UVLC Minutes –Wednesday, May 6, 2009
• Call to order – 09:30
• Invocation – Chaplain Lt Vince Hokkanen
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Recognition of visitors and guests and Commander’s of VSO’s
• Reports from: Chairman, Jerry Kyser- out of town at Wahpeton, ND Air Show
Treasure, Jimmie Lee Coulthard
1. State Agencies and MN Veteran Assistance Organizations
• MN Dept of Veteran Affairs – not in attendance
• MN Veterans 2009 Legislative Info – John Baker had been working on a lot of legislation,
so he gave the following information for the group: Veterans Preference and State Agencies
has a lot of support. Service Disabled Owned businesses, preference for contracts. Retiree
pay has not made much progress.
• MN Military Affairs – COL Eric Ahlness-There is a new position in Mn Military Affairs. The position is one of liaison between military and the state agencies. Please welcome Nicole into this new position. Military outreach is what the new role is called. Initiatives in the legislation. Veterans Homes is at a standoff. Specialized POA, Post Deployment in the State health Care system, Post Deployment Health Care Assessment, this will include employment, heath and education, gold star license plate, Veterans Preference for interview,
employment.7/11 Post Deployment Health Screening to be home based. Periodic health screenings, Senate file 559: Jan through Aug 2007 redeployed (approx 20,000) are entitled to the benefits. Transportation Company will be deployed to Afghanistan.
• MN Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) – Kara Cornils-45 service providers are set up for the stand-down. Financing is still in the legislature. Kara will be leaving MACV the end of May.
• MN Veterans Initiatives Center and Research Institute –VICTRI – there is a fully functioning business center. The phone network and the business base is set up for veterans so that they can get a head start on their initiative or start up businesses. Currently working with 11 Veterans to take them to the next level. What is happening in the homes of veterans? VICTRI is active in mitigating this. www.victri.org It is vital for the VSO’s to know what kind of services are offered to the veterans. Valley Forge Village in Sauk Centre is a project that has great potential to help our Veterans and their Families. The goal is to turn this facility into a high end high use training center. There is a wellness model for this center. The second part is fulfillment. Farmer Veterans Coalition has taken an active role and could be integrated into the wellness program in Sauk Centre.
• Other MN Veteran Organization-Richard Jenkins-There are 147,000 Vietnam Era Veterans in MN. For the past two years Mr Jenkins has had the calling to set aside a day to honor the Vietnam Era Veterans. Due to no state funding this planning has had to rely on service organizations to fulfill this desire and the proper honoring for the veterans on June 13 at the State Capitol. $10,000 was donated by the American Legion, 1,000 from the Purple
Heart, $5,000 from the DAV, $1,000 from the VFW. There are going to be 2 programs. The first one begins on June 12th at the history museum. There will be five POW’s. This is a time of healing. MN Vietnam Vets Charity (J Kyser) will be in charge of the flyovers. There will be a procession of the Gold Star Mothers, followed by the blue star mothers (sons and daughters currently serving.) Vietnamese and Laotians will also be a part of this ceremony.
This honoring is long overdue. Don Shelby has agreed to be the emcee. The Governor will also participate. There will be a traveling wall at the ceremony. Please vote on a donation for this event. June 13 is from 9AM through 8 PM. www.mnhonorsvietnamvets.org
• Veterans on the Lake had 18 volunteers for an entire week to renovate the boat house, worked on computers, and multiple repairs. It was a great service project. This was a part of the Navy Volunteer week, an example of how the Navy keeps on giving.
2. Federal Agencies
• VA Regional Office –Dr Carol Fillman, Director –The property tax letters will be coming out nationally in May. The benefit information will be included. Chapter 33, the new GI bill will be up and running in May. The yellow ribbon program will begin; enabling the veteran to be able to go to the college of their choice. $250 one time payment will be sent out shortly. National call centers have been having a lot of growing pains. There are additional T1 lines to help with the backup of calls.
• Museum Board of Director: Dick Wiessner – There is great progress in moving the air guard museum where it will have access to the public. There is a challenger program supported by NASA so that the educational portion of this will be housed at the museum. This is an independent 501C3 organization. The museum is not supported by the NG.
• VISN 23 – As the Administration changes, there are consequential changes. Things are back to normal in Fargo following the flood. The nursing home patients from Fargo are still in St Cloud due to some remodeling that was done while the residents were relocated. Veterans Identification Cards (VIC) are now done with laptops so that they are able to create the cards in the rural areas of service.
• SIDE 2 OF THE TAPE FROM THE MAY 6th UVLC MEETING WAS BLANK
• St Cloud VA Medical Center – Barry Bahl – Director or Joan Vincent -PAO
• New Brighton Vets Center – Bernard Beamon – Jennifer Iveland
• Ft Snelling Cemetery – Art Smith – Director
• Vets Employment & Training Service [VETS] – Jodi Bean
3. Federal Congressional Senators and Representatives
Senator Amy Klobuchar –Kelly Scanlan
7th District Representative – Collin Peterson- Al Loehr
1st District Representative –Tim Walz – John Pierce
2nd District Representative – John Kline – Chaz Johnson
3rd District Representative –Erik Paulsen – John-Paul Yates
4th District Representative- Betty McCollum- Connie Haddeland
5th District Representative –Keith Ellison – Mike Siebenaler
6th District Representative- Michele Bachmann – Tara Westby
8th District Representative – James Oberstar- Melissa Jabas
4. Announcements –
Members please pay your dues. Thanks
5. Meeting in Recess for 10 minutes
6. Old Business –
Treasures report, Dues Owed, General business
7. New Business –
Request for Financial Support of Vietnam Era Veterans Tribute Adjournment/ Next Meeting 9:30AM, Wed, June 3, 2009 at Building 9 Auditorium on the Mlps VA Medical Center Campus – Attached to VISN 23 Building