ND Department of Veterans Affairs outlines programs, revenue and requests equity funding and one FTE in Senate hearing

Lonnie Wongen, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, testified to the Senate Human Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill No. 2025 and provided an agency overview that combined program descriptions, fiscal outcomes and several budget requests.

Wongen’s testimony covered the agency’s statutory mission, grant and loan programs, the state’s highly rural transportation program, the state approving agency for GI Bill benefits, the Postwar Trust Fund and outreach items such as commemorative coins and veteran‑focused publications.

Lede: Wongen told the committee the department brings federal dollars into North Dakota at scale — including compensation, pension and medical dollars — and asked for targeted equity funding for veteran service officers and one additional full‑time equivalent position to sustain workload.

Nut graf: The commissioner listed program outputs (grants, loans, transportation trips and GI Bill approvals), described recent accomplishments (Vietnam veteran “welcome home” coins and expanded transportation), and asked the Legislature to restore one position cut in 2017 and to approve equity funding to retain trained county veterans service officers (CVSOs). He also requested modest continuing authority for ARPA-funded projects and flexibility for intern funding.

Wongen emphasized the economic…