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Panel lays over $60,000 grant request to fund technical coordinators for women, suicide prevention and justice-involved veterans
Summary
House File 13 50, a request from the Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers to increase its annual state grant by $60,000 to fund three technical assistance coordinators, was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
The House Veterans and Military Affairs Division on March 5 laid over House File 13 50 for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. The measure would increase the Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers’ (MAC VSO) annual state grant by $60,000 to support three technical assistance coordinators focused on women veterans, veteran suicide prevention, and justice-involved veterans.
Representative Anna Feist moved to lay the bill over and introduced Dr. Kristi Janigo, legislative chair for the Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers, who testified about the need for the coordinators. Janigo described the coordinators’ roles as providing subject-matter expertise and coaching for county veteran service officers across Minnesota, offering training, and traveling to underserved counties.
Janigo said the women veterans coordinator is needed because women are the fastest-growing veteran cohort and often have different healthcare and trauma-related needs than men. She cited higher relative rates of PTSD among female veterans and outlined suicide-prevention work: “Suicide impacts the veterans community at disproportionately higher rates than the rest of the U.S. population,” Janigo said, citing commonly used estimates of veteran suicides per day.
On justice-involved veterans, Janigo described complex needs—substance use disorders, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain and housing instability—and recounted casework from veterans treatment court showing how county veteran service officers can help secure federal benefits, housing and services. Janigo said MAC VSO has been supporting these coordinator roles without funding and that the $60,000 would allow formal training and travel to expand the work statewide.
Representative Feist and Janigo emphasized improved veteran outcomes, including reduced recidivism and better access to VA benefits. After testimony and no questions, the division laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus package.
