WDVA Bulletin 1117: County Transportation Grant and Rural Health Transformation Program

September 2, 2026 - Madison, WI

TO: County/Tribal Veterans Service Offices and Veteran Service Organizations

SUBJECT: County Transportation Grant and Rural Health Transformation Program

Secretary Bond and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs are pleased to announce the opening of the annual County Transportation Grant application window. As you may remember, the Governor proposed and the Legislature approved doubling the amount of the annual County Transportation Grant as part of the last biennial budget. This will be the second year with the increased amounts.

The application window for the State Fiscal Year 2026 County Transportation Grant is scheduled to open on September 1, 2026, at 4:00pm CST, with a due date for all applications scheduled for October 2, 2026, at 4:00pm CST.

In advance of the application window, please review the following updates and expansions to eligibility:

• The WDVA may provide County Transportation grant funds to counties and tribes “not served by transportation services provided by the Wisconsin department of Disabled American Veterans”. See Wisconsin Statutes Section 45.83.
• This is defined as “a regularly scheduled pick up point within the county, as determined by the department”. See Wisconsin Admin. Code VA Section 16.01(f), emphasis added.
• A “regularly scheduled pick up point” is updated to mean 150 or more scheduled and qualifying rides originating within the county or tribe within the last State Fiscal Year (July 1 – June 30);
• Individually-requested or provided rides outside of regularly-scheduled stops do not count towards this threshold.
• From the information provided by DAV, we understand DAV to have “regularly scheduled pick up points” meeting this definition within the following seven counties: Chippewa, Dane, Douglas, Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Oneida, and Outagamie.
• New applicants for County Transportation Grant funds, or counties and tribes expanding their programs, may submit an application describing the anticipated number of miles to be transported and Veterans to be served for the remainder of the State Fiscal Year once grant funds are received.
• Grant applications are online and available at: https://dva.wi.gov/benefits/grants/local-government-grants/

The WDVA is also pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Opportunity through the US Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), operated through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and sub-awarded through the WDVA. This federal grant provides up to $50,000 in reimbursement for the creation of Veteran telehealth capabilities within counties and tribes. All counties and tribes with the exception of Milwaukee County, which is designated urban, are eligible for the Rural Health Transformation Program. Any County or Tribal agency may apply for and administer the program. The application for this program opened on August 15, 2026 and will remain open until March 30, 2027. The first twenty eligible applicants will be offered sub-awards for 2026-2027, with a close of period of performance of August 30, 2027, and any additional applications will be automatically queued for the 2027-2028 funding, which will enable 20 more counties or tribes to apply each year over the course of four years. The application information and online application form are available at: https://dva.wi.gov/benefits/grants/local-government-grants/

If you have any questions regarding the County Transportation Grants, please contact the Grants Team at:dvambcovetsbenefitsgrants@dva.wisconsin.gov, and thank you for your service to Wisconsin’s Veterans.

If you have any questions regarding the Rural Health Transformation Program, please contact Jeremy Lyon at jeremy.lyon@dva.wisconsin.gov or Trish O’Reilly at trish.oreilly@dva.wisconsin.gov.