MN Vets: Home & Hope
MN Vets: Home & Hope from AMC Video on Vimeo.
In a partnership with Twin Cities Public Television (tpt), the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs went behind the scenes to capture the horrors of battle still fresh for a WWII Veteran, a roundtable where services members from Vietnam find power in numbers, a soldier’s readjustment to life at home after multiple deployments, and the value of educational benefits. Panel discussions with County Veterans Service Officers, students and state and community leaders provide feedback and context during this hour-long program.
Asking for help can be difficult, and the VA estimates that 60% of Veterans never apply for the benefits they have earned, including education, health benefits, counseling and much more. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to bridging that gap and connecting Veterans and families with important state, federal and community-based programs and services.
Copyright 2014.
Benefits
Educational Scholarship
The Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota (DAV MN) has established the Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota Scholarship Fund with the effort to advance educational opportunities which provide a number of powerful benefits, including higher wages, increased marketability, increased employment opportunities, economic stability, and greater job satisfaction to veterans.
The scholarship is open to honorably discharged veterans to include National Guard and Reserve Soldiers. DAV MN will award $2,500 in scholarship directly to the recipient. There will be up to two scholarships awarded to deserving recipients per quarter.
The purpose of the Fund is to assist in providing tuition scholarships, book expenses, and/or living expenses to one or more honorably discharged veterans, enrolled in an on campus, online or online hybrid (low residency) program of study. Students should be in good academic standing and have financial need. Awards will be divided evenly by semester/quarter.
To apply, veterans must complete the application and write an essay reflecting on their leadership skills, work history, financial need, community involvement and achievements in particular outside fields.
Completed applications should be emailed to [email protected].
Staff
ROGER ZOLLNER
Veterans Service Officer
(507) 637 - 4034
RYAN SCHWEISS
Assistant Veterans Service Officer
(507) 637 - 4034
State Benefits
Overview
Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 197, 197, 198; Minnesota Rules 9050.
The Department of Veterans Affairs assists Minnesota’s 500,000 veterans and their dependents to obtain the benefits and services provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, formerly called the Veterans Administration.
PLEASE NOTE: No fee is charged for any service provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, except as specifically noted.
The primary source of contact for all veterans benefits and services is the County Veterans Service Officer. County Veterans Service Officers are located in each of Minnesota’s counties and can be contacted through the Government Section of a telephone Book.
Administrative Services / Financial Management
This division is responsible for the financial management, personnel and information systems of the department. The financial management division coordinates the annual and biennial budgets, monitors monthly expenditures and purchases, and coordinates inventory control. The personnel unit is responsible for recruitment, hiring, and staff development. Information systems coordinate all computer operations.
Claims Division
The claims division represents veterans and their dependents who seek benefits from the United States of Veterans Affairs involving compensation, pension, insurance or educational benefits and other veterans benefits.
Eligibility Criteria: Veteran or dependent of a veteran. Member in a veterans organization IS NOT REQUIRED for assistance from this division.
Primary Point of Contact: County Veterans Service Officer
War Orphan Education Program
Only Minnesota Residents Are Eligible For This Program!
This program serves children of Minnesota veterans who died while on active duty military service or as a result of injuries or disease incurred while on active duty military service. Children are eligible for “tuition free status” at any state college level institution except the University of Minnesota. In addition, a specified amount per year is available for school related expenses.
Eligibility Criteria: The deceased veteran parent must have been a resident at the time of entry into active duty military service and the dependent child must have been a resident for two years immediately prior to application.
Guardianship Division
The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs serves as fiscal guardian of the estates of incompetent veterans through appointment of various probate courts in Minnesota, as well as by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The guardianship section makes application for all benefits on behalf of the incompetent veterans and manages the veteran’s estate to ensure that funds are utilized to provide food, shelter, medical treatments and other requirements.
A fee of up to five percent of the monthly balance in a guardianship account may be charged for these services. Charges are levied only on those accounts with resources sufficient to ensure that the fee charged.
Military Records
The benefits division maintains copies of only those veterans’ military discharge records which have been received in conjunction with applications for various benefits. Records on all veterans are not available through this office. To obtain a copy of a military discharge record contact: County Veterans Service Officer
Veterans Preference in Employment/Dismissal
Veterans with questions regarding either hiring or dismissal in the public sector should contact this division of the department for assistance.
Primary Point of Contact: County Veterans Service Officer
Bronze Star Grave Markers
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs supplies bronze stars to mark the grave of a veteran who is buried in any cemetery in the state that allows placement of this type of marker. The marker may be issued for a veteran whose military service terminated honorably. Markers are furnished to mark the graves of veterans who died during the current application period.
The bronze star grave maker is free of charge and may be requested in writing by the County Veterans Service Officer, a congressionally chartered veterans organization or a family member of a deceased veteran. Although the Department of Veterans Affairs delivers markers ordered by County Veterans Service Officers at the department’s annual spring conference, orders are accepted year-round and should include the following information:
- Full name of deceased veteran.
- Branch of service.
- Type of discharge.
- A copy of the Death Certificate or a published obituary notice.
- The name and location (city and county) of the cemetery.
Bronze star makers will be distributed prior to Memorial Day.
Please Contact the Redwood County Veterans Service Office for further information.