Veterans Service Office 6419 W. Greenfield Ave State Mandate–Chap 45, Wis Statutes Mission: Assist county veterans/families in identifying/applying for/receiving eligible state/federal benefits. Advocate on veterans’ issues.

Veterans Benefits Include…  Emergency Grants  Pensions/Compensation  Surviving Spouse Pensions/Compensation  Education Benefits  Burial Benefits  Health Care  Veterans Homes  Retraining Grants  Home Loans  Discharge Upgrades  Property Tax Credit

Benefits (cont’d)  Reserve/Guard Pensions  Dental Care Grants  Dental Insurance  Home Modification Grants  Homeless Housing  Life Insurance

Added Services/Benefits  Legal Service (MVLC)  Child Support Service (CSS)  Foodshare/MA Apps (WI DHS)  Job Search (WI DWD OVES)  Counseling Services (VA Vet Ctr Outpost)  Veterans Job Fairs  Free Flash Drives (Job Aid)  Benefits Fairs

Honor Milwaukee County Purple Heart Pass Program (for WI veterans who have received the Purple Heart) Free admission year-round to Zoo, Domes, MPM, MAM, Discovery World, Harley-Davidson Museum, Racine Zoo, Wisconsin Maritime Museum.

Honor Milwaukee County’s 3-Day Pass (July 4-6) Free admission to all Wisconsin military/ veterans/families to Summerfest, MPM, MAM, Discovery World, Domes, and the Zoo.

Honor Honorary renaming of Richards Street in memory of Michelle Witmer, the first female Guardsmen ever killed in combat. Assigned to 32d MP Co at the Richards Street Armory, Witmer was killed on the streets of Baghdad, Iraq on April 10, 2004, as her team was enroute to quell a disturbance. She was serving as the the machine-gunner on a HUMVEE, operating a M2.50 cal machine gun, the main weapon on the vehicle, providing suppressive fire at the rate of 550 rounds per minute. That used to be no place for a woman. Michelle changed that idea forever.

Honor by Assisting – Needy Veterans Fund  Pays rent when facing eviction; utility bill to keep energy on; emergency travel for death of family member; security deposit; burial grants.  Veteran Chevis Walker, at left, was provided train transportation to his mother’s funeral in Texas recently.  Tax Levy fund amount has grown from $13,500 in 2007 to $30,000 in  Grants totaled 19 in 2011, 48 in 2012, 36 in  In 2012 and 2013, a veteran donor contributed a total of $15,000 to the program.

Honor Stay tuned! More to come…

Expenditures  Milwaukee County expenditures roughly equal to Waukesha County.  Dane County expenditures almost double.  Population of Veterans by County:  Milwaukee (12.4%)  Waukesha (6.6%)  Dane (6.9%)

Applications Submitted for State Eligibility, WI GI Bill, and Property Tax Credit  Milwaukee CVSO provides low cost but highly effective services to veterans and their families, despite smaller staff and budget. Source: WDVA data base

Approved State Grants, Tuition Reimbursement and Loans  Numbers can also be represented in terms of %-ages:  In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Milwaukee County had 26%, 38%, and 37%, respectively, of all approved applications of this type.  In comparison, Dane County’s %-ages were 6%, 5%, and 5%  And Waukesha County’s were 4%, 4%, and 1% Source: WDVA data base

Property Tax Dollars Returned to Milwaukee County

Performance Measure Responsiveness 99% of all information requests responded to within 1 business day.

Performance Measure % of Submitted State Applications Approved :  % (approved apps 26% of state submissions)  2012 – 74% (38% of state submissions)  2013 – 78% (37% of state submissions)  Source: WDVA data base

Federal Applications/Correspondence Submitted

Walk-in Traffic Increase  9% increase in office- traffic Jan-Apr 2014 over Jan-Apr 2013  Expanding referral base  VA social workers  Dept on Aging  Dept of Family Care  Senior Living Facilities

Questions!