governmental services - GORacine.org

FUND: GENERALHUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENTVETERANS SERVICE OFFICEAlice Oliver, Manager Workforce DevelopmentAloysius (Ali) Nelson, Veterans Service OfficerOPERATING AUTHORITY AND PURPOSEChapter 45 of the Wisconsin State Statutes requires the presence of a Veterans Service Office in each ofthe State's 72 counties. The Veterans Service Office is funded with county tax levy dollars, augmentedby a state grant in the amount of $13,000.The office assists all eligible veterans and their families in receiving Federal and State benefits whichthey have earned. Benefits include: health care, home loans, burial, insurance, disability compensation,pension, personal debt consolidation loans, emergency subsistence aid grants and food vouchers, alongwith educational grants and loans. The office also schedules firing squads and buglers for funerals.The Veterans Service Office is located at the Dennis Kornwolf Racine County Service Center(Workforce Development Center) and holds office hours in the Western Racine County Service Centeron the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month to better serve those in the western part of theCounty. Home visits are available to veterans and their families that are home bound.The office maintains an active presence in local veterans' activities including parades, holidayceremonies and educational and fraternal events.EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE MEASURESIn our continuous efforts to ensure Racine County veterans take full advantage of all benefits they areentitled to. A score card measure of some of the success in this area can be found in our fact sheet of2011; from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, local veterans received $26,048,000 in VA healthcare, $27,751,000 in Compensation and Pension payments, $4,647,000 in education benefits, and$1,201,000 in Insurance and Indemnity. From the Wisconsin Dept of Veterans Affairs, local veteransreceived $73,500 in loans, $27,257 in grants, $22,647 in education benefits and $412,815 from theProperty Tax Credit. The combined amount of benefits received by our county veterans for calendaryear 2011 was $60,183,219. The Racine County Veterans Service Office provided services to 2,892visitors in 2011, compared to 2,742 in 2010.2013 GOALS AND BUDGET STRATEGIESThe County Veterans Service Office will continue to assist veterans in applying for and securingbenefits which they are entitled. The office will continue to participate in State Reintegration Programsfor returning National Guard members and continue outreach efforts and community involvement inveterans sponsored activities. These efforts include participation in the Racine Area Veterans Council,radio interviews, and presentations to service groups, as well as attending and speaking at Memorial Dayand Veterans Day events around the county and throughout the region.PAGE 38 - 1