Senate Bill 411 aims to enhance support for Wisconsin veterans through several key provisions. It mandates the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to allocate funding for the Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project (MIA Recovery Project) during the 2025-27 fiscal biennium, specifically for missions to recover and identify Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. Additionally, the bill appropriates $900,000 for the 2025-26 fiscal year and $1,050,000 for the 2026-27 fiscal year to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to cover increased costs for supplies and services in the veterans housing and recovery program, as well as expenses related to leasing a new facility for the Chippewa Falls program.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the eligibility criteria for the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit by lowering the required service-connected disability rating from 100 percent to at least 80 percent. It introduces new provisions that allow claimants with a disability rating below 100 percent to receive a credit based on their rating, while also capping the credit amount to the property taxes paid on the first $350,000 of assessed property value. The bill ensures that individuals claiming the credit based on individual unemployability ratings are not affected by these changes.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 71.07(6e)(a)2.b, 71.07, 71.07(6e)(a)3.d