Starting this Saturday, Aug. 1, three new Minnesota laws kick in that quietly deliver some big changes for veterans and their families. The state is widening who can be buried in its veterans cemeteries, creating a path to honorary high school diplomas for Korean and Vietnam era veterans, and bumping up daily state pay for National Guard members when they are called into state service. Lawmakers in both parties backed the moves as part of this year’s education and veterans packages, and advocates say the first ripple effects will show up in school district offices and at state cemetery counters. For many families, the paperwork to get a diploma or schedule a burial just got easier, even if the price tag for the state went up.
Diplomas for veterans who left school to serve
The new diploma provision tells school districts and charter schools that, upon request, they must issue an honorary diploma to veterans who left high school early to serve in the Korean or Vietnam wars, and it allows family members to request a diploma on behalf of a deceased veteran, according to KNSI. Sponsors say the idea came from conversations at veterans homes, then moved quickly through committee with broad support. Veterans who want a diploma are told to start by contacting the school district where they once attended.
How the diploma idea moved through the Capitol
At the Capitol, the diploma measure traveled as part of a larger education package and picked up bipartisan backing in committee hearings. Lawmakers pointed to similar "Operation Recognition" efforts in other states as a model, and education advocates and legislators described the Minnesota version as a straightforward, symbolic way to honor service that cut short a high school career, according to reporting and committee summaries from local education groups.
Expanded cemetery eligibility in statute
Lawmakers also rewrote the statute that governs State Veterans Cemeteries so that more people qualify for burial. The new language adds honorably discharged National Guard and Reserve members to the list, along with their spouses and dependent children. The changes to Minn. Stat. §197.236 are laid out in the enrolled bill text posted on the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes website, which shows precisely how the cemetery provisions were updated this session. Families who are unsure about eligibility are being directed to review the statute or contact cemetery staff with specific questions.
Guard pay rises after decades without change
The same package gives a long overdue tune up to what Minnesota pays its National Guard members when they are called to state active duty. According to KNSI, the state daily rate had been stuck at $130 since 1997. Under the new law, enlisted pay grades E-1 through E-4 will be paid at the federal E-5 rate when serving on state duty, which puts a private first class at roughly $186 per day under the updated state formula. The law also links the state rate to the federal military pay tables so it will adjust automatically each year instead of waiting for lawmakers to revisit it.
Where veterans can be buried and who to contact
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs runs four state veterans cemeteries in Little Falls, Duluth, Preston and Redwood Falls, and handles preregistration as well as scheduling for interments. Details on cemetery locations, eligibility rules and how to preregister are available through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Funeral directors and families can contact individual cemetery offices for appointment times and help with documentation.
Veterans or family members who want more information on diplomas, burial eligibility or other state veteran services can start with their local school district and the MDVA LinkVet line at 1-888-546-5838. For those who want to read the exact language, the official bill text and statute updates are posted by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes in the enrolled bill material referenced above.
