Empowering Communities, Celebrating Minnesota Locally

VA delivers record care and benefits to Minnesota Veterans in fiscal year 2024

WASHINGTON  Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in fiscal year 2024 — including to Veterans, their families, and their survivors in Minnesota.

These outcomes for the nation’s Veterans build on continued efforts by VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration to expand and improve care and benefits for those who served, much of which has been made possible by the PACT Act — the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations.

VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today.

“Veterans deserve the very best from VA and our nation, and we will never settle for anything less,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We’re honored that more Veterans are getting their earned health care and benefits from VA than ever before, but make no mistake: there is still work to do. We will continue to work each and every day to earn the trust of those we serve — and ensure that all Veterans, their families, and their survivors get the care and benefits they so rightly deserve.”

Key outcomes for Minnesota Veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors from this fiscal year include:

  • Providing more world-class health care to Veterans: VA delivered more than 2,273,000 health care appointments to Minnesota Veterans this year, and 5,611 Minnesota Veterans enrolled in VA health care.
  • Delivering more earned benefits to more Veterans: 104,656 Minnesota Veterans received compensation and 1,720 received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $1,796,000,000 and $22,200,000 in earned benefits, respectively. Additionally, VA processed 31,487 disability benefit claims for Minnesota Veterans, with an overall grant rate of 66%.
  • Earning Veteran Trust: Nationwide, Veteran trust in VA reached 80.4% this year, an all-time record and an increase of 25% since 2016. Veteran trust in VA health care also reached 92%, another record.
  • Supporting Veterans in crisis: VA provided no-cost emergency health care this year to more than 700 Minnesota Veterans in acute suicidal crises.
  • Supporting a record number of survivors of Veterans: 960 Minnesota survivors received pension benefits this year, representing an estimated $9,630,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 7,902 spouses and dependents in Minnesota received Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, representing an estimated $160,800,000 in earned benefits.
  • Supporting a record number of women Veterans: 7,501 women Veterans in Minnesota received compensation, representing an estimated $164,100,000 in earned benefits. Additionally, 506 women Veterans in Minnesota enrolled in VA health care. VA now has more women Veterans enrolled in its health care system than ever before.
  • Giving Veterans final resting places in VA National Cemeteries: VA interred 2,576 Veterans in VA’s national cemeteries in Minnesota this year.