Current or former military members, no matter the era of service, receive priority services in all WorkForce Centers across the state. This can include help with long-term decisions like career planning or pursuing education, as well as more immediate tasks like posting a resume or landing a job. A statewide network of veterans employment representatives can also help veterans that have significant challenges finding or keeping a job or have a service-connected disability.

Unfortunately, many veterans return from active duty with a service-connected disability. In fact, data show that veterans are more than twice as likely as non-veterans to have a disability. These can range from slight to severe – with the U.S. Veterans Administration using a disability rating scale to determine the amount of benefits or compensation awarded.

According to recent estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, almost one-fourth of veterans in Minnesota had a service-connected disability – accounting for just over 80,000 people. Half of these veterans had a disability rating of 20 percent or lower, and another 15 percent had a 30-40 percent disability rating. However, about 30 percent had a disability rating of 50 percent or higher, including 20 percent at the highest level.

Southwest Minnesota has a slightly higher concentration of veterans with a service-connected disability than the state, ranging from the county with the second highest rate in the state – Big Stone County at 39 percent - to the lowest – Lincoln County at 10.5 percent. In sum, the region was home to 6,711 veterans with a service-connected disability. Check out this interactive data visualization to see more details on the disability ratings of veterans in each county.

In addition to DEED’s employment services, there are a wide variety of resources designed to help veterans across the state:

• Minnesota Disabled Veterans Program: Veterans employment representatives are available in many of Minnesota's WorkForce Centers to assist veterans with barriers to employment, disabled veterans, and transitioning service members.
• Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs: The VA assists Minnesota's veterans and their dependents in obtaining the benefits and services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: The department's vocational rehabilitation and employment program helps veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find and keep suitable jobs.
• Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry On-the-Job Training/Apprenticeships: Both on-the-job (OJT) and apprenticeship training programs are available for veterans using their VA education benefits, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill. These programs allow veterans to learn a trade or skill through training on the job rather than attending formal classroom instruction.
• U.S. Department of Labor: Provides veterans employment and training services and information about employment and re-employment rights for veterans.
• CareerOneStop Veterans ReEmployment: A one-stop webpage for employment, training and financial help after military service.
• My Next Move: Search for careers using keywords, search by industry, or search for careers that are like your military job by using the name or code of your military classification.
• MyMilitary GPS LifePlan: Helps veterans, service members and their families set career, education, finance and personal goals and design plans that will lead them to success.
• Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Beyond the Yellow Ribbon connects service members and their families with community support, training, services and resources. The city of Luverne is also a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon community.

For More Information

Contact Luke Greiner at 320-308-5378 or Mark Schultz.