Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
State agency of Minnesota providing services to military veterans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) is a cabinet-level state agency that serves current and former members of the United States Armed Forces residing in Minnesota. Established by the Minnesota Legislature in 1943, the department operates eight veterans homes, four state veterans cemeteries, and benefit, education, and outreach programs for the state's approximately 300,000 veterans.[1][2]
- Soldiers Welfare Bureau
- Minnesota Veterans Home agency
44.9489°N 93.1029°W
 | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1943 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Jurisdiction | Minnesota |
| Headquarters | 20 West 12th Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota 44.9489°N 93.1029°W |
| Employees | ~1,500 |
| Annual budget | $365 million (FY 2026–27 biennium) |
| Department executive |
|
| Parent department | Government of Minnesota |
| Website | mn |
The MDVA is headed by a commissioner appointed by the governor of Minnesota, who must be a Minnesota resident, U.S. citizen, and armed forces veteran under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 196.[3] The current commissioner is Brad Lindsay, appointed by Governor Tim Walz in December 2023.[4]
The agency grew out of the Minnesota Soldiers' Home, established in 1887 for Civil War veterans, and the Soldiers Welfare Bureau, created in 1925. The Legislature merged these functions in 1943. The veterans homes were briefly governed by an independent board (1988–2007) before being returned to MDVA control.[5] Three new veterans homes opened in early 2024, bringing the total to eight, and the department's homelessness programs have received the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.[6]
History
Origins
In 1887, the Minnesota Legislature established the Minnesota Soldiers' Home in Minneapolis to provide health care and housing to Civil War veterans. The home opened in November 1887 and admitted its first residents the following year; its original campus, designed in part by landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Minnesota Soldiers' Home Historic District.[7][8] A separate state agency, the Soldiers Welfare Bureau, was created in 1925 to administer special benefits for soldiers.[5]
In 1943, the Legislature merged the Soldiers Welfare Bureau with existing veterans service functions to create the Department of Veterans Affairs under 1943 Minn. Laws Chapter 420, codified as Minnesota Statutes Chapter 196. William Revier served as the first commissioner beginning in July 1943.[5][3]
Expansion and reorganization
The Minneapolis Veterans Home transitioned from military-style governance under a commandant to a professional administrative model in 1971.[9] In 1978, the former state hospital in Hastings was converted into a 200-bed domiciliary residence for veterans.[10]
In 1988, the Legislature separated the veterans homes from the MDVA, establishing a nine-member Veterans Homes Board of Directors appointed by the governor to oversee the facilities as health care institutions.[5] During the 1990s, three additional homes opened: Silver Bay (1991), Luverne (1994), and Fergus Falls (1998).[9]
Governor Tim Pawlenty reversed the 1988 separation on November 19, 2007, through Reorganization Order No. 194, which abolished the Veterans Homes Board and transferred all its functions back to the MDVA.[11]
State veterans cemeteries
The state's first veterans cemetery, near Little Falls, opened in 1994.[12] In 2009, the Legislature directed the MDVA to build additional cemeteries across the state; facilities in Preston (2015), Duluth (2018), and Redwood Falls (2023) followed.[5] The Redwood Falls cemetery, the last of the four, was dedicated on August 19, 2023, with Governor Walz and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar in attendance.[13]
Recent developments
Three new veterans homes — in Preston, Montevideo, and Bemidji — broke ground in August 2021 and admitted their first residents in January and February 2024, adding 198 skilled nursing beds to the system.[14][15]
In March 2023, Commissioner Larry J. Herke dismissed two senior administrators following allegations of a toxic workplace at the Hastings Veterans Home, where a state investigation had found a pattern of "doom, fear, and intimidation" among staff.[16][17] Herke retired as commissioner in September 2023 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he died in September 2024.[18]
By 2025, seven of Minnesota's ten Continuums of Care had declared an end to veteran homelessness, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the MDVA the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award.[6]
Organization
The commissioner heads the department and serves at the pleasure of the governor. Two deputy commissioners — one for programs and services, one for veterans health care — are appointed by the commissioner and must also be veterans.[3] The department's divisions include veterans claims and field operations, financial services, education and occupational resources, communications, human resources, government affairs, and facilities management.[19]
The Legislature appropriated $365.23 million from the General Fund for the 2026–27 biennium, a $50.5 million increase over the prior base, including $39.17 million to staff the three new veterans homes.[20]
Commissioners
Commissioners are appointed by the governor and serve at the governor's pleasure. Confirmation by the Minnesota Senate is required.[3]
- William Revier (1943–1957)
- Lyle Kinvig (1957–1959)
- Wilbur Lindholm (1959–1961)
- Robert G. Hansen (1961–1964)
- Alcuin Loehr (1965–1969)
- Herbert Anderson (1969–1971)
- Elmer Childress (1971–1975)
- George Winter (1975)
- Russell Green (1975–1979)
- Donald M. Miller (1979–1980)
- Charles Pinkham (1981–1982)
- James Main (1982–1983)
- William Gregg (1983–1991)
- Bernard R. Melter (1991–2001)
- Jeffery L. Olson (2001–2004)
- Clark Dyrud (2005–2010)
- Michael Pugliese (2010–2011)
- Larry Shellito (2011–2019)
- Larry J. Herke (2019–2023)
- Brad Lindsay (2023–present)
Source: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library[5]
Veterans homes
The MDVA operates eight veterans homes across the state, providing skilled nursing care, domiciliary housing, dementia care, and rehabilitation.[21]
| Home | Location | Opened | Beds | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | Minneapolis | 1887 | ~350 | Skilled nursing and domiciliary |
| Hastings | Hastings | 1978 | 145 | Domiciliary (boarding care) |
| Silver Bay | Silver Bay | 1991 | 83 | Skilled nursing |
| Luverne | Luverne | 1994 | 85 | Skilled nursing |
| Fergus Falls | Fergus Falls | 1998 | 106 | Skilled nursing |
| Preston | Preston | 2024 | 54 | Skilled nursing |
| Montevideo | Montevideo | 2024 | 72 | Skilled nursing |
| Bemidji | Bemidji | 2024 | 72 | Skilled nursing |
The Minneapolis Veterans Home, the oldest, occupies a 53-acre (21 ha) wooded campus overlooking the Mississippi River near Minnehaha Falls. Its original buildings form the Minnesota Soldiers' Home Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7] The three newest homes — Preston, Montevideo, and Bemidji — followed more than a decade of advocacy and legislative appropriation. All three admitted first residents in early 2024 and filled quickly, with waiting lists at each facility.[15][22]
State veterans cemeteries
The department maintains four state veterans cemeteries. The first, near Little Falls, dates to 1994; three more were built under a program the Legislature authorized in 2009.[12]
| Cemetery | Location | Opened | Acreage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Falls | Near Little Falls | 1994 | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| Preston | Fillmore County | 2015 | 169 acres (68 ha) |
| Duluth | Near Duluth | 2018 | 104 acres (42 ha) |
| Redwood Falls | Near Redwood Falls | 2023 | 77 acres (31 ha) |
The Preston cemetery, on land donated by Fillmore County, has an ultimate capacity of approximately 35,000 gravesites.[23] The Redwood Falls cemetery was built on land donated by a veteran; his brother became the first veteran interred there in August 2023.[24]
Services and programs
The MDVA administers statewide programs in outreach, claims assistance, education, and homelessness prevention:
LinkVet
The LinkVet hotline (1-888-LINK-VET) serves as the department's central contact point, connecting veterans by telephone, web chat, and email to information on housing, mental health, financial assistance, education, and employment.[25]
County veterans service officers
Minnesota statute requires every county to employ a county veterans service officer, who provides free advocacy, counseling, and claims assistance for state and federal veterans benefits. More than 170 certified veterans advocates serve statewide through the Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers.[26]
Minnesota GI Bill
The Minnesota GI Bill provides up to $15,000 per eligible applicant for postsecondary education, including tuition, certification exams, and preparatory courses. Eligible recipients include Minnesota resident veterans, National Guard members with five or more years of service, and surviving spouses and children of servicemembers who died or have a permanent total disability from military service.[27]
Veteran homelessness programs
The department runs homelessness-reduction programs, including the Homeless Veteran Registry and partnerships with community organizations for housing assistance and benefits access. Between February 2023 and 2025, statewide veteran homelessness fell 47 percent and chronic veteran homelessness fell 80 percent, according to the department.[6][28] Hennepin County received federal certification from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for effectively ending veteran homelessness.[29]
