Polk County Veteran Officer Kurt Ellefson on new bills in Minnesota

Kurt Ellefson of the Polk County Veterans Office shares new bills in effect for Minnesota Veterans.

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) has a long history of awarding service bonuses to Minnesota Veterans who served in America’s wars. Starting in 1919 after World War I, through World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and now the Global War on Terrorism. MDVA recognizes the sacrifices and courage Minnesotans took to defend our country.

The 2022 Legislature passed and Governor Walz signed the first-ever Veterans Omnibus Bill that included funding for a service bonus payable to eligible Veterans who served from 9/11/01 to 8/30/21. MDVA is honored to facilitate this program for eligible Veterans, currently serving service members, or Veterans’ beneficiaries.

Dependency Indemnity Compensation Property Tax exclusion– the House Property Tax division unveiled its bill that will eventually be added to the omnibus tax bill. The bill includes the elimination of the two-year window for surviving spouses of 100% permanently disabled Veterans to apply for the Homestead Market Value Exclusion for disabled Veterans. This will help Dependency and Indemnity Compensation cases that take longer than two years for the Federal VA to process, as well as spouses of Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans made eligible by recent changes.

A few funding bills have went through as well which will equate to more grants in the area. If you are a veteran and haven’t recently checked on your compensation or available programs, its a good idea to check in with your counties representative to see what services are available to you. Kurt works regularly in Fosston and McIntosh and is available for any questions you may have about programs in the area. His number is 218-280-5506