Veterans living at one of the two Minnesota Veterans Homes Domiciliary Program (DOMS) locations in Hastings or Minneapolis often receive as much as they give through work therapy. DOMS supports Veterans in transition by helping them to find stable housing, manage health and wellbeing, and work toward vocational goals.

What is Work Therapy?

One way the DOMS program helps Veteran Residents work toward vocational goals is through voluntary work therapy. Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) supports Veterans with mental health or physical disabilities by addressing job barriers they might face. Members of the DOMS care teams provide the necessary dietary, budgetary and administrative support for Veteran workers to have an efficient, effective and collaborative work environment.

“We stress that mental health and medical appointments are always the priority and are sensitive to Resident care needs first,” says Eugene Grace, DOMS Vocational Rehabilitation Placement Coordinator.

In addition to providing an opportunity to earn money, CWT offers a variety of benefits to those Residents who opt in. Grace notes valuable perks, “Work therapy helps with team building and allows Residents to take pride in their work and find success in working.”

Finding Success in Seasonal Work

Through a decades-long partnership with the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, DOMS Residents can enjoy seasonal, part-time employment off campus. From late May through September, a crew of eight Residents work for 25 hours a week on beautification and upkeep of burial sites, as well as general ground maintenance.

“This work therapy allows Residents to be active, outside in the fresh air and working collaboratively with the Fort Snelling maintenance staff and the public,” Grace continues.

MDVA provides a bag lunch, transportation between the Minnesota Veterans Homes and the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, plus an onsite supervisor that works with cemetery management to determine work areas and projects.

Historically, Veterans from the larger DOMS program in Hastings participated in CWT at the Cemetery. This year, the opportunity expanded to include Veterans from Minneapolis. The expansion was a success, the first year that all members of the crew saw the season through from start to finish. To celebrate the end of the season, members from the work crew, the Cemetery staff and the DOMS vocational rehabilitation team enjoyed a lunch on Sept. 26.

With the summer season ending, some of the crew from the Cemetery have since returned to on-campus work assignments in Hastings. When they sign up to work off campus for the summer, the DOMS program guarantees they will have a position at the Home when they return.