Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs was created in 1945 to consolidate separate veterans programs under one agency. Today, the WDVA provides grants and a variety of services to eligible Wisconsin veterans and their families. Programs included in the department’s mission are the: Wisconsin Veterans Homes, Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemeteries, Veterans Administration Regional Claims Office, Military Funeral Honors Program, Veterans Assistance Program and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. These programs are designed to provide health, educational assistance, economic assistance and other services to specified veterans of the armed forces of the United States. The WDVA is led by a Secretary of Veterans Affairs who is nominated by the Governor of Wisconsin after consulting with the presiding officers of at least six Wisconsin veterans organizations. The Governor’s nomination of the Secretary must be confirmed by the Wisconsin State Senate. The department receives advice from a nine-member, part-time, citizen advisory Board of Veterans Affairs.