Veterans Employment Grant

The Veterans Employment Grant is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs under Wisconsin Statute 45.437. The program is designed to encourage Wisconsin employers to hire disabled veterans by reimbursing a portion of wage-related employment costs after sustained employment milestones are met. The source material states that the program applies to employers, other than local, state, and federal government agencies, that hire a veteran who had a service-connected Federal VA disability rating of at least 50 percent on the date of hire. The grant is tied directly to the act of employing an eligible veteran at the employer's business in Wisconsin, so the program functions as an incentive for retention as well as hiring. The funding structure is based on whether the job is full-time or part-time and whether the veteran remains employed for 12 consecutive months. For a full-time hire, defined in the form as 2080 hours per year including paid leave and holidays, the employer may receive 2500 after the first 6 months of employment and another 2500 after the second 6-month period, for a total of up to 5000 per eligible veteran. For a part-time hire, defined as fewer than 2080 hours per year including paid leave and holidays, the employer may receive up to 1250 after the first 6 months and up to 1250 after the second 6-month period, for a total of up to 2500 per eligible veteran. The grant description provided does not identify a separate total program cap, indirect cost rule, or cost share requirement. Eligibility is employer-focused rather than employee-focused in the application process, but the employee being claimed must meet the veteran disability threshold and must be working in Wisconsin. The source explicitly excludes local, state, and federal government agencies. The application form requests employer identification details such as employer name, FEIN, contact name, email, phone number, and mailing address, which indicates the program expects a formal employing entity rather than an informal arrangement. The application also requests the employee veteran's identifying and contact information, date of hire, present position, classification as full-time or part-time, current base pay, the dates covering the first and second 6-month employment periods, and the number of hours worked. This shows that eligibility and payment are verified through actual employment duration and work records rather than through a simple intent to hire. To submit, an employer must complete the application and send it either by email to vetsbenefitsgrants@dva.wisconsin.gov or by mail to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Grants Unit, 2135 Rimrock Road, P.O. Box 7843, Madison, WI 53707-7843. The form states that certain supporting documents are required when submitting the application: WDVA Form 2642, identified as the Certification Request for Veterans Employment Grant; a payroll register and or payroll journal to verify employment, hours worked, and period of employment; and Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. The employer must also sign a declaration stating that the information on the form and all attachments is true, correct, and complete to the best of the signer's knowledge and belief. The form notes that provision of the employee social security number is voluntary, but failure to provide it may result in processing delay. The application window is ongoing, which supports treating the opportunity as currently open on a rolling basis rather than tied to a single annual deadline. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gate is identified in the supplied materials. No formal review criteria, award announcement date, or performance period beyond the 12 consecutive months of employment are provided in the source. Likewise, the materials do not state whether the program recurs in rounds, because the current presentation is an ongoing employer grant rather than a dated competition cycle. Contact information available in the source includes the email address vetsbenefitsgrants@dva.wisconsin.gov and phone numbers 608-266-1311 and 1-800-WIS-VETS. Overall, the program is a targeted state employment incentive that rewards Wisconsin employers for retaining qualified disabled veterans in full-time or part-time roles over a full year of consecutive employment.

Confirm the veteran had a service-connected Federal VA disability rating of at least 50 percent on the hire date; make sure the position is at the employer's Wisconsin business; classify the job correctly as full-time or part-time using the 2080-hours-per-year threshold; include WDVA Form 2642, payroll documentation, and Form W-9; verify the 6-month employment periods and hours worked before submitting.