Outdoors

DVS (Driver & Vehicle Services)

DVS (Driver & Vehicle Services) is a Division of the MN Dept. of Public Safety. MN began issuing license plates and driver’s licenses in 1934.

Veteran plates may be displayed on any passenger-class vehicle, 1-ton pickup, or self-propelled recreational vehicle, owned or jointly owned by a veteran. Motorcycle plates are also available for Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism, Proud to be a Veteran, Korean Defense, and Congressional Medal of Honor.

Most plates may be ordered with a disability decal if the applicant qualifies for disability license plates.

Members of the Minnesota National Guard:Plates may be issued to passenger class vehicles owned by a regular enlisted, commissioned, or retired member of the Minnesota National Guard. Plate fee is $10.

Gold Star Family:Gold Star License plates are available on passenger cars and motorcycles. The parent, spouse, sibling or child of a person who has died while honorably serving in active military service may apply for these plates.

Below are a few of the plates available to you, a Minnesota Veteran. You must present a Certified copy of your DD214 at the DVS prior to receiving your speciality plates. Certified copies may be obtained from your County Veterans Service Officer.

MN Department of Revenue Disabled Veterans Homestead Property Tax Exclusion.

In 2008 a new Property Tax Exclusion was signed into law. Today, Disabled Veterans, Care Givers, and Surviving Spouses of Permanent & Totally Disabled Veterans may apply for this special property tax reducing benefit. Applicants must be:

1. Honorably Discharged Veterans rated by the VA as 70% disabled or higher; or those granted Total Disability through Individual Unemployability (TDIU).
2. Surviving Spouse of certain qualifying Veterans and Service Members.
3. Primary family caregivers of qualifying Veterans.
   
   Applications are due no later than July 1st and must be made in person at your County Assessor’s office. County Veterans Service Officers are required by the law to annually validate those Veterans who are not Permanently & Totally disabled as to their eligibility for the next years exclusion. Veterans interested or who participate in this program are highly encouraged to visit with your County Veterans Service Officer.

Stipends for Military Funerals & Memorial Day Celebrations.

The Minnesota Legislature has appropriated funds for Veterans Service Organizations that perform, as a minimum flag folding and taps, or full honors which include a rifle salute may apply for a $50 stipend for each honor they provide for Minnesota Veterans. Information and forms are found here.

Minnesota Statute 375.34 (Memorial Day, Appropriation for Observance).

The county board of each county may appropriate from the revenue fund of the county not more than $3,500 annually to aid in the observance of Memorial Day in commemoration of the noble and valiant deeds of the nation’s soldier dead.

Minnesota Statute 375.35 ($300 To Military Service Organizations for Memorial Day).

A county board may also appropriate annually not more than $300 to each post of a recognized military service persons’ organization or society, holding charter from Congress or incorporated in this state, organized and existing in the county, to defray the expenses of Memorial Day exercises.

Minnesota Military Radio

Minnesota Military Radio is a weekly public affairs program focusing on the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, the Minnesota National Guard and the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. Vietnam Veteran and volunteer host Tom Lyons is driven to make a difference for today’s service members, Veterans and their families. Minnesota Military Radio is about telling the stories of those currently serving, those who’ve served and the families and communities who have supported them. Minnesota Military Radio features a weekly message from MDVA Commissioner.

Listen to this week’s message here.

Minnesota Military Radio airs Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. on Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130, and on over 30 stations throughout Minnesota. A list of current stations, schedules, and a coverage map are available online.

Discover Minnesota’s Military History

Nowhere in Minnesota are the experiences of military men and women so vividly captured and interpreted for the public.

Discover the stories and contributions of Minnesota citizens who served and sacrificed in ALL branches of service and on the home front, from our state’s earliest years to the present. See the actual equipment, weapons, uniforms, and memorabilia that bear witness to history. Gain a glimpse into what life was like for those “who were there.” More information here.

Directions

The museum is located three blocks inside the main gate at Camp Ripley, which is seven miles north of Little Falls. From Minnesota Hwy 371, go west on Minnesota 115; from U.S. Hwy 10, go east on 115. The museum is about a 21/2hour drive from the Twin Cities or Duluth.

Outdoor Memorials

Throughout the state of Minnesota, there are numerous memorials, tributes and statues that honor Minnesota’s Veterans. From the gun that sank the first hostile Japanese sub in Pearl Harbor to 87 large boulders each representing a Minnesota County and inscribed with a quote from personal family correspondence during military service periods, Minnesota is rich in it’s military history.

Below you’ll find a list of Veteran Memorials located at the State Capitol Complex in St. Paul, Minn.

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota Humanities Center encourage anyone who wants to learn, pay their respects, or just walk around the capitol memorials to print off the Reflections on War and Service PDFand tour the Capitol Mall.

• USS Ward Gun
• The Sky Soldier
• Minnesota Vietnam Memorial
• Monument to the Living
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• World War II Memorial
• Court of Honor

Minnesota Outdoor Hunting & Recreation Programs for Veterans

A wide array of fishing, hiking, hunting, motorcycling, snowmobiling, ruck marches, and more are available statewide. Most are offered through local Chapters and Posts of Veterans Organizations such as The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Contact your CVSO to find out more about outdoor opportunities.

We at Minnesota Veterans 4 Veterans Trust Fund (V4V) believe that veterans are an asset to society. Our mission is to serve them as they have served us, by supporting with grants the organizations that empower them to integrate successfully into civilian life.

We are a group of Minnesota veterans concerned for the quality of life of our fellow veterans. Our decision making team is made up of a group of eight appointees from four different organizations: The Minnesota American Legion, Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Department of Minnesota, and the Department of Minnesota Veterans of Foreign Wars. One-of-a-kind, we owe our unique board composition to how and why the Minnesota Veterans 4 Veterans Trust Fund was created. We are committed to funding those mission-driven organizations for example, the below photo of the annual fishing program sponsored by the major veterans organizations that are doing the best work to support veterans within our grant focus areas, regardless of affiliation. You can view a complete list of our board of directors. To learn more about our work, you may review a list of past grants and grant recipients. You may also sign up to receive email updatesof future grant awards as they are posted.