Section 38.31. Veteran grant jobs pilot program.

 

(1)  

(a) The board shall establish a veteran grant jobs pilot program. Under this program, the board shall, subject to par. (b) , award grants to district boards that request funding to support programs or services for veterans. Grants awarded under this section shall be awarded through a competitive grant process and paid from the appropriation under s. 20.292 (1) (r) . No grant may be awarded under this section after June 30, 2017.

(b) Before awarding any grant under par. (a) , the board shall secure additional funding commitments of at least $500,000 to match grant awards by the board under par. (a) . No new state moneys may be contributed toward the matching funds required under this paragraph.

(2)  Programs or services eligible for a grant under sub. (1) include programs or services related to any of the following:

(a) Recruiting, training, or graduating veterans in high-demand fields, as identified by the department of workforce development.

(b) Providing specialized support services for veterans, including career pathway planning, case management, advising by experts in military education related to obtaining credit for prior learning, early alert interventions, and referrals to or subcontracting with external organizations to provide specialized support services.

(c) Collaborations with employers.

(d) Work-based learning activities, such as internships, service learning, mentoring, job coaching, and job shadowing.

(e) Specialized instructional methodologies that have been demonstrated to be helpful for veterans to enhance student retention and completion.

(f) Creating, expanding, or implementing innovative methods that provide direct services to veterans, with a goal to support students through specific completion points such as completion of courses, semesters, programs, or certificates.

(g) Counseling or career services, which may include personal, educational, and career development support as well as proactive behavior and crisis intervention services.

(h) Targeted services based on student need such as financial literacy, career assessment and planning services, career workshops, computer skills and study skills workshops, veterans peer support groups, or tutoring or supplemental instruction.

(i) Accommodation and transition services, including assistive technology such as adaptive equipment, instructional aids and devices, and related services for injured veterans.

(j) Providing access or referrals to emergency dependent care and transportation assistance.

(k) Any other program or service for veterans.

(3)  Not later than September 1, 2017, the board shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance that includes all of the following information:

(a) The technical colleges that received grant funding under this section and the amount of funding received by each.

(b) The programs or services funded through the grant program under this section.

(c) The total number of veterans supported through the grant program under this section.

(d) The amount of unencumbered funds, if any, that lapsed to the veterans trust fund from the appropriation account under s. 20.292 (1) (r) at the end of the 2015-17 fiscal biennium.

2015 a. 55 .