The Resident Solution · Directive 09

Veterans —
Continuity of
Command

The mission does not end when the uniform comes off. Neither does the state's obligation to the people who wore it.

I served for 20 years. 18 in Special Operations. More than 13 combat deployments across more than 10 countries. I have a VA disability rating. I navigate this system from the inside. When I say Minnesota sends its people to serve and then hands them a maze — I am not reading from a briefing. I am describing my own experience and the experience of every veteran I have stood next to who came home and found out the support structure they were promised does not coordinate, does not communicate, and does not remember who you are from one agency to the next. Continuity of Command means the support does not collapse the moment the orders stop. That standard applies to the battlefield. It applies here.
Read the directive
What It Is

Ten Reforms.
One Obligation.

Veterans are not asking for charity. They are asking for a state that honors the commitment it made when it sent them. This directive builds the infrastructure that commitment requires — a centralized health record system, real priority hiring, education benefits, mental health access with teeth, a plan to end veteran homelessness that has a deadline instead of a press release, and a peer support line staffed by veterans who have been there.

01
Minnesota Veteran Health Repository
A centralized state-maintained database of veteran health and service records. Veterans register once. Their record follows them. No more proving service history to every new provider or agency that was never connected to begin with.
02
State Agency Veteran Priority Hiring
Real veteran preference hiring across all Minnesota executive branch agencies. Not a checkbox on a form. A protocol that actually moves qualified veterans to the front of competitive hiring processes.
03
Minnesota GI Benefit
Tuition waiver at Minnesota State system colleges and universities for honorably discharged veterans. Modeled on Florida's GI Bill. A veteran who served this country should not take on debt to get an education at a Minnesota state school.
04
Veteran Mental Health Rapid Response
Guaranteed first mental health appointment within 14 days for veterans. Not a referral to a waitlist. An appointment. The veteran suicide crisis in Minnesota is not a funding problem. It is a will problem. This directive provides the will.
05
Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan
A coordinated plan with a defined timeline, specific housing targets, and quarterly public reporting. Not a task force. Not a working group. A plan with a deadline and a number — and people accountable for hitting it.
06
Rural Veteran Access
Mobile veteran services units and telehealth infrastructure for rural veterans who cannot access VA facilities within a reasonable distance. The most underserved veterans in Minnesota are the furthest from the system that is supposed to serve them.
07
Military Family Support
Expanded state support for military families — mental health services, employment assistance for military spouses, and education continuity programs for children of deployed service members. The families bore the cost of service too.
08
Veteran Entrepreneurship
State procurement preference for veteran-owned businesses, modeled on the federal SDVOSB program. Veterans who built the discipline to serve this country have the discipline to build a business. The state should give them the first shot at state contracts.
09
The Battle Buddy Program — Dial 1776
A veterans-only peer support line and app — dial 1776 — connecting callers by GPS to the nearest certified Battle Buddy. Not a clinical stranger. A veteran who has been there. County-mapped coverage with real-time deficiency tracking so the administration knows exactly where gaps exist and must answer for them.
10
Post-9/11 Bonus & Property Tax — Finished
The Post-9/11 veteran service bonus window reopens — automatic distribution, no reapplication, Minnesota address requirement removed. The disabled veteran homestead property tax exclusion applies automatically through a state verification layer. Veterans stop chasing benefits that are already owed to them.
The Structure

Where the System
Breaks — and How.

The failure is not one broken program. It is a system with no spine. No central record. No coordinated handoff. No single point of accountability. Eight specific gaps. Eight specific fixes. Every one tied to a mechanism the Governor can move on day one.

01
The Health Repository — Veterans Register Once
A veteran comes home from service. The VA has records. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has different records. A private provider has different records. A county mental health office has no records at all. Every time a veteran moves between systems, they start from zero. They prove their service history. They re-explain their diagnosis. They fill out the same forms that a different agency already has.
The Gap: No centralized state-level veteran health and service record system exists. Minnesota's agencies do not share records. The VA is a federal system and does not coordinate automatically with state health infrastructure. Veterans fall through the gap every time they cross an agency boundary.
The fix: The Minnesota Veteran Health Repository — a state-maintained database, built under the authority of the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, that coordinates between the VA, state health agencies, and participating private providers. Veterans register once. Their record follows them. A new provider checks the repository. A new agency checks the repository. The maze disappears because the walls between the rooms come down.
Implementation: The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of Health are directed to establish the repository within 180 days of this order. Participation by state agencies is mandatory. Participation by private providers is voluntary but incentivized through the state's health coordination framework. Veterans opt in. Their data is theirs.
02
Priority Hiring — Not a Checkbox
Minnesota has a veteran preference statute. It exists. It is used as a tie-breaker in some processes and ignored in others. It does not require agencies to actively recruit veterans. It does not require hiring managers to understand how to read a military service record. It does not require any agency to report on whether they are actually hiring veterans at a meaningful rate.
MN Stat. § 197.455: Establishes preference for veterans in state civil service employment. The preference exists. The accountability structure to enforce it does not.
The fix: All Minnesota executive branch agencies are directed to establish veteran preference hiring protocols that go beyond the preference statute. Active recruitment at separation events and military transition programs. Hiring manager training on translating military experience to civilian roles. Quarterly reporting to the Department of Veterans Affairs on veteran hiring rates by agency. The preference means something or the agency explains in writing why it does not.
The translation problem: A veteran who ran logistics for a 200-person special operations unit does not have a resume that says "Supply Chain Manager." Most civilian hiring managers do not know how to read what they are looking at. This directive requires the training to fix that — at state agencies, starting with state agencies.
03
The Minnesota GI Benefit — Education Without Debt
Florida offers free tuition at state colleges to veterans who served. Texas offers extensive education benefits to veterans and their dependents through the Hazlewood Act. Minnesota offers the GI Bill — a federal program that Minnesota did not build, does not fund, and cannot expand. When the federal benefit runs out, Minnesota has nothing waiting.
The Gap: Minnesota has no state-funded tuition benefit for veterans at Minnesota State system institutions. A veteran who exhausts their federal GI Bill eligibility — or who served in a capacity that did not qualify for full federal benefits — has no state-level fallback.
The fix: The Office of Higher Education is directed to establish the Minnesota GI Benefit — a tuition waiver or reduction program for honorably discharged veterans at Minnesota State system colleges and universities. Eligibility is based on honorable discharge. The benefit is stackable with federal GI Bill benefits and covers the gap between federal coverage and full tuition. A veteran who served Minnesota should be able to get an education at a Minnesota state school without going into debt to do it.
Workforce connection: This connects directly to Directive 03 — Education and the Workforce Pipeline. Veterans re-entering the workforce with an education credential fill shortage roles in healthcare, trades, and technology that Minnesota cannot currently fill. The GI Benefit is not charity. It is a workforce investment.
↗ Cross-Reference: Directive 03 — Education & the Workforce Pipeline
04
Mental Health Rapid Response — 14 Days, Not a Waitlist
The veteran suicide rate in Minnesota is a crisis. The men dying are not dying because there is no program. They are dying because the program has a six-week wait. They reached out. The system told them to wait. Some of them did not make it to the appointment.
The Gap: Minnesota does not have a veteran-specific mental health rapid response system. Veterans seeking mental health services are often funneled into the general mental health system — which has its own wait time problem — without any protocol that prioritizes a veteran in acute need.
The fix: The Department of Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs are directed to establish a veteran-specific mental health rapid response program. Guaranteed first appointment within 14 days. Not a referral. Not a screening call. An appointment with a provider who is trained in veteran-specific mental health. Crisis cases are same-day. If the state cannot staff it, the state contracts it. There is no acceptable version of a veteran in crisis waiting six weeks.
The connection to the broader crisis: Veteran suicide is the most acute version of the men's mental health emergency in Minnesota. The same system failures — stigma, access gaps, a mental health infrastructure built for a different patient profile — show up in every statistic. Fixing it for veterans is the proof of concept for fixing it everywhere.
↗ Cross-Reference: Directive 12 — Men's Mental Health & Suicide Prevention
05
Veteran Homelessness — A Plan With a Deadline
Minnesota has a veteran homelessness problem and a veteran homelessness response infrastructure that has not ended it. The programs exist. The shelters exist. The coordinated entry system exists. Veterans are still sleeping outside in a Minnesota winter. That is not a resource problem at this point. That is a coordination and accountability problem.
The Gap: No statewide veteran homelessness elimination plan exists with defined numerical targets, a fixed timeline, and quarterly public reporting requirements. The system responds to veteran homelessness. It has not committed to ending it.
The fix: The Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency are directed to produce a Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan within 90 days of this order. The plan must include specific housing targets, a defined timeline for elimination, quarterly public reporting on progress, and named agency accountability for each target. A plan without a number is a press release. This directive requires a number.
06
Rural Veteran Access — Closing the Distance
The veteran in Bemidji does not have the same access as the veteran in Minneapolis. The VA facility is hours away. The nearest state veteran services office may be the same. The telehealth infrastructure that exists was not built with veterans in mind. Rural veterans are the most underserved population in the system — and the least visible, which is part of why the problem persists.
The Gap: Minnesota's veteran services infrastructure is concentrated in the metro area. Rural veterans face compounding barriers — distance from VA facilities, distance from state services, limited broadband access, and the cultural reality that rural veterans are less likely to self-identify as needing help until a crisis arrives.
The fix: The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is directed to establish a Rural Veteran Access program — mobile veteran services units that rotate through underserved counties on a published schedule, and dedicated telehealth infrastructure for rural veterans that includes veteran-specific mental health, benefits navigation, and medical coordination. This connects directly to the rural health initiative in Directive 05.
↗ Cross-Reference: Directive 05 — Public Health Recovery & Rural Access
07
Military Families — The Obligation Extends
A military spouse moves every two years, starts over in a new state, rebuilds a career from scratch while the service member is deployed, and does it again. A child of a deployed parent loses a year of school continuity, loses access to a therapist they had started to trust, loses the stability that every other kid around them has. The state's obligation to those who served extends to the people who served beside them — at home, without the uniform, without the recognition.
The Gap: Minnesota has limited coordinated support for military families. Licensing reciprocity for military spouses exists in some professions but not others — specifically, nurses, teachers, social workers, and licensed tradespeople who hold out-of-state licenses face inconsistent and sometimes year-long reciprocity delays when a military move brings them to Minnesota. Mental health resources for military families are not systematically connected to the veteran services infrastructure. Education continuity for children of deployed service members is inconsistently handled by districts.
The fix: The Commissioner of Commerce is directed to conduct a full audit of military spouse license reciprocity timelines across all state-regulated professions within 60 days and establish a Military Spouse Expedited Reciprocity track — a maximum 30-day processing timeline for any licensed professional whose spouse is active duty military stationed in Minnesota. No military family should lose income for six months waiting for a license transfer that should take weeks. Additionally, mental health services for military families are integrated into the veteran mental health rapid response infrastructure established elsewhere in this directive — military families are not an afterthought in the mental health system. They are part of the mission. The family held the line at home. The state holds the line for them.
The family court connection: Directive 02 — Family Rights and Parental Sovereignty — includes explicit protections against military deployment being used as evidence of abandonment or parental unfitness in custody proceedings. That protection and this directive are connected. The state that sends a parent to serve cannot penalize them for going — in a custody courtroom or anywhere else.
↗ Cross-Reference: Directive 02 — Family Rights & Parental Sovereignty — Military Parent Protection
08
Veteran Entrepreneurship — First Shot at State Contracts
The federal government has the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program. It sets aside contracts for veteran-owned businesses. It works. Minnesota does not have a state-level equivalent with teeth. Veteran-owned businesses compete on equal footing with businesses that never had to build discipline under fire.
The Gap: Minnesota's procurement system does not include a meaningful set-aside or preference program for veteran-owned small businesses at the state level. A veteran who starts a business in Minnesota does not have the same procurement advantage at the state level that they have at the federal level.
The fix: State procurement preference for veteran-owned businesses — a defined percentage of eligible state contracts and subcontracts directed to certified veteran-owned small businesses, modeled on federal SDVOSB standards. The state verifies ownership. The state sets a target. The state reports on whether it hits the target. A veteran who built the discipline to serve this country has the discipline to build a business. The state gives them the first shot.
The Battle Buddy Program

Dial 1776.
Talk to Someone
Who Knows.

1776 The Minnesota Battle Buddy Line & App — Veterans Only

The number one reason veterans do not engage with mental health providers is four words: they don't understand me. Not as an excuse. As a documented fact. A veteran does not want to explain what a combat deployment feels like to someone who learned about it in a classroom. They want to talk to someone who already knows. Someone who served. Someone who has been in the dark place and found their way out of it.

That is what the Battle Buddy Program delivers. Not a replacement for clinical care — a bridge to it. The person who answers 1776 is a certified veteran peer supporter. They are trained to the same standard as the National Veterans Crisis Line. They have been evaluated. And they have been where the caller is.

The Problem It Solves
A veteran in crisis dials a hotline and gets a well-meaning civilian who has never been deployed, never lost a teammate, never carried something that cannot be put down. The call ends. The veteran does not call back. That gap between understanding and distance is where people die. The Battle Buddy Program closes that gap with proximity and shared experience — the two things a clinical system cannot manufacture.
What Makes It Different
Every Battle Buddy is a veteran. Every Battle Buddy holds a Minnesota Battle Buddy Certification — same training and certification standard as the National Veterans Crisis Line peer support specialist framework, adapted for county-level state deployment. They are not standing in for a therapist. They are opening a door that a therapist could never open on their own.
How It Works — The Line and the App
1
Veteran Dials 1776
Veterans-only line. No hold music. No automated menu tree. The system uses GPS to route the call to the nearest available certified Battle Buddy automatically — fastest connection to someone nearby, no choosing from a list. The goal is a veteran voice within 60 seconds. The Battle Buddy is either working from a 1776 designated call room or from a designated 1776 Hub — an officially designated veteran center serving as both a call facility and a secondary training location.
2
Battle Buddy Signs In — Logged to the System
When a Battle Buddy starts their shift — whether in a call room or at a 1776 Hub — they sign in using their unique Battle Buddy ID number. That sign-in logs them live to the database: available, location, county. The unique ID serves two purposes: veterans can request the same Battle Buddy for continuity and trust, and the administration tracks response times, call volume, follow-up rates, and performance metrics by ID. Accountability is built into the infrastructure.
3
The County Map — Coverage and Deficiency
The 1776 app displays a live map of Minnesota populated by county showing available Battle Buddies. For veterans it means faster routing to someone nearby and more relatable connection — a veteran in Cook County talks to someone who knows what that community is. For the administration it means something different: any county showing thin or no coverage is a documented deficiency the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is accountable to fix. The map is not a feature. It is a live accountability dashboard.
4
Warm Handoff to Clinical Care — If the Veteran Chooses
If the veteran is ready to take the next step, the Battle Buddy makes a warm handoff — a direct connection, not a referral — to the veteran-specific mental health rapid response system. The 14-day appointment guarantee applies. The Battle Buddy does not hand the veteran a phone number. They stay on the line until the connection is made.
5
Follow-Up Check-Ins — Through the App Only
If a veteran wants ongoing check-in calls with their Battle Buddy, they download the 1776 App. All future communication between the veteran and their Battle Buddy happens exclusively through the app. This keeps every interaction logged, protects both parties, maintains the integrity of the program, and ensures continuity if a Battle Buddy ever needs to be reassigned. The veteran is in control. The app is the structure that keeps the connection safe and trackable.
1776 Hubs — Veteran Centers Designated as Program Infrastructure
Not just call rooms. Training facilities. Gathering points. Community anchors for rural veterans.
01
Active Call Rooms
Battle Buddies can sign in and take calls from any designated 1776 Hub. The Hub provides a professional, private space — Battle Buddies are not taking calls from their kitchen. Every Hub call room is connected to the live database. Sign in. On duty. Available on the map.
02
Secondary Training Facilities
Battle Buddy certification training happens at 1776 Hubs — not just in the metro. A veteran in Duluth or Bemidji or Moorhead does not drive to the Twin Cities to get certified. The Hub is where training happens, where evaluations happen, where the program builds in their community.
03
Community Anchor Points
A 1776 Hub is a place veterans know they can go — not just call. That physical presence matters. A lot of veteran mental health work happens informally when people are in the same room. The Hub becomes the place where that happens, especially in rural communities where isolation compounds every other risk factor.
Minnesota Battle Buddy Certification
Same standard as the National Veterans Crisis Line — administered by a veteran-led nonprofit under state contract with MDVA oversight
01
Veteran Status Required
Every Battle Buddy is an honorably discharged veteran. No exceptions. This is not a credential that can be substituted with clinical training or lived experience outside of service. The whole point is that they served.
02
National Standard Foundation
The certification is built on the Veterans Crisis Line peer support specialist competency framework — the same standard as the national hotline. Minnesota adapts it for county-level deployment. The standard is not lowered. The reach is expanded.
03
Unique Battle Buddy ID
Each certified Battle Buddy is assigned a unique ID number. It is their credential, their identifier in the database, and the mechanism through which veterans can request them by name for continuity. It is also how the state tracks performance — response rates, call outcomes, follow-up completion — without compromising veteran privacy.
04
Psychological Evaluation
Every Battle Buddy candidate completes a psychological evaluation by a licensed clinician before certification is issued. The evaluation assesses readiness to support others in crisis. The standard is high because the stakes are high.
05
Hybrid Governance
The state owns the 1776 brand, the app infrastructure, the certification standard, and the Hub designations. A veteran-led nonprofit operates training, recruitment, and certification under contract to MDVA. The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs has full oversight authority and can pull the contract for non-performance. State accountability. Veteran-led execution.
06
Clinical Supervision
Active Battle Buddies are supervised by licensed mental health professionals within the veteran mental health rapid response network. Supervision is ongoing. Battle Buddies have a clinician they can reach when a call goes somewhere difficult. No one carries that alone.
From Caller to Battle Buddy
The most powerful thing about this program — a veteran who called 1776 in crisis can become the person who answers it
1
A Veteran Calls 1776
They are in a dark place. They dial 1776. The system routes them to the nearest available Battle Buddy. The conversation happens. The handoff to clinical care happens if they want it. The app and ongoing connection, if they choose it. The system works for them the way it was built to work.
2
They Do the Work
Clinical care. Peer support. Time. Whatever their path looks like — they walk it. A veteran cannot become a Battle Buddy until they have demonstrated stability and completed their own care process to the satisfaction of their supervising clinician. There is no shortcut. The work has to be done first.
3
They Apply for Certification
When they are ready — and their clinician agrees — they apply for the Minnesota Battle Buddy Certification at their nearest 1776 Hub. Full training. Full curriculum. Full psychological evaluation. The credential is earned. It is not given because they called the line.
4
They Become the Person Who Answers
A veteran who was in crisis, did the work, earned the certification, and now answers 1776 for someone else in their county. That is not a program feature. That is the entire argument for why this works. The person on the other end of the line is not someone who read about what the caller is going through. They are someone who made the same call.

The Battle Buddy Program starts as a volunteer program. Battle Buddies serve because they chose to serve — the same reason they put on the uniform. When the Resident Solution Fund has recovered resources, a stipend is established. That is not a hedge. That is a commitment with a funding mechanism attached to it. The program is built to last. The compensation follows the recovery.

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Directive 09 · Financial Restoration Tool
Find Out What
Minnesota Owes You.

The Post-9/11 deployment bonus. The disabled veteran property tax exclusion. Both calculated to the dollar — in under two minutes. This is not a estimate. This is your number.

Tool 01
Post-9/11 Bonus Tracker

Enter your deployment dates and service record. See exactly what back pay is owed — and how to claim it through the state bonus window this administration reopens.

Tool 02
Property Tax Exclusion Calculator

Enter your VA disability rating and home value. See your annual savings under the disabled veteran homestead exclusion — and whether you're currently leaving money on the table.

Calculate What Minnesota Owes You →
Open the Resident Veteran Portal
Who It's For

It Is For
Those Who Served.

And everyone who was there with them, waiting at home, holding things together, carrying a weight the uniform does not cover. This directive is for all of them.

The Returning Veteran
You came home. The discharge papers were signed. And then you found out that the state you served does not have a coordinated plan for what happens next. This directive builds that plan. A record system that follows you. An employment system that actually reads your file. Mental health access that does not put you on a six-week wait.
The Veteran on a Fixed Income
A VA disability rating and a fixed income in a state with a rising cost of living. You served and the math still does not work. The GI Benefit, the priority hiring, the procurement preference — these are not handouts. They are returns on an investment you already made in full.
The Rural Veteran
You are hours from the nearest VA facility. The state veteran services office is not much closer. The system that was built to help you was built for someone who lives closer to the metro. This directive closes the distance — mobile units, telehealth, and a rural access program that reaches you where you are.
The Veteran in Mental Health Crisis
You reached out. The system told you to wait. This directive makes the wait illegal. Fourteen days — maximum. Same-day for crisis. A provider trained in veteran-specific care. The system does not get to put you on a list and call it a response.
The Military Spouse
You moved again. You rebuilt again. Your license does not transfer. Your career restarts from zero. Your kids start a new school. You did this so your service member could serve. Minnesota owes you reciprocity, employment support, and a system that sees what you carry.
The Veteran Entrepreneur
You left the service with discipline, leadership experience, and a mission orientation that most businesses cannot buy. You started a company. Minnesota's procurement system does not know what to do with you. This directive changes that.
Every Minnesota Resident
Minnesota sends its people to serve in its name. What it does for those people when they come home is a reflection of what Minnesota actually believes about service. Right now, the reflection is not good. This directive changes it.
Why It Has to Happen

The Obligation
Is Not Optional.

Minnesota has more than 320,000 veterans. It has a VA disability system, a state Department of Veterans Affairs, county veteran service offices, nonprofit organizations, and a federal GI Bill. It also has a veteran suicide rate that has not improved, a veteran homelessness count that is unacceptable, and a mental health access gap that kills people. The programs exist. The coordination does not.
44
Minnesota veterans who died by suicide in a single recent year — a rate consistently above the national civilian average
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs / MDH Violent Death Reporting System
1.5×
Rate at which veterans die by suicide compared to non-veteran adults, after adjusting for age and sex
VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
320K+
Veterans living in Minnesota — served in every branch, every era, every theater
U.S. Census Bureau / American Community Survey
28+
Average days a veteran waits for a first mental health appointment through the VA system in Minnesota
VA Access to Care data / Government Accountability Office reports
400+
Homeless veterans in Minnesota on any given night — a number that rises significantly in winter counts
Minnesota Homeless Study / HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report
$0
State-funded tuition benefit available to Minnesota veterans at state colleges when federal GI Bill benefits are exhausted
Minnesota Office of Higher Education

I have a VA disability rating. I am on a fixed income in this state. I know what it is to navigate the system — to prove service history that is already on file somewhere, to wait for an appointment, to watch the gap between what was promised and what is delivered. This directive is not research. It is accountability.

The Governor cannot fix the VA. It is a federal system. But the Governor can build the state-level infrastructure that fills the gaps the VA leaves. That is the lane. This directive stays in it — and it fills every gap it can reach.

When a veteran dies by suicide in Minnesota, the system does not fail. The system performs exactly as designed — with no guaranteed access, no coordinated record, no rapid response, and no accountability for the outcome. This directive redesigns the system. Not because it is politically useful. Because Minnesota made a commitment when it sent those people. That commitment does not expire at discharge.

How It Works

From Order
To Outcome.

Day one of the administration. Nine directives go out. Here is what happens next — in sequence, with accountability built into each step.

1
Executive Order Signed — Agencies Activated
The order is signed January 4, 2027. Every named agency — the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, the Office of Higher Education — receives a 30-day deadline to submit an implementation plan to the Governor's Office. No implementation plan, no budget flexibility. The accountability begins on day one.
2
Health Repository — Design and Build
Within 180 days, the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of Health deliver the architecture for the Veteran Health Repository. The system does not require new legislation — it requires coordination that the Governor's supervisory authority can compel. State agencies are mandatory participants. The build runs on the existing state health information exchange infrastructure wherever possible.
3
Battle Buddy Program — 120-Day Launch
The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs has 120 days to stand up the 1776 line. Certification training begins immediately. The first class of Battle Buddies is certified before the line goes live. The line does not open until there are certified Battle Buddies available to answer it. The program scales as the certified veteran pool grows.
4
Mental Health Rapid Response — 90-Day Launch
Within 90 days, the Department of Human Services has a veteran-specific mental health rapid response program operational. The 14-day appointment guarantee is a hard floor, not a target. If existing state capacity cannot meet the standard, the department contracts with qualified providers to fill the gap. The Governor's Office tracks compliance monthly. There is no acceptable version of a veteran in crisis waiting six weeks.
4
Homelessness Elimination Plan — 90 Days to a Number
DHS and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency submit the Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan within 90 days. The plan names a number — how many veterans currently experiencing homelessness in Minnesota, and a timeline with quarterly checkpoints for getting to zero. The plan is public. The quarterly reports are public. The agencies are named. The numbers are tracked.
5
GI Benefit and Priority Hiring — First Legislative Session
The Office of Higher Education begins work on the Minnesota GI Benefit structure within 90 days. The benefit may require a legislative appropriation for full implementation — the Governor submits the proposal in the first budget. Priority hiring protocols for state agencies go into effect immediately under executive authority. Agencies report quarterly. The GI Benefit is in the first budget or the first budget is not done.
6
Rural Access and Family Support — Rolling Implementation
The Rural Veteran Access program and Military Family Support programs launch on a rolling basis as contracts, routes, and staffing are established. The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs publishes a public implementation schedule within 60 days. Rural counties are prioritized by distance from existing VA facilities and veteran population concentration. No county waits more than 18 months for a mobile unit visit in the first year of the program.
7
Public Accountability — Every Quarter, Plain Language
Every reform in this directive has a public reporting requirement. Veteran hiring rates by agency. Mental health appointment wait times. Homelessness count progress. GI Benefit enrollment. Rural access coverage. All of it goes on a public dashboard updated quarterly in plain language. Not a PDF buried on an agency website. A dashboard. A number. A trend line. Minnesota residents can see whether their state is keeping its word.
Financial Restoration

The Money
Already Exists.

Minnesota did not forget to appropriate money for veterans. It appropriated the money — and then built a process so difficult that veterans couldn't claim it. This is not a new spending fight. This is a realignment. The money moves to the people who earned it.
Post-9/11 Veteran Service Bonus · MN Stat. § 197.791
$2,000
The Deployment Bonus Window — Re-Opened
Minnesota appropriated $600 to $2,000 bonuses for veterans who served between September 11, 2001 and August 30, 2021. The original deadline was June 30, 2024. Thousands of eligible veterans missed it — because of poor outreach, bureaucratic barriers, and a residency rule that disqualified veterans who moved to Minnesota after service. The money is still there. The window was closed by deadline, not by shortage.
The Command Move: The Governor appoints the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. No new law is required to re-open a window using already-appropriated funds. This Executive Order directs the MDVA to re-open the application window through December 31, 2028 and to switch from a veteran-finds-the-form model to an automatic identification model — cross-referencing state tax records with federal DD-214 data to find every eligible veteran and send them their check.
Disabled Veteran Homestead Exclusion · MN Stat. § 273.13, Subd. 34
$450K
The Property Tax Exclusion — Made Automatic
Minnesota law already excludes up to $450,000 of a 100% P&T veteran's home value from taxation — and $225,000 for veterans rated 70% or higher. The benefit exists. The problem is the process: veterans must apply through their county assessor every year. Miss the deadline, lose the benefit. Move counties, reapply. Get a rating upgrade, reapply. A disabled veteran should not be fighting their county assessor every year to receive a benefit the law already guarantees them.
The Fix: The Department of Revenue, in coordination with the MDVA Health Repository established in this directive, establishes a state-level automatic exclusion protocol. Once a veteran's rating is verified in the repository, the exclusion is applied automatically to every subsequent tax cycle. Verified once. Applied every time. No reapplication. No missed years.
1
Cross-Reference — Find Every Eligible Veteran
The MDVA does not wait for veterans to find the form. Under this order, the agency cross-references Minnesota state tax records with federal DD-214 service records to identify every veteran who served in the qualifying window and has not yet claimed their bonus. The state finds them. The state sends the check. Not the other way around.
2
Remove the Residency Barrier
The original program required a Minnesota address at time of entry into service. Veterans who moved to Minnesota after discharge were excluded. That rule served a bureaucratic interest, not a veteran interest. This order removes it. Any veteran currently residing in Minnesota who served in the qualifying window is eligible — regardless of where they were living when they enlisted.
3
Automate the Property Tax Exclusion
Once a veteran's disability rating is verified in the MDVA Health Repository, the Department of Revenue applies the homestead exclusion automatically. No annual county assessor application. No missed deadlines. No benefit lost because a veteran did not know they had to reapply. The system does the work. The veteran keeps the savings.
4
2026 Exclusion Values — Implemented Immediately
The 2026 updated exclusion values — $225,000 for veterans rated 70% or higher, $450,000 for 100% P&T — are implemented immediately upon signing. Veterans currently receiving the exclusion at lower legacy values are automatically updated to the current values in the next tax cycle. No action required from the veteran.
5
Accountability — Quarterly Reporting on Unclaimed Benefits
The MDVA reports quarterly on the number of veterans identified, contacted, and paid under the bonus re-opening. The Department of Revenue reports quarterly on the number of new automatic exclusions applied. Both reports are posted publicly. The state tracks how much it has paid out and how much it still owes. That number is public. It goes down until it reaches zero.
Resident Veteran Portal · Directive 09
Calculate What Minnesota Owes You
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Precedents

Other States
Already Did It.

Minnesota is not being asked to pioneer anything. Every major reform in this directive has a working model in another state — most of them states that lean the opposite direction politically. This is what it looks like when a state decides to actually keep its commitment to veterans.

Florida Red State
Florida GI Bill — Free Tuition at State Colleges
Florida provides free tuition at state colleges and universities for honorably discharged veterans through the Florida GI Bill. The benefit applies to veterans who were Florida residents at the time of enlistment or who establish Florida residency after discharge. It stacks with federal GI Bill benefits and covers the gap. Veterans enroll. Veterans graduate. Veterans enter the workforce.
Florida decided a veteran who served deserves an education without debt. Minnesota has not made that decision yet. This directive makes it.
Texas Red State
Hazlewood Act — Education Benefits for Veterans and Dependents
Texas's Hazlewood Act provides up to 150 credit hours of tuition exemption at Texas public colleges and universities for veterans who were Texas residents at enlistment. The benefit extends to dependents and surviving spouses. It is one of the most comprehensive state-level veteran education benefit programs in the country. Texas built it because Texas decided its veterans had earned it.
Texas extends the benefit to the veteran's family. Minnesota extends nothing comparable. The model exists. The will is the only missing piece.
Illinois Blue State
Veterans' Service Member Employment Act — Employment Protections and Priority Hiring
Illinois established robust employment protections and priority hiring frameworks for veterans in state government employment through the Veterans' Service Member Employment Act. The law creates defined preference categories, active recruitment requirements, and reporting obligations for state agencies. Illinois agencies know their veteran hiring rates. They are accountable for them.
Illinois made veteran hiring a measurable commitment, not a checkbox. That is exactly what this directive does for Minnesota.
This is not a partisan platform. It is a results platform. Red states and blue states have both decided their veterans are worth the investment. Minnesota can stop waiting for permission.
The Numbers

What the Data
Actually Says.

These are not political talking points. They are documented conditions. Each one has a source. Each one has a reform in this directive aimed directly at it.

44+
Veteran Suicides Per Year in Minnesota
Minnesota veterans die by suicide at a rate consistently above the national civilian average. The mental health access gap is documented. The will to close it has been missing.
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs / MDH Violent Death Reporting System
28+
Days Average Wait for VA Mental Health Appointment
Veterans seeking mental health services through the VA in Minnesota face waits that exceed the clinical threshold for timely intervention. The 14-day guarantee in this directive is not aspirational. It is the minimum acceptable standard.
VA Access to Care Data / Government Accountability Office
400+
Homeless Veterans in Minnesota on Any Given Night
More than 400 veterans are experiencing homelessness in Minnesota at any point in time. That number climbs in winter. Minnesota calls itself a leader. This number says otherwise.
Minnesota Homeless Study / HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report
320K
Veterans Living in Minnesota
Over 320,000 veterans call Minnesota home — from every era, every branch, every theater. They represent an enormous pool of trained, disciplined, mission-oriented residents. Minnesota's failure to invest in them is Minnesota's loss.
U.S. Census Bureau / American Community Survey
1.5×
Veteran Suicide Rate Versus Civilian Average
Veterans die by suicide at one and a half times the rate of non-veterans after adjusting for age and sex. This gap has not closed. It will not close with the same system that created it.
VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
$0
State Tuition Benefit When GI Bill Runs Out
When a Minnesota veteran exhausts federal GI Bill eligibility, the state of Minnesota offers nothing. Florida, Texas, and Illinois all have state-funded programs. Minnesota has a gap where a benefit should be.
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Legal Authority

The Governor
Has the Power.

The Governor of Minnesota has direct supervisory authority over state executive branch agencies. Every reform in this directive operates within that lane. The VA is a federal system — this directive does not try to run it. It builds the state-level infrastructure around it. Every statute cited here is already law. This directive activates what the law already allows.

MN Stat. § 196.02Commissioner of Veterans Affairs
Establishes the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and grants authority over state veteran services programs. The Governor's supervisory authority over the Commissioner is the foundation for directing agency action on the Veteran Health Repository, Rural Access program, and rapid response initiatives.
MN Stat. § 197.455Veterans Preference — State Employment
Establishes veteran preference in state civil service employment. This directive builds on this existing preference by requiring active recruitment, hiring manager training, and quarterly reporting — all within executive supervisory authority.
MN Stat. § 197.75Veteran Service Organizations
Authorizes state coordination with veteran service organizations. The coordination authority supports the Rural Veteran Access program and Military Family Support programs — enabling the state to leverage existing VSO infrastructure rather than build parallel systems.
MN Stat. § 135AOffice of Higher Education Authority
Governs the Office of Higher Education and its authority over state financial aid and tuition programs at Minnesota State system institutions. The Minnesota GI Benefit is structured within the existing OHE framework — full implementation requires a legislative appropriation but the architecture is built under existing authority.
MN Stat. § 245Department of Human Services — Mental Health
Governs mental health service delivery through the Department of Human Services. The veteran-specific mental health rapid response program is directed under DHS authority — the Governor directs the agency to prioritize veteran access and establish the 14-day guarantee within existing program infrastructure.
MN Stat. § 462AMinnesota Housing Finance Agency
Governs the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and its authority over housing programs. The Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan is directed through MHFA in coordination with DHS — both agencies already have veteran-specific housing program authority. This directive requires a coordinated plan with accountability and public reporting.
FL Stat. § 1009.26Florida GI Bill — State Precedent
Florida's statutory framework for state-funded veteran tuition benefits at public colleges and universities. Referenced as the direct model for the Minnesota GI Benefit — proof that a state can fund this program, administer it at scale, and deliver meaningful results for veterans.
TX Educ. § 54.341Texas Hazlewood Act — State Precedent
Texas's comprehensive veteran education benefit statute, providing up to 150 credit hours of tuition exemption at state institutions, extendable to dependents. Referenced as the model for the dependent benefit component of the Minnesota GI Benefit framework.
Opposition

They Will Say.
Here Is the Answer.

The arguments against this directive are predictable. They have been used to delay veteran support programs for decades. Here they are — and here is why they do not hold.

They Say
Veteran programs already exist. The system is working. We have a Department of Veterans Affairs, county offices, and the VA.
My Answer
Over 400 veterans are homeless in Minnesota tonight. Veterans are waiting four weeks for a mental health appointment that could save their life. Minnesota has no state tuition benefit when the federal GI Bill runs out. If the system is working, show me the data. I have the data. The system is not working. It is processing veterans. That is not the same thing as serving them.
They Say
The VA handles veteran healthcare and benefits. That is a federal responsibility. The Governor cannot fix the VA.
My Answer
Correct. I cannot fix the VA. I am not trying to. This directive builds state-level infrastructure that fills the gaps the VA leaves. A centralized health record system. A 14-day mental health appointment guarantee. A rural access program. A homelessness elimination plan. None of that requires fixing the VA. It requires a Governor who decides the state has an obligation and acts on it. That is exactly what this directive does.
They Say
We can't afford free tuition for veterans. The state budget doesn't have room for a new entitlement program.
My Answer
Florida affords it. Texas affords it. Both states are running programs at scale right now. The cost of not investing in veterans is also a cost — in mental health crisis response, in homelessness services, in lost workforce productivity. A veteran who gets an education at a Minnesota state school becomes a taxpaying, employed Minnesota resident. That is not a cost. That is an investment with a documented return.
They Say
Priority hiring for veterans is unfair to other qualified applicants. You're asking state agencies to discriminate in hiring.
My Answer
Minnesota already has a veteran preference statute. It has existed for decades. Illinois built an entire employment framework on top of it. This directive activates and enforces what the law already says — with active recruitment, hiring manager training, and accountability reporting. A veteran who spent six years leading people through complex operations under pressure is a qualified applicant. The problem is that civilian hiring managers do not know how to read the file. This directive fixes that.
They Say
Peer supporters aren't clinicians. Putting untrained veterans on a crisis line is dangerous. Someone could get hurt.
My Answer
The federal Veterans Crisis Line already uses peer support specialists. It is a proven model with a documented record of saving lives. Every Battle Buddy in this program holds a certification built on that federal framework, has passed a psychological evaluation conducted by a licensed clinician, and operates under ongoing clinical supervision. They are not replacing clinicians. They are opening a door that clinicians cannot open — because the veteran will not walk through a door held by someone who has never been where they are. The program does not ask peer supporters to provide clinical care. It asks them to listen, stay present, and walk someone to the next step. That is what saves the life.
They Say
Veteran homelessness is a complex, multi-system problem. You can't just order it away with an executive directive.
My Answer
No one is ordering it away. This directive orders a plan — with a number, a timeline, named agency accountability, and quarterly public reporting. The programs already exist. The shelters already exist. What has been missing is a coordinated plan with a target and a deadline. Houston reduced veteran homelessness by over 90% through coordinated systems alignment. They did it because they decided to. Minnesota has not yet decided to. This directive makes the decision.
The Resident Solution Fund
How This
Gets Funded

The Resident Solution Fund — established through Directive 01's forensic audit of state government — provides the mechanism for directing recovered funds back into programs that serve Minnesota residents. Veteran services are a primary funding priority.

The state has spent money on veteran programs for decades with inconsistent accountability. The forensic audit will find waste in that spending — administrative overhead, vendor contracts that did not deliver, programs duplicated across agencies without coordination. That recovered money flows directly into the reforms in this directive.

01
Health Repository Build
Recovered funds support the technology and coordination infrastructure required to build the Minnesota Veteran Health Repository — a one-time build with long-term operational savings through eliminated redundancy.
02
Mental Health Rapid Response
Contractor costs for expanding mental health provider capacity to meet the 14-day guarantee — bridging the gap between existing state capacity and the standard this directive requires.
03
Rural Access Infrastructure
Mobile veteran services units, telehealth equipment, and the operational costs of reaching rural veterans who currently have no access to the system built to serve them.

The Minnesota GI Benefit requires a legislative appropriation. The Governor submits it in the first budget. A state that can find money for consultants and administrative contracts can find money for veterans who served it.

All funding allocations from the Resident Solution Fund are subject to verified recovery data from the forensic audit process established in Directive 01. Veteran services are designated as a priority funding category. Specific appropriations are determined by the Director of Forensic Accountability in consultation with the Department of Finance and published for public review prior to implementation.
Executive Order — Veterans: Continuity of Command Ready for Signature · Day One
State of Minnesota Executive Department
Veterans: Continuity of Command
Executive Order 27-09  ·  Governor Tom Berhane
GovernorTom Berhane
DateJanuary 4, 2027
StatusDraft — Legal Review Pending
Directive09 of 13
Whereas
Minnesota is home to more than 320,000 veterans who served their country in every branch and every era, and who returned to a state with no centralized system for coordinating the health records, benefits, employment support, and mental health services they were promised;
Whereas
Minnesota veterans die by suicide at a rate consistently above the national civilian average, with documented wait times for VA mental health appointments exceeding 28 days — a gap that represents a direct, preventable risk to veteran lives, as documented by the VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs;
Whereas
More than 400 veterans experience homelessness in Minnesota on any given night, a number that rises during winter months, despite the existence of state programs authorized under MN Stat. § 462A and coordinated entry frameworks that have not been held to a defined elimination target;
Whereas
Minnesota has a veteran preference statute under MN Stat. § 197.455 that exists as a formal statement of priority without an enforcement mechanism, active recruitment requirement, or accountability structure that ensures state agencies are actually hiring qualified veterans in competitive processes;
Whereas
Minnesota provides no state-funded tuition benefit for veterans at Minnesota State system institutions when federal GI Bill benefits are exhausted, while Florida (FL Stat. § 1009.26), Texas (TX Educ. § 54.341), and other states have established comprehensive state-funded education benefit programs that demonstrate the administrative and fiscal feasibility of such a program;
Whereas
Rural veterans face compounding barriers to access — distance from VA facilities, limited broadband, and geographic isolation — and are among the most underserved veteran populations in Minnesota, with the least visibility in statewide policy discussions;
Whereas
Military families — spouses, children, and dependents — bear substantial costs of service including employment disruption, education interruption, and mental health strain that the state has not systematically addressed through its veteran support infrastructure;
Whereas
The Governor of Minnesota has supervisory authority over the executive branch agencies named herein, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (MN Stat. § 196.02), the Department of Human Services (MN Stat. § 245), the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MN Stat. § 462A), and the Office of Higher Education (MN Stat. § 135A), and that authority is sufficient to direct the coordination, planning, and program development required by this order;
Now Therefore, I, Tom Berhane, Governor of the State of Minnesota, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Minnesota Constitution and applicable statutes, do hereby order the following:
Minnesota Veteran Health Repository

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and the Commissioner of Health are jointly directed to establish the Minnesota Veteran Health Repository — a centralized, state-maintained system for coordinating veteran health and service records between the VA, state health agencies, and participating private providers. Veterans register once. Their record follows them across participating systems without requiring re-documentation of service history at each point of contact.

  • Architecture and implementation plan submitted to the Governor's Office within 180 days of this order
  • Participation by all executive branch health and veteran services agencies is mandatory
  • Participation by private providers is voluntary and supported through the state health information exchange framework
  • Veterans opt into the repository and retain ownership and control of their records
  • The repository does not replace the VA system — it coordinates with it and fills the gaps it leaves
State Agency Veteran Priority Hiring

All Minnesota executive branch agencies are hereby directed to establish veteran preference hiring protocols that go beyond the existing preference statute under MN Stat. § 197.455. The preference is not a tie-breaker. It is a priority. Agencies shall:

  • Establish active veteran recruitment programs at military separation events and transition assistance programs within 90 days
  • Require all hiring managers involved in competitive hiring processes to complete training on translating military service records to civilian qualifications within 120 days
  • Report quarterly to the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs on veteran hiring rates, application rates, and interview-to-hire conversion rates by agency
  • Agencies with veteran hiring rates below a benchmark established by the Commissioner shall submit a corrective action plan within 30 days of notification
Minnesota GI Benefit

The Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education is directed to develop the framework for the Minnesota GI Benefit — a tuition waiver or reduction program for honorably discharged veterans at Minnesota State system colleges and universities, modeled on the Florida GI Bill (FL Stat. § 1009.26) and the Texas Hazlewood Act (TX Educ. § 54.341). The framework shall:

  • Be completed and submitted to the Governor's Office within 90 days, with a legislative appropriation proposal included in the Governor's first biennial budget submission
  • Cover the gap between federal GI Bill coverage and full tuition at Minnesota State system institutions for eligible veterans
  • Define eligibility based on honorable discharge, with priority for veterans who were Minnesota residents at enlistment or who establish Minnesota residency post-discharge
  • Be stackable with federal GI Bill benefits — the state benefit covers what the federal benefit does not
  • Include a dependent benefit framework consistent with the Texas Hazlewood Act model, subject to appropriation
Veteran Mental Health Rapid Response

The Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs are jointly directed to establish a veteran-specific mental health rapid response program within 90 days of this order. The program shall guarantee a first mental health appointment within 14 days for any veteran seeking services. This is a floor, not a target. The following standards apply:

  • Veterans presenting in acute mental health crisis receive same-day connection to a qualified provider — no waitlist, no intake queue
  • All providers in the rapid response program shall have training in veteran-specific mental health conditions including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and moral injury
  • Where existing state capacity cannot meet the 14-day standard, the Department is directed to contract with qualified private and nonprofit providers to close the gap
  • Wait time compliance is reported to the Governor's Office monthly and posted publicly quarterly
  • This program operates in coordination with the men's mental health initiatives in Directive 12 — veteran suicide is the most acute version of the statewide men's mental health crisis
Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan

The Commissioner of Human Services and the Executive Director of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency are jointly directed to produce a Veteran Homelessness Elimination Plan within 90 days of this order. The plan shall include:

  • A current point-in-time count of veterans experiencing homelessness in Minnesota, disaggregated by county and demographic category
  • Defined numerical targets for reduction with a timeline that includes quarterly milestones and a final elimination target date
  • Named agency accountability for each target — not "the system" but the specific agency and the specific commissioner responsible
  • Quarterly public reporting on progress posted in plain language to a publicly accessible state website
  • Coordination with existing VA and nonprofit homelessness programs — the plan builds on existing infrastructure, it does not replace it

A plan without a number is a press release. This directive requires a number and a deadline.

Rural Veteran Access Program

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is directed to establish the Rural Veteran Access Program within 120 days of this order, in coordination with the rural health infrastructure established under Directive 05. The program shall include:

  • Mobile veteran services units that rotate through underserved rural counties on a published schedule, providing benefits navigation, health coordination, and mental health triage
  • Dedicated telehealth infrastructure for rural veterans covering mental health, medical coordination, and benefits assistance
  • Counties are prioritized by distance from existing VA facilities and veteran population concentration — no county waits more than 18 months for mobile unit coverage in the first year of the program
  • A public implementation schedule is posted within 60 days of this order
Military Family Support

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Commissioner of Human Services and the Commissioner of Education, is directed to establish expanded state support programs for military families within 180 days of this order. Programs shall include:

  • Mental health services specifically designed for military family members, including the stressors of deployment, reunion, and repeated relocation
  • Employment assistance and occupational licensing reciprocity expansion for military spouses — the Commissioner of Labor and Industry is directed to identify all professions where reciprocity is not currently available and report to the Governor within 90 days with a remediation plan
  • Education continuity protocols for children of deployed service members, developed in coordination with the Department of Education and local school districts
Veteran Entrepreneurship — State Procurement Preference

The Commissioner of Administration is directed to establish a state procurement preference program for veteran-owned small businesses within 120 days of this order, modeled on the federal Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program. The program shall:

  • Define a target percentage of eligible state contracts and subcontracts to be directed to certified veteran-owned small businesses annually
  • Establish a state certification process for veteran-owned businesses that aligns with federal SDVOSB standards to minimize administrative burden on participating businesses
  • Report annually on contract award rates to veteran-owned businesses by agency and contract category
  • Agencies that fall below target shall submit corrective action plans to the Commissioner within 60 days
Minnesota Battle Buddy Program — The 1776 Line

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is directed to establish the Minnesota Battle Buddy Program — a veterans-only peer support line accessible by dialing 1776 — within 120 days of this order. The program shall:

  • Connect veteran callers to a certified Battle Buddy — a fellow veteran who holds the Minnesota Battle Buddy Certification and is available to answer the line
  • Provide crisis de-escalation peer support, warm handoff to the veteran mental health rapid response system established in this order, and optional ongoing peer connection at the veteran's discretion
  • Certify all Battle Buddies under the Minnesota Battle Buddy Certification — a framework built on the federal Veterans Crisis Line peer support specialist competency standards, adapted for state deployment, and requiring completion of a full training curriculum and a psychological evaluation conducted by a licensed clinician prior to certification
  • Place all active Battle Buddies under ongoing clinical supervision by licensed mental health professionals within the veteran mental health rapid response network
  • Establish a pathway for veterans who have themselves utilized the program, demonstrated stability, and completed all certification requirements — including a second psychological evaluation — to become certified Battle Buddies, subject to clinician approval
  • Launch as a volunteer program; the Commissioner shall establish a stipend structure for Battle Buddies as Resident Solution Fund recovery resources become available, with the stipend framework submitted to the Governor's Office within 180 days
  • Report monthly to the Commissioner on call volume, response times, warm handoff rates, and ongoing connection enrollment — all metrics posted publicly on the Veteran Services Accountability Dashboard

The ongoing peer connection component of this program is strictly optional at every stage. A veteran who declines ongoing connection after a call receives no fewer services, no reduced access, and no follow-up contact they did not request. The program operates on the veteran's terms, not the program's.

Post-9/11 Veteran Service Bonus — Window Re-Opened

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is directed to re-open the application window for the Post-9/11 Veteran Service Bonus under MN Stat. § 197.791 through December 31, 2028, utilizing surplus funding allocated in the 2025–27 biennium. The program shall transition from an application-based model to an automatic distribution model as follows:

  • The MDVA shall cross-reference Minnesota state tax records with federal DD-214 service records within 90 days to identify all veterans who served in the qualifying window of September 11, 2001 through August 30, 2021 and have not yet claimed their bonus
  • Identified veterans shall receive direct written notification of their eligibility and the amount owed within 30 days of identification, with a streamlined verification and payment process requiring no more than one form submission
  • The Minnesota address at time of entry requirement is hereby removed for the re-opened window — any veteran currently residing in Minnesota who served in the qualifying period is eligible regardless of state of residence at enlistment
  • Bonus tiers are maintained at $600 for stateside service, $1,200 for deployment outside the United States, and $2,000 for Purple Heart recipients
  • The Commissioner shall report quarterly to the Governor's Office on the number of veterans identified, contacted, verified, and paid — all figures posted publicly on the Veteran Services Accountability Dashboard
  • The Commissioner is directed under MN Stat. § 15.06 supervisory authority to prioritize this distribution as a Day One mission — delay without documented cause is not acceptable
Disabled Veteran Homestead Exclusion — Automatic Application Protocol

The Commissioner of Revenue, in coordination with the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, is directed to establish a state-level Automatic Property Tax Exclusion protocol for disabled veterans under MN Stat. § 273.13, Subd. 34 within 120 days of this order. The protocol shall:

  • Utilize the MDVA Health Repository established in this order to verify veteran disability ratings at the state level — eliminating the requirement for veterans to apply annually through county assessors
  • Apply the exclusion automatically to the next available tax cycle upon verification of a qualifying disability rating — 70% or higher for the $225,000 exclusion, 100% Permanent and Total for the $450,000 exclusion
  • Implement the 2026 updated exclusion values immediately upon signing: $225,000 for veterans rated 70% or higher and $450,000 for veterans rated 100% P&T — veterans currently receiving the exclusion at lower legacy values are automatically updated to the current values in the next tax cycle without reapplication
  • Notify all veterans currently on record with the MDVA who hold qualifying ratings of the automatic protocol within 60 days — no action is required from the veteran; the exclusion applies automatically
  • The Commissioner of Revenue shall report quarterly on the number of new automatic exclusions applied, the total estimated tax relief delivered, and the number of veterans with qualifying ratings who have not yet been matched to a homestead property

County assessors retain their role in the assessment process. This order does not remove county authority — it inserts a state-level verification layer that eliminates the annual reapplication burden from the veteran. The state does the administrative work. The veteran keeps the benefit.

Public Accountability Dashboard

The Commissioner of Veterans Affairs is directed to establish and maintain a public-facing Veteran Services Accountability Dashboard updated no less than quarterly. The dashboard shall report in plain language on the following metrics:

  • Veteran hiring rates by agency and trend over time
  • Mental health rapid response wait times by month
  • Veteran homelessness count progress against the elimination plan targets
  • Minnesota GI Benefit enrollment and utilization once the program is operational
  • Rural Veteran Access program coverage by county
  • Veteran-owned business procurement awards as a percentage of eligible contracts

The dashboard is not a PDF buried on an agency website. It is a live, publicly accessible resource with a direct URL published in all veteran-facing communications from the state of Minnesota.

Implementation Timeline and Agency Accountability

This Executive Order is effective immediately upon signing. All named agency heads shall submit implementation plans to the Governor's Office within 30 days of signing. Implementation deadlines for each initiative are as specified within this order. Agency heads are personally accountable to the Governor for compliance with each deadline. Non-compliance does not result in an extension — it results in an explanation delivered publicly, in writing, within 14 days of the missed deadline. This order remains in effect for the duration of this administration, or until superseded by statute establishing equivalent or greater protections and programs for Minnesota veterans.

A determination that any provision of this Executive Order is invalid will not affect the enforceability of any other provision of this Executive Order. Rather, the invalid provision will be modified to the extent necessary so that it is enforceable.
______________________________
Tom Berhane
Governor, State of Minnesota
Signed January 4, 2027
______________________________
[Secretary of State]
Secretary of State, State of Minnesota
Filed According to Law
This Is
Directive 09

Minnesota did not hesitate when it asked these people to serve. The service does not end at discharge. Neither does the obligation. This directive is how Minnesota keeps its word.

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