Report
Meeting at Building 9, VAMC Campus
Call to order – 9:30, Invocation – Pledge of Allegiance
Greetings: Recognition of visitors and guests
Announcements -Jerry Kyser, Chair, Mike Rivard, Vice Chair.
Introducing Galon Miller with the Cyber Warrior Foundation.
Introducing Major Chad Paulson. MCA VA Comm.
1. State Agencies and MN Veteran Assistance Organizations
Boulevard Chiropractic – Chad Paulson Reporting
*Concerning HR 49373, Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act and HR 103 and S.609 Chiropractic Care Available To All Veterans Act. This would make chiropractic care available through TriCare.
*The number one complaint from service members returning from overseas is skeletal/muscular injuries, which is our focus in chiropractic care. It has been deemed one of the most effective treatments for skeletal/muscular injuries through DOD studies and has been found to be a cost-effective treatment, in addition to having a high patient satisfaction rate.
*We are a non-pharmaceutical treatment.
MN Department of Veteran Affairs – Ben Johnson Reporting
*Veterans Day on the Hill was a great success.
*The legislature is currently on their Easter and Passover break and will be reconvening on April 9th.
*The legislature is still working through their federal tax conformity issue. There have been hearings about various tax proposals, including those relevant to veterans, but a larger framework has not yet been released. The legislature and the governor have put out their priorities to each other and are currently working to a compromise. We are expecting an omnibus tax bill between now and the end of session, which is May 20th.
*We are watching the Capital Investment bill. Dayton released his proposed jobs bill back in January and the legislature has been hearing some capital investment proposals, but have not yet released their own statewide capital investment proposal. This will impact the MDVA as well. The governor’s bill was $1.5 billion and focused on existing infrastructure for state agencies and state resources. It does not include any proposals from outside community groups, though Dayton has stated he is willing to work with the legislature to identify what they deem is important and move forward with that as well.
*The governor’s proposal includes $13.1 million for MDVA’s homes and cemeteries. Those would be our highest priority items at the moment.
*Other items of interest include new veterans homes. There are four being proposed for Fillmore County, Minneapolis, Montevideo, and Bemidji. These will be included with the bonding bill if the legislature decides to go forward with them.
*Sponsors have proposed changes to the Permanent Homestead Market Value Exclusion Act, as well as an expansion for service-connected disabled veterans. This is Representative Dettmer and Senator Anderson’s bill. It is currently in the tax committees. This change would make a permanent homestead market value exclusion for the surviving spouse rather than the previous 8-year window, and would allow the spouse to downsize. It would be a benefit to the surviving spouse and the counties. This proposal also includes language that when a property that is receiving this exemption is
transferred, that exclusion travels with the spouse rather than staying with the property.
* HF 368, The Military Benefits Pay Protection Act, has made it through to the General Registrar in the House and has had its hearing in the Senate. It is ready for a vote.
*Currently, the Minnesota legislature and the Minnesota courts do not have Veterans Preference in Hiring. A proposal was put forth in 2017, HF 1318 and SF 1130, and is now ready for a vote.
*HF 3507, Veterans Status Data Collected for Agency Appointments, is moving forward. It is awaiting final votes in the House and Senate. This is for appointments to state agencies and boards.
*Our legislative affairs webpage lists all the bills and current language we are following.
*The $46 million bonding request for Historic Ft. Snelling would also be included in the omnibus tax bill. The governor supported it, the legislature has not yet decided.
Q. Where are we at with the bridge for the Minneapolis home?
A. We received funding to do the repair, which went through their final inspection in February, and more issues were discovered. We have not been informed if the new issues are due to the heavy equipment that was brought in to do the repairs or not, or if they were simply preexisting issues not identified in the initial surveys. They have not given us a solid timeline of when this will be resolved. We currently have sufficient funds to do the repairs, and are working with vendors to get the issue addressed. We will continue to update you on the situation.
Q. Will there be a joint committee with Dettmer and Anderson, or has that already passed?
A. We were told to be prepared, but we have not yet been contacted. I will bring you more information when we have it.
Military Action Group (MAG) – Jerry Kyser Reporting
*The next MAG meeting is April 16th at 9 AM at 400 N.
*We would like to encourage other organizations to attend legislative hearings to show our support for the bills highlighted by the MN Department of Military Affairs and others relevant to our interests.
Q. What is going on with the charitable gambling issues?
A. The Department of Revenue is supposed to support that. We have not yet testified. More information will be forthcoming.
MN Military Affairs – Major General Jon Jensen, LTC Brian Winter and Annette Kuyper Reporting
*We traveled out to DC at the end of February with Major General Jensen and Brigadier General Cruz and discussed the National Guard’s legislative priorities for 2018. It was a successful visit.
*We are following the TriCare Reserve Select Act. This would remove the prohibition of federal technicians who are dual-status, meaning members of the National Guard who are prohibited from accessing this healthcare benefit. The bills are HR 5121 and S 1086. This would remove the prohibition on eligibility for TriCare Reserve Select.
*Reserve Components Parity Act. This would fix one of our mobilization authorities, under title 12304B. HR 5038 and S 2416 will fix the level of GI Benefits and TriCare that they are getting under the mobilization authority. This will give service members the ability to get credit for Title 10 active duty time to apply towards retired pay.
*There will be a visit on April 24th in partnership with the MN National Guard Diversity and Inclusion office, the MN National Guard Government Relations office, and the Jewish Community Relations Council office of Minnesota and the Dakotas to tour the National Holocaust Memorial.
*On April 25th, there will be a deployment ceremony for the 855 Vertical Engineering Company at Little Falls High School at 6 PM. They will be deploying to Southwest Asia under the Army Central Command.
*The Chisago Lakes Area is forming a Yellow Ribbon Community Network. The kickoff will be held on April 14th from 10 to 11:30 PM at Lakes Free Church.
*On April 23rd, our Yellow Ribbon Companies will host a Yellow Ribbon Companies seminar at General Mills. General Joseph Lengyel will be in attendance. Our theme for the seminar will be transitioning service members from full time duty to the civilian world.
*As many of you know, we are transitioning the community portion of our Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program to our Family Programs Team. The transition is going well.
*We are asking for your help in connecting resources and support partners to our community networks. Currently, we are prioritizing four communities in the metro area that are going to be impacted by upcoming deployments: Bloomington, Inver Grove Heights, Aden Hills, and Rosemount.
*August 28th is Military Appreciation Day at the State Fair. Our theme this year is honoring and recognizing female veterans.
MN Assistance Council For Veterans (MACV) – Jon Lovald Reporting
*There is an upcoming Vet Law clinic on April 10th in Minneapolis, another on April 17th in St. Cloud, and April 24th in Crookston.
*The first Stand Down of the year will be on April 25th in Fergus Falls.
*April 26th is our groundbreaking ceremony for the women veterans house in Maplewood.
*AUSA and ROTC are working together to put together a 5K in Brooklyn Park. Giant’s Ridge Women Veterans Group is hosting an event for women veterans at their location.
*There will be another Vet Law clinic on May 8th.
*May 24th is our Women Veterans Gala in Rochester.
*June 14th is an Army birthday event in collaboration with Fishing for Life on Lake Minnetonka.
*There will be a Stand Down in Rochester on June 23rd.
*July Stand Down dates will be forthcoming.
*One of our new initiatives for 2018 is to reach out to companies and see if they are willing to adopt a SIL House (Sustainable Independent Living), similar to how they would adopt a highway. The exact details have yet to be determined.
Historic Fort Snelling – Tom Pfannenstiel
*Not present.
Twin Cities Public Television – Randal Dietrich Reporting
*In May, we will share with you a complete overview of what we have planned for June 21-24th. We will be hosting a replica of the Vietnam Memorial from DC. It will be a three-day event. There will be a flyover. More information will be forthcoming.
2. Federal Agencies
VISN 23 – Director Janet Murphy – Andre Kok Reporting
*The VA has been hosting several events across the network to recognize Vietnam veterans. We have been presenting lapel pins to Vietnam veterans.
*We want to highlight VeText, an appointment reminder tool. Veterans who have their cellphone number on record will now receive texts reminding them of upcoming appointments and give them the option to cancel appointments if needed. It will not replace other reminders.
*Upcoming community meetings are as follows: April 6th in Grafton, ND, April 25th in North Platte, NE, April 25th in Fort Dodge, IA, April 26th in Mankato, MN, May 1st in Brainerd, MN, May 7th in Des Moines, IA, May 8th in Omaha, NE, and May 10th in Quincy, IL.
*We are continuing to press on with our existing goals and priorities despite the recent staffing changes at Washington.
VA Regional Office – Kim Graves – Ron Woolery Reporting
*Several updates with the Rapid Appeals Modernization Act (RAMP). First, until this April 1st, a veteran could only opt-in if they had received a letter asking them to opt-in. Beginning on April 1st, anyone who wants to opt into the program is free to do so. The RAMP team will be coming to St. Paul to meet with the congressional staff and VSOs in the week of April 9th at the Country Veteran Services Officers Conference in Mankato.
*St. Paul has been chosen to host a RAMP processing site. We do not know what this will entail yet. The training will commence in June. More information will be forthcoming.
*The End of Life Planning brochure has been through beta-testing with the CVSOs and veterans, and is now an official VA publication. This will help veterans and family members easily gather information for record keeping and end of life planning.
VAHCS Minneapolis – Director Patrick J. Kelly – Mike Rosecran Reporting
*Our claims clinic on the 29th was successful.
*Our quarterly town hall was held last week in Anoka. It was a good event.
*April 26th is the Lyle Pearson and CBOC community open house from 11 to 1 PM. The DAV will be presenting a plaque in Pearson’s honor. All the CBOC leadership team will be there.
St. Cloud VA HCS – Director Stephen Black Reporting
*Congratulations to Veterans Benefit Administration on their end of life benefits brochure.
*There was an article in the St. Cloud Times on our behavioral recovery team. This is an innovate program in Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and central Iowa. We are working with veterans who have advanced dementia to improve their quality of life and return them to their own communities. This program will be rolling out nationally over the next year.
*We are pleased with our Access to Care. 70% of veterans who are eligible for care at our VA receive their care at our VA. Additionally, 20% of the veterans who come to us for care come from other areas.
*We are seeing continued growth at about 1% a year.
*We are in the top 25 of green healthcare.
*Suicide prevention remains our top clinical priority for us. We have a goal of passing out 12,000 gunlocks for 2018.
*CARF came to examine our homelessness and vocational rehab programs. On their exit, they stated that St. Cloud was one of the top three facilities they had ever seen in homelessness in vocational rehab and homelessness.
Ft. Snelling Cemetery – Bob Razor Reporting
*There will be upcoming advertising on KARE11 for Flags for Ft. Snelling, a private organization we have loosely partnered with to raise funds to place flags on every grave in Ft. Snelling for Memorial Weekend.
*The national rate for veterans using a national cemetery is about 17%. Locally, we were 49% for Ft. Snelling.
3. Federal Congressional Representatives
Senator Amy Klobuchar – Kurt Johnson Reporting
*In March, Senator Klobochar wrote to the then Secretary Shulkin regarding the Veterans Choice Program and the fact that many providers have not been paid. In late March, the VA announced that the third party administrator of that program for our region will not be renewing that contract. There is still pending legislation.
*The Omnibus Tax bill was passed.
*The latest NDAA included language giving the DVA authority to study the effects of burn pits and start providing treatment. Unfortunately, this did not come with funding. The new Omnibus bill could provide a path to funding. Klobuchar is working on this.
Senator Tina Smith – Alex Schueller Reporting
*Smith recently joined the National Guard caucus for the senate and was an original co-sponsor for the Military Hunger Prevention Act.
*Smith signed onto the 12304 Bravo Component Benefits Parity Act and is signing onto a letter requesting to sustain the SSVF Hud Vash Appropriation Funds.
*Smith will be signing onto a prosthetics and medical research funding appropriations letter for the VA. Recently, she sent a letter to the VA secretary over concerns with the military electronic health records transition.
*Smith co-sponsored S422, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, as well as the Veterans Childcare Access Act.
*Please let us know about different funding streams you are receiving that are federally related, or general legislative issues you would like the senator to focus on.
1st District Representative – Tim Walz – Shawn Schoesser
*Not present.
2nd District Representative – Jason Lewis – Angela Sedlacek Reporting
*We are working out our exact stance on HR5038.
*16 of our students nominated for service academies have received an acceptance to one or more of the academies.
3rd District Representative – Erik Paulsen – Margret Cavanaugh Reporting
*Paulson recently spoke at the deployment ceremony for the 337th Regional Support Group.
*The Omnibus bill did include a record level of funding for the VA, with more resources for healthcare, opioid abuse treatment, and better medical facilities. It provides the biggest increase in defense funding in fifteen years.
*We nominated approximately thirty students to the service academies. So far, eighteen have received offers of appointment. There will be a reception for our appointees on June
18th.
4th District Representative – Betty McCollum – Connie Haddeland Reporting
*We are hosting a service academy information night on April 17th.
*Concerning the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, the total defense spending outlined in the new omnibus bill is $654.7 billion. This funds a 2.4% pay increase for the military and civilian employees. It provides $853 million above the request to fill readiness shortfalls. $220 million was set aside for the National Guard’s High Mobility Multipurpose Yield Vehicle and $120 million for ambulance modernization. $1.3 billion for the National Guard Reserve equipment account.
*This will mean more training for active duty and reserve components, more procurement of weapons systems and equipment, and modernization of many systems. It will provide the money to do the much delayed repairs on infrastructure and equipment. This puts in place the ability for people to come and train and know that they will be paid.
*It also increases funding for the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program by $20 million.
5th District Representative – Keith Ellison – Mike Siebenaler
*Not present.
6th District Representative – Tom Emmer – Alejandra Henriquez
*On March 22nd, the House approved $1.3 trillion in fiscal year 2018. This provides the largest overall amount to Veteran Affairs in history. Emmer opposed this legislation and has consistently worked to fund the DVA and enact reforms to eliminate waste and the claims backlog.
*Our service academy reception will be held in the end of May.
7th District Representative – Collin Peterson – Meg Louwagie Reporting
*Peterson cosponsored the Veterans Treatment Court Coordination Act and signed onto HR 1802, the Care for All Veterans Act as well as HR 93, Gender Specific Care for Female Veterans. He joined letters urging the VA to reconsider proposal rules to limit a veteran’s access to prosthetics. He also sent a letter to the secretary about merging the VA with TriCare.
*Two of our academy nominees received appointments, one to the Naval Academy and one to the Air Force.
8th District Representative – Rick Nolan – Rick Olseen Reporting
*Concerning the volunteer driver situation, the federal reimbursement rate is 54 cents per mile. The federal volunteer rate is 14 cents a mile. The IRS is now taxing the difference. We are hoping to move forward with this soon.
*Nolan will be retiring in 2019.
*Lets Go Fishing is a wonderful organization for veterans. Please support them.
*HF 5152 was introduced last month, concerning positive psychological programing.
YMCA Twin Cities (Minneapolis) – Amanda Hooper Reporting
*April is Military Month of the Child. April 13th is wear purple in support of your community and military children. The Forest Lake program will be doing a Family Fun Night on April 13th.
*April 5th at 6:45 PM at the Harmony Studio in Downtown Douglas YMCA, we will be partnering with the Veterans Yoga Project to have a demo. We are trying to develop a veterans resilience and mindfulness program through the YMCA. Please spread the word.
*We are working on our membership program for veterans. We have a personal pricing military membership that will be coming soon. More information will be forthcoming.
County Veteran Service Officers – Robbie Robinson Reporting
*The military retiree dental plan will be ending on December 31st. Anyone who has it will be eligible to get their dental through the federal employees dental and vision insurance program.
4. Announcements
*The May UVLC meeting is May 2nd.
*The UVLC meeting for July will be at the St. Cloud VA on July 11.
5. Business Meeting
Treasurer’s Report of April 1, 2018
Balance as of 1 March 2018 $3,434.40
Deposits for March 2018 $100.00
Expenses for March 2018
Transcription Expense $120.00
Balance as of 1 March, 2018 $3,414.40
Submitted by Donald Rask, Treasurer UVLC