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Sen. Klobuchar Highlights Priorities for Minnesota Veterans

Senator Convened Summit to Hear from Veterans Groups

October 9, 2007

St. Paul, MN – Joined by a wide range of representatives from military and veterans groups, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar convened a Minnesota Veterans Summit this morning at the State Capitol to focus on priorities for supporting the state’s veterans. 

The meeting was an opportunity to highlight new federal legislation and gather information from the veterans’ community about how best to meet their needs, whether by action at the grassroots community level or in the halls of Congress. 

Among those attending Klobuchar’s summit were General Larry Shellito, Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard, and Clark Dyrud, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.       

“Our men and women in uniform have served our country on the front lines,” said Klobuchar.  “But, on returning home, too many have found themselves shunted to the end of the line for the health care, benefits and support they’ve earned.”

Klobuchar noted that the war in Iraq has placed an unprecedented burden on the National Guard and Reserves.  Reservists and National Guard members have accounted for up to 40 percent of all U.S. troops in Iraq.  Nationally, almost a quarter of all Reserve and Guard members have had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The excessive reliance on Guard and Reserve units means that it is a different kind of soldier serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Klobuchar said. 

In Vietnam, the average age of an American soldier was 19 years old.  In Iraq and Afghanistan, the average age of active-duty soldiers is 27.  But the average age of National Guard members over there is 33.

“We need to cut through the red tape paralyzing the system and do anything and everything we can to make the climb back to normal life a little easier for these veterans and their families.”

At the summit, Klobuchar described legislation that Congress has already passed this year to increase funding for veterans’ services and to support returning National Guard members and Reservists.

Klobuchar also outlined new Congressional legislation she is introducing that will make it easier for veterans to receive the educational benefits they are entitled to; make it easier for veterans’ families to get the mental health care services they need; and make it easier for veterans in rural communities to get access to health care and other services they have earned.

Education Benefits.  Last week, Klobuchar introduced the “National Guard and Reserve Education Benefit Fairness Act” to provide educational benefits to members of the Selected Reserve based on the length of their actual Active Duty service, not the service date printed on their orders.  The bill comes as a direct response to the case of the Minnesota National Guard members of the 1/34th Brigade Combat Team, in which about half of the soldiers returning from a 16-month deployment in Iraq were denied full educational benefit packages.

Mental Health.  Klobuchar said she will introduce legislation this fall to require the Department of Defense to ensure that National Guard and Reserve family members have ready access to affordable mental heath services.  This will include requiring the TRICARE system to reimburse family members for counseling and treatment at state-accredited mental health facilities, rather than only those currently accredited by TRICARE.

Rural Veterans.  Klobuchar said she will introduce legislation this fall to mobilize the resources of the VA to go to rural communities and respond to veterans needs closer to where they live.  This would include assistance to veterans in applying for eligible benefits, getting access to needed medication for chronic injuries and disabilities, and receiving mental health screenings and counseling.

The summit featured two panel discussions:

A panel on state and federal issues included:  Dr. Robert Petzel, Director, Veterans Integrated Service Network Region 23; Duane Kamp, Outreach Coordinator, U.S. Veterans Affairs Minnesota Regional Office; Al Loehr, Legislative Chair, Minnesota Veterans of Foreign Wars; and Jim Copher, Commander, Minnesota American Legion.

A panel on grassroots community-based solutions included:  Colonel Eric Ahlness, Minnesota National Guard; Lt. Colonel Jim Swanson, Minnesota National Guard, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and Minnesota Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF); Barb Baker, Operation Happy Note (which sends free musical instruments to troops overseas); and Dennis Donovan, Warrior to Citizen Campaign (which promotes community efforts to welcome troops home).

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