Minnesota Agencies

Determines policy and adopts, amends, and repeals rules for the governance of the Minnesota veterans homes; reports quarterly to the governor on the management, operation, and quality of care provided at the homes; takes other action as provided by law.

The Minnesota Soldiers' Home was established in 1887 by the Minnesota state legislature (Laws of Minnesota 1887, chapter 148). In 1967 the home's name changed to the Minnesota Veterans Home (Laws of Minn. 1967, chap. 148). Its purpose is to provide care for honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. military services who are unable to support and care for themselves.

When the home was established in 1887, a board of trustees was created to administer the home. The board located the first home on 50 acres donated by the city of Minneapolis near the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River.

The Legislature abolished the board of trustees in 1975 and transferred responsibility for the homes to the Department of Veterans Affairs (see Laws of Minn. 1975, chap. 61).

Inspections performed by the Minnesota Department of Health from September 1986 to July 1987 found numerous serious health and safety violations in the homes. For a brief period, Governor Rudy Perpich transferred the administration of the veterans’ homes to the Department of Human Services by Reorganization Order No. 149.

In August of 1987, Governor Perpich appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study operations and governance of the homes as well as the long-term health care needs of Minnesota veterans. On February 18, 1988, Governor Perpich issued Executive Order No. 88-3 creating a transitional board of directors for the Minnesota Veterans Home to plan and manage the transition of the Minnesota veterans’ homes from the Department of Human Services to a permanent board of directors in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 1988 the Legislature reassigned veterans home administration to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and created a new nine-member Veterans Home Board of Directors to oversee operations (see Laws of Minn. 1988, chap. 699).

On November 19, 2007, the Veterans Home Board was eliminated via Reorganization Order No. 194, and the duties and responsibilities of the board were transferred to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.

The board is composed of nine members:

• chair, designated by governor;
• three public members; and
• five members of congressionally chartered veterans organizations or their auxiliaries that have a statewide organizational structure and state level officers in Minnesota.

Members shall be experienced in policy formation and have professional experience in health care delivery and fairly represent the geographical areas of the state).