Getting help (7) · Health care (10) · Rides (3) · Buying a house (9) · Property tax (7) · Education and work (10) · Minnesota benefits (8) · Federal rates and burial (6) · Kenyon's organizations (12)
Getting help
Who is the veterans service officer for Kenyon?
Goodhue County's Veterans Service Office in Red Wing: director Justin Kent and assistant officer Marissa LaCourt, 509 West 5th Street, lower level, 651-385-3256, weekdays 8 to 4:30. The office is free and files claims on your behalf.
Does the county service officer come to Kenyon?
Yes. Outreach hours at the Kenyon VFW, 601 2nd Street, the last Wednesday of every month from 4 to 6 p.m. He is also at the Zumbrota VFW the fourth Thursday and the Cannon Falls VFW the fourth Tuesday.
Can I use the Rice County office in Faribault instead?
It is 20 minutes away and serves Rice County residents; county veterans service is organized by county of residence, so a Kenyon claim belongs with Goodhue County. Rice County's page is still a useful list of area posts.
What should I bring to a first appointment?
Your DD-214. If it is lost, the office orders it from the National Personnel Records Center, which can take up to 90 days, and a copy may be on file in Red Wing if you were discharged as a Goodhue County resident.
What is LinkVet?
Minnesota's veterans help line, 888-546-5838, run by the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans and families with questions about state and federal benefits.
Where do I call in a crisis?
Dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at veteranscrisisline.net, any hour. Enrollment in VA is not required.
A claim was denied years ago. Is it over?
No. A denied claim can be reopened with new and relevant evidence, and the county office prepares that filing; the PACT Act also added presumptive conditions that changed the outcome of many older exposure claims.
Health care
Where is the nearest VA clinic to Kenyon?
The Rochester VA Clinic, 3551 Commercial Drive SW, Suite 400, about 38 miles and 49 minutes by road, weekdays 7:30 to 4:30, 507-252-0885. It offers primary care, mental health and 17 specialty lines.
Where is the nearest VA hospital?
The Minneapolis VA Medical Center, One Veterans Drive, about 50 miles and 65 minutes, open around the clock with an emergency room, surgery and more than 80 services (612-725-2000).
Is there a VA clinic in Northfield, Faribault, Owatonna or Red Wing?
No. The Minneapolis system's Minnesota sites are Minneapolis, Rochester, Albert Lea, Mankato, Shakopee, Maplewood, Ramsey, St. James, Hibbing and Ely.
Can I see a local doctor at VA expense?
Usually, for primary care and mental health. VA's standard for those services is a 30-minute average drive to the nearest VA site, and Rochester is about 49 minutes from Kenyon. VA staff make the determination with VA's own mapping tool; ask your VA clinic or call 877-222-8387.
What about specialists?
The specialty standard is 60 minutes or a 28-day wait. Rochester is inside that limit for the specialties it carries, so specialty care may be routed there; a specialty Rochester does not offer, or a wait beyond 28 days, opens community care.
Who is eligible for VA health care?
Veterans with 24 continuous months of service (or the full period called) and no dishonorable discharge, with enhanced eligibility for service-connected disability, post-9/11 combat service, Purple Heart, former POW, VA pension, Medicaid eligibility, Gulf War service, Camp Lejeune and the PACT Act's toxic-exposure groups. Enrollment line 877-222-8387.
What is the PACT Act screening?
Every enrolled veteran is due a toxic-exposure screening with follow-ups at least every five years. The Act added more than twenty presumptive conditions for burn pits, Agent Orange and other exposures and widened eligibility for Vietnam, Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans.
Does VA cover dental?
Fully for compensable service-connected dental conditions, former POWs and veterans rated 100 percent or unemployable; other classes are limited. Anyone enrolled in VA care or CHAMPVA can buy reduced-cost coverage through VADIP.
Where is the nearest Vet Center?
The St. Paul Vet Center in Eagan, 2113 Cliff Drive, Suite 100, 612-243-7920, weekdays 8 to 4:30, with a Rochester access point at the Olmsted County Government Center on Thursdays by appointment. Counseling is free and confidential; after hours 877-927-8387.
Can a family member be paid to care for me?
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers covers veterans rated 70 percent or higher who need at least six months of in-person personal care; the primary caregiver receives a monthly stipend, CHAMPVA, at least 30 days of respite a year and training. Apply with VA Form 10-10CG.
Rides
How do I get a free ride to the Minneapolis VA?
DAV vans carry ambulatory veterans free from the Twin Cities and most suburbs weekdays for appointments between 9 and 1 (612-467-2768). From Kenyon, DAV Minnesota's Southeast region at 507-703-1139 arranges rides to any VA or VA-referred provider with about a week's notice.
Is there local transit in Kenyon?
Hiawathaland Transit's Dial-A-Ride serves Kenyon and Wanamingo at $1.75 one way, exact change; dispatch 866-623-7505, weekdays 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 7 to 4:30. No veteran fare is published.
Can I take the train to the VA?
The Blue Line's Fort Snelling stop serves both the St. Paul Regional Benefit Office and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center.
Buying a house
Can I buy a house in Kenyon with nothing down?
Yes. VA-backed loans need no down payment and no mortgage insurance, and nearly 90 percent are made with nothing down. On a $289,000 Kenyon listing, principal and interest at 6.76 percent is about $1,876 a month, or about $1,917 with the first-use funding fee financed.
What is the VA funding fee?
On a purchase with less than 5 percent down, 2.15 percent of the loan on first use and 3.3 percent on later uses; 1.5 percent with 5 percent down and 1.25 percent with 10 percent. It can be financed into the loan.
Who pays no funding fee?
Veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected disability, veterans eligible for compensation who draw retirement or active-duty pay instead, surviving spouses receiving DIC, service members with a proposed or memorandum rating before closing, and Purple Heart recipients on active duty.
How much does VA guarantee?
$36,000 on loans under $144,000 and up to 25 percent of larger loans, which is why lenders drop the down payment and the mortgage insurance.
Where do I get a Certificate of Eligibility?
Online at va.gov, through your lender, or through the county service officer.
What do the payment estimates on this site assume?
The Freddie Mac 30-year rate of 6.76 percent for the week of September 10, 2026, property tax on the parcel's 2026 county assessed value as a homestead at Kenyon's certified rates, Minnesota-average insurance of about $8 per $1,000 of the assessor's building value, and no points, HOA or special assessments. The arithmetic is on the VA loan page.
Does the Native American Direct Loan apply in Kenyon?
No; it covers homes on federal trust land only.
Can I combine a VA loan with Minnesota Housing's Start Up program?
Start Up first mortgages are offered as conventional, FHA, VA and USDA loans through participating lenders, with deferred down-payment loans up to $18,000. The city's housing page lists SEMMCHRA, which administers Start Up in Goodhue County (651-565-2638).
Is there help adapting a house for a disability?
The Specially Adapted Housing grant is up to $126,526 and the Special Home Adaptation grant up to $25,350 in fiscal 2026, with temporary-residence versions of $50,961 and $9,100.
Property tax
What is the disabled-veteran homestead exclusion?
Minn. Stat. 273.13 subd. 34 excludes $150,000 of a homestead's market value from taxation for a veteran with a service-connected disability of 70 percent or more, and $300,000 for a total and permanent rating.
How much does it save on a Kenyon house?
At 2026 rates a $250,000 homestead pays about $3,734 a year ordinarily, about $1,631 at 70 percent, and about $0 at 100 percent permanent and total. The tax exclusion page runs every value.
How do I apply?
To the Goodhue County Assessor in Red Wing by December 31 of the first assessment year for which the exclusion is sought, with the VA's certification of the rating. Apply once; the county carries it forward.
Does my spouse keep it if I die?
Yes, until the spouse remarries or sells or transfers the property. The spouse of a service member who dies of a service-connected cause while serving honorably gets the same benefit and may apply within two years of the death.
I do not own a house. Can my caregiver's home qualify?
Yes. If a qualifying veteran owns no property, the homestead of the veteran's primary family caregiver is eligible.
Does the exclusion replace the regular homestead exclusion?
Yes. A homestead that qualifies for the veteran's exclusion does not also take the ordinary homestead exclusion, which the tables on this site account for.
Does it lower the city's revenue?
The excluded value leaves the tax base, so the levy spreads over the remaining parcels; the effect in Kenyon depends on how many homesteads qualify, which the county does not publish by city.
Education and work
What is VR&E?
Veteran Readiness and Employment, Chapter 31: training, education, job placement, self-employment help or independent-living services for veterans rated 10 percent or more with a discharge other than dishonorable. Apply online with VA Form 28-1900.
Is there a deadline for VR&E?
For veterans discharged before January 1, 2013, a 12-year window from separation or first rating, extendable for a serious employment handicap. Discharged on or after January 1, 2013: no time limit.
Which office handles VR&E for Kenyon?
The St. Paul VA Regional Benefit Office at Fort Snelling, 1 Federal Drive, Room G200, weekdays 8 to 4:30, 800-827-1000; about 50 miles from Kenyon, with free parking and the Blue Line stop.
What does the Post-9/11 GI Bill pay?
Full in-state public tuition and fees at the top tier, a monthly housing allowance for more than half-time enrollment, a books and supplies stipend, and 36 months of benefit; it does not expire for service ending on or after January 1, 2013.
What is the Minnesota GI Bill?
A state grant under Minn. Stat. 197.791 capped at $5,000 a year and $15,000 in a lifetime, paying full-time students up to $3,000 a year as administered; also $3,000 a year for apprenticeships or on-the-job training and $1,000 job-placement credits to employers. Apply each year through MDVA.
Do the children of a veteran who died in service get tuition help?
Free tuition at any Minnesota public institution through a bachelor's degree plus $750 a year, for eligible children and spouses of a veteran whose death VA attributes to service (Minn. Stat. 197.75).
Does the City of Kenyon give veterans preference?
Yes, as state law requires: 10 points for a veteran and 15 for a disabled veteran on a passing score, and the city's postings ask for the documentation to claim them.
What protects a veteran's public job?
After probation, a veteran employed by a city, county, town or school district may be removed only for incompetency or misconduct shown at a hearing on written charges (Minn. Stat. 197.46).
Where are the DEED veterans employment representatives?
At CareerForce Faribault, 201 Lyndale Avenue South, Suite 1, and CareerForce Red Wing, 308 Pioneer Road, Suite 106, which staff a dedicated veterans employment team.
Is there a preference for veteran-owned businesses?
The state awards up to a 12 percent preference on procurement to certified small businesses majority-owned and operated by veterans and may make direct awards up to $100,000 (Minn. Stat. 16C.16). The city's economic development page points to DEED's Reservist and Veteran Business Loan Program.
Minnesota benefits
What is the State Soldiers Assistance Program?
MDVA's emergency program, applied for through the county service officer: dental assistance of $1,500 a year and $6,500 in a lifetime, optical up to $600 a year, subsistence grants for a veteran temporarily unable to work for at least 30 days, and a one-time special-needs grant. Confirm current amounts with the county office.
Do disabled veterans get free hunting and fishing licenses?
A resident veteran with a 100 percent service-connected disability gets a permanent free angling license and free deer, firearms and small-game licenses (Minn. Stat. 97A.441). A driver's license with the veteran designation is proof.
Is the state park permit free?
Yes, for any veteran with any level of service-connected disability, on presenting the VA determination letter each year (Minn. Stat. 85.053).
Which veteran license plates are free?
Ex-POW, Congressional Medal of Honor and Gold Star plates. The other twenty veteran and service plates carry the standard fee and can be personalized and marked for disability parking.
Do 100 percent disabled veterans pay vehicle registration?
No: a veteran with a total service-connected disability pays no registration tax, plate, sticker or filing fees on up to two vehicles at a time (Minn. Stat. 168.012 subd. 13, effective 2024; confirm the two-vehicle detail with Driver and Vehicle Services).
Is military retirement pay taxed in Minnesota?
It can be subtracted in full (Minn. Stat. 290.0132, Schedule M1M), as can active-duty pay and Guard and Reserve pay for active service. A veteran may instead take the Credit for Past Military Service, up to $750 if income is under $37,500.
Where is the nearest state veterans home?
Hastings, 1200 18th Street East, 37 miles, with 145 beds and an independent-living domiciliary (651-438-8500); Preston, 75 miles, opened in January 2024 with 54 private rooms (507-808-8910). Both require a skilled-nursing need and keep waiting lists.
Why did the city move its November 2025 meeting?
Veterans Day is a legal holiday on which no public business may be transacted (Minn. Stat. 645.44), so the council met Wednesday, November 12 instead.
Federal rates and burial
What does disability compensation pay in 2026?
For a veteran alone, effective December 1, 2025: $180.42 at 10 percent, $552.47 at 30, $1,132.90 at 50, $1,808.45 at 70 and $3,938.58 at 100 percent a month; $4,158.17 at 100 percent with a spouse.
What is the Veterans Pension?
A needs-based payment for wartime veterans with limited income: up to $17,441 a year for a veteran with no dependents, $21,313 if housebound and $29,093 with aid and attendance, under a net-worth limit of $163,699 through November 2026.
Where can a Kenyon veteran be buried at no cost?
Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis (51 miles) and the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Preston (75 miles); Preston charges spouses and dependents a fee. Pre-register through the cemetery or the county office.
Will VA provide a headstone for a private cemetery?
Yes, a headstone, marker or medallion at no cost for any eligible veteran in any cemetery (VA Form 40-1330).
What is VALife?
Guaranteed-acceptance whole life insurance up to $40,000 for any veteran with a service-connected rating, even zero percent, for applicants under 81, with premiums fixed at the age of application and a two-year waiting period.
How do I get a veteran ID?
The Veteran Health Identification Card comes with VA health-care enrollment, the Veteran ID Card with an honorable or general discharge (apply online), and Minnesota adds a veteran designation to the driver's license, which doubles as proof for the free licenses.
Kenyon's organizations
Where is the Kenyon VFW?
VFW Conrad Osthum Post 141, 601 2nd Street, 507-789-5691. Club hours are not published online; call. The Auxiliary and the American Legion meet in the same building.
How old is Post 141?
Chartered May 15, 1919, the 141st post in the nation and the fifth in Minnesota, named for Conrad Osthum, the first Goodhue County soldier killed in action in World War I.
Who runs the Kenyon VFW today?
As of its June 2025 return: Commander Victor E. Wolf, Senior Vice Commander Brian Danielson, Junior Vice Commander Whitney M. Kyllo, Quartermaster Ray M. Ades, Adjutant Craig Jacobson, Chaplain Eric P. Hoversten and Service Officer Ricky L. Koester.
Does the VFW still run pull-tabs?
No. The post retired its own gambling license in July 2024; the city permitted the Kenyon Snowdrifters (February 2024) and the Firemen's Relief Association (February 2026) to conduct lawful gambling on the premises.
Is there an American Legion post in Kenyon?
Joseph A. Gates Post 78, PO Box 64, which meets at the VFW, sponsors K-W Legion baseball and runs Family Bingo Night at Rose Fest.
What does the Kenyon Veterans Color Guard do?
Posts colors at Veterans Day, places flags on more than 600 veterans' graves in 17 cemeteries before Memorial Day, runs the Memorial Day parade and cemetery program, and stages the Field of Flags. President Mike (Mac) McDonald, 507-789-5461.
When and where is the Memorial Day parade?
10:30 a.m. from the Speedway on Second Street to Kenyon Cemetery, followed by the program with the K-W band and choir, a speaker and Taps; the council approves the route each May.
How do I reserve a flag in the Field of Flags?
A $20 donation to Mac McDonald (507-789-5461) or Paul Senjem (507-254-8302), or at Veterans Memorial Park on the Thursday to Saturday mornings of Rose Fest week.
What is at Veterans Memorial Park?
Four walls with 244 plaques, a 75 mm howitzer, the POW/MIA, state and branch flags, the Freedom Tree for Captain Benjamin Danielson, a Jacob Wetterling memorial and the arch reading All Gave Some, Some Gave All; dedicated July 15, 2017, at County Road 12 and Highway 56.
Is there a Veterans Day program in Kenyon?
Yes, in the K-W middle and high school gym at 400 6th Street on the morning of Veterans Day, with the Kenyon and Wanamingo honor guards, the band, choir, a POW/MIA table, flag folding and Taps, and an afternoon program at the elementary school.
Is there an Honor Flight for Kenyon veterans?
North Star Honor Flight (507-440-0003, Adams) covers Goodhue County for World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans; Honor Flight Twin Cities (320-445-9541) takes veterans within 70 miles of the airport, which includes Kenyon.
Which Kenyon businesses support veterans?
None advertises veteran ownership or a veteran discount online as of September 2026. The VFW lends its kitchen free to other nonprofits, Peterson Ford's Craig Jacobson repainted the park's howitzer, and the Speedway and the schools host the parade and programs.
Sources: va.gov, benefits.va.gov, cem.va.gov, department.va.gov, veteranscrisisline.net, Minnesota Statutes and Rules at revisor.mn.gov, revenue.state.mn.us, dps.mn.gov, mn.gov/mdva, Goodhue and Rice County veterans service pages, macvso.org, mac-v.org, davmn.org, threeriverscap.org, mnlegion.org, Minnesota Gambling Control Board, IRS and ProPublica filings, Kenyon Leader 2016–2025, KDHL, City of Kenyon council packets and minutes 2019–2026; road distances from the OSRM router. Compiled September 13, 2026. This site is independent of every agency and organization named; confirm amounts with the county service officer before relying on them.