Wisconsin Code § 45.40

Assistance to needy veterans
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(1g) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) “Health care provider” means an advanced practice registered nurse who may issue prescription orders under s. 441.09
(2), an audiologist who is licensed under subch. II of ch. 459 or
who holds a compact privilege under subch. III of ch. 459, a dentist who is licensed under subch. I of ch. 447 or who holds a compact privilege under subch. II of ch. 447, an optometrist who is licensed under ch. 449, a physician who is licensed under s.
448.02, or a podiatrist who is licensed under s. 448.63.
(1m) SUBSISTENCE AID. (a) The department may provide
subsistence payments to a veteran on a month-to-month basis or
for a 3-month period. The department may pay subsistence aid
for a 3-month period if the veteran will be incapacitated for more
than 3 months and if earned or unearned income or aid from
sources other than those listed in the application will not be available in the 3-month period. The department may provide subsistence payments only to a veteran who has suffered a loss of income due to illness, injury, or natural disaster. The department
may grant subsistence aid under this subsection to a veteran
whose loss of income is the result of abuse of alcohol or other
drugs only if the veteran is participating in an alcohol and other
drug abuse treatment program that is approved by the department. No payment may be made under this subsection if the veteran has other assets or income available to meet basic subsistence needs or if the veteran is eligible to receive aid from other
sources to meet those needs. When determining the assets available to the veteran, the department may not include the first
$50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance policy.
(b) The maximum amount that any veteran may receive under
this subsection per occurrence during a consecutive 12-month period may not exceed $3,000.
(1t) COMPLETION OF HEALTH CARE FORMS. A health care
provider may complete the medical forms necessary for the receipt of aid under this section if the provider has diagnosed the
veteran and determined the veteran’s medical condition.
(2) HEALTH CARE. (a) The department may provide health
care aid to a veteran for dental care, including dentures; vision
care, including eyeglass frames and lenses; and hearing care, including hearing aids.
(c) The department may not provide health care aid under this
subsection unless the aid recipient’s health care provider agrees
to accept, as full payment for the health care provided, the
amount of the payment, the amount of the recipient’s health insurance or other 3rd-party payments, if any, and the amount that
the department determines the veteran is capable of paying. The
department may not pay health care aid under this subsection if
the liquid assets of the veteran are in excess of $1,000. When determining the liquid assets of the veteran, the department may not
include the first $50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance policy.
(2m) DEPENDENTS ELIGIBILITY. (a) The unremarried spouse
and dependent children of a veteran who died on active duty, or in
the line of duty while on active or inactive duty for training purposes, in the U.S. armed forces or forces incorporated in the U.S.
armed forces are eligible to receive payments under subs. (1m)
and (2) if the household income of those persons does not exceed
the income limitations established under sub. (3m).
(b) The spouse and dependent children of a member of the
U.S. armed forces or of the Wisconsin national guard who has
been activated or deployed to serve in the U.S. armed forces who
are residents of this state, who have suffered a loss of income due
to that activation or deployment, and who experience an economic emergency during the member’s activation or deployment
are eligible to receive assistance under subs. (1m) and (2).
(3) LIMITATIONS. The total cumulative amount that any veteran may receive under this section may not exceed $7,500.
(3m) RULES. The department shall promulgate rules establishing eligibility criteria and household income limits for payments under subs. (1m), (2), and (2m). The department may not
include in the rules establishing eligibility criteria and household
income limits any consideration of the first $50,000 of cash surrender value of any life insurance that is available to the veteran’s
household.
(4) APPROPRIATIONS. The department may make payments
under this section from the appropriation in s. 20.485 (2) (vm) .
Nothing in this section empowers the department to incur any
state debt.
(5) JOINT FINANCE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING. The department may submit a request to the joint committee on finance for
supplemental funds from the veterans trust fund to be credited to
the appropriation account under s. 20.485 (2) (vm) to provide
payments under this section. The joint committee on finance
may, from the appropriation under s. 20.865 (4) (u), supplement
the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (vm) in an amount equal to
the amount that the department expects to expend under this section. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the request for a supplement within 14 working
days after the date of the department’s notification, the supplement to the appropriation is approved. If, within 14 working days
after the date of the department’s notification, the cochairpersons
of the committee notify the department that the committee has
scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed

supplement, the supplement may occur only upon approval of the
committee.

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