They say patience is a virtue. And good things come to those who wait.

Those sayings ring true for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) and several Minnesota communities which will in 2023 experience the results of years – some even decades – of advocacy. This coming year will bring the opening of four new MDVA facilities across our great state.

• The Preston State Veterans Home will open in mid-June with 54 beds to serve southeastern Minnesota.
• The Bemidji State Veterans Home will open in August with 72 beds to serve northwestern Minnesota.
• The Montevideo State Veterans Home will open in September with 72 beds to serve western Minnesota.
• The Redwood Falls State Veterans Cemetery will open in September and create a dignified, respectful eternal resting place for Veterans living in southwestern Minnesota, eventually offering more than 22,000 burial sites.

This dramatic expansion in facilities and services did not happen without extraordinary efforts among Veterans, their families, friends and supporters, elected officials at the local, state and federal level, and the MDVA team. Coordination and collaboration, along with tenacity and persuasion, is allowing dreams and visions to become reality in 2023.

Minnesota’s more than 300,000 Veterans have earned a host of federal and state benefits. MDVA is proud to be able to serve Veterans across the state even better with these new facilities. We recognize the importance of offering services and facilities closer to home and loved ones. And the community response has been energizing and gratifying.

The MDVA team recently completed visits to both Preston and Montevideo, to introduce the Administrators who will lead the Veterans Homes in those two communities. We will visit Bemidji to do likewise at the end of the month. The visit included a tour at the construction sites. The positive feedback was universal.

We look forward to grand opening/ribbon-cutting events at the three new Veterans Homes over the summer and a dedication ceremony at the new Veterans Cemetery in late summer or early fall. That will certainly be a highlight of our year and personally, for me, of my career.

We hope you will join us. Because as another saying goes, it takes a village.

And a reminder: we are hiring for hundreds of roles at the three new Veterans Homes and the new Veterans Cemetery. Please consider joining our team or encouraging others to do so. Job openings are posted at mn.gov/careers.

If you need information or support on any Veteran issue, please visit our website, contact your County Veterans Service Officer, or contact LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet.

Thank YOU for your service!