Any veteran who puts his or her life on the line for this country deserves to be taken care of upon return. In partnership with the federal government, Minnesota must ensure that any medical and educational needs that veterans have are met and that their ability to reintegrate as productive citizens of the state is improved.
My father and uncles were veterans and I was raised to hold military service to our country in the highest regard. I began to work on veterans’ issues such as property tax relief early in my legislative career and continue to do so today. Minnesota has a good record in providing service and benefits, but there is more that we can do.
Veterans Need Preventative Health Care Upon Return
This year a constituent of mine brought terrible news that her son had returned safely from Iraq only to kill himself because of the horrendous mental health problems he was experiencing. He couldn’t get the help he so desperately needed. I passed legislation this session to try to prevent such tragedies in the future by helping to ease reintegration. It requires that upon return from combat, National Guard members will be provided with complete mental and physical health screening to help them identify and receive assistance for any health problems or injuries.
We need to identify other weaknesses in our policies toward veterans and work to address them. Nothing is too good for our vets.
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