wdva strategic business plan 2008-2013[1]

8/9/2019 WDVA Strategic Business Plan 2008-2013[1]

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Wisconsin

Department of Veterans Affairs

Strategic Plan 2008-2013

Building a Solid Foundation

for the Future

John A. Scocos, Secretar



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A MESSAGE FROM GOVERNOR DOYLE

Wisconsin has a proud military history and a tradition of honoring the

remarkable men and women who have made great sacrifices to serve their

country. We owe our nation’s veterans – and those who are serving today in

Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world – a debt of gratitude that

cannot be repaid. The veterans who have returned home, and those who will,

have earned our deepest respect and most profound gratitude. Every day that

we wake up in a free country is a day we must thank our veterans. To honor

their service and sacrifice, our veterans deserve the best services and

benefits that our nation and state can offer today, and in the future. I ampleased the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking steps to ensure that

Wisconsin is looking ahead to find the best ways to meet the changing needs

of our veterans and their families. As Governor, I am committed to working

every day to be sure the service of Wisconsin’s nearly 450,000 veterans and

their families is not forgotten.

Jim Doyle



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Secretary John A. Scocos

THE SECRETARY’S VISION

Within this strategic plan and based on our

assessment of the needs of Wisconsin veteransand their families, we have established the

direction of the Wisconsin Department of

Veterans Affairs (WDVA) for the remainder of

this first decade of the 21st

century. It is our

permanent mission to implement and sustain

programs that meet those needs now and in the

future. As we have done in the past, so shall we

work together in the future as a team guided by

a vision and a set of values we hold in

common.

We see ourselves leading the nation as a

state agency in service to our veterans and

to their families. We are and will continue to be the best. First and

foremost, we must fully honor our commitment to Wisconsin Veterans.

That commitment will never waiver.

Second, WDVA must ensure stakeholder involvement, working hard to

extend and expand the department’s critically important relationshipswith all the veterans’ service organizations, county veterans service

officers, key leaders, VA officials, and many others.

Third, WDVA must continue strong and positive legislative

partnerships, at the state and federal levels and on both sides of the

aisle, working in a non-partisan manner to ensure that the needs and

goals of Wisconsin’s veterans continue to be met. Finally, we must

ensure the solvency of the Veterans Trust Fund.

We owe our veterans and their families nothing less than the very bestof those things we value most:

• Leadership on behalf of our veteran community.

• Advocacy on issues that affect veterans.



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• Expert and committed customer service and outreach.

• Resources to support our programs.

• Honor and respect for veterans and their families.

Looking Back

Wisconsin has earned a distinguished reputation nationally for instituting

programs and services that meet the needs of its residents who served in the

U.S. armed forces and their families.

The state’s proud tradition of providing assistance to veterans and their

families began soon after the Civil War. Most of this early assistance was

intended to alleviate the suffering of destitute veterans and their families.

In 1887, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a prominent organization

representing Civil War veterans, founded the Grand Army Home at King.

This facility near Waupaca was eventually turned over to the State of

Wisconsin and became the Wisconsin Veterans Home (WVH) at King. In

August 2001, the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove opened.

In 1901, the state honored Civil War veterans by establishing a GAR

headquarters and museum in the State Capitol. In 1989, the Legislatureauthorized the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to build a new

museum, honoring veterans from all wars, across the street from the Capitol.

The award-winning Wisconsin Veterans Museum opened in 1993.

In 1919, the state issued its only wartime bonus to Wisconsin veterans of

World War I. In 1945, rather than issue a wartime bonus with little lasting

value, the Legislature created programs that offered long-term benefits for

state veterans and their families.

To administer state veterans programs, the Legislature created the WisconsinDepartment of Veterans Affairs in 1945. The department was given the

administrative responsibility for the Grand Army Home at King, the GAR

Memorial Hall in the Capitol, the state’s economic and education assistance

benefits for veterans, and other programs. It also assumed responsibility for

segregated funds for veterans that were combined in 1961 to form the

Veterans Trust Fund.



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Current Operation

Today, the WDVA provides an array of benefits and services to eligible state

veterans, and in some instances, veterans’ family members. For this purpose,

we manage three distinct business processes:

• Long Term Care at the Wisconsin Veterans Homes at King and

Union Grove.

• Benefits Programs and Services such as loans, grants, education

and training assistance, Federal claims assistance, the Veterans

Assistance Program for homeless veterans, Military Funeral

Honors, the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemeteries at King,

Union Grove and Spooner.

• Public Education through the Wisconsin Veterans Museum at

Madison, Volk Field and King.

To deliver these benefits and services, the WDVA works in joint enterprise

with a number of other agencies, most notably the county veterans service

officers (CVSOs), the Department of Workforce Development, commercial

lenders, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and University

and Technical College Systems.

Veterans receive the most up

to date information on benefits

from WDVA personnel.

“Supermarkets” of veterans

benefits are conducted at

various locations around the

state to inform veterans and

their families of the benefits

available to them from

federal, state and local

governments. Since 2000

WDVA has reached out to

over 30,000 veterans and their

families.



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Looking Forward: Our Future Environment

How WDVA’s Environment Will Change Effects of These Changes

The size of our military forces will remain

roughly the same but the role of ReserveComponents will continue to expand with an

increase in activations and deployments.

Need to reevaluate benefit eligibility for

Guard members and other Reservists.

Need for increased outreach to get veterans

suffering from these effects access tobenefits and services.

The rapid and violent pace of current military

operations has introduced new needs forreturning veterans. Reintegration issues to

include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and

Blast Injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury. Need for simple and accessible modes of

treatment for veterans and family membersaffected.

During the plan period, Wisconsin’s veteranpopulation will age from roughly 60 to 62 on

average and the number of veterans over 80will actually increase.

Need to review future Long Term Careneeds and internment service for

Wisconsin’s veterans.

Need to develop new relationships with

enterprise partners so as to reduce

duplication of services, achieve greaterefficiency and reduced expenditures.

Structural fiscal pressures on Wisconsin’s state

government will not abate for the foreseeable

future.

Need to ensure solvency of the VeteransTrust Fund and Mortgage Loan Repayment

Fund.

New information technology will become

available for the delivery of services.

Need to provide easier and more efficient

access to services with a technically skilled

workforce.

Wisconsin will increasingly build a "new

economy" based on technology.

Increased need for education and job

training for veterans.

On Memorial Day, 2006,

Wisconsin Governor Jim

Doyle signs into law the

Wisconsin GI Bill, expanding

tuition benefits to qualifying

veterans, as well as survivingspouses and children of those

killed in the line of duty,

offering them the benefit to

get an education, tuition-free,

at Wisconsin universities or

technical colle es.



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Looking Forward: Our Goals and Strategies

Leadership

To lead the way with respect to veterans’ issues, we must persuasively

communicate the veterans’ message through public education andadvocacy of veterans’ issues. By law, we must undertake departmental

initiatives consistent with the clear direction set by the Board of

Veterans Affairs on issues vital to veterans.

Communicate the WDVA mission and vision through a consistent, cohesive,

compelling veteran’s message.

Advocate for programs and services that meet veterans’ needs.

Implement aggressive forms of outreach to ensure that Wisconsin veterans

receive a full measure of the Federal benefits to which they are entitled.

Capitalize on opportunities to expand programs and service for veterans.

Testify before state and Federal legislative committees about issues affecting

Wisconsin veterans.

Provide for a suitable venue to build on our educational mission and sustain

public support through innovative museum programs that explain the history

of veteran contributions and the significance of their legacy to our state andnation. Sustain funding for Wisconsin Veterans Museum operations, exhibit

upgrades, and infrastructure improvements as well as implement a distance

learning program.

Partnership

To maximize our service delivery, we must act in partnership with other

veterans service providers and State Agencies to include public and

private institutions of higher learning. We must reinforce our

partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs by assuring

that all Wisconsin veterans have undiminished access to USDVA

programs. At the same time, we must continue to strengthen our

relationship with County Veterans Service Officers, who are our

partners in delivering services to veterans, and in fulfilling our statutory

responsibility to assist Wisconsin veterans to obtain their Federal

entitlements.



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Continue to implement marketing and outreach plans that increase Federal

healthcare, compensation and pension benefits for Wisconsin veterans.

Continue to obtain all types of grants for partnership programs.

Capitalize on opportunities to develop new and improved state veterans

programs that meet the needs of veterans and are more efficient, cost

effective and complement and supplement USDVA and other programs.

Develop new and stronger partnerships with other state agencies including

the Departments of Administration (DOA), Workforce Development

(DWD), Health and Family Services (DHFS), Military Affairs (DMA), and

Corrections (DOC) to serve veterans more effectively.

Continue to partner with County Veterans Service Officers and VeteransService Organizations to improve service delivery to veterans.

Service

To serve the veteran community, we must provide benefits and services

that meet the needs of Wisconsin veterans now and in the future. We

must make our current programs more accessible as we also provide

new and/or enhanced programs as the need and the opportunity arise.

We must also endeavor to expand the number of Wisconsin veterans

eligible for WDVA benefits and services.

Continue aggressive outreach and marketing efforts to permit Wisconsin

veterans full access to their federal VA entitlements and to other federal and

state benefits, programs and services.

Complete planning, begin construction and operation and of new Long Term

Care facilities at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in Chippewa Falls to provide

skilled nursing care, resident activities and community-based residential

living facilities for veterans in northwest Wisconsin.

Reorganize the Veterans Assistance Program to improve services provided

for homeless and near-homeless veterans. Restructure the program to ensure

that program outcome objectives incorporate proven best practices for

homeless transitional services.



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Provide easy access to reintegration and mental health services for veterans

who are returning from the Global War on Terrorism.

Provide enhanced customer service to Wisconsin veterans through expanded

partnership, Web-based technology, and direct outreach service.

Expand educational opportunities by partnering with the University of

Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College Systems and USDVA to

provide education and transition service opportunities to veterans. Make

education more affordable for veterans through state and federal programs

for loans, grants, and remissions of education expenses. Coordinate

approvals for school and educational courses to enhance the technical skills

of veterans preparing them for the new economy.

Meet the basic needs of our most needy veterans by providing bridges toUSDVA healthcare benefits and by providing gap fillers when needed.

Management

To operate with the efficiency, innovation, and adaptability of a well-

managed business , we must dedicate ourselves to the continuous

improvement of our business processes and functions. We must

dramatically improve our internal processing, cycle-time and quality of

service delivery to veterans. We must accelerate the implementation of

information technology for service delivery and for efficient operations .

Finally , we must agilely reallocate resources to handle changing

workloads .

As planning for new initiatives materializes, reorganize work units to

accommodate emerging program needs.

Provide IT funding and staff to meet DOA infrastructure standards and to

support growth in users and workstations and new program initiatives.

Implement new or ongoing IT projects in the following areas: Enterprise

Database, Internet and Intranet Development, Agency Scheduling and

Timekeeping, Claims Tracking, Document Imaging, Veterans Home

Resident Information, Electronic Charting, Certified Nursing Assistant

(CNA) Electronic and Wireless Charting Software, Member Care

Monitoring, Accounts Receivable software, Cemetery Pre-Registration,

Military Funeral Honors Administration, Departmental Forms Automation,



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Primary Mortgage Loan Application Automation, Grants Application

Automation, Loan Accounting Automation and On-Line Benefit Eligibility

Determination.

Provide funding for hardware and software to ensure access to remote

databases and facilitate the flow of electronic information between partners

using Web-based technology that is secure and protects veterans personal

and sensitive data.

Invest in the training and development of our employees. Strive for a highly

motivated and empowered staff trained in strategic planning and automation

methodologies.

Enhance Veterans Homes training programs for newly hired care providers.

Provide education grants to nursing students committed to working at theWVHs.

Finance

To act as stewards of the veterans’ community, we must preserve a solid

base of financial resources. We must ensure that the Primary Mortgage

Home Loan Program and the Veterans Trust Fund are fiscally sound

and able to meet the current and future needs of veterans. We must seek

new and enhanced flows of revenue for the Veterans Trust Fund.

Furthermore, we must balance operating revenues and expenses at theWisconsin Veterans Homes.

Aggressively seek out federal funding and federal/state grants to broaden

funding streams.

Continue to implement a business plan to increase Veterans Trust Fund

revenues and generate long-term fund solvency.

Continue to implement a business plan to increase Primary Mortgage Loanfund revenues and generate long-term fund solvency to include evaluation of

the impact of managing primary mortgage loan servicing in-house.

Continue to maximize the use of Qualified Veteran Mortgage Bonds

(QVMB) for mortgage loans and seek other forms of funds to make loans to

veterans who are restricted from using QVMB proceeds.



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Continue to seek new sources of revenue for the Veterans Trust Fund to

include the formation of a Veterans Trust Foundation to solicit and manage

large donations and investments from private donors.

Revise the Personal Loan Program to enhance its revenues and usage.

Analyze revenues and expenditures at the Wisconsin Veterans Homes at

King and Union Grove to develop a plan to make the homes self-supporting

with full consideration for new federal payment guidelines and

administrative costs.

C onclusion

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs will continue its outstanding

record of service to Wisconsin’s veterans throughout the plan period and

beyond that in the future. We will ever care for those men and women

who “have borne the battle.”

The Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove.



State of Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs

30 West Mifflin StreetMadison, Wisconsin 53707-7843

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