the homeless program
and the cemeteries, and was standing in for Division Administrator Ken Black.
• Five CVSO Bulletins were sent out since the last Board meeting: #738 informed
the CVSO community of the changes associated with the county transportation
grant program; #739 addressed the changes to the HILP loan rates; #740
addressed the reopening of the Primary Mortgage Loan Program, the source of
funding being the QVMB and the restrictions associated with that; #743
addressed the availability of the new funding source, the loan rate and the cap on
the state VA loan amount; #745 announced the opening of the county
transportation grant application period.
• Cemetery: 107 burials in the month of June and 91 in the month of July for the
three cemeteries. 467 military funeral honors were conducted in June and 476 in
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July. The maintenance storage building at the northern cemetery should be
completed by the end of September. Expansion for the columbarium is pending
final approval from the State Cemetery Grants Program at the federal level. The
expansion project at the southern cemetery is pending review of the cemetery
master plan by the State Cemetery Grants Program.
• Veterans Assistance Program: Awaiting closing of the bid process for selecting a
vendor to run the homeless program at Union Grove and King. The bid process
closes on August 31st with a contract to be awarded in the early part of October
2006. Additionally we are waiting approval from the Federal VA to move the
Union Grove VAP site from Cottage 1 to Cottage 16. This move will allow us to
create eight single residency occupancy rooms. WDVA received conditional
approval from the VA to open a 30-bed VAP site in Chippewa Falls.
• VetEd Program: This is the busiest part of the season for the program. A large
volume of pre-applications is expected to cause a bottleneck for the next two to
three weeks. A turnaround time of approximately ten working days is anticipated.
A veteran can turn in his or her pre-application plus or minus 30 days from the
start of the semester. We are all working hard to educate everyone about the
VetEd Program.
• Grants: On June 27th a bulletin was issued explaining the code changes to the
County Transportation Grant Program. A new application form for the program
was posted to the WDVA web site. Notice was sent to CVSOs reminding them
that applications are due by November 1st.
• Loans: On July 13th Lender Bulletin 332 and CVSO Bulletin #743 were issued
notifying lenders and CVSOs of the availability of $61 million in new QVMB
funding for the Primary Mortgage Loan Program. The interest rate was set at 6%
and thus far we have received 13 applications of which 9 have been approved
and 4 are pending. Twenty thousand Personal Loan Program marketing
brochures were distributed throughout eleven counties as part of a pilot program
to stimulate demand. Loan volume in the PLP program subsequently increased
from $416,750 in June to $604,493 in the month of July.
• Veterans Trust Fund delinquency rate in June and July was 2.15% and 2.42%,
well below the standard of 3%.
4. Veterans Homes Report

Commandant Brower said the census at the end of July was 106.
• The administrative portion of the activity center is substantially completed. By
the middle to end of September, staff hopes to be in their new offices in the
activity center.
• Food Service Project: The King Veterans Home will provide Union Grove with its
main entree items that will be chilled and shipped to Union Grove for final traying
and preparation. We expect to begin this service this winter.
• The conversion of six double rooms in Fairchild and Shemanske Halls into 12
single rooms is in the final planning phase. We hope to get federal VA funding
for this project.
• The Skilled Nursing Facility is 99.9% complete. BQA re-inspection will take place
on August 24th. If the building passes inspection, a license will be issued and
members can start residing in Boland Hall after the Labor Day weekend. The
furniture deliveries are approximately 95% complete and all the contracts for
physicians services, pharmacy, therapy as well as all the policies and procedures
have been written and developed and are in place.
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• Financials: The Union Grove Home is running at a loss. Staff was brought on
board anticipating a start up date in early July. It costs $8,671 per day in lost
revenue as well as wages to have that building sit vacant. The Commandant
made a commitment that he would be a break even point effective 1 July 2008
and forward. The business plan based its figures on achieving 40 beds by the
end of December of 2006; 80 beds by the end of June of 2007; and 114 beds by
December of 2007.
• Current employee status: 126 employees—75 are full time, 44 are part time and
7 are LTEs. Approximately 139 employees are yet to be hired; 24 of them will be
in cook-chill and about 115 will be in the support of nursing services.
Commandant Crowley said the King Home census is at 701. Of the 48

vacancies, 16 are in the cottages and 32 are in the skilled care buildings. It is
anticipated that between five to fifteen King residents will be transferred to Union Grove
when Boland Hall is open. There are 16 pending applications in various stages of
development. The average time from receipt of application to entry is 44 days.
Earlier in the month the King Home had its annual VA Hospital survey. After the
annual visit last year the Home was required to have four additional nursing supervisor
positions but we did not have position authority to do that. Therefore, we converted four
LPN staff positions to RN supervisor positions and then filled them with RNs. Now, in
our next biennial budget request, we need to ask for those four LPN positions to be
restored.
The Home Exchange manager has made an adjustment in some of the prices
and tap beer is 25¢ cheaper than it was a couple months ago. Overall, the Home
Exchange operated at a net loss of $2,031 for the past twelve months. We are taking a
look at a more diverse inventory to make it more convenient for members. For
members who are less mobile, a traveling cart with Home Exchange merchandise will
go around to each of the buildings.
Gifts and Bequests revenue since the last report was $166,070; expenditures
$13,369. The combined fundraiser for bus transportation for King and Union Grove has
exceeded the goal of $370,000. As of yesterday the fund has on hand $399,090. A
pledge of $50,000 was received from the SC Johnson Company of Racine.
Well Number 1 is in operation. Well Number 2 tests have come back clean and it
is anticipated to be on-line in July of 2007. The nurse call system upgrade has been
completed in all of the nursing buildings and in Marden Center. The ventilation system
upgrade in MacArthur Hall is up and running. The steam and condensate line
replacement project has been stalled due to underground electrical conduits showing up
that were not on any blueprints. That project will start up again later this month.
Projects again to be considered for funding by the Federal VA for fiscal year 2007:
Olson Hall window replacement project and Well Number 2. They are on the list as
Priority One Projects however no federal VA funds have been set aside in FY06. They
will be considered again for funding in 2007. New Projects being submitted to the VA
for funding in 2007 will be the ceiling lifts and the Olson Hall domestic water pipe
replacement project.
Upcoming events: September 9th MOPH will conduct their annual King Day
along with the annual meeting of the County Veterans Service Commissioners to be
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held in the morning. September 16 and 17 will be the AMVETS annual pilgrimage (VVA
has partnered with them).
Mr. Freedman said in April he had inquired about the number of nursing positions
that had been filled under the authorization to add 44 nursing positions in the previous
budget. All but seven have been filled. How does that stand now? Mr. Crowley said
that evolves on a daily basis. All of those positions are union positions and when any
vacancy comes up in any position across the camp there is a contractual requirement
that the position has to be made available to other members of the union. Overall our
fill rate for nursing categories across the board—RN, LPN, and CNA stands at 98.2%.
5. Financial Report—Colleen Holtan

Ms. Holtan presented preliminary fiscal year-end 2006 financials. King reported
operating income of $21.6 million. King transferred $4,292,515 of that revenue to the
Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove. The resulting fund equity balance was
$43,934,129 which is an increase of $17.6 million from the prior fiscal year end. While
cash decreased approximately $4.1 million for the month due to the revenue transfer to
Union Grove, ending cash balance was $10.7 million greater than the beginning cash
balance.
The Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove had an operating loss for the
month of $894,000, increasing the fiscal year-to-date operating loss to nearly $4.1
million. The net affect after the transfer from King was $156,000 increase in fund equity
to $15,707,797. The ending cash balance was $367,000.
The Veterans Trust Fund had a loss of $1,561,000 for the month of June. That is
primarily due to $1.3 million of grant expenditures during June. The Education Grant
Program is cyclical and June is the month when many of those grants are paid. The
ending fund equity in the Veterans Trust Fund was $76.1 million which is a decrease of
$9 million since the beginning of the fiscal year. The cash decreased $620,000 for the
month ending at $29 million.
The Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund reported a net income of $2.7 million for
the month of June, with a year-to-date net loss of $4.6 million as administrative
expenses and debt service payments have exceeded revenue. The ending fund equity
was $39, 648, 711. The June 30th cash balance in the MLRF was $104.3 million, an
increase of more than $5 million since the prior fiscal year end. Earnings on
investments contributed $4.7 million to the increase, including $832,000 during the
month of June.
The June reported delinquency rate for PLP loans was 2.13% and for VTF loans
it was 2.15%. The MLRF portfolio delinquency rate was 0.43% for June. There were
no mortgage loan applications received in June because the program had closed to new
applications on May 10th and then reopened in July.
Q: In view of the 6% interest rate that the Board set, is 13 loan applications what
you expected?
A: It’s less than what we expected. We are looking into what kind of marketing
we can do. When we closed the program down, people tend to forget about it. The
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second factor is that we are getting toward the end of the house buying season and
won’t pick up again until March.
Q: Do banks include WDVA rates along with advertising their mortgage rates
and to the extent that they may not, is there some outreach that can be done with banks
to encourage them to include that rate as an alternative on their web site and also with
their staff?
A: Not all banks include WDVA rates. When we opened the program back up
we did make individual calls to all the banks that we have contracts with throughout the
state to do our loans, just to reestablish that link with the banks. Secretary Scocos will
meet with many bankers this fall to talk about our program.
Q: Are all these loans being written under the umbrella of the QVMB?
A: The housing loans are, yes.
6. Recess/Adjournment
Prior to adjournment Mr. Freedman asked to receive a short overview/update at
the October meeting on the Mission Welcome Home Program—what’s being done and
new initiatives that you hope to do in the upcoming biennium.
It was moved by Mr. Stenavich, seconded by Mr. Wendt and carried on a voice
vote to adjourn the Board meeting.
It was moved by Mr. Thiers, seconded by Ms. Roddy and carried on a voice vote
that the Legislative and Program Review Committee stand in recess until 3:00 p.m.
The Long Term Care Committee stood in recess until the adjournment of the
Legislative and Program Review Committee.
It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr. Bottoms and carried on a voice
vote that the Financial Committee stand in recess until the adjournment of the Long
Term Care Committee.
It was moved by Mr. Rabetski, seconded by Mr. Sorenson and carried on a voice
vote that the Council on Veterans Programs adjourn.
The CVSO Advisory Council stood in recess until 2:00 p.m.
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MINUTES
LEGISLATIVE AND PROGRAM REVIEW COMMITTEE
Meeting of August 17, 2006
Committee Present Others Present

Marvin Freedman Russ Alsteen, Navy Clubs
Bud Mautz Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO
Vera Roddy Ray Boeckman, Sawyer CVSO
Jim Young Bill Bottoms
Steve Lawrence Cleon Brown, Sub-Vets WWII
Paul Weprinsky Mike Demske
Tim Thiers Jim Endres, AMVETS
Paul Fine, ANU
Committee Excused Rick Gates, Polk CVSO
Kathy Marschman Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSO
Josh Sniegowski Jesse Haro, CWV
Lewis Harned Don Heiliger, Board Member
Duane Miskulin Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
Bill Hustad Mack Hughes, Board Chairman
Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
WDVA Present Kathy Lehmann, Washburn CVSO Office
John A. Scocos, Secretary Mrs. Bud Mautz
William Kloster, Deputy Secretary Dari McDonald
Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Pete Moran, Board Member
Bill Crowley, Commandant, King Robert Morzenti, Iron CVSO
Glen Brower, Commandant, Union Grove Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSO
Colleen Holtan, Budget Office Walter Peterson, American Ex-POWs
John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Jerry Polus, Brown CVSO
Andy Schuster, Public Affairs Director Jerome Rabetski, PLAV
Matt Bergs, Northern Cemetery Director Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
Tony Johnson, Northern Cemetery William Sims, NABV
Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
Mike Smith, ARC
Walter Stenavich, Board Member
Doug Stubbe, Burnett CVSO

The meeting of the Legislative and Program Review Committee was called to order at
12:30 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 2:50
p.m.

It was certified that proper notice of the meeting occurred.
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3. Approval of Minutes.
It was moved by Mr. Young seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried on a voice vote to
approve the minutes of the June 15, 2006 meetings.
4. Consideration of Resolutions
CVSO Resolution S06-004—VetEd Reimbursement Grants Pre-Application
Requirement. The Resolution asks for a change in the pre-application requirement so as to allow
an applicant who has been denied due process and/or realistic appeals to be able to pursue the
benefit. In answer to a question, Mr. Rosinski said the statute and code require pre-registration
within 30 days of the commencement of a semester and WDVA has interpreted it broadly to be a
60-day window—30 days before and 30 days after. Mr. Freedman is concerned about the lack of
an appeal process. Mr. Rosinski said there is an appeal process on a denial of any state veteran
benefit. The resolution deals with a procedure that is already in place. The focus and concern
raised is that when you exercise the appeal process, what can the administrative appeals officer
in the Department consider in determining whether the application was properly denied or not.
The hearing officer is going to apply the law. The resolution misstates the concern. There is an
appeal process, there is due process, however, the examiner can only look at what the law
provides and what the facts of the case are. Mr. Gates said the CVSOs universally dislike the
entire process of having a pre-application because it’s an opportunity to fail. The Resolution
probably could have been worded differently because there essentially is no appeal even though
you technically have the right to appeal. The result of an appeal is invariably a denial because
it’s law. If we have to live with a pre-application process then there should b some latitude on
the part of WDVA for the veteran who finds him or herself in a position where they missed the
deadline. Mr. Freedman asked that this resolution be redrafted and/or clarified at the CVSO
Association Conference and brought back at the October meeting.
AMVET Resolution #1 calls for going on record in support of legislation that would
allow credit for military service being provided to state employees toward retirement in the case
of veterans who served after 1974. It was moved by Mr. Thiers and seconded by Mr. Lawrence
to accept this resolution and recommend it to the Board of Veterans Affairs for their adoption.
Mr. Thiers said it’s not just for state employees but for anybody that’s enrolled in the Wisconsin
Retirement System such as teachers, county employees, police officers, firefighters. Mr.
Freedman recommended removing the words state employees and insert “employees eligible for
the Wisconsin Retirement System”. The AMVET Resolution as presented was rejected by the
Committee and the modified resolution carried on a voice vote.
AMVET Resolution #3 goes on record supporting the reintroduction of legislation to

exclude veteran’s disability payments from the calculation of maintenance in divorce
proceedings. It was moved by Mr. Lawrence and seconded by Mr. Mautz to recommend
acceptance by the Board. Six ayes, one abstention, motion carried.
AMVET Resolution #4 deals with residency requirements. Mr. Freedman suggested that
the resolution be held over until the October meeting. There was no objection.
DAV Resolution #1 calls for providing for eligibility for the state property tax credit to
those veterans who are rated 100% based on unemployability, currently that is not the case. It
was moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded by Mr. Thiers and carried on a voice vote to accept and
recommend approval by the Board.
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DAV Resolution #2 asks that modification to the current Wisconsin G.I. Bill be made to
recommend that the requirement for full-time student status be dropped for eligible dependent
children, allowing them to attend part time. It was moved by Mr. Thiers and seconded to modify
the resolution by replacing the word “dropped” with “changed” and allowing them “the option”
to attend part time. Friendly amendment accepted by Ms. Hoppe. Motion carried on a voice
vote.
DAV Resolution #3 relating to college tuition reimbursement for dependents—Mr.

Freedman suggested that the resolution be held over until the October meeting. There was one
objection.
DAV Resolution #4—asks for the passage of legislation to give veterans service
organizations a tax exemption for goods and services sold to them for use in accomplishing their
mission of service to veterans and their families. It was moved by Mr. Thiers, seconded by Mr.
Weprinsky and carried on a voice vote to adopt the resolution and recommend approval by the
Board.
DAV Resolution #5—encourages members of the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation

to serve on the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. It was moved by Mr. Lawrence,
seconded by Mr. Young and carried on a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution #6—relates to divorce and compensation. This is a companion to

AMVETS Resolution 3, offering the same basic request. It was moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded
by Mr. Lawrence and carried, with one abstention, on a voice vote to accept the resolution.
DAV Resolution #7—establishes disability status for purposes of receiving reduced fees
for state parks and other registrations and licenses. After several comments from Committee
members and the public, Mr. Freedman said he would get further clarification from DAV and
report back at the October meeting.
DAV Resolution #8—requests amendment to US Code to include veterans who served

after January 1, 1977 within the definition of “qualified veterans” for purposes of eligibility for
home loans funded by tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds issued by certain states. It was
moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried on a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution #9—supports establishing a CBOC in Sawyer County and that it be

named the Jack Logan CBOC of Sawyer County, Wisconsin. It was moved by Mr. Thiers,
seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried on a voice vote to accept this resolution and recommend
acceptance by the Board.
DAV Resolution #10—supports legislation for charging a fee once every five years for
disabled veteran’s license plates. Questions about how much veterans would be charged could
not be answered so the resolution was held over for clarification at the October meeting
DAV Resolution #11—seeks legislation to identify and clarify “service in the Republic
of Vietnam beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, to include those who served
3
in the territorial waters offshore” as the DAV feel was the original intent. It was moved by Mr.
Thiers and seconded by Mr. Lawrence to adopt the resolution. 6 ayes, 1 no, motion carried.
DAV Resolution #12—requests the establishment of a special scratch off lottery ticket to
be known as “GI Dough” and that any monies collected from this scratch-off game be earmarked
for the Veterans Trust Fund. It was moved by Mr. Lawrence, seconded by Mr. Mautz and
carried on a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution #13—asks the State of Wisconsin to exempt all vehicles displaying the
disabled veteran license plate, handicapped plate, and placards from all parking meter fees
regardless of the time limit. It was moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on
a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution #14—seeks legislation to reassess the premiums for service disabled
veterans insurance to be more consistent with current life expectancy rates. It was moved by Mr.
Weprinsky, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution #15—says that the VA should establish the same funding principles for
eligible veterans and their spouses for state veteran’s homes that are applied to private nursing
homes under VA contract. It was moved by Mr. Mautz, seconded by Mr. Young and carried on
a voice vote to accept the resolution.
DAV Resolution #16—supports a change in the regulatory provisions to allow national

VSOs to receive training on the process of WDVA benefits and be allowed to assist veterans
applying for benefits through the WDVA. It was moved by Mr. Thiers, seconded by Mr.
Weprinsky and carried on a voice vote to reject the resolution.
5. Secretary’s Matters.
Secretary Scocos said his budget presentation will be provided at the Board meeting
tomorrow.
6. Public Input.
None.
7. Committee Members’ Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).

In response to concerns raised by Ms. Roddy, Secretary Scocos said he has asked staff to
look into a women veteran’s forum at the Department headquarters to not only address homeless
issues but all concerns not already addressed within our Department. More information about
this forum should be available at the October meeting.
Carl Krantz thanked the Committees and Board for holding its meetings in Spooner.
Washburn County has identified its women veterans. There was a workshop/seminar that drew a
lot of female veterans. Nate Nez helped do the coordinating. The area has identified the female
spouses of veterans that have anxiety disorders/PTSD for counseling.
Mr. Thiers asked that all members of the Legislative and Program Review Committee get
copies of the CVSO Bulletins.
4
Mr. Freedman said the Board will receive a presentation about the potential commercial
development on the VA grounds in Milwaukee. In late July the American Legion adopted
Resolution #6 entitled Commercial Development of the VA Grounds in Milwaukee.
Consideration of that resolution and any others adopted by the American Legion will be placed
on the October agenda of the Legislative and Program Review Committee.
8. Next Meeting Date.

The next meeting will be October 19 at American Legion Post 52 in La Crosse
9. Adjournment.
It was moved by Mr. Thiers, seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried on a voice vote to
adjourn the meeting, the time was 4:00 p.m.
Marvin Freedman
Chairman
5
MINUTES
LONG TERM CARE COMMITTEE

Ken Wendt Connie Allord
Walter Stenavich Russ Alsteen, Navy Clubs
Jerry Rabetski Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO
Robert Morzenti Ray Boeckman, Sawyer CVSO
Jerry Polus Bill Bottoms
Cleon Brown, US Sub Vets WWII
Committee Excused Mike Demske, VVA President
Chris Kornkven Jim Endres, AMVETS
Dave Gough Paul Fine, ANU
Ken Koon Rick Gates, Polk CVSO
Kevin Kavanaugh Jesse Haro, CWV
Arnold Miller Don Heiliger, Board Member
Alan Walker Steve House, VVA
Mary Meyer Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
Al Kochenderfer
WDVA Present Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
John A. Scocos, Secretary Steve Lawrence, VFW Adjutant
William Kloster, Deputy Secretary Bud Mautz, American Legion
Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Pete Moran, Board Member
Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSO
Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove Walter Peterson, Am. Ex-POWs
Colleen Holtan, Budget Office Vera Roddy, UWV
John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
Andy Schuster, Public Relations Director Mike Smith, American Red Cross
Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Clif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSO
Tim Thiers, Manitowoc CVSO

The meeting of the Long Term Care Committee was called to order at 12:30 p.m. to hear
a WDVA briefing (see Exhibit 1). The Committee stood in recess after the briefing. A quorum
was not attained at the Briefing or the Committee meeting.

The vote to approve was held over until the October meeting due to lack of a quorum.
1
Secretary Scocos said the Department had a productive leadership conference. Both
Commandants provided their five-year plans on how we will meet the needs of our veteran’s
population at King and Union Grove, what the financial responsibilities will be and where we
need to go in the future. WDVA is working with the Department of Administration which is
responsible for the closure of the construction projects with the contractors. They have been
responsive to WDVA’s financial concerns with the daily holding costs the longer Boland Hall
remains vacant.
The Department’s goal is long term solvency, not only of the Veterans Trust Fund and
the Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund, but of both the Veterans Homes. We need to plan for
needs in the next ten years. Right now we are looking at a six-year plan to meet the next three
biennia and we’ll go from there. The King Home and parts of Union Grove still have a 50’s and
60’s look of a hospital ward versus a place where someone can come in and spend their
remaining years. The cottages at King have been vacant for some time and we need to look at
what we will do with them. They are historical landmarks. In the last budget the Secretary
asked for $100,000 in consultant fees to look at some of these issues and be able to provide
exceptional care and meet the needs of the 21st Century. Plans are to add a marketing budget for
King and Union Grove.
5. Public Input.
None.

Mr. Wendt appreciated that his concerns were acted upon and that beer at the King Home
has gone back to $1.00 a glass with assistance from the distributor.
Q: Are there any updates on the national level about full VA funding for veterans greater
than 70% service connected disabled for State Veterans Homes?
A: Nothing really, but there will be in the next session of Congress.
7. Next Meeting Schedule.

October 19th at American Legion Post 52 in La Crosse.
8 Adjournment.
The Committee adjourned at 4:12 p.m.
Ken Wendt
Chairman
2
MINUTES
FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

Pete Moran Russ Alsteen, Navy Club
Don Heiliger Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO
Connie Allord Cleon Brown, USSVWWII
Mike Demske Paul Fine, ANU
Jim Endres Marvin Freedman, Board Member
Al Kochenderfer Rick Gates, Polk CVSO
Bill Bottoms Jesse Haro, CWV
Joe Campbell Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
Steve House, VVA
Committee Excused Mack Hughes, Board Chairman
John O’Brien Steve Lawrence, VFW Adjutant
Jim Gausmann Mr. & Mrs. Bud Mautz, Am. Legion
Robert Morzenti, Iron CVSO
WDVA Present Ted Mynyk, Iron CVSO
John A. Scocos, Secretary Walter Peterson, Am. Ex-POWs
William Kloster, Deputy Secretary Jerry Rabetski, PLAV
Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King William Sims, NABV
Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Mike Smith, American Red Cross
Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes Clif Sorenson, Eau Claire CVSO
Andy Schuster, Public Relations Director Walter Stenavich, Board Member
Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Ken Wendt, Board Member

The meeting of the Financial Committee was called to order at 12:30 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 briefing and upon reconvening at 4:15 p.m.

Notice of meeting was certified.
It was moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr. Endres and carried on a voice vote to
approve the minutes of the June 15, 2006 meetings.
Secretary Scocos commented that the budgetary briefing tomorrow will lay out the future
for solvency plan phase 2. The veterans have been given some great benefits at a time when
people said it was impossible. The property tax credit and the Wisconsin GI Bill are examples of
new benefits. The Secretary’s goal is to work with the technical schools to get them on board
1
with the Wisconsin GI Bill. QVMB will build our mortgage loan program. We want to see the
caps removed and change the refinancing clause associated with QVMB.
5. Public Input.
None.

None.

October 19 at American Legion Post 52 in La Crosse.
8. Adjournment.
It was moved by Mr. Bottoms, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried on a voice vote to
adjourn the meeting, the time was 4:20 p.m.
Pete Moran
Chairman
2
MINUTES
COUNCIL ON VETERANS PROGRAMS
Members Present WDVA Present

Russ Alsteen, NCUSA John A. Scocos, Secretary
Paul Bialk, MCL William Kloster, Deputy Secretary
Pat Brown, USSVWWII Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant
Paul Fine, ANU Bill Crowley, Commandant, WVH-King
Rick Gates, CVSOA Glen Brower, Commandant, WVH-Union Grove
Jesse Haro, CWV Colleen Holtan, Budget Office
Steve Lawrence, VFW Ken Grant, Bureau of Program Services
Bud Mautz, Am. Legion John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel
Jerry Rabetski, PLAV Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes
Ron Rutkowski, VVAW Andrew Schuster, Communications Director
Vera Roddy, UWV Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant
William Sims, NABV
Mike Smith, ARC Others Present
Clif Sorenson, WACVO Connie Allord
Tim Thiers, AMVETS Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO
Paul Weprinsky, JWV Ray Boeckman, Sawyer CVSO
Steve House, VVA Bill Bottoms
Walter Peterson, Am. ExPOW Mike Demske, VVA President
Jim Endres
Members Excused Marvin Freedman, Board Member
Bill Hustad, WVV Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSO
Rick Cherone, MOPH Don Heiliger, Board Member
Jack Stone, PVA Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
WWI vacancy Rep. Mary Hubler
FCDV vacancy Mack Hughes, Board Chairman
DAV vacancy Al Kochenderfer
Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
John Kusko
Kathy Lehmann, Washburn CVSO Assistant
Kathy Marschman, Board Member
Mrs. Bud Mautz
Pete Moran, Board Member
Robert Morzenti, Iron CVSO
Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSO
John Robinson, Douglas County Board
Fernando Rodriguez
Walter & Ann Stenavich, Board Member
Mayor Louis Villella, Spooner
James Young, Vernon CSO
1
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.

3. Introduction of Guests and Announcements.

Chairman Alsteen acknowledged the Board members present. He welcomed new
member Mike Smith who was representing the American Red Cross.
It was moved by Mr. Fine, seconded by Mr. Lawrence and carried unanimously on a
voice vote to accept the minutes of the June 16, 2006 meetings.
5. Council Communications.
Mr. Alsteen said he received communication from the Federation of Culturally Diverse
Veterans. The Federation is no longer active and is not conducting regular meetings.
Chairman Alsteen sent letters to the MOAA and the TREA. The TREA is working with
a legislative aide to Senator Kapanke on statutory language to include them as a member of the
Council on Veterans Programs. The MOAA will work with Senator Brown and Senator Zien
with regard to their application to become a member of the Council.
Chairman Alsteen sent letters to members of Congress and the US Senate regarding
restoring full funding for construction of a new spinal cord injury unit at the Clement J. Zablocki
VA Medical Center in Milwaukee.
6. Museum Foundation Report.

None.
7. Revisited From June Meeting—Eligibility as Relates to Character of Discharge

Deputy Secretary Kloster said the issue was discussed at the stakeholders’ conference but
no resolution came out of those discussions. He recommended that the Council take this issue to
their organizations and come back and advise the Department what the desires of the Council are
in regards to this matter. Should we keep the current eligibility process that we have in hand
which is fairly lenient, or should we take into consideration the discharges of individuals who,
while they are characterized under honorable, they were discharged for some kind of disciplinary
action? It’s a very complex issue and something that needs a great deal of discussion. Should
we go further to try to change this eligibility process or should we leave it alone, that is the
question to ask your organizations.
Q: Mr. Gates said he was on the process action team for this particular topic. The team
made its recommendations and the Department was weighing those recommendations. If we’re
going to go back to our organizations, are we going to get some kind of closure on what
happened with the recommendations of the process action team?
A: Those actions are on the Secretary’s desk for final determination. Something will be
sent to each of the groups before the next meeting. The fundamental problem with the
recommendation from the process action team was that their solution was to create a board of
2
review. That does not address the main issue but passes it off to somebody else to make the
decision.
It was moved by Mr. House and seconded by Mr. Haro to place this matter on the agenda
for the October meeting. Council members will canvass their membership and be prepared to
report back at the October meeting.
Secretary Scocos thanked CVSO Carl Krantz and all the veterans organizations that
helped put the Board meeting together at Spooner. Today is a great day to honor Italo Bensoni
at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The Department’s budget will be
briefed to the Board later this morning.
September 16 is the Veterans Day at the UW Madison football game. There will be a
veteran’s tent set up on the north practice field for socialization from 10 am until the start of the
game.
A gentleman from the Milwaukee Mayor’s office will be briefing the Board today about
the city and federal VA plans for the Zablocki Medical Center campus areas identified by the
VA for enhanced use purposes. The Board will also hear from members of the public that
oppose that view.
9. Old Business.
Mr. Alsteen revisited reimbursement of expenses for those people who do not show up
for the briefing. The criteria for reimbursement were established previous to our new format of
briefings by the Department on the Thursday before the regular Council meeting. Anybody that
comes to the Friday meeting only, has essentially missed the meeting. Mr. Rosinski provided the
Council members with a memo at their last meeting outlining the reimbursement criteria. He
will review it and see if there are any changes that would be appropriate.
10. New Business.

The special committee to study membership eligibility met yesterday afternoon. Clif
Sorenson was the recording secretary and reported the following: There will be a letter drafted
from the Council to Rep. Loeffelholz and Senator Brown about what has been done by the
special committee. We do not make recommendations about what action they should take with
regard to the inactive members of the Council. This issue will again be on the agenda for the
October meeting.
Secretary Scocos presented a plaque of commendation to Carl Krantz, Washburn County

Veterans Service Officer for all he has done for Wisconsin veterans. Mr. Krantz credited his
success to a great assistant, Kathy Lehmann.
11. Activities within the Veterans Community.

• Opening ceremony for the 6th Annual Highground Motorcycle Rally is Friday, August
18th at 5:30 p.m. The speaker is the Honorable John A. Scocos, Secretary of the WDVA.
• October 17 Stand Down for homeless veterans in La Crosse.
• September 16-17 AMVETS/VVA King Day at the Wisconsin Veterans Home.
• September 22-23-24, VVA State Convention in Wausau at the Jefferson Inn.
• United Women Veterans King Day on Friday August 25th.
3
• United Women Veterans will take the lady veterans at the Union Grove Home on the
fourth Friday of the month of October.
• American Legion Womens Post will hold an all services Women Veterans Luncheon on
October 28 at 11 a.m. at the Elks Club in Milwaukee.
• CVSO Association Conference is in Hayward the week of September 25th at the Casino.
• Next year the State of Wisconsin is hosting the National CVSO Association convention
in Milwaukee.
• The American Ex-POWs recently buried a lady who was a Dutch underground during
WWII and tortured by the SS.
• September 22-24 AMVETS has their state camp out in Brussels.
• Shriners Vets of Valor bingo at King and Union Grove.
• AMVETS flag retirement ceremony will be conducted at the camp out in Brussels.
• PLAV Post 186 is holding a flag disposal on Monday, August 21.
• Veterans Benefit Information Fair will be held at Ft. McCoy on 1 September at the
Rumpel Fitness Center from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. Retiree Activity Day begins at 9 am.
• VVA elected their State Council President—Mike Demske.
Mr. Alsteen presented a $50 check from the Navy Club for the Bus Fund. Mr. Crowley
said that at the King meeting, Chet Krause was recognized for his generous contribution toward
the Bus Fundraiser. Mr. Krause challenged us to raise an additional $25,000 by the first of
August by offering to match that with another $25,000. We did raise that money and he
promptly wrote out another check. Mr. Krause has contributed $135,000 toward the fundraiser.
State Representative Mary Hubler was recognized. She welcomed the group to Spooner.
Rep. Hubler is a member of the Assembly Veterans Committee and a long-time Assembly
member working for veterans.

October 19 and 20 at American Legion Post 52 in La Crosse.
13. Adjournment.
It was moved by Mr. Haro, seconded, and carried on a voice vote to adjourn. The time
was 8:55 a.m.
Russ Alsteen
Chairman
4
BOARD MINUTES
Spooner, Wisconsin
Board Members Present Others Present

Ken Wendt Connie Allord
Pete Moran Russ Alsteen, Navy Club
Marv Freedman Nick Benzinger, Shawano CVSO
Mack Hughes Paul Bialk, Marine Corps League
Walter Stenavich Ray Boeckman, Sawyer CVSO
Kathy Marschman Bill Bottoms
Don Heiliger Mike Demske
Jim Endres, AMVETS
WDVA Present Paul Fine, ANU
John A. Scocos, Secretary Rick Gates, CVSO Association/Polk CVSO
Bill Kloster, Deputy Secretary Mike Haley, Chippewa CVSO
Anthony Hardie, Executive Assistant Holly Hoppe, Oconto CVSO
Glen Brower, Commandant-Union Grove Steve House, VVA
Bill Crowley, Commandant-King Rep. Mary Hubler
Colleen Holtan, Financial Officer Al Kochenderfer
Tom Rhatican, Division of Veterans Homes Carl Krantz, Washburn CVSO
Ken Abrahamsen, Budget Director John Kusko, VVA Chapter 324, Milwaukee
Ken Grant, Bureau of Program Services Steve Lawrence, VFW Adjutant
Andrew Schuster, Communications Kathy Lehmann, Washburn CVSO Assistant
John Rosinski, Chief Legal Counsel Mary Lex, Langlade County
Julie Van Metre, Executive Staff Assistant Rocky Marcoux, City of Milwaukee
Bud Mautz, American Legion
Bob Morzenti, Iron CVSO
Ted Mynyk, Iowa CVSO
Walter Peterson, Am. Ex-POWs
Dr. Petzel, VISN 23
Jerome Rabetski, PLAV
John Robinson, Douglas County Board
Vera Roddy, UWV
Fernando Rodriguez, MOPH
Ron Rutkowski, VVAW
William Sims, NABV
Larry Smerling, Winnebago CVSO
Mike Smith, ARC
Ann Stenavich
Tim Thiers, Manitowoc CVSO
Paul Weprinsky, JWV
1. Roll Call and Introductions

The meeting of the Board of Veterans Affairs was called to order at 9:00 a.m. The
Pledge of Allegiance was recited. A quorum was present after roll call of members.
Chairman Hughes recognized State Representative Mary Hubler and Dr. Petzel from VISN
23.
1
2. Certification of Notice of Meeting
It was certified that proper notification of the meeting occurred.
3. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried unanimously on a
voice vote to approve the minutes of the June 15-16 Board meeting and the Board
teleconference of July 13, 2006.
4. Board Members’ Matters

On behalf of the Iron Brigade Chapter 164 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart
in Madison, Don Heiliger presented Bill Crowley with their check for $100 toward the Bus
Fund.
Mr. Wendt reported that he attended the following functions on behalf of the Board:
The Northeastern Wisconsin CVSO Conference in Wausau; the Purple Heart Program at the
Sturgeon Bay Maritime Museum in Door County; the WDVA Leadership Conference; and
Chris Wrolstad’s retirement celebration at King.
Mr. Moran was asked by the Douglas County Board to serve on a working group of
citizens and veterans with regard to the possibility of establishing a veteran’s nursing home
in Superior.
Mr. Hughes thanked personnel at the National Guard Armory, CVSO Carl Krantz and
Kathy Lehmann for their hospitality in hosting the Veterans Board meeting.
5. Board Action from Committee and Council Meetings

CVSO Advisory Council meeting of August 17, 2006. Ms. Hoppe, Chair of the
Council, reported that CVSOs discussed and thanked the WDVA for its assistance in
notification to the CVSOs concerning revisions of pamphlets, brochures, etc. There were no
motions for Board action.
Legislative and Program Review Committee meeting of August 17, 2006. Mr.
Freedman said the committee discussed and acted on several resolutions.
Those for which the recommendation was to receive and file: DAV Resolution 5
concerning Wisconsin Congressional Delegation representatives on the veterans affairs
committees; DAV #8 relating to QVMB; DAV #12 relating to a state lottery scratch-off
ticket to benefit the VTF; DAV #13 relating to exempting vehicles displaying a disabled
veterans license plate and placard from all parking fees; DAV #14 relating to recalculation of
service disabled veterans insurance to conform to current life expectancy rates.
It was moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried on a voice vote to
accept the recommendation by the Committee to receive and file the above resolutions.
With respect to those which were considered but were placed on the agenda for the
October meeting: CVSO Resolution 4 concerning the pre-application requirements for the
full time tuition program; AMVET Resolution 4 relating to eligibility as far as residency;
2
DAV #3 relating to college tuition reimbursements for dependents; DAV #7 relating to
reduced fees for disabled veterans for certain state services; DAV #10 relating to issuance of
disabled license plates for five year terms; and American Legion Resolution #6 relating to
the proposed commercialization of the VA historical district grounds at the Milwaukee
Veterans Hospital.
After discussion by Board members about the propriety of debating Resolutions

passed at veteran organization conventions the following actions were taken:
AMVETS Resolution 1: the Committee adopted a revision and recommends the

same action to the Board which is to support legislation to deal with the issue of credit for
military services for employees eligible for Wisconsin Retirement Systems benefits and who
served after 1974. The Board sent the Resolution back to the organization for review.
AMVETS Resolution 3 and DAV Resolution 6 provide that in the process of
determining maintenance in divorce proceedings that veteran’s disability payment be
excluded. Moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Wendt and carried on a voice vote to
receive and file.
DAV Resolution 1 calls for the property tax credit being expanded to include those
veterans who are rated 100% based on individual unemployability. Moved by Mr. Moran,
seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried on a voice vote to approve.
DAV Resolution 2 is recommended for adoption with a revision for clarification
purposes that the requirement for full time student status for dependents be changed to allow
the option of dependents of veterans to attend either full time or part time. Moved by Mr.
Moran, seconded by Mr. Stenavich and carried on a voice vote to approve.
DAV Resolution 4 is in support of legislation that would provide a sales tax
exemption for goods and services sold to veteran’s organizations for use in accomplishing
their mission of service to veterans and their families. Moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded
and carried on a voice vote to approve.
DAV Resolution 9 supports the need for a CBOC in Sawyer County and proposed
that it be named the Jack Logan CBOC of Sawyer County. It was moved by Mr. Moran,
seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried on a voice vote to support the creation of a CBOC in
northwestern Wisconsin.
DAV Resolution 15 provides that the VA should establish the same funding
principles for veterans and their spouses for the state veteran’s homes as are applied to
private nursing homes under VA contract. Moved by Mr. Wendt, seconded by Mr. Heiliger
and carried on a voice vote to receive and file.
DAV Resolution 11 provides for support of legislation to clarify that service in the
Republic of Vietnam beginning January 9, 1962 and ending on May 7, 1975 includes those
who served in the territorial waters offshore. Moved by Mr. Heiliger, seconded by Mr.
Freedman and carried on a voice vote to adopt.
DAV Resolution 16 was not recommended for adoption by the Committee. It
provides that in addition to CVSO and WDVA that VSOs be authorized to process WDVA
benefits and that they also receive the appropriate training. It was moved by Mr. Stenavich,
seconded by Mr. Moran and carried on a voice vote to concur with the Legislative
Committee recommendation not to adopt the resolution.
Mr. Freedman asked that in order for resolutions to be considered in the future, the
author or representative of the organization submitting the resolution be present to answer
3
questions or provide further explanation. Further, with each resolution submitted, the
submitting organization specifies whether it is being submitted for information only, for
action by a Board Committee or action by the Board. Mr. Rosinski said he would like to do
some research on the matter as this may fall under the adjunct of a change to the Board Rules
of Procedure. Mr. Freedman asked that the issue be placed on the October Board agenda.
Long Term Care Committee meeting of August 17, 2006. Mr. Wendt said the
Committee did not have a quorum, therefore no business was conducted.
Financial Committee meeting of August 17, 2006: Mr. Moran said the Committee
heard a briefing by Colleen Holtan. The Committee passed no motions to bring before the
Board.
Council on Veterans Programs meeting of August 18, 2006: Mr. Alsteen said the
Council will be sending letters to the legislature in regard to the deletion of a couple of
organizations on the Council on Veterans Programs due to their inactive status. He
announced that the Council wrote letters to the Congressional delegation which played a part
in the approval of the spinal cord injury unit at the Zablocki VA Medical Center
6. VISN 23 Reports
Dr. Robert Petzel, the VISN 23 Network Director reported on the following:
• VISN 23 workload has gone up this year—funding depends on the workload.
• Budget: the Network will make it through the fiscal year with the funds available to
it. The budget for 2007 will get the biggest increase Dr. Petzel has seen in his eleven years
as director.
• About 10,000 combat veterans are enrolled in Network 23. About 7,500 of them
have been treated.
• There are 2,500 people waiting for an appointment. Unfortunately about 400 of them
are service-connected veterans. There is no wait time at the Chippewa Valley Clinic. There
is a wait list of about 400 patients at the Superior Clinic. This is a result of a provider
leaving and there is another provider coming on board this month.
• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has approved a series of new CBOCs across the
country. Network 23 had five of those clinics, one of which is the northwestern Wisconsin
clinic. Two sites of care will open, one in Rice Lake and one in the Sawyer County area.
Dr. Petzel suspects it will be in Hayward but it depends on how the bidding goes in terms
of providers. It is expected that they will be able to start seeing patients around the first
week of January 2007.
• The VA is redoing all the veteran identification cards. All who have a card issued
prior to October 2004 need to get a new card to protect their identity.
• Dr. Petzel thanked the Board and in particular the CVSOs in northern Wisconsin for
their support in taking care of the needs of the veterans of Wisconsin.
Q: In VISN 23 how many active duty service members are being seen and what
impact is that having on the wait list for our veterans?
A: We keep track of three categories—people that were discharged from the Guard,
discharged from the Reserves, and discharged from active duty. He did not have the number
4
at his fingertips but felt it would be less than 300 people. He does not believe it is impacting
the care for existing veterans.
Q: Conditions that were previously considered PTSD are now perhaps traumatic
brain injury. Can we look forward to a change in the delivery of service or will veterans be
rediagnosed as more information comes to light related to traumatic brain injury?
A: There is a much better understanding now of traumatic brain injury and its impact
than there was in Vietnam. It is difficult to tell whether or not the people being seen for
PTSD might have some traumatic brain injury. However, treatment would not be much more
different because it’s mostly behavioral issues and that will not change if the diagnosis was
PTSD or traumatic brain injury.
Sawyer CVSO Ray Boeckman took the opportunity to publicly thank Dr. Petzel and
his staff and Secretary Scocos and his staff for their work to get the clinic in Sawyer County.
At this time it was moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Heiliger and carried on a
voice vote to adjust the agenda to hear the Secretary’s report before agenda items 7 and 8.
9. Secretary’s Matters
The biennial budget process is as follows: Mid-August 2006—initial Board briefing;
Mid-September 2006—Board approval and submit to DOA; February 2007—Governor
submits budget to the Legislature; April-May 2007—Joint Committee on Finance reviews
and amends budget; by June 30, 2007—State Assembly and Senate pass the budget; July to
Mid-August 2007—the Governor makes vetoes; and, by Mid-August 2007—budget bill is
effective.
The biennial budget requirements are to submit a strategic plan; submit an IT

strategic plan; the IT strategic plan must be consistent with the Department’s strategic plan;
and all budget requests must be tied to WDVA’s strategic plan.
The budget focus is to implement Phase II of the Veterans Trust Fund Solvency Plan
which is to shift program and administrative costs to GPR, reduce costs by operating more
efficiently, and continue to develop new sources of revenue. Further focus will be on
rebuilding the Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund; addressing direct care staffing needs at the
King Home; Developing and implementing financial plans for the King and Union Grove
Homes that will ensure long-term solvency; and, a new headquarters building and museum
facility.
The Secretary’s vision is doing what is right for veterans; the long-term solvency of
the Veterans Trust Fund, Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund and the Homes; stakeholder
involvement; and strong legislative relationships.
Some of the major assumptions in the 10-year solvency plan included earning 4%
interest on funds deposited with SWIB and making $10 million of personal loans. While we
made just over $4.1 million of personal loans, because SWIB earnings were actually 5%, the
solvency of the Veterans Trust Fund was not negatively impacted.
5
In Fiscal Year 2006 WDVA under spent the Veterans Trust Fund administrative
budgets by an additional $1.2 million above and beyond the million dollars cut as part of the
solvency plan. The Mortgage Loan Repayment Fund administrative budget was also
constrained by over $800,000. As a result of the budget savings and lower than projected
Personal Loan Program Loans, the ending Veterans Trust Fund cash balance for FY06 is $7
million higher than projected. Even with the FY06 savings and the 100% Wisconsin GI Bill,
the Veterans Trust Fund is solvent until 2014, which is where we were based on the 2005-07
biennial budget we submitted. Without the solvency plan, we probably would have been
broke by the end of this month.
It is the Secretary’s intent to request that a significant amount of Veterans Trust Fund
administrative costs be shifted to GPR. Programs to be shifted would be the Veterans
Museum, Funeral Honors, Cemeteries, VAP, Claims Office and Aid to Indigent Veterans
(Assisted Living at the Union Grove Home). Shifting the costs of those programs and 51%
of our central office Veterans Trust Fund administrative costs to GPR amounts to $12.3
million over the biennium. Nearly two-thirds of those costs would be salary and fringe.
Other budget initiatives: Eliminate the annual $2,500 cap for dental care for low-
income veterans and eliminate loss of income requirement for disaster grants. Funding
changes for Veterans Trust Fund grant programs: increase GPR funding for MFH stipends
by $28,500 per fiscal year; increase funding for Retraining Grants by $18,000 per fiscal year;
and, decrease SEG funding for VetEd by $1.1 million in FY 08 and $1.3 million in FY09
because of 100% remission under the WI GI Bill. Program budget initiatives: $60,000 SEG
funding for marketing loan programs; $21,700 in FY08 and $23,200 in FY09 to cover
increases in fuel and utility costs at the veteran cemeteries; one-time funding of $48,000 in
FY08 to cover improvements at the Northern and Southern Veteran Cemeteries; 1.0 FTE and
funding for a Director of Development to implement a fundraising program for the VTF; and
$390,000 in FY08 and $300,000 in FY09 to document image base files. Budget initiatives
for the Veterans Museum: $150,000 GPR in FY-8 to fund a new major exhibit; $148,100
GPR in FY08 and $5,000 GPR in FY09 for Museum upgrades and on-going lighting
replacement costs; 0.2 FTE; $17,100 GPR in each fiscal year for the National Guard
Museum; $42,000 GPR in each fiscal year to provide additional operating budget for the
Museum’s research center; and 1.0 FTE and $55,500 GPR in FY-8 and $64,300 GPR for a
Curatorial Supervisor position. Veterans Trust Fund revenue enhancements: Institute a
fundraising program by hiring a professional to develop and manage the program; include
statutory language that will require that the annual $15 additional fee paid on veteran
specialty license plates is paid to the Veterans Trust Fund. If these initiatives are enacted as
requested, the Veterans Trust Fund will remain solvent until 2023. This will provide an
additional nine years to build a surplus in the MLRF that can be transferred to the VTF in
order to extend solvency beyond 2023.
Unlike the Veterans Trust Fund, solvency is not an immediate issue for the Mortgage
Loan Repayment Fund (MLRF); however, we need to begin to address the issue now. From
June 2000 to June 2004 the Primary Mortgage Loan portfolio decreased $400 million to
approximately $300 million. As of June 2006, the portfolio was down to $250 million.
Because the portfolio is not generating enough earnings to cover administrative expenses, the
MLRF fund equity is being depleted at a rate of about $5 million per year. If nothing is
done, we will deplete the fund equity by 2015. The MLRF solvency plan has three
6
components: reallocate administrative costs, enact SWAPS legislation needed to use
commercial paper for PMLs, and pursue federal QVMB legislation to eliminate the sunset
and increase the volume cap. To be successful, we need to implement all three components.
It is the Secretary’s intent that the Homes remain solvent over the long term while
continuing to provide high-quality care. To that end, the Veterans Home at Union Grove has
proposed to adjust supplies and services budgets for both the skilled nursing facility and
assisted living facilities; inflationary increase for utility costs; GPR funding for aid to
indigent veterans; and budget and FTE to address loss of maintenance and ground keeping
services provided by Southern Center.
The budget for the Veterans Home at King is expected to include: additional direct
care staff; increases in the Home’s supplies and service budget to cover inflationary increases
and unfunded fee assessments; inflationary increase to cover utility costs; increase in
overtime budget; convert some half-time positions to full-time; and other requests to be
identified in the King Home’s solvency plan.
There are several other budget initiatives that are statutory changes and do not have a
fiscal impact on WDVA. Those changes include: property tax credit; VSO exemption from
sales and property taxes; sales tax exemption for the Exchanges at the King and Union Grove
Homes; and purchase of creditable years of military service under the Wisconsin Retirement
System.
Capital budget requests are expected to include: planning funds for a state veteran’s
cemetery in the Fox River Valley area; $20 million to purchase and renovate existing
headquarters/Veterans Museum building; funding to initiate planning of a new veteran’s
home at Chippewa Falls; and funding for an assisted living and/or SNF facility at the King
Home.
Mr. Freedman said he has been very supportive of maintaining the integrity of the
Veterans Trust Fund both short term and long term. He asked that in the final assessment
Wisconsin becomes one of the very first states in the country to join Washington and New
Jersey in establishing delivery of services in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders that
would be primarily funded by a federal grant. He asked that the Secretary’s briefing paper
on the New Jersey and Washington programs be redistributed to Board members prior to the
September teleconference.
7. Briefing on Veterans Nursing Home in Northern Wisconsin

Mr. Moran introduced John C. Robinson, member of the Douglas County Board of
Supervisors, Douglas County Veterans Commission Chair and an Army veteran. He was
appointed by Douglas County Board Chair Finn to look into and explore a veteran nursing
home in Superior.
Mr. Robinson said that Catholic Charities of Superior built a nursing home for the
elderly in 1990. It was closed in 1999. The Superior Housing Authority took over
ownership in November of 2000 and it is now called the Community Services Center. They
are looking for another non-profit agency to buy it. This facility is located close to St.
Mary’s Hospital and in close proximity to the ambulance station which should aid
7
emergency transportation to a hospital. A wing of St. Mary’s Hospital is the veteran’s
outpatient clinic in Superior. The Community Services Center was constructed in 1990 to
the building codes at that time. It was designed to handle a maximum of 120 beds. The
fixtures for the kitchen are still there so very little has to be done to get it operational. This
complex is on one floor on grade level with no steps, it is completely handicapped
accessible. The Superior Housing Authority rents this facility to seven local agencies. The
Superior Housing Authority maintains this building and it has not fallen into disrepair. Dr.
Marcon the Director of the Twin Ports Outpatient Clinic stated the following at a meeting on
August 10, 2006. They could have 20-40 beds initially. Within six months to a year the
facility could be filled. The facility will be able to contribute $1-2 million annually to the
local economy. It would add approximately 100 full time and part time jobs. There is no
shortage of nurses in this area. The Twin Ports outpatient clinic presently serves 5,000
veterans and it is anticipated that about 1,000 will be added within a year. Veterans from
northern Wisconsin and Minnesota use our clinic in Superior. Many veterans could use the
VA nursing home service. There are approximately 25,100 veterans currently residing in
northwest Wisconsin which includes the counties of Douglas, Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett,
Washburn, Sawyer, Barron and Polk. St. Louis County in Minnesota has about 23,000
veterans. It is felt that it should be a regional facility so they are also working with the
Minnesota Legislature on this project. It cost $7 to $8 million to build this facility in 1990
and according to the director of the Superior Housing Authority the asking price of this
facility is $239,500. A few minor adjustments could have this facility available for veterans
in a short period of time.
Mr. Robinson asked for consideration of his request to look at this facility and
provide your thoughts for a feasibility study to see if this facility could provide needed
service for veterans in the Superior area.
Mr. Moran asked that the October agenda include possible action on the above
request.
8. Briefing by Rocky Marcoux, Commissioner for the Department of City Development, on

VA Grounds at Wood.
Highlights of the briefing are as follows:
• The VA ground at Wood Wisconsin was established shortly after the Civil War as one of
the three soldier’s homes in the United States. It is in a location that makes it very
accessible for veteran’s community to be able to come and get treatment at the Clement
Zablocki VA Medical Center.
• The Historic District is the heart and sole of the controversy before us. The VA decided,
under the Enhanced Use Program, that a certain amount of square footage of this campus
could be used for other than veteran services. These buildings are older buildings but they
are historically significant.
• Old Main, the second building built on the campus has 133,000 square feet. You can see
the tower of Old Main for many directions and it is in the core of the Historic District
building. The VA does use about 20,000 square feet of this building, but in terms of
having activity on a day-to-day basis, that has not been so for some time.
• The site is soothing and tranquil. These grounds were laid out to provide a solace and the
ability for people to come and recuperate. At one time this was Milwaukee County’s park,
8
a street car came out here and people were encouraged to use the grounds and share the
beauty of this site with the veterans.
• The Ward Theater served as a recreation hall, a theater, even a train station. This
building requires about $5 million to renovate right now. It has been closed to the public
for some time.
• The train track is being purchased by the state under the railway trails program.
• The library is beautiful. The chapel held wedding and funeral services at one time but it
is probably the building in the worst shape right now.
• Building 17 was the surgeons’ quarters.
• As the campus evolved it became a residential campus not only for the veterans being
served in the domiciliary but also for the staff. The surgeons were housed here for many
years. Obviously for decades that has not been its purpose. About four years ago this was
used as a day care center for the YMCA. We brought $600,000 to rebuild the inside of this
building and bring it back to its historical significance. We put 13 permanent Section 8
vouchers into this building which would allow anyone who wants to live here—this is
permanent housing for homeless—to be able to do so by only paying one-third of whatever
benefit they get. Of the 12 people currently living in this building, 10 are veterans. And of
the six that have gone through the building and are no longer there, three of them were
veterans.
• These buildings have much work to be done in terms of repairs and the VA cannot put
the money into these buildings because they need to concentrate money on the delivery of
services both in the outpatient clinic and all the other services provided at the Wood
campus.
• An aerial view of the Wood Cemetery shows that it is one of the most significant sites in
all of Wisconsin. When you’re here amongst 37,000 men and women who served our
country it isn’t about war, it isn’t about anything but the fact that these men and women
gave their lives so that people like you. People like you can continue to operate and have
families in a free country. This is a very special site and it needs to be protected. The
veterans need to be able to walk around Lake Wheeler, to convalesce and to be able to go
to the Wood National Cemetery without having the threat of commercialization.
• There has been a lot of discussion as to what the City of Milwaukee is proposing. It was
the veteran’s affairs department that decided that Wood National Cemetery would not be
expanded, not the City of Milwaukee. It was the VA that decided that Old Main and a
couple of the other buildings in the historic district, along with about 34 acres at the very
southeastern corner of this site was surplus to their needs and would be the subject of an
enhanced use lease; not the City of Milwaukee. But when Mayor Barrett heard that this
was going to happen he instructed that a plan be put together that the City could promote to
VA Secretary Jim Nicholson that would stop commercial developers from answering those
RFPs. The RFP process has already begun.
• The Mayor and Mr. Marcoux traveled to Washington, DC in June 2005 and met with
Secretary Nicholson. They asked him to do what was his prerogative under the current law
and that is to negotiate with the municipality. He has the right to unilaterally negotiate
with the City of Milwaukee and we asked him to do that and to allow us to put together a
framework where we can have a public discussion about what this site should be and more
importantly how to preserve it and keep maximum amount of money, whatever amount of
money is in this process, going into the VA Zablocki Medical Center.
9
• Negotiations took place over a year to allow the City of Milwaukee taxpayers, not just
the veterans but everybody in the City of Milwaukee, to put forward $20 million into this
site. In order to do that, some buildings on the site need to pay taxes.
• The goal is to build out 34 acres of land between the parking lots, Miller Parkway South
with National Avenue on the southern portion that could be the footprint for a bio-medical
research park. Bio-medical research is already taking place at the VA Zablocki Center.
The Medical College of Wisconsin has staff at the VA and uses it in many respects as an
opportunity to help further research.
• The amount of money we would get in taxes over 27 years would be used to repay the
amount of money we would be putting forward to do the enhancements at the hospital as
well as putting some money into the historic district as well as upgrade the roads and all the
other utilities that are serving the site.
• The area south of Miller Park is the area that we would build on. We also have to put a
road over to Miller Park so that we would not have traffic going through the historic
district. We do not want to create more traffic in the historic district, if anything we would
like to reduce the amount of traffic in the historic district.
• The Soldiers Home Foundation is a group of preservation minded individuals whose goal
is to try to restore the entire historic district. They have a specific interest in raising money
for and restoring to its full grandeur the chapel, which is building number 12. We would
allow them to do that with the caveat that it must be kept open as a public facility.
• We also believe there is opportunity for adaptive reuse in the half a million square feet of
older buildings, primarily building 2 and building number 6 which are currently vacant.
They don’t include and never have included a retail or commercial establishment. It is not
appropriate to the site. It is not something that we would like to do and something that the
veterans community would not like to see.
• The VA has not accepted our offer yet. We don’t know whether the offer that we have
put on the table to them is acceptable. The offer is essentially that in trade for a 75 year
lease, those 34 acres and several of the larger buildings in the historic district which are
vacant, we would forward to the local campus “x” number of million dollars in
improvements for the existing hospital and then put in all the road, sewer, water, heat—for
the historic district as well as any new building we would introduce.
• Our goal, if the VA tells us that we can move forward with this, is to begin a public
planning process where we can have everybody come to the table and say what it is you
think Old Main should be. What do you think should go into building number 1? What do
you think needs to happen in terms of how those public roads should look? What look
should the new building have?
• The new buildings are not now, nor were they ever intended to be in the historic district.
The historic district must be preserved.
• The City of Milwaukee cannot control the fact that the VA decided not to expand Wood.
We cannot control the fact that the VA decided that the enhanced use lease program was
appropriate. But what we can control is to make sure that we do everything within our
power to make sure that inappropriate development does not occur.
• The City of Milwaukee is trying to do something bold here but we need your help.
Mr. Marcoux said he was not asking for Board endorsement, he merely wanted to get
the right information out so that the right decisions can be made. Mr. Freedman asked for a
written summary of exactly what the proposal consists of along with clarification as to what
10
degree the City of Milwaukee’s proposal encompasses the Freedom Center proposal and to
what extent it differs. He asked that this be on the October Board agenda. Mr. Wendt
thought that further discussion should be tabled to the October meeting and Mr. Stenavich
seconded that. Mr. Hughes asked if those individuals registered to speak today could do so
at the next Board meeting and everyone said no.
10. Public Input.

Jim Endres, AMVETS, voice of veteran’s community, spoke in response to how the
veteran’s community feels about the proposed enhanced use lease for the VA grounds at
Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. The veterans are very much against any part of
the VA grounds used for any type of commercial use. The feeling is that these are hallowed
grounds and historic community that should be preserved. President Lincoln set up three
hospitals to be built for returning Civil War veterans. Milwaukee’s is the only community
left and it is felt that the historic district should be kept in tact as much as possible. It is felt
that the grounds should be used for the benefit of veterans and not a money-making venture
for the City of Milwaukee. The veterans have a committee called the “Voice of Veterans
Community” and have set up a web site for you to keep up with how the veterans feel about
the proposed EUL program. The veterans are united in opposing any and all proposals to use
the VA grounds for any commercial development. The veterans feel that they have been
kept in the dark regarding the whole EUL program. It is felt that there have been a lot of
behind-closed-doors meetings discussing commercial use of the VA grounds and the veterans
have not been informed about what’s going on. A couple of years ago in 2003 there was a
meeting at the VA discussing the possibility of entering into an EUL program by the City of
Milwaukee and the veterans community would be kept informed of any and all developments
as the discussions continued. This has not been done and the veterans are not very happy
about it. On August 9, 2006 the VA held a town hall meeting at the VA hospital at Zablocki.
Each and every person spoke against any commercial use of the VA grounds. The only
speaker who did not speak against the EUL proposal was former WDVA Secretary Ray
Boland. He said that he would try to work out a compromise with the city. This did not sit
well with the veterans. No commercial use of the VA grounds is their stand. The veterans
are united on this issue and will work very hard to defeat the City’s plan for the VA grounds
for commercial use. Resolutions and letters of opposition to the proposed EUL program
were submitted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion, AMVETS,
Veterans Board of Directors War Memorial Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin Vietnam
Veterans, VFW Post 1465, Marine Corps League Badger Detachment, Jewish War Veterans
of the United States of America Department of Wisconsin, Disabled American Veterans
Department of Wisconsin, Vietnam Veterans Chapter 324 and Vietnam Veterans Against the
War. You can view more of these letters and press releases on the web site.
Vera Roddy said that she was at the original meeting in 2003 that proposed the
enhanced use agreement. She said that United Women Veterans goes on record as opposing
commercial development of the VA grounds that does not directly contribute to the veteran’s
health, rehabilitation, and veteran’s benefits for the memorialization of veterans. Ms. Roddy
asked what happened to the veteran’s advisory board that was set up when the Mayor first
came into office. Frank Cumberbotz was our point of contact. We had three meetings and
the meetings fell apart. So when you’re saying that the veterans are being kept abreast, this
has not been the case because those meetings are no longer being held. I would also like to
11
point out that we have a research park in the Milwaukee area. It’s out in Wauwatosa at the
county grounds. Why do we need another research area?
John Kosko: Good morning, my name is John Kosko, resident of Brookfield,

Wisconsin. I am president of VVA Chapter 324 in Milwaukee. I’m a veteran. I’m also a
veteran diagnosed and treated for PTSD. I’ve been through the program at Tomah and I’ve
been treated at the VA grounds in Milwaukee. I know full well what the serenity of the
green space at both places means to veterans. I know what it means for one veteran to need
other veterans to heal—people that understand where they’re coming from. To bring in
outsiders will hurt that. I have had a meeting with Mr. Marcoux in his office, I have seen the
plan. I didn’t like it then, I like it less now after the August 9th meeting. What is not being
said here is that there is no guarantee of monies for the VA. What’s not being said is that
Mr. Hutchison flatly said that these grounds can be sold down the road if needed. What they
aren’t telling you is that the Freedom Center was also scheduled to be put on the green space
in the historic district. This would be an additional building other than the theater. There is
a lot of information about the green space. Today, twice we have pledged allegiance to the
flag. Since our enlistment we have done that many times. We have held up our end of the
bargain for this country. It is now time for the rest of those that did not serve to show us
allegiance with a little bit of green to help restore that district and keep it for veterans as it
was intended. It’s the cost that this country owes its veterans for their service, it’s the cost
that must be paid for the freedoms we have provided to the country that we need, that we
have done to keep that flag flying high and free. I am not afraid to ask for extra money from
our people. The City of Milwaukee and the surrounding counties gladly added a sales tax to
pay for a stadium that lays empty two-thirds of the year. The ground that that stadium sits on
was formerly VA property.
Fernando Rodriguez: Thank you Board members for listening to us and staying a
little longer. Every morning I pass the VA grounds to go to work. Every morning I see
veterans struggling up the hill in their wheelchairs or on their amputated legs and artificial
limbs. Mr. Marcoux showed us a picture of a soldier from the front; if you had gone around
the back to take the picture would have seen that that soldier was guarding those hallowed
grounds. And we are those soldiers today. We are the citizen soldiers. If the City is
concerned about getting veterans involved in their plans for those grounds then tell Mayor
Barrett to form a veteran’s commission so that we can in fact be involved. What you told us
today you didn’t tell us before. What you told us today is what we told you at the town hall
meeting at the VA meeting last week. I urge this Board and I urge the Council on Veterans
Programs to take a very good look at this proposal. All veterans groups in Milwaukee and
organizations across the state have opposed commercial development of those grounds. And
we oppose it today. The Military Order of the Purple Heart contacted wounded veterans who
were the first to take the lead and say no commercial development. If you want us to help
you in this endeavor, we’ll do it as best as we can. Do not hold us in the back as you’ve been
doing.
Ron Rutkowski: I’m Ron Rutkowski from Vietnam Veterans Against the War
speaking on behalf of John Zutz our national officer in Milwaukee. We are opposed to this
project in any way, shape or means. Financials have not been disclosed. The area just to the
east of Wood is an area that we’d like to know how the city plans to develop that. But the
grounds at the VA are off limits for commercial development, period.
12
Paul Bialk: My name is Paul Bialk I’m with the Marine Corps League. I serve on the
Freedom Center Board and the County War Memorial Board and one of the people that
worked with the county veterans group that meets in the War Memorial. One thing that I did
want to say is the presentation today was really very good. Mr. Marcoux I congratulate you
on presenting that. This would have been an excellent presentation eighteen to twenty-four
months ago. It would have saved a lot of grief and I think you might have won a few hearts
with it. Now it’s kind of late. However, at the Freedom Center meeting on Wednesday we
discussed the situation because so many veterans were angry. They indicated they would be
willing to work with the veterans groups and with the City and hash things out. They’re
willing to work, they have the veterans at heart, they are veterans, and they would like to see
something being done. An alternative idea for the use of those grounds is a national park
system which would take care of your historic situation as well.
Chairman Hughes said he had no more registration slips and the public comment
period is concluded.
11. Other Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).

None.
12. Next Meeting Date and Location

October 19 and 20 at American Legion Post 52 in La Crosse.
13. Adjournment
It was moved by Mr. Moran, seconded by Mr. Stenavich and carried on a voice vote
to adjourn the meeting at 11:40 a.m.
Mack Hughes
Chairman
13

Board Minutes August 2006

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EXHIBIT 1

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

1. Certification of Notice of Meeting and Roll Call

Members Present Others Present

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

3. Approval of Minutes of June 15, 2006.

Q: What is the status of a bulletin for the Aid to Needy Veterans?

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

10. Next Meeting Schedule

2. Legislative Report—Anthony Hardie

3. Programs Report—Ken Grant

4. Veterans Homes Report

Commandant Crowley said the King Home census is at 701. Of the 48

5. Financial Report—Colleen Holtan

A: The housing loans are, yes.

Committee Present Others Present

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

AMVET Resolution #3 goes on record supporting the reintroduction of legislation to

DAV Resolution #3 relating to college tuition reimbursement for dependents—Mr.

DAV Resolution #5—encourages members of the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation

DAV Resolution #6—relates to divorce and compensation. This is a companion to

DAV Resolution #8—requests amendment to US Code to include veterans who served

DAV Resolution #9—supports establishing a CBOC in Sawyer County and that it be

DAV Resolution #16—supports a change in the regulatory provisions to allow national

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

8. Next Meeting Date.

Committee Present Others Present

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

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

A: Nothing really, but there will be in the next session of Congress.

7. Next Meeting Schedule.

Committee Present Others Present

1. Call to Order and Roll Call.

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

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

7. Next Meeting Date.

Members Present WDVA Present

2. Certification of Notice of Meeting.

3. Introduction of Guests and Announcements.

6. Museum Foundation Report.

7. Revisited From June Meeting—Eligibility as Relates to Character of Discharge

10. New Business.

Secretary Scocos presented a plaque of commendation to Carl Krantz, Washburn County

11. Activities within the Veterans Community.

12. Next Meeting Date.

Board Members Present Others Present

1. Roll Call and Introductions

4. Board Members’ Matters

5. Board Action from Committee and Council Meetings

After discussion by Board members about the propriety of debating Resolutions

AMVETS Resolution 1: the Committee adopted a revision and recommends the

The biennial budget requirements are to submit a strategic plan; submit an IT

7. Briefing on Veterans Nursing Home in Northern Wisconsin

8. Briefing by Rocky Marcoux, Commissioner for the Department of City Development, on

10. Public Input.

John Kosko: Good morning, my name is John Kosko, resident of Brookfield,

11. Other Matters (Not Subject to Adoption).

12. Next Meeting Date and Location

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