Happy Holidays! The snow, cold and shorter days are certainly reminders that winter is here. I hope the holiday season will brighten your days and warm your heart.
My first year as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) has gone by quickly! It is an honor to lead the agency responsible for serving Minnesota’s 308,000 Veterans and their families. I am also very proud of the 1,500 staff at MDVA that are dedicated to our Minnesota Veterans. Together, we have accomplished so much during 2019 that will benefit our Veterans.
As I reflect on the past year, here are the highlights:
Awards and Recognition
The MDVA team is committed to excellent work and we appreciate the validation by outside experts. We received numerous awards and recognition throughout the year in both our divisions.
Healthcare Division
- Exceeded the U.S. average of nursing home care in every category, as monitored and ranked yearly by Pinnacle, an independent quality rating firm. We also received Customer Service Awards in four Resident care areas.
- In response to the 2018 opening of the nation’s first long-term care on-site dental clinic at the Minnesota Veterans Home - Minneapolis, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation presented Simone Hogan, Senior Director of Healthcare, its 2019 Ann K. Johnson Community Health Spirit Award to recognize her work supporting oral health for vulnerable older adults and Veterans in Minnesota.
- Named two of the best nursing homes in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Minnesota Veterans Homes in Luverne and Silver Bay provide excellent care for our aging Veterans.
- Celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Minnesota Veterans Home - Luverne.
- Received a “no deficiencies” rating from the Minnesota Department of Health survey, the Minnesota Veterans Home - Hastings focuses on domiciliary care for Veteran Residents.
- Introduced the “Three Paths” Program in our Domiciliary, creating three unique service pathways to provide the right level of care and support for each individual.
- Received the Leading Age “Make Zero Harm Possible” Award for the Adult Day Helicopter Angels program; only one facility in the state receives this award each quarter.
- Opened a new Education Center at the Minneapolis Home.
- Completed parking lot projects at both the Hastings and Luverne Veterans Homes.
- Finished construction on the truss bridge near the Minneapolis Home; a grand re-opening is scheduled for early 2020 once inspections are completed.
- Launched the Enterprise Scheduling and Timekeeping (EST) system at all our Minnesota Veterans Homes. This new system increases consistency and standardization for scheduling and timekeeping functions across the five Minnesota Veterans Homes. EST makes it easier for employees to access their schedule, request time off, and clock in and out.
- Completed design for three State Veterans Homes in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston. MDVA is poised to move ahead with these projects that received State funding from the Minnesota Legislature in 2018, pending Federal funding approval.
Programs & Services Division
- Dedicated MDVA's newest State Veterans Cemetery near Duluth in September. Since opening on Veterans Day 2018, the location has interred more than 200 Veterans and spouses/dependents.
- Received an Operational Excellence Award from the National Cemetery Administration at the Minnesota State Cemetery in Preston. This award followed a National Cemetery Compliance Review that resulted in a score of 98 percent, recognizing Preston as one of the finest Veterans Cemeteries in the nation.
- Placed 474 (and increasing daily) Veterans in housing in 2019 as part of efforts to effectively end Veterans homelessness in Minnesota, to become the fourth state in the country to do so. We place an average of 40 Veterans in homes each month and have placed 2,000 Veterans since 2014.
- Recognized the Southeast Minnesota Continuum of Care (CoC) for ending Veteran homelessness in their community, the fifth of 10 CoCs to achieve this goal.
- Held a Landlord Summit for more than 100 landlords who engaged in the effort to end Veteran homelessness. We have established three funds to support landlords willing to assist homeless Veterans: an incentive fund; a mitigation fund; and a vacancy reserve fund.
- Delivered $1.9 million in higher education benefits and another $1.1 million in OJT/Apprenticeship/Licensure support for a total of $3 million through the MN GI Bill and another $105 million through the Federal GI Bill educational benefits through our Higher Education Veterans Program staff.
- The Education and Employment Division’s Higher Education Veterans Program (HEVP) was recognized by the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard for supporting their soldiers’ and airmen’s educational success.
- Filed more than 3,000 Federal and State claims for Veterans and their dependents, advocating for Veterans benefits for disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation or education.
- Facilitated benefits for medical, dental and optical care which resulted in distributions of more than $1.1 billion.
- Finished the Education portion of the VATS system and successfully launched it with the addition of an online application portal for higher education, OJT/Apprenticeship and licensure/certification.
- Consolidated administration of the three parts of the MN GI Bill by taking over administration of the higher ed piece from OHE.
Safety
- Developed hazardous drug handling program to meet USP 800 requirements.
- Exceeded MNSAFE goals for claims incident and severity rates.
- Completed an employee safety perception survey with a 59% response rate; a 207% increase from the 2017 survey.
- Revised and updated emergency operations plans for all Minnesota Veterans Homes.
- Developed closed point of dispensing (CPOD) plans for Veterans Homes in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health.
Sustainability
- Moved halfway toward our goal to achieve a 30% reduction in consumption of energy per square foot by 2027.
MDVA
Once again, happy holidays and best wishes for a wonderful 2020!
