(1) ELECTION OR APPOINTMENT. (a) Except as provided under par. (b), the county board shall elect a county veterans service officer who shall be a Wisconsin resident who served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and who meets at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.01 (12) (a) to (d) and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.02 (2). (b) Except as provided under par. (c), the county board may appoint assistant county veterans service officers who shall be Wisconsin residents who served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and who meet at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.01 (12) (a) to (d) and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.02 (2). (c) In counties with a county executive or county administrator, the county executive or county administrator shall appoint and supervise a county veterans service officer who shall have the qualifications prescribed under par. (a). The appointment is subject to confirmation by the county board unless the county board, by ordinance, elects to waive confirmation or unless the appointment is made under a civil service system competitive examination procedure established under s. 59.52 (8) or ch. 63. (2) TERM. A county veterans service officer elected under sub. (1) (a) shall serve until the first Monday in January of the 2nd year subsequent to the year of his or her election, and, if reelected, shall continue to serve unless removed under s. 17.10 (2). (3) SALARY. The salary of the county veterans service officer shall be fixed by the county board prior to or at the time of the service officer’s election and annually thereafter. (4) MILWAUKEE COUNTY. In counties having a population of 750,000 or more the officer shall be appointed subject to ss. 63.01 to 63.17. (5) DUTIES. The county veterans service officer shall do all of the following: (a) Advise persons living in the service officer’s county who served in the U.S. armed forces regarding any benefits to which they may be entitled or any complaint or problem arising out of such service and render to them and their dependents all possible assistance. (b) Make such reports to the county board as the county board requires. (c) Cooperate with federal and state agencies that serve or grant aids or benefits to former military personnel and their dependents. (d) Furnish information about veterans burial places within the county as required by s. 45.62 (2). (e) Perform the duties prescribed by law, including those duties under pars. (a) to (d), separately and distinctly from any other county department. (6) PERMITTED ACTIVITIES. The county veterans service officer may do any of the following: (a) Inform persons living in the service officer’s county who are members of the national guard or of a reserve unit of the U.S. armed forces or dependents of those persons regarding potential benefits to which they may be or may become entitled and regarding all necessary military points of contact and general deployment information for activated and deployed members of the national guard or reserve units of the U.S. armed forces. (b) Cooperate with federal and state agencies that serve or grant aids or benefits to members of the national guard or reserve units of the U.S. armed forces and their dependents. (7) OFFICE SPACE AND ASSISTANTS. (a) The county board shall provide the county veterans service officer with office space, clerical assistance, and any other needs that will enable the officer to perform the duties under sub. (5). (b) Except as provided under par. (c), the county board may appoint assistant county veterans service officers who shall be Wisconsin residents who served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces for 2 consecutive years. An individual who is discharged for reasons of hardship or a service-connected disability or released due to a reduction in the U.S. armed forces or for the good of the service prior to the completion of the required period of service is eligible for appointment to the office, regardless of the actual time served. (c) In any county with a county executive or county administrator, the county veterans service officer may appoint assistant county veterans service officers who shall have the qualifications prescribed under par. (b). (8) QUALIFICATIONS APPLICABILITY. The qualifications necessary to be a county veterans service officer or assistant county veterans service officer under subs. (1) (a) and (7) (b) apply only to persons elected to serve as county veterans service officers or assistant county veterans service officers on or after June 1, 1996, and who have not served as county veterans service officers or assistant county veterans service officers before June 1, 1996.
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