Emmer, Minnesota House colleagues seek improved veteran services in home state

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) last week joined a bipartisan home-state delegation in calling for an increase in Readjustment Counseling Services (RCS) for U.S. military service members and their families in Minnesota’s underserved, rural areas.

The RCS provides services including readjustment, family, bereavement, and military sexual counseling at what are commonly called Vet Centers, and RCS also offers mental health and substance abuse counseling and referrals, as well as referrals for benefits assistance, according to information provided by the congressman’s office.

“We are concerned that the available mental health counseling services in greater Minnesota are insufficient to meet the needs of our veterans,” wrote Rep. Emmer and his colleagues in a Feb. 20 letter sent to Robert Wilkie, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Currently Minnesota has only three Vet Centers — two in the Twin Cities Metro area and one in Duluth — to serve the entire state.”

Among the members joining Rep. Emmer in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Collin Peterson (D-MN).

There are 300 Vet Centers located across every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico. However, according to the American Legion, Minnesota is among states lacking an adequate number of Vet Centers with one per 136,000 veterans.

In comparison, Massachusetts, which has roughly the same veteran population as Minnesota, has one per 63,000 veterans, according to Rep. Emmer’s office.

The members asked Secretary Wilkie for “continued support as we move forward and work with local communities and stakeholders, including Veteran Service Officers, to determine the areas of greatest need and bring more Readjustment Counseling Services to greater Minnesota.”

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who said that “expanding access to the critical services provided at Vet Centers would be transformative in the lives of Minnesota veterans and their families as they transition from active service to civilian life.”

Others supporting Rep. Emmer’s letter are the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, the Minnesota Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion Department of Minnesota, the Disabled American Veterans Department of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans.