Task force recommends NCA pre-file, state review and three-year window to verify Minnesota veterans who served in Laos
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Summary
A Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs task force recommended a four-step verification process — starting with pre-filing for burial with the National Cemetery Administration — and urged the Legislature to adopt statutory updates that would allow final state determinations through Dec. 31, 2030.
A task force convened by the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs on Feb. 18 told the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division it has developed practical, multi-step recommendations to verify Minnesota residents who say they served with U.S. forces in Laos during the Vietnam-era conflict.
“Minnesota Laws 2025 chapter 30 created this new section, coded 197.448, in recognition of the service of those who participated alongside American forces in Vietnam out of Laos,” Ben Johnson, deputy commissioner for programs and services at MDVA, told the committee as he summarized benefits the statute created and how the state should implement eligibility verification.
The task force’s principal recommendation calls for applicants to pre-file for burial with the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) so the federal agency can evaluate records; MDVA would then verify the NCA determination and, when appropriate, issue a certificate of eligibility for state benefits. Johnson described a separate commissioner-level “special consideration” process for cases the NCA does not affirm and noted that denials could be appealed via a contested-case hearing.
John Kelly, director of government affairs for MDVA, summarized the practical pathway: “an SGU applicant has basically 4 opportunities to be deemed eligible,” meaning (1) NCA pre-filing and review, (2) MDVA validation of the NCA decision, (3) commissioner special consideration, and (4) appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings.
The task force recommended the state make final determinations available to applicants through Dec. 31, 2030. Counsel and agency staff told lawmakers the time-limited window is meant to create administrative finality and to accelerate outreach given the advanced age of many eligible veterans. When asked why the deadline was proposed, Johnson said the limit was chosen to ensure the state can complete reviews promptly and reach as many individuals as possible.
Members asked about the evidence the MDVA would accept. Kelly said the protocol mirrors what the NCA considers and allows affidavits, membership-based vetting by SGU organizations, and other community-supplied materials when formal records are scarce. MDVA staff said they would work with county veterans service officers and the commander’s task force to assist applicants and that the department has published the task force hearings, reports and supporting materials on its website.
The committee did not take formal legislative action during the hearing. Lawmakers present said they expect sponsors to draft statutory language this session to reflect the task force recommendations and directed staff to coordinate that drafting and continued outreach.
