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The official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Program will be held virtually again this year in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A 30-minute recorded program will be available starting at 8 a.m. on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11 here on the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs website. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) invites all Minnesotans to celebrate and honor the Veterans who have served our state and country.
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Fergus Falls
Luverne
Minneapolis
Silver Bay
St. Paul
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Safely get rid of your unwanted or unused prescription drugs at an authorized collection site. You can find a safe disposal site near you by visiting the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's searchable collection site map. You can also locate temporary collection sites only available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on October 23 on the Take Back Day website. There is no charge for disposing of your medications. Most sites will take prescription, over-the-counter, and pet medicines, and some also accept e-cigarettes and vaping devices after the batteries are removed. Talk with your collection site about any restrictions and for more details.
While the DEA hosts a Prescription Drug Take Back Day each fall and spring, they encourage you to safely dispose of your unused or expired prescriptions at any time of the year. Properly and safely disposing of medications can help prevent misuse, diversion and accidental poisonings.
Help save lives by participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
To learn more about use and misuse of prescription opioids in Minnesota, visit the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy’s Reports and Statistics page or the Minnesota Department of Health’s Opioid Dashboard.
Sadly, an average of 100 Minnesota Veterans die by suicide each year. Two-thirds of these deaths are by guns.
To help prevent Veteran suicide MDVA is partnering with the VA Healthcare System to distribute free gun locks. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a locked gun can mean the difference between a tragic outcome and a life saved for someone in crisis. Though Veterans are well-versed in firearm safety, all gun owners should understand that during emotional or stressful times, delaying access to a gun could mean the difference between life and death. Gun locks can prevent someone in crisis from tragically taking their own life
In an effort to reduce these preventable tragedies, MDVA is offering free gun locks. To request a gun lock, please email MDVA.Communications@state.mn.us with your name and address. This information will not be shared; requests are confidential.
Thank you for supporting the efforts of MDVA and the “Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.” For more information on MDVA’s suicide prevention efforts, visit MinnesotaVeteran.org/EndVetSuicide.
All Veterans, current service members, their spouses, and Gold Star families are invited to this year's annual career fair event. Work for an employer that recognizes and appreciates your military service and the value you bring to the team!
Nov. 3, 2021 | 2 - 6 p.m.
In-person event at the Earle Brown Heritage Center
6155 Earle Brown Drive | Brooklyn Center, MN
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The Suicide Prevention Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health presents the Suicide Prevention Webinar series. These educational webinars serve as a way to connect and share information. The series includes six webinars with subject matter experts working across the state on these topics:
Sign up here for the Suicide Prevention Webinar Series.
Please contact the organizers: Shelly Dieu at shelly.dieu@state.mn.us or Tanya Carter at tanya.carter@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
In recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has created a commemorative coin as an expression of appreciation to Minnesota Veterans who have served since that fateful day. These coins are a limited edition and available for a short time.
Minnesota GWOT Veterans are invited to register for this free coin by visiting https://bit.ly/MNGWOTcoin (registration site works best using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Firefox). If you’re having trouble registering please e-mail mdva.communications@state.mn.us.
Coins will be distributed by County Veterans Services Officers.
Team Rubicon, a Veteran-led disaster response nonprofit organization, will be hosting a winter clothing donation drive for the Afghan families who are currently at Fort McCoy, WI and Camp Atterbury, IN. As temperatures drop, winter clothing is needed now more than ever. Team Rubicon is overseeing the management of donated goods at six bases across the US and are looking to the community to help meet the needs of each base.
The Minnesota Twins Baseball Club has generously offered Target Field for the donation drive. The first 500 people to make a donation will receive a voucher for two complimentary tickets to any Twins home game in April or May 2022 (excludes Home Opener, limit of one voucher per vehicle). For more information visit: https://twinsbaseball.com/clothingdrive
LIST OF ITEMS REQUESTED
- Toddler clothing
- Winter clothing-- all age children
- Winter clothing-- adult sizes small and medium
- Athletic style shoes-- toddler
- Athletic style shoes--child
- Winter boots--child
- Winter boots--adult
- Gloves
- Winter Hats
- Baby Formula (powder)
- Gift cards and monetary donations accepted
The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) is hosting the National Veterans Small Business Week on November 1-5.
Minnesota Veterans can learn more about resources to succeed in their business on the Veterans and Business Owners page.
Veteran Status Verification for Minnesota Small Business Procurement Program
The Minnesota Department of Administration operates a Targeted Group, Economically Disadvantaged and Veteran Owned (TG/ED/VO) Small Business Procurement Program where a Certified Veteran Owned Small Business may be eligible for up to a 6% preference in selling their products or services to the State. The business must have its principal place of business in Minnesota.
In order to apply for Certification as a Veteran Owned Small Business under the Program the owner must first be verified by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) as a Veteran under Minnesota Statutes section197.447 or as a Veteran with a service-connected disability as determined at any time by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USVA). Request form
Apprenticeship Week in Minnesota, Nov. 15 - 21, is an opportunity for the apprenticeship community to tell their stories about registered apprenticeship and share with businesses, industry, labor, education, career-seekers, community-based organizations, students and workers the advantages of developing careers through adoption of the apprenticeship model.
Throughout the week the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will host and share information about events, and feature apprentices, community-based organizations and apprenticeship program sponsors.
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Free holiday food stretcher boxes are available to anyone who is currently serving and their families.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon in conjunction with Building Healthy Military Families and all family support, POCs from all branches of service have partnered with Meals From the Heart to provide food budget stretcher boxes for anyone who is currently serving and their families during the holiday season.
Register here >>
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We can see the end of this pandemic, but we are not quite there yet. We will take concrete steps to keep Minnesotans safe while we get the vaccine to even more people.
The latest COVID-19 updates from the Governor's office are available at mn.gov/covid19.
MDVA's latest COVID-19 updates can be found at MinnesotaVeteran.org/COVID.
All Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and clinics that administer COVID-19 vaccines are accepting walk-ins for eligible Veterans, spouses and caregivers.
This walk-in service ensures all Veterans enrolled in VA health care and those authorized under the SAVE LIVES Act have an opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from VA at a time convenient for them.
The urgency to vaccinate as many eligible individuals as quickly as possible remains a top priority for VA.
“VA encourages those who wish to get their COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment to check the walk-in hours and requirements at their local facility,” said Acting VA Under Secretary for Health Richard Stone, M.D. “ Individuals taking advantage of walk-in vaccinations may need to wait for the vaccine to be prepared and will be screened when entering the facility.”
To date, VA has vaccinated more than 2.7 million individuals, including over 60,000 individuals under the SAVE LIVES Act. For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations at VA, click here.
VA vaccination clinics are not open 24 hours. Face masks are mandatory for all and physical distancing measures will be in place.
VA has resumed sending debt notification letters for new VBA benefit debts and debts deferred from April 6, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Collections on medical co-payments created prior to April 6, 2020 and on new medical co-payments also resumed Oct. 1, 2021. Relief options are available if you are unable to repay your debt. You can read more here. Veterans can also use an online tool to check the status of VBA benefit debt and explore options to resolve it.
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