1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to veterans homes; expanding eligibility for
1.3 	admission to include certain Minnesota residents who
1.4 	provided military assistance to the United States
1.5 	armed forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War
1.6 	era; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 198.01.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 198.01, is
1.9 	amended to read:
1.10 	198.01 VETERANS HOME; ELIGIBILITY OF VETERANS.
1.11 	(a) The Minnesota veterans homes shall provide nursing care
1.12 	and related health and social services for veterans and their
1.13 	spouses who meet eligibility and admission requirements of the
1.14 	Minnesota veterans homes.  The word "veteran" as used in this
1.15 	section has the meaning provided in section 197.447.
1.16 	(b) In addition to persons eligible under paragraph (a) for
1.17 	admission to a Minnesota veterans home, a person who would
1.18 	otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for admission, but
1.19 	who is not a veteran under section 197.447, is eligible for
1.20 	admission if the person served in the active military service in
1.21 	the armed forces of a nation or society allied with the United
1.22 	States in conducting a foreign war in Southeast Asia during the
1.23 	period July 1, 1961, to June 30, 1978, if the person's military
1.24 	service has been demonstrated to the reasonable satisfaction of,
1.25 	and is certified by, the commissioner of veterans affairs.  In
1.26 	determining an applicant's eligibility for admission under this
2.1 	paragraph, the commissioner may use reasonable discretion in
2.2 	reviewing any relevant evidence of the person's prior military
2.3 	service, including but not limited to:  the person's membership
2.4 	in any veterans' organization; a notarized statement from a
2.5 	known veteran about the applicant's prior military service; any
2.6 	relevant oral history related by the applicant or the
2.7 	applicant's family, broadly defined; or any other relevant
2.8 	evidence of the person's prior military service.  None of these
2.9 	specific types of evidence is required for determining
2.10 	eligibility under this paragraph.

2.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2005.