New veteran investments included in Gov. Tony Evers’ budget

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers’ executive budget will include millions of additional dollars to help Wisconsin veterans with their mental health and educational needs, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

Evers is set to release his full 2023-25 spending plan to the Republican-controlled Legislature on Feb. 15. The Legislature’s finance committee will spend the spring revising the document before sending it back to the full Senate and Assembly for approval. From there the budget goes back to Evers, who can rewrite it to his liking with his partial veto powers.

The governor’s office said his budget will include $500,000 to evaluate post-Sept. 11 veterans’ needs; an additional $1 million annually for county and tribal veterans services offices; nearly $3 million to help University of Wisconsin System campuses provide services for veterans and military personnel; and $250,000 to help provide dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The proposed budget also would relax eligibility requirements for property tax credits for veterans and surviving spouses. The move would provide an additional $43.2 million in tax relief for claimants over the next two years, according to the governor’s office. The spending plan also would expand those property tax credits to renters, providing another $10 million in tax relief, the governor’s office said.