Department of Minnesota Adjutant Mike Maxa provides perspectives on The American Legion and the Minnesota military community.
Military.com/By: Patricia Kime Indefinite’ Defense Department IDs Inconvenience Air Travelers, May Be Dropped as Acceptable Identification Military retirees and some spouses or dependents whose next-generation Department of Defense identification cards have an “INDEF” expiration date continue to face problems using their IDs to traverse Transportation […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee met Wednesday afternoon to review the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) implementation of the Honoring Our PACT Act. That legislation, which greatly expands veterans’ access to care and benefits for health conditions related to toxic exposures during their military service, […]
26 Jun 2023 • Military.com • By Patricia Kime The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case on the handling of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs — a proceeding that could provide additional education benefits for roughly 1.7 […]
20 Jun 2023 • Military.com • By Amanda Miller Post-9/11 combat veterans who served between 2001 and 2013 have until Sept. 30 to enroll in Department of Veterans Affairs health care. The date will conclude a one-year “special enrollment period” provided by the PACT Act. […]
By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN • STARS AND STRIPES • June 8, 2023 Legislation drafted by a group of U.S. senators aims to alleviate the military’s ongoing woes in attracting new members by allowing recruiters greater access to high schools and colleges. Introduced Wednesday, the Military […]