Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Collaboration Across Minnesota

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: Collaboration Across Minnesota

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we explore how collaboration strengthens Veteran suicide prevention across Minnesota and how the Veteran Suicide Mortality Review brings partners together to find opportunities for action. The conversation marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Minnesota’s first state Veterans suicide prevention strategy.

Guests:

During the show, MACVSO and MDVA talk about why Veteran suicide prevention is shared work — County Veteran Service Officers, the federal VA, Veteran service organizations, the Minnesota National Guard, the Minnesota Department of Health, community partners, and families. Listeners will hear how that collaboration looks in rural communities, what still keeps some Veterans from asking for help, and why a trusted person willing to ask a direct question can change the path forward.

In the second half, MDVA, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minneapolis VA Health Care System explain the Veteran Suicide Mortality Review: a structured look at systems and circumstances around a death, not a search for blame. The goal is to spot missed connections and strengthen prevention for other Veterans and families.

If you or a Veteran you know needs support, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, contact a County Veteran Service Officer, or start with LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet (1-888-546-5838) or LinkVet.org.

Next week we learn how the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs SOAR program connects Veterans and people experiencing homelessness with essential benefits and services.

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VA Vet Centers and the Debt Management Center

VA Vet Centers and the Debt Management Center

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we start with a flu shot reminder from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, then explore two Department of Veterans Affairs resources Veterans and families may not know well: Vet Centers and the VA Debt Management Center.

Guests:

During the show, the Minneapolis VA Health Care System encourages Veterans to get a flu shot at a regular appointment or walk in from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, October 29, and November 5 at the medical center and all community based outpatient clinics. The Director also introduces the Twin Cities Vet Center after its recent ribbon cutting in Eagan.

We also take a closer look at Vet Centers. Established in 1979 by Vietnam Veterans for Vietnam Veterans, they remain community-based clinics focused on connection, community, and camaraderie. Minnesota has three: Duluth, Anoka with a Saint Cloud outstation, and the Twin Cities Vet Center now in its permanent home at 2113 Cliff Drive, Suite 100, Eagan. Eligibility includes combat or deployment, support of combat missions, military sexual trauma, current use of VA education benefits, and current Reserve or National Guard members whose mental health is affecting duty. Once eligible, a Veteran remains eligible. Services include individual, group, couples, and family counseling, plus referrals and community activities. Call the local center, visit vetcenter.va.gov, or reach the 24/7 line at 1-877-WAR-VETS (1-877-927-8387). Twin Cities appointments: 612-243-7920.

The VA Debt Management Center works with Veterans, beneficiaries, caregivers, and family members when a change in compensation, pension, or education benefits results in money owed back to VA. The Center does not create the debt; it collects and manages the balance after VA has already established the overpayment. Common causes include a change in dependency, National Guard or Reserve pay that overlaps with VA compensation for the same days, or a dependent later using education benefits. Official notice comes by mail, and Veterans signed up for electronic notices can also see a debt on VA.gov. Unexpected callers asking for a credit card are not the Debt Management Center. Options include payment in full, a payment plan, an adjusted offset, or a hardship waiver. The fastest step after a letter arrives is to call or use Ask VA. Review balances at va.gov/manage-va-debt. Staff also refer callers in hardship to nearby Vet Centers and other community partners.

Next week we observe Suicide Prevention Month with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and learn about the steps the agency is taking to help prevent Veteran suicide.

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Military Appreciation Day Live: Guard and MDVA at the State Fair

Military Appreciation Day Live: Guard and MDVA at the State Fair

On this week’s episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we air the second of two special shows recorded live from Dan Patch Park on Military Appreciation Day at the Minnesota State Fair. This conversation highlights Minnesota’s commitment to Veterans, the dual mission of the Minnesota National Guard, progress at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA), and modernization across the Minnesota Air National Guard.

Guests:

During the show, the Governor looks back on treating Veteran issues first in the state budget through the Veterans omnibus bill, with broad legislative support year after year. That approach has helped Minnesota keep Veteran homelessness among the lowest in the nation, open more State Veterans Homes than any other state, and sustain nationally recognized State Veterans Cemeteries. Care for those who served is framed as keeping faith with people willing to do the hardest things — and as work that should stay out of political debate. He also speaks to Veteran suicide prevention and the danger of assuming someone is “fine,” including the lesson of Clay Hunt and the need for families, friends, and fellow service members to point people toward help.

We also take a closer look at the Minnesota National Guard on a day themed “Your Neighbors, Our Community.” Service members are teachers, coaches, and neighbors who live here, work here, and serve here. Soldiers and Airmen are deployed around the world and recently supported wildfire response in northeastern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The force remains strong at about 107 percent on the Army side and about 104 percent on the Air side. Modernization is tied to readiness, including C-130J aircraft expected next summer at Minneapolis–Saint Paul and a continued effort to position the 148th Fighter Wing for F-35 fighters. Leaders invite the next generation to join a team that offers education benefits, state and federal missions, and the chance to serve close to home.

Commissioner Brad Lindsay of MDVA reports the three newest State Veterans Homes hit a 70 percent census goal by July 1 and are now aiming for 90 percent by year’s end so Veterans on the waiting list can receive care. Beginning January 1, National Guard and Reserve members who did not previously qualify may be buried in Minnesota’s state cemeteries if they choose, a change expected to matter especially near Camp Ripley in Little Falls. After the federal process to declare functional zero for Veteran homelessness ended, MDVA is working with the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness so Ramsey County can still be recognized for meeting the criteria. The department has also staffed community health navigators and is executing a statewide Veteran suicide prevention plan. Veterans and families can start with LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet or LinkVet.org.

In the final segment, Minnesota Air National Guard leaders connect new aircraft to homeland defense, federal missions, and Minnesota’s partnerships with Norway and Croatia. As C-130J aircraft arrive, some career fields will shift into maintenance, the loadmaster field, or retirement under a plan already being shared with the formation. Looking ahead, they point to cyber capabilities and air-based air defense as missions the Air National Guard must stay in. The through line is the citizen Airman: a neighbor most of the week, in uniform when called, serving 100 percent of the time.

Through collaboration among the Governor’s office, the Minnesota National Guard, MDVA, and the Minnesota Air National Guard, Minnesota continues to treat care for Veterans as shared work — visible on Military Appreciation Day and carried out year-round across the state.

Next week we’re back in the studio to visit with the director of the Twin Cities Vet Center and learn how Vet Centers fit into the Department of Veterans Affairs and take care of those who have served.

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Military Appreciation Day Live from the Minnesota State Fair

Military Appreciation Day Live from the Minnesota State Fair

This week, we are recorded live from Dan Patch Park at the Minnesota State Fair for the first of two special shows from Military Appreciation Day. This episode highlights Veteran benefits through the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA), the grand opening of the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, community support from Every Third Saturday, and care at Minnesota’s State Veterans Homes.

Guests:

During the show, MDVA outlines benefits available from the day of discharge, including education support, the State Soldier Assistance Program, eight Veterans Homes, adult day programs, and four state cemeteries. Listeners learn how to connect through a county Veteran Service Officer, LinkVet at 888-LINK-VET, MinnesotaVeteran.org, or the MDVA and Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers (MACVSO) booth in the Education Building throughout the Fair. MDVA also shares details on a free construction apprenticeship preparatory program through Building Strong Communities, with recruiting underway now and classes starting in February at BuildingStrong.org.

The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum previews its new 40,000-square-foot facility on 30 acres at Camp Ripley. The campus includes galleries from the Civil War through the Global War on Terror, outdoor exhibits such as the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul sail and rudder, an F-16, tanks, a Veterans plaza, and a parade ground. Timed-entry gallery tickets should be reserved in advance at mnvetmuseum.org. The three-day grand opening runs September 11–13 and includes a September 11 ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Every Third Saturday discusses community-based Veteran support near the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, including practical help, referrals, and its Stay in the Fight walk on September 26 at Vikings Lakes. More information is available at everythirdsaturday.org. The MDVA Health Care Division covers nationally recognized care at Minnesota’s eight State Veterans Homes, eligibility for Veterans and spouses, waitlist resources such as adult day programs, and open staff positions across the state.

Through these partnerships, Minnesota Veterans and families can find benefits, history, community, and quality care. Next week we air the second recorded live show from Military Appreciation Day at Dan Patch Park.

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