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.
Robbie Robinson was re-elected as the president of MN CVSO.
We had a successful Honor flight, with 28 WWII veterans, 46 Korea veterans, and 3 terminally ill Vietnam Veterans in attendance. There are 300 on the waiting list for the next one.
1. Federal Congressional Representatives
Senator Amy Klobuchar – Kurt Johnson
*Not present.
Senator Tina Smith – Alex Schueller reporting
*We recently completed our 11th Veterans Round Table at Ely. Contact us if you are interested in having either the senator or her staffers appear at an upcoming Round Table.
*The VA Veterans State Home Regulations are pending review, but will hopefully be released soon so the three proposed veterans homes can submit their grant applications.
*Smith attended the 34th Infantry Division Deployment ceremony and served the troops dinner.
*Service Academy nominations have started.
Q. Is there any movement on the Navy Blue Water Veterans bill?
A. Currently it is sitting in committee after the VA testified strongly against it. Senator Smith supports its passage.
Q. What is the senator doing on the Pre 9/11 Veterans Parity with family homes?
A. This was passed in the VA Mission Act, which would expand caregiver benefits but details are still being hashed out over implementation. More information will be forthcoming.
1st District Representative – Tim Walz – Shawn Schoesser
*Not present.
2nd District Representative – Jason Lewis – Tom Tschida Reporting
*The House passed a number of bills relevant to veterans. This includes the Defense Reauthorization Act, VA and Military Construction Act, HR 5895. Additionally, the Correcting Miscalculations in Veterans Pensions Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authority Act, a bill that would give veterans two days at national parks to go hunting out of regular duck hunting season, the Department of Energy Veterans Health Initiative Act, and the Protect Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act of 2018.
*Walz also attended and served food to the troops at the 34th Red Bull departure ceremony.
Q. How is the VA Home Loan bill going to work with the Mission Act?
A. The Protect Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act is a technical fix in the National Housing Act so that recently executed loans refinanced by the VA home loans can remain eligible for pooling in government national mortgages. It should not impact the Mission Act. It has passed the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate.
3rd District Representative – Erik Paulsen – Margret Cavanaugh
*Not present.
4th District Representative – Betty McCollum – Connie Haddeland Reporting
*The Defense Appropriations bill passed. The president has signed.
* McCollum was supportive of the Blue Water Navy Veterans Bill.
* McCollum also attended and served food to the troops at the 34th Red Bull departure ceremony.
*McCollum went to the Arden Hills Readiness Center to visit the 147th Casualty Liaison team prior to their deployment. This will be the first time National Guard members have been used in this role.
*Service Academy nominations will start coming in soon.
Q. What are the VA’s arguments against the Blue Water bill?
A. The VA’s institute of medicine doesn’t want to validate the fact that exposure to Agent Orange is causing these illnesses. Several former VA Secretaries have been brought in to speak against it, because of the increased costs to to treat harmed veterans.
Q. Does the congresswoman have a strategy for persuading the VA on this issue?
A. That will be a question for our legislative director. However, the bill had great bipartisan support in the House. We would like the veterans advocacy groups to support this measure.
5th District Representative – Keith Ellison – Mike Siebenaler
*Not present.
6th District Representative – Tom Emmer – Alejandra Henriquez reporting
*Congress passed the conference report of Energy and Water. The bill included funding for the VA healthcare programs, including for the VA Mission Act. However, funding for future years for the Mission Act is still on the table.
*September was National Suicide Prevention Month. The VA released its annual report on veteran suicide data. The suicide rate remains constant at approximately 20 current and former service members per year, but the VA hopes to lower this rate.
*Our Service Academy nominations are due by October 26th. Interviews will be conducted on November 10th.
7th District Representative – Collin Peterson – Meg Louwagie
*Not present.
8th District Representative – Rick Nolan – Rick Olseen Reporting
*There were Stand Downs in Duluth, Virginia, and Grand Rapids that saw good attendance.
*We are watching HR 5662, the Volunteer Driver bill with interest. Please reach out to your representatives to consider cosponsoring the bill.
*Our state director, Jeff Anderson, is working with former ship members of the SS Duluth get the silver from the USS Minnesota to be donated to the state like the silver from the USS Duluth was. The group is also working to rename a new ship the USS Duluth.
*Nolan’s staffers received suicide prevention training from the VA in order to better address callers in crisis.
2. Federal Agencies
VISN 23 – Acting Director Ralph Heussner – Andre Kok
*Not present.
VA Regional Office – Kim Graves – Ron Woolery
*Not present.
VAHCS Minneapolis – Director Patrick J. Kelly – Ralph Heussner
*Not present.
St. Cloud VA HCS – Director Stephen D. Black – Barry Venerable Reporting
*Flu clinics are now open through October all day long.
*We had our Yellow Ribbon Employee Proclamation.
*The expansion in Brainerd is now fully operational, with additional exam rooms and a new audiology center.
*The Choice Act ended, though a massive cleanup effort will be required moving forward. Vendors can continue to use the numbers they were given to work through billing issues.
*The billing for regular, non-VA care has been consolidated and changed their phone number. St. Cloud still has walk-in customer service.
*The next Town Hall will be November 5th in St. Cloud at 5:00 PM in the auditorium of Building 8.
Q. There have been reports that Community Care has been shifted to TriCare West. Can you comment?
A. I cannot address this right now. When the contracted ended with HealthNet, TriCare picked it up. In St. Cloud, we are currently not sending anything to HealthNet. We are still using provider agreements. St. Cloud and Minneapolis will be some of the last tier two or tier three positions to the Community Care networks, which is the follow-up to the Community Care program. Currently we don’t have a good idea of what that’s going to look like but are waiting for the new guidelines to be released.
Q. Who is the new iodation/radiation person at St. Cloud?
A. I will get back to you.
Ft. Snelling Cemetery – Bob Razor reporting
*Introducing Louis Ramirez, our new Executive Assistant.
*July saw 524 internments, 550 in August, and 425 in September. There were approximately 51,000 total internments for the fiscal year. This is about 250 less than last year. Casketed remains account for 28.7%, cremated remains at 72.2%.
*With the latest data, Ft. Snelling is projected to close in 2060+. More space is being converted to cremation.
*Of all our cremation rates, approximately 22% go into the wall.
*Saluting Branches took place in September. A group of arborists come out and trim trees at the cemetery, a program that began at Ft. Snelling five years ago by Rainbow Tree Care and has since shifted to become a national program. Their work saves the cemetery hundreds of thousands of dollars.
*Wreathes Across America is coming up in December, specific date TBD.
*We are preparing to do our first Hmong national burial. Congress passed a law on burying Hmong nationals that were recruited by the CIA for a specific period of time, though this lead to complications with their naturalization papers later on. Minnesota has the second highest Hmong population in the country. They are not eligible for DOD military honors or cemetery honors, they are not eligible to receive a US flag, or a Presidential Memorial certificate.
*We encourage individuals who are looking to see if they can be buried in a national cemetery to the Pre-Need test to determine eligibility. This will save time.
*The total internments this year to date are 231,400. Last year, our Memorial Rifle Squad did 2,326 honors.
Q. An amendment is being proposed to allow allied veterans to be honored with the same privileges as naturalized veterans.
A . Yes.
Q. What’s driving all the cremations?
A. Cost and ease.
3. State Agencies and MN Veteran Assistance Organizations
MN Department of Veteran Affairs – Ben Johnson Reporting
*There is a new fixed dental clinic at the Minneapolis veterans’ home, made possible with a partnership with Delta Dental, V for V, and Disabled American Veterans. It’s the first fixed dental clinic in the state dedicated specifically for veterans. We plan to take in overflow from the Minneapolis VA system once the clinic is settled in. A ribbon cutting took place on August 23rd. We currently do mobile dentistry at the upstate veterans homes.
*Hastings and Minneapolis have combined their programs and services available to residents of the domiciliaries.
*Hastings celebrated 40 years of service.
*Michael Anderson was hired as the new home administrator for Hastings, who will oversee both the Hastings and Minneapolis campuses.
*The MN Veterans Day ceremony will be held on November 11th in Inver Grove Heights Veterans Memorial Community Center. Breakfast will be served at 8:30 AM and the program will start at 10:00 AM. MDVA and the Commander’s Taskforce will be hosting.
*MDVA has submitted all of their materials to the Department of Management and Budget for the state to handle the transition after the election. We will continue to look for ways to save money and be responsible with the funds appropriated, but will also be looking at certain increases, such as insurance for employees and collective bargaining agreements with employee unions.
*A new commissioner will be brought on along with the new governor. We have several internal candidates who are interested.
*We are looking into funding applications to support three new state veterans homes in Preston, Bemidji, and Montevideo. The final date for submission of local contributions was September 28th. Applications will be submitted by April 1st of 2019 for the three new homes. All three homes are scheduled to be 72 bed facilities.
*The Duluth veterans cemetery will be doing their first internments on Veterans Day. A grand opening celebration is planned for next year once the landscaping is completed. It is the third state veterans cemetery in MN, with a forth in Redwood Falls currently under consideration.
*On September 27th, we announced our grant recipients for the Support Our Troops competitive grants. Support Our Troops license plates fund current service members in the MN National Guard, as well as veterans initiatives. Four grants were awarded. Nightwear Inc. received $100,000 to support a 50 person clinical trial at the Minneapolis VA system for PTSD sufferers to alleviate sleep disturbances. The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities received a grant to expand the Veterans Rendezvous program to four additional locations in the Twin Cities. Believe Vet, a canine service partner program, will use the grant to provide trained service dogs free of charge to veterans suffering from combat related injuries. Eagle Group of MN Veterans will use their grant to expand the Battle Buddy coaching program throughout the Twin Cities. The SOT competitive grants process is open twice a year.
Q. What would be the total commitment from the state on the new homes?
A. The state has dedicated $32 million combined for each of the three homes. Local contributions are still being tallied.
MN National Guard – Director Brian Winters
*Not present.
MN Military Affairs – Major General Jon Jensen, Annette Kyper Reporting
*October 23rd we will be proclaiming Capital One Financial as our 64th Yellow Ribbon Company in St. Cloud.
*The MN National Guard recently deployed 650 soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. These soldiers come from more than 228 communities in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota. They are expected to return home in late July of 2019.
*There will be a large deployment next year for the Combat Aviation Brigade.
*The 34th infantry Division headquarters will have a groundbreaking in Arden Hills for the new division home in early spring.
MN Assistance Council For Veterans (MACV) – Jon Lovald Reporting
*Cub Foods is doing a $50,000 donation to a nonprofit. Please consider nominating MACV.
*MACV has moved into a digital customer relationship management software program called WarriorServe.
*MACV will be receiving the keys to our second house with the Builders Association of the Twin Cities Foundation on October 4th. The address is 2660 Fifth Street in Maplewood. They key ceremony will begin at 12:00 PM.
*The Veteran Voices TPT event will be happening on October 6th.
*The next VetLaw clinic will be held on October 9th.
*The Service Providers Network meeting will be held on October 9th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the Uptown VFW.
*There will be a fundraising event at the new armory in Stillwater on October 13th.
*The last Stand Down of the year will be in Mankato on October 20th.
*St. Paul will be pitted against Minneapolis for Rock Bottom on the 7th and 8th at Twin Whiskers for a fundraiser.
*We will be participating again this year with the WCCO telethon. Dates will be forthcoming.
*The Twins are interested in doing another holiday meal. Details will be forthcoming.
*MACV will be partnering with Wells Fargo, replicating an event in Iowa where a liberty bell was built as a tribute bell. Collection points will be open for coins or scrap metal. The bell will then be given to MACV. The tribute bell will then be available to attend events.
Military Action Group (MAG) – Jerry Kyser Reporting
*The next MAG meeting will be on October 22nd at 10:00 AM in the State Office Building on the 4th floor. Topics will include the program for 2019. We want to have a cohesive program with the UVLC, Commander’s Taskforce, and CVSO organizations. Objectively, we want to create a veterans omnibus bill. Our biggest focus is the Military Veterans Jobs Tax Credit. We continue to support the Historic Ft. Snelling Capital Investment.
*A pilot, Chuck Cook, was involved in an accident during a flyover.
Disabled American Veterans – Trent Dilks Reporting
*The budget was passed for Veterans Affairs with advanced appropriation into 2020. The independent budget is $1.9 billion short for 2019 and $8 billion short for 2020.
*The Agent Orange Authorization Act that expired three years ago due to rising costs.
*We spoke to Chairman Roe of the Veterans Committee and he indicated that he will focus on unemployment for veterans that are eligible for social security.
*We have developed a list of questions to ask federal candidates concerning veterans issues.
*We have released our priorities for the state level in order to get the conversation started. Included are revisions to the current property tax value exclusion, including a one time transfer to a property of equal or lesser value, creation of a veterans omnibus bill, increased opportunities for college, and expansion of hunting/fishing.
Veterans For Peace – David Cooley Reporting
*The Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute wrote a report for the VA Mission Act.
*The Facility Assessment commission passed within the VA Mission Act is currently under the control of the administration.
*The VA and the VA secretary have been sued by VoteVets.org and a suit has been brought under the FACA of 1972. This is connected the Mar a Lago Council and the need for transparency.
*New Mexico has an organization called the United Veterans Council, which passed a united resolution against the privatization of the VA.
Paralyzed Veterans of America – Todd Kemery
*Not present.
Minnesota Humanities Center – Blake Rondeau Reporting
*October is Veterans Voices month. The Veterans Voices award ceremony will be held on October 7th at the University of St. Thomas in the Anderson Student Center, with cocktails served from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, with dinner at 5:00 PM. Sebastian Junger will be the keynote speaker. Currently the event is sold out, though there are walk-in seats available.
*We have partnered with the Minneapolis VA suicide awareness program and Warrior Writers to host a workshop on October 28th from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Lunch will be provided.
Project Got Your Back – Allison Astrin Reporting
*Please consider attending the service provider meeting on October 9th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the Uptown VFW. Lunch will be provided.
*There is a similar group in Duluth, with the ISFAC quarterly meeting. St. Cloud has the Warrior to Citizen Initiative (contact Allison Astrin at allisonalstrin@gmail.com), which meets monthly. Please spread the word to connect with these groups. We are working to launch a website to unify these organizations by Veterans Day.
*Vietnam veteran Galen Miller has been organizing the Twin Cities Military Network for five years, a group of Employee Research Groups (ERGs) from many of the larger corporations in the Twin Cities, which gather quarterly to share best practices and discuss how to improve their support of military and veterans. Project Got Your Back is exploring a partnership with them to try and unify corporations with the service providers. We are also closely partnered with the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon networks.
Twin Cities Veterans Initiative – Tommy Johnson Reporting
*The IG report concerning the suicide of a veteran in the parking lot was recently released, reiterating the importance of Operation Deep Dive.
*Anyone who wants to be involved with our organization should contact us.
County Veteran Service Offices – Robbie Robinson Reporting
*We recognized Trent Dilks for his hard work last year during our award ceremony.
*We are working on developing a unified issue to focus on moving forward.
*This is the 75th year the County Veterans Service Officers have been in operation.
4. Announcements
Next meeting will be November 7th, 2018.
5. Meeting in Recess for five minutes
Treasurer’s Report as of 1 October 2018
Balance as of 1 September 2018 $2,833.40
Deposits for September 2018 $00.00
Expenses for September 2018
Transcription Expense ($150.00)
Balance as of 1 September, 2018 $2,683.40
Submitted by Donald Rask, Treasurer UVLC