Evers proposing millions to address veterans' health, including those who served multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq
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MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers will propose next week millions in new funding aimed at addressing health challenges facing Wisconsin veterans, including those who have served multiple deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Evers is scheduled to submit to the Republican-controlled state Legislature next week a multi-billion dollar two-year state budget proposal that will kick off lawmakers' work on setting taxpayer-funded spending levels on programs and services ranging from state park fees to public school funding to programs aimed at supporting veterans.
On Thursday, Evers released a summary of proposals he plans to ask lawmakers to approve for vets, including $500,000 in new funding for the state Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate the needs of a generation of post-9/11 veterans that have experienced multiple deployments and higher survival rates than previous generations, and required more long-term skilled nursing.
Evers' budget proposal also directs DVA to create a "master plan" for the campus of the State Veterans Home at King, where two recent deaths raised questions about the care provided at the home, one of three state-run nursing facilities for veterans and their spouses in Wisconsin.
Since 2017, the King home, located in Waupaca County, has been issued 59 federal citations, above the national average for veterans homes nationwide. It also has been issued $3,250 in fines, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Infractions have ranged from residents falling, staff failing to properly bathe patients, and opioids missing from the facility. In several cases, King employees did not report residents’ injuries to the state nor investigate them themselves.
Another $6.7 million would be directed toward recruiting and retaining staff at the state's veteran homes.
More:'No one should receive this kind of care': Lack of water. Medication mistakes. Abuse allegations.
Evers' spending proposal also would provide:
Increasing the eligibility for the Veterans and Surviving Spouses Property Tax Credit by extending it to those with a disability rating of at least 70%.
$2.8 million for veterans services on University of Wisconsin System campuses including ensuring each campus has a staff member dedicated to helping students navigate and use their veterans benefits.
$1 million each year for county and tribal veterans programs.
$957,200 to expand a state program that provides mental health services and support to veterans who may have a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
$250,000 to provide dogs to veterans who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following their military service.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers proposing millions to address veterans' health
