Why Air Force Veteran Lyndsey Leffel chooses VA care April 6, 2024, Kat Manouchehri, VA Contractor Women Veterans are the fastest growing group using VA services, and VA is expanding care to better serve their needs, from primary care to specialized care, including mental health, […]
VOTER VOICE – PLEASE COMPLETE! Please do this voter voice and send it to as many people as you know to complete it. DAV is including our CTF / Legion preferred disabled vets property tax bill and the MDVA education bill in it. The education bill […]
The American Legion National Legislative Division Weekly GRASSROOTS ACTION UPDATES Early on Tuesday, February 13th, the United States Senate passed a long-awaited emergency national defense funding package, aiming to support our allies and improving our national security abroad. The $95.3 billion package has been under […]
GRASSROOTS ACTION UPDATES The American Legion is urging Congress to pass the Love Lives On Act (S. 1266 / H.R. 3651). Without this bill, Gold Star Spouses over the age of 55 are forced to choose between remarriage and their survivor benefits. To ensure that […]
Navy Times By Diana Stancy Correll | Friday, Jan 26 The Navy said Friday that it will allow those without a high school diploma to enlist as long as they score a 50 or higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test that all prospects must […]
The American Legion JAN 03, 2024 American Legion posts have an opportunity to share the great work they are doing in their local community through the completion of the Consolidated Post Report (CPR). The CPR was established for posts to document external activities, such as […]
Military Times By Leo Shane III | Dec 6, 04:56 PM Military recruiting officials on Wednesday dismissed concerns that perceptions of an increasingly politicized military are undermining their pitches to young Americans, saying instead that unfamiliarity with military life poses a bigger barrier to efforts […]
By LINDA F. HERSEY | STARS AND STRIPES | December 5, 2023 WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Monday urged leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs to inform 40,000 low-income and elderly veterans immediately about accounting errors at the VA that caused hundreds of millions […]
Associated Press BY TARA COPP | Updated 12:41 PM EST, December 4, 2023 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force is expanding its study of whether service members who worked with nuclear missiles have had unusually high rates of cancer after a preliminary review determined that […]
The American Legion Department of Minnesota has advocated for three Vet Centers for Minnesota for years and our persistence has paid off! Please see the below article. We still have work to do as we want a Vet Center in Mankato and Bemidji. Thanks to […]
Frequently Asked Questions; Question: What is a Paid Up For Life Membership? Answer: Paid Up For Life membership is a lifelong membership plan of The American Legion. It ensures you receive all the benefits of Legion membership for life. Lifetime membership is paid either in one payment […]
By ROSE L. THAYER | STARS AND STRIPES | November 18, 2023 The Department of Veterans Affairs is extending a pandemic-era program that helped financially-strapped veterans keep their homes after criticism that it wasn’t doing enough to prevent those with VA-backed loans from foreclosure. The […]
By LINDA F. HERSEY | STARS AND STRIPES | November 21, 2023 Kenneth Landry was deployed in Kuwait as an air-traffic controller with Air Force special operations in 2014 when an ATV rollover knocked him unconscious and pinned him underneath the vehicle. Landry was pulled […]
National dues adjustment for 2025 membership year The American Legion NOV 14, 2023 The American Legion’s last national per-capita dues will increase from $18.50 to $23.50 for the 2025 membership year. The $5 increase will go into effect July 1, 2024. American Legion posts are […]
August 9, 2023 NAAG, Attorneys General Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Attorneys General issued a letter today on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general expressing support for the passage of legislative proposals included in Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (G.U.A.R.D.) Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Act. […]
Return criminal penalties for those who take advantage of disabled veterans or their families By Daniel J. Seehafer NOV 14, 2023 Dear American Legion Family Members and Friends, Few insults are more egregious than to take advantage of disabled veterans or their families, under false […]
Associated Press; Updated 9:51 PM EST, November 12, 2023 BERLIN (AP) — Five U.S. service people were killed when a military helicopter crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea during a training mission, U.S. officials said Sunday. The military’s European Command said all five crew members on […]
Military Times; By Leo Shane III | Friday, Nov 10 The White House Friday launched a pair of veteran-focused campaigns to encourage broader use of federal benefits while also warn about scams targeting those support services. The announcement, made one day ahead of Veterans Day commemorations, […]
By LINDA F. HERSEY | STARS AND STRIPES | November 6, 2023 WASHINGTON — The debilitating illnesses that some veterans have suffered from toxic exposure caused by burn pits and other sources continue “long after the guns of war have silenced,” Department of Veterans Affairs […]
Airborne Ranger By Tim Engstrom CHARLOTTE — In the late 1960s, the military was taking 5,000 men per month in Minnesota alone. It was the height of the Vietnam War. Rick Cross is 74 these days, and back then, at 18, he graduated from Osseo […]
Wisconsinite elected national commander By Tim Engstrom CHARLOTTE — Keni Thomas sang the national anthem at the start of the 104th American Legion National Convention. Who is Keni Thomas? He is a country music singer and former Army Ranger who was part of Operation Restore […]
By MATTHEW ADAMS | STARS AND STRIPES | September 28, 2023 WASHINGTON — Including unit leaders in more suicide prevention training and increasing mental health services are just two of the more than 100 recommendations that the Pentagon said Thursday will be implemented in the […]
By Jody Hassing Director, Minnesota American Legion Riders Hello! I had a great time at The American Legion National Convention, Camporee and the Romp. On Tuesday, Aug. 29, representatives from the Minnesota American Legion Riders and the Minnesota American Legion Family went on stage and […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Legion today called on Congress to end its political standoff and prioritize legislative action to avert a government shutdown on September 30th. In its urgent call for action, The American Legion highlighted potential impacts a disruption to government funding may […]
By Pam Krill Great job, Department of Minnesota! As of this article written on Sept. 17, the Department of Minnesota was sitting in third place nationally. We were sitting behind France and South Dakota. Historically, have we come out the gates running at full speed, […]
Military Times; By Leo Shane III | Aug 23, 03:10 PM The future of Veterans Affairs health care may not be in brick-and-mortar federal hospitals or private-sector clinics. A growing number of patients are headed into cyberspace instead. VA officials have seen a dramatic growth in […]
‘Atomic veterans’ overwhelmingly denied benefits for illnesses related to radiation exposure during service NBC, Aug. 23, 2023, 10:04 AM EDT | By Melissa Chan Thousands of veterans who say they were sickened by radiation exposure during their military service have been denied federal benefits, the Department […]
[From Gray & Associates, L.C.] The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continues to grow. According to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Under Secretary of Health Dr. Elnahal, the VHA now has 400,740 employees, an historic high. The organization has “far surpassed” the goal of hiring 52,000 […]
COMMANDER’S MESSAGE Dear American Legion Family members and friends, It was two years ago when we were collectively dismayed at how swiftly the Taliban reasserted control over Afghanistan. Once the withdrawal of American troops gained momentum, we only knew it was a matter of time. […]
By Paul Hassing Commander, American Legion Department of Minnesota Greetings, Legion Family, I am truly honored and humbled to be elected commander of the greatest department in the greatest veterans service organization in the world. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to so many […]