Governor Jim Doyle officially notified the federal government Tuesday that Wisconsin will accept an extension of the state's prescription-drug program SeniorCare through 2009.

In April, the federal government decided that it would no longer help fund SeniorCare but the extension was granted as part of the recent Iraqi supplemental spending bill, passed by Congress last week and signed into law by President Bush. Senators Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) helped push the SeniorCare funds into the legislation.

Thanks to money included in the bill passed by Congress, though, SeniorCare will continue through 2009. About 102,000 seniors in Wisconsin are on SeniorCare.