Wis. Stat. § 45.43

(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, other than active duty for training, 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. 45.001 (4) (a) 1. a. to d. and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.001 (4) (a) 2. a. to c.

(am) Except as provided under par. (b) , the county board may appoint assistant county veterans' service officers who shall be Wisconsin residents who served on active duty, other than active duty for training, 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. 45.35 (5) (a) 1. a. to d. [ s. 45.001 (4) (a) 1. a. to d. ] and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.35 (5) (a) 2. a. to c. [ s. 45.001 (4) (a) 2. a. to c. ]

(b) 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 .

(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 which 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. 45.42 (2) .

(e) Perform the duties prescribed by law, including those duties under pars. (a) to (d) , separately and distinctly from any other county department.

(5m) Permitted activities. The county veterans' service officer may:

(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.

(a) The county board shall provide the county veterans' service officer with office space, clerical assistance and any other needs which 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, except service on active duty for training purposes. 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) .

(a) Each county may annually apply to the department for a grant for the improvement of service to former military personnel of the county through the county veterans' service office. A county may not allocate any portion of a grant for use by another county department nor may the county reduce funding to a county veterans' service office based upon receipt of a grant. The county veterans' service officer of any county applying for the grant shall enter into an agreement with the department. The agreement shall state the goals and objectives to be attained by the county veterans' service office during the remainder of the year covered by the grant application. The department shall prepare the basic form of this agreement in consultation with the county veterans' service officers association and provide a copy and an explanation of that agreement to each county veterans' service officer. The department shall develop reasonable budget and operating standards to assure improved services, but full operating control of the county office shall be left to each county.

(b) The department shall award a grant annually to a county that meets the standards developed under this subsection and employs a county veterans' service officer who, if chosen after August 9, 1989, is chosen from a list of candidates who have taken a civil service examination for the position of county veterans' service officer developed and administered by the division of merit recruitment and selection in the office of state employment relations, or is appointed under a civil service competitive examination procedure under ch. 63 or s. 59.52 (8) . The grant shall be $8,500 for a county with a population of less than 20,000, $10,000 for a county with a population of 20,000 to 45,499, $11,500 for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and $13,000 for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. The department shall use the most recent Wisconsin official population estimates prepared by the demographic services center when making grants under this paragraph.

(c) Notwithstanding par. (b) , an eligible county with a part-time county veterans' service officer shall be eligible for an annual grant not exceeding $500.

(7m) Transportation services grants to counties.

(a) Annually, from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s) , the department shall award grants to counties that are not served by transportation services provided by the Wisconsin department of Disabled American Veterans to develop, maintain, and expand transportation services for veterans. The grants may be used to support multicounty cooperative transportation services.

(b) The department shall promulgate rules specifying the application procedures and eligibility criteria for grants under this subsection.

(c) A county may not allocate any portion of a grant awarded under this subsection for use by another county department and may not reduce funding to a county veterans' service office based upon receipt of a grant.