Veterans Service office 213 1st Ave SE Little Falls, MN 56345 320632-0290 veterans@ co.morrison.mn.us

Notes from your VSO , Kathy Marshik, April 29, 2021 Happy Sunny Spring Day Everyone!!!

Welcome home to all those who served on state active duty. Thank you to everyone who helped with the efforts to protect our state in the past year. Not always easy to be taken away from your family in a moments notice. Then dealing with very stressful, difficult situations. I am proud of each and everyone of you for your incredible strength to withstand some very tough times. Thank you to the families who give up their loved ones to protect us.

With that said, these service members who served on State Active Duty, save copies of your orders. Report medical items to your military organization. Keep records of injury or illness in case they are useful in the future. If there are items, you need help with, contact us and we can see how we can help. As of right now, State Active Duty that is called up by the state’s governor, does not qualify for VA service-connected compensation. It alone does not qualify people for VA health care, as the VA is a federal benefit. Hopefully this will change in the future. It’s a change to be made at a federal government level. If this frustrates you, talk to your local service organizations, and political representatives to help change the future. Regardless we are definitely here to navigate through options for you if you were injured or experiencing issues after your duty. We will file claims, and they will be denied now, but could be approved later down the road.

Those who recently returned from deployments or heading out the door. Make sure your families have our contact information. When you complete active duty make an appointment with us and make sure your DD 214’s are filed with us. All individuals need to get their DD 214’s filed at our office, even after initial entry training.

Note on claims, talk to us and discuss the things you need prior to your visit. If you are looking at a compensation claim for service connected injuries: you need DD 214’s or orders from active duty of when the illness or injury occurred. Evidence to prove your case which includes, current diagnosis and treatment for service related item. Medical opinion showing the illness or injury was caused by active duty federal service. Military and civilian medical records, buddy statements, statement explaining how the injury or illness occurred, and how it impacts your daily life now. Any records that prove what happened are helpful, such as accident re- ports, awards showing what you did, line of duty, sick call slips, annual evaluations explaining your duties, pay records, pictures, or news articles about your situation. If you are doing a claim for something financial, we need last three months of bank statements, income statements for last 2 months, MN state ID, marriage and birth certificates for dependents. When doing claims we need your bank information for direct deposit. For burial pre-registration, we need DD 214, NGB 22, with all branches and highest rank held and marriage certificates. Death benefits, we need proof of relationship to Veteran, death certificate and funeral invoice state- ments for most benefits. Give us a call to better prepare for your next visit. We will guide you through each process.

Spring yard work is in the air. If you are interested in helping people in need of assistance with yard items. Let us know. We can add you to our volunteer list. Thank you to the many who have volunteered to help other Veterans over the years. There are tons of local community events and organizations looking for helpers. If you need help finding something let us know. We will help.

Check out the mindfulness app from the VA. They got some great tools to make your day just a little healthier and brighter. https:// self-compassion.org/ by Dr. Kristin Neff is an website full of fun meditation and items to help make a“gloomy” or stressful day easi- er. Then… there is exercise and physical activity. Many individuals who have struggles with some sort of past experience need to physically get out their frustrations and aggressions. Sometimes just get out some energy. In todays world many of us sit at desks all day long. We need physical activity for our mind and body. Get out and enjoy some nature when you can. Even if you can’t get out and do things, try to be by a window, and soak up some sun. Listen to music, read and find simple hobbies. Reach out to friends and push yourself to be social. Get out of your comfort zone once in a while.

Kids month went well. Prize winners will be notified soon. We have one day left. There are plenty of ice cream vouchers for DQ and Lindy Scoop. Next time you are around pick some up for kids, and grandkids. If you are a mili- News and Resources If you have any Memorial Day items going next month, let us know and we can share with the community. Veterans Health Care, April 28, 2021 (govdelivery.com) VA Health Care news Toll Free Numbers for Contacting VA VA Phone Number reference guide CapTel eNewsletter Hearing impaired phone systems Prepare for Your Visit (govdelivery.com) St. Cloud VA Updates VFW Action Corps Weekly- VFW VFW news update https://www.mac-v.org MN Assistance council for Veterans Last week, FEMA began receiving applications for “COVID-19 Funeral Assistance” as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Information is available to the public here with addition- al links to a press release and an FAQ. Please share this information locally as appropriate.

Key Details: This is not a VA-administered program. All inquiries should be referred to the website and/or the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line at 844-684-6333 (TTY: 800-462-7585). The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020. This assistance is limited to a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update--April 23, 2021 (govdelivery.com) VA COVID update

Get Started on Mayo Clinic Connect | Mayo Clinic Connect Mayo clinic news items

Minnesota Housing (mnhousing.gov) Need Help with Rent? Check this out

Link Vet 24/7 Support for Veterans and Families | LinkVet 1-888-546-5838

Morrison County Outstanding Veteran of the Week

Sergeant First Class Mandie McGinnis, MN Army National Guard

Sergeant First Class Mandie McGinnis joined the MN Army National Guard in 2001 as a junior in high school. Initially she joined the National Guard thinking she would drill one weekend a month, maybe fill some sand bags for flood duty, and go to college to become a nurse. A week after taking her oath, 9/11 happened. After graduation, she went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for Basic Training in 2002. From there she attended Advanced Individual Training for 91J (68J) Medical Logistics Specialist at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. She lat- er obtained a secondary MOS as a 42A Human Resources NCO. She currently serves as the Senior Medical Logistics NCO with Joint Force Headquarters Detachment at Camp Ripley. She previously served within a variety of medical units, including E 434th MSB, C 134th BSB (1st Armored Brigade Combat Team), 204th Area Support Medical Company (347th Regional Support Group), and MNARNG Medical Detachment. In 2008 she deployed with HSC 834th ASB (34th Combat Aviation Bri- gade) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Medical Logistics NCOIC. She has served in a variety of leadership positions, and volunteers as a Suicide Intervention Officer and certified Sexual Assault Victim Ad- vocate. Mandie has worked at Camp Ripley fulltime since 2007, with a focus on medical logistics. She recently took on a new position working for the National Guard Bureau as the Operations Chief for the NGB Medical Logis- tics Warehouse. Their team focuses on providing medical supplies across the nation to all 54 States and Ter- ritories. She has strived for many things throughout her career, which included a balance of being a Soldier and a role model for her children. She utilized the Post 9/11 GI Bill and earned her Bachelor of Professional Studies in Business Management and Administration with honors. She wanted to prove to her children that all things are possible, even if they do not happen when you expect them to. She is the founder of “Battle Check”, a social media initiative for Service Members and Veterans to connect, geared towards combating the suicide rate and offering support and resources to each other. She is the co-founder and Vice-President of the Swamp Bandits Off-Road Club, volunteers for the MN DNR as an ATV Safety Instructor and Trail Ambassador; and is one of her clubs Emergency First Responders.

Morrison County Outstanding Veteran of the Week

Sergeant First Class Mandie McGinnis, MN Army National Guard

Mandie lives in Little Falls with her husband Thomas and their daughters Mikala and Alexis. Her husband is a local firefighter, and her children are both high schoolers. They enjoy camping, fishing, four wheeling, hunting, and traveling together. After nearly twenty years of service, they are all excited for Mandie to tran- sition into retirement from the military this fall. As we celebrate the “Month of the Military Child”; SFC McGinnis wants to thank all of the military children for their support, strength, resilience, and willpower. Mikala and Alexis have spent their lives sharing their mom with the Army. They stayed strong through a deployment, countless drills, numerous months of mom being away at military schools, late nights, early mornings, and missed events. They gained a very large military family, ‘aunts and uncles’ that would move mountains for them, they learned how to adapt, grew to be inde- pendent and strong-willed, and learned the importance of caring for others. “My daughters will never know the impact they had on all of the successes throughout my career in the military; without them, I would not be who I am today. I am grateful for every hug, every welcome home sign, and every “Good job, Mom.” It’s a pleasure and honor to recognize one of my fellow combat medics, female Iraq Veteran and friend. You make me very proud Miss Mandie McGinnis!!! You are professional, an awesome leader, mentor, got a great sense of humor and brighten everyone's world around you. Thank you for all you do. Below we what is are several photos of military kids and their mom. Seeing mom leave and return from de- ployment, mom getting married, mom getting promoted, and mom showing honors at a fellow Veterans funeral. And because Mandie and I are silly Veterans, there is a picture of us, when we were in charge of the figure skating club in Little Falls. Since we ran the show, we figured why not be part of the show.