Ken Black appoionted acting Veterans Affairs secretary
In the line of duty
In the line of duty
Now in addition to focusing on the administration of programs, Black is also responsible for the political operations as well. “I think my experience in the
military makes me prepared for both roles, probably less so for the acting secretary because of the political piece,” Black said. “But I have dabbled in that arena
before and so, I don’t think it will be that difficult for me to pick up and run with it. Probably the most difficult thing is wearing both hats and switching from hat to
hat on a fairly frequent basis every day. That’s the most difficult thing that I’ve encountered, going back and forth.”
In addition to interfacing with the other components of state government, Black is also the face of Veterans Affairs out in the community as well including
the myriad of veterans’ organizations that influence and are impacted by the department’s policies and programs. “I am on the road,” Black emphasized about
representing the department throughout the state. “Last Thursday, I was at Princeton on behalf of veterans as they displayed the Moving Wall. Before that, I was
in Union Grove the same day. The week before that, I was somewhere else up north. I get a lot of requests from veterans’ service organizations to come and
speak for veterans. I get requests weekly, several of them, to come to their veterans’ recognition event. And I go to them. So I am on the road a lot.”
Black is also responsible for the administration of an array of veterans’ programs that are provided statewide. “We provide everything from education benefits
to loans to retraining or retooling individual skills for veterans,” Black said. “We also have two veterans’ homes. We provide health care services and a living
environment. They are assisted living facilities in two locations, King and Union Grove. We also provide assistance in claims for veterans who want to file a
claim because of an injury that occurred while on active duty. We also have homeless veterans programs. I have four of those programs in Union Grove, King,
Fort McCoy and we just opened up one last December in Chippewa Falls. There are five states within the U.S. that provide an extremely robust veterans program
outside of what the federal government provides. Wisconsin is one of the five. We provide top-notch care. Very few states give the benefits that we give here.”
The foundation of the veterans benefit system are the 72 county veterans service officers located in each county. “They are where the rubber meets the road,”
Black emphasized. “All of the services that we provide actually our veterans go through them and funnel it up to us. They know not only state benefits, but they
are also very familiar with state benefits as well.”
The department needs such a pervasive apparatus because a surprising number of veterans aren’t aware of the benefits they are entitled to. “For the most
part, they just don’t know,” Black emphasized. “So what we try to do is get the word out to make sure they know what is available. And then we have these events,
which we call ‘supermarkets.’ They are little conferences that we set up across the state in different locations, in the rural and urban areas, and we get notices
out to the veterans in the community via several different media to let them know that we have this event going on. They can come in and get updates on their
claims or they can apply for claims. They can apply for awards and find out about all of the benefits that we have to offer them as well as federal and state. We
hold these events 3-4 times per year throughout the state.” While veterans can apply for their benefits through the county offices, they can also find out more on
line at www.wiscvet.com.
Even though Black is currently preoccupied with the services of the department and representing the department, he hasn’t forgotten about the budget
process, which is on hiatus until after the elections. “The budget process is on my radar and it will stay on my radar all the way until it passes through,” Black
observed. “I suspect once the election has occurred, people will start getting heavily involved in the process of taking the budget from receiving it from the
agencies all the way through the final approval process, which can occur any time around the June-August time frame.”
And about that time, Black will be able to hand the command back to Scocos when he returns from Iraq. Black will be able to settle into his deputy
secretary position knowing he will have accomplished his mission.
military makes me prepared for both roles, probably less so for the acting secretary because of the political piece,” Black said. “But I have dabbled in that arena
before and so, I don’t think it will be that difficult for me to pick up and run with it. Probably the most difficult thing is wearing both hats and switching from hat to
hat on a fairly frequent basis every day. That’s the most difficult thing that I’ve encountered, going back and forth.”
In addition to interfacing with the other components of state government, Black is also the face of Veterans Affairs out in the community as well including
the myriad of veterans’ organizations that influence and are impacted by the department’s policies and programs. “I am on the road,” Black emphasized about
representing the department throughout the state. “Last Thursday, I was at Princeton on behalf of veterans as they displayed the Moving Wall. Before that, I was
in Union Grove the same day. The week before that, I was somewhere else up north. I get a lot of requests from veterans’ service organizations to come and
speak for veterans. I get requests weekly, several of them, to come to their veterans’ recognition event. And I go to them. So I am on the road a lot.”
Black is also responsible for the administration of an array of veterans’ programs that are provided statewide. “We provide everything from education benefits
to loans to retraining or retooling individual skills for veterans,” Black said. “We also have two veterans’ homes. We provide health care services and a living
environment. They are assisted living facilities in two locations, King and Union Grove. We also provide assistance in claims for veterans who want to file a
claim because of an injury that occurred while on active duty. We also have homeless veterans programs. I have four of those programs in Union Grove, King,
Fort McCoy and we just opened up one last December in Chippewa Falls. There are five states within the U.S. that provide an extremely robust veterans program
outside of what the federal government provides. Wisconsin is one of the five. We provide top-notch care. Very few states give the benefits that we give here.”
The foundation of the veterans benefit system are the 72 county veterans service officers located in each county. “They are where the rubber meets the road,”
Black emphasized. “All of the services that we provide actually our veterans go through them and funnel it up to us. They know not only state benefits, but they
are also very familiar with state benefits as well.”
The department needs such a pervasive apparatus because a surprising number of veterans aren’t aware of the benefits they are entitled to. “For the most
part, they just don’t know,” Black emphasized. “So what we try to do is get the word out to make sure they know what is available. And then we have these events,
which we call ‘supermarkets.’ They are little conferences that we set up across the state in different locations, in the rural and urban areas, and we get notices
out to the veterans in the community via several different media to let them know that we have this event going on. They can come in and get updates on their
claims or they can apply for claims. They can apply for awards and find out about all of the benefits that we have to offer them as well as federal and state. We
hold these events 3-4 times per year throughout the state.” While veterans can apply for their benefits through the county offices, they can also find out more on
line at www.wiscvet.com.
Even though Black is currently preoccupied with the services of the department and representing the department, he hasn’t forgotten about the budget
process, which is on hiatus until after the elections. “The budget process is on my radar and it will stay on my radar all the way until it passes through,” Black
observed. “I suspect once the election has occurred, people will start getting heavily involved in the process of taking the budget from receiving it from the
agencies all the way through the final approval process, which can occur any time around the June-August time frame.”
And about that time, Black will be able to hand the command back to Scocos when he returns from Iraq. Black will be able to settle into his deputy
secretary position knowing he will have accomplished his mission.
By Jonathan Gramling
It wasn’t something that Ken Black was looking for. After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant
colonel in charge of the ROTC program at UW-Madison, Black had settled into his job in charge of veterans’ benefits at
the Wis. Dept. of Veterans Affairs when he got called upstairs last August. John Scocos, the secretary of Veterans Affairs
— and Black’s boss — informed him that he was being appointed deputy secretary of the department. A short time later,
Scocos informed Blacks that he had been called to active duty in Iraq and Black would be the acting secretary. Scocos
departed for Iraq on September 19.
“From my perspective, it wasn’t what I was looking for,” Black said as we talked in his office overlooking the State
Capitol where he will be spending more of his time as acting secretary. “It just sort of happened. I was not intending for
that to happen. I didn’t know anything about it. And of course, I learned a long time ago not to say no. I’ve taken it and it
is additional responsibility. And I knew I could take it on and run it. And that’s what I am doing. It’s working out pretty
good.”
Black said that September was just a blur to him due to the fast sequence of events and the long hours he put in
assuming his command. As Scocos was leaving the department was in the midst of its budgeting process. They
completed the budget and got it over to the Dept. of Administration.
It wasn’t something that Ken Black was looking for. After serving 22 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant
colonel in charge of the ROTC program at UW-Madison, Black had settled into his job in charge of veterans’ benefits at
the Wis. Dept. of Veterans Affairs when he got called upstairs last August. John Scocos, the secretary of Veterans Affairs
— and Black’s boss — informed him that he was being appointed deputy secretary of the department. A short time later,
Scocos informed Blacks that he had been called to active duty in Iraq and Black would be the acting secretary. Scocos
departed for Iraq on September 19.
“From my perspective, it wasn’t what I was looking for,” Black said as we talked in his office overlooking the State
Capitol where he will be spending more of his time as acting secretary. “It just sort of happened. I was not intending for
that to happen. I didn’t know anything about it. And of course, I learned a long time ago not to say no. I’ve taken it and it
is additional responsibility. And I knew I could take it on and run it. And that’s what I am doing. It’s working out pretty
good.”
Black said that September was just a blur to him due to the fast sequence of events and the long hours he put in
assuming his command. As Scocos was leaving the department was in the midst of its budgeting process. They
completed the budget and got it over to the Dept. of Administration.
Ken Black in his office
overlooking the Wisconsin State
Capitol
overlooking the Wisconsin State
Capitol