WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1985-1986


through these offices. The department is authorized to pay a service grant
to counties which
voluntarily agree to meet operating and budget standards developed by the
department to im-
prove the level of service to all veterans of the state. Fifty-seven counties
now qualify for the
grant. The department is also authorized to make grants to organizations
which provide coun-
seling for discharge review, incarcerated and recently released veterans.
   The Bureau of Claims is co-located with the Veterans Administration regional
office at Wood,
 Wisconsin. The bureau assists veterans in the prosecution of claims against
the federal govern-
 ment for compensation, pension, education, back pay or any other problems
arising from mili-
 tary service. Representation by the claims office is free of charge to the
Wisconsin veteran. The
 department is authorized to pay claims service grants to veterans organizations
providing similar
 claims service in the VA regional office; 4 such organizations presently
qualify for these grants.
   The Bureau of Collections is responsible for the collection of delinquent
loan accounts, which
 may involve acquisition, management and sale of property, real and personal.
Other responsi-
 bilities include inspection and appraisal of real estate which is the subject
of loan applications,
 and servicing of the Veterans Trust Fund portfolio.
   G.A.R. Memorial Hall Museum is maintained on the fourth floor of the State
Capitol at Madi-
 son and is dedicated to Wisconsin veterans of all wars; it is open to the
public year-around. The
 Memorial Hall is a war museum devoted principally to the Civil War and the
Spanish-American
 War; it houses military weapons, artifacts and battle flags. The official
replica of the Wisconsin
 Medal of Honor is on prominent display at the museum. (The original medal
is enshrined at
 Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.).
   The Division of Veterans Home administers the Wisconsin Veterans Home
at King, Wisconsin.
 In continuous operation since its founding in 1887 by the Wisconsin Department
of the Grand
 Army of the Republic, the home is located near Waupaca, about 100 miles
north of Madison, on
 Rainbow Lake in the Waupaca "Chain of Lakes". The home has about
700 members, one-
 quarter of them women. Members receive complete personal, nursing, medical
and rehabilita-
 tive care.
   Facilities at the home include a new clinic and skilled nursing care building,
MacArthur Hall,
 which is named in honor of 3 famous Milwaukeeans: General of the Army Douglas
MacArthur;
 the general's father, Lieutenant General Arthur McArthur, Jr.; and his grandfather,
Governor
 Arthur MacArthur, Sr. Other facilities at the Wisconsin Veterans Home include:
cottages for
 those couples able to care for themselves, chapels, a post office, a theater,
bowling alleys and a
 library. Services include: food service, laundry, social services, recreational
and social activities,
 and religious services.
   Membership at the home is open to veterans who have served honorably during
a wartime
 period specified in the Wisconsin statutes. Veterans who are permanently
incapacitated due to
 age or physical disability and those unable to follow any substantially
gainful employment, who
 meet service and residency criteria, and who apply income and resources
to the cost of their care
 to the extent required under Medicaid eligibility standards, may be admitted
to the home. The
 spouses of such veterans may also be admitted to the home.
 The home also operates the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Any member
of the
 home, any honorably discharged veteran of any war who is a resident of the
state at the time of
 death, and any parent or surviving spouse (if application is made within
6 months after the
 veteran's death) may be buried in the cemetery at King, Wisconsin.
 The Division of Administration provides coordinating administrative services
to the depart-
 ment, including accounting, fiscal control, personnel services, records
management, data
 processing, budget and planning and stenographic services.
 The Council on Veterans Programs studies and presents policy alternatives
and recommenda-
 tions relating to veterans matters to the Board of Veterans Affairs. It
is a statutory advisory
 body which is comprised of representatives of organizations having a direct
interest in veterans
 affairs.
 Interagency Relationships: The department coordinates the activities of
all state agencies per-
 forming functions relating to veterans and their problems, including medical,
hospital and other
 remedial care, placement and training, educational, economic or vocational
training of honora-
 bly discharged veterans; and maintains a close working relationship with
the Veterans Adminis-
tration regional office, area VA hospitals and county veterans service officers.


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