Hello,
My name is Curtis Leren, and I am the new president of the Wisconsin National Guard
Enlisted Association (WNGEA). I have been a member of WNGEA for five years. I currently
serve as the Base Facility Manager in an AGR position at the 128th Air Refueling Wing and
have completed 27 years of service in the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

First, thank you for being a WNGEA member. Your membership strengthens our legislative
efforts and adds credibility to our discussions with lawmakers. One of the questions
legislators commonly ask is how many Army and Air National Guard members we
support—and how many of them are WNGEA members.

Please know that your membership has made a meaningful difference. Over the past year,
WNGEA and the Wisconsin National Guard Association (WINGA) visited legislators at the
State Capitol to advocate for several important priorities. Through our face-to-face
meetings, along with numerous calls to action from our members, we achieved significant
successes.

I am proud to share that, beginning this tax year, all Wisconsin military pay for National
Guard and Reserve members will be exempt from state income tax. This change puts more
money in the pockets of those who volunteer to serve the state of Wisconsin. Other ac
complishments include making the Veteran Identifier available on Wisconsin driver licens
es for Wisconsin Guardsmen and reducing the Wisconsin GI Bill residency requirement
from five years to three years.

During the next legislative session, two of our priorities will be establishing a Wisconsin
veteran definition consistent with the federal definition and expanding the availability of
the current property tax exemption. A standardized veteran definition would reduce confu
sion and help prevent unintended denials of benefits. We will also advocate for expanding
the 100% property tax exemption currently available to individuals with a 100% VA disabili
ty rating to include veterans with disability ratings from 70% through 100%.

At the federal level, there is also continued momentum behind the Major Richard Star Act.
If passed, this legislation would allow eligible combat-injured military retirees to receive
their full military disability retirement pay and VA disability compensation without one
benefit reducing the other. This would particularly benefit medically retired service mem
bers with fewer than 20 years of service. Our national association, EANGUS, supports this
effort and is currently asking members to contact their federal legislators and respectfully
urge them to support the bill.

Your membership is meaningful, and your engagement with your legislators is impactful.
Thank you again for your continued support of Wisconsin veterans, National Guard service
members, and their families.

Sincerely,
Curtis Leren
President
Wisconsin National Guard Enlisted Association