Through the county service officer
- State Soldiers Assistance Program (197.05)
- Dental $1,500 a year and $6,500 lifetime; optical up to $600 a year; subsistence grants for a veteran unable to work for at least 30 days; one-time special-needs grant. Confirm current amounts with the Goodhue office
- LinkVet
- 888-546-5838
- Gold Star families
- Free Gold Star plates; survivor tuition under 197.75; MDVA program 612-970-5662
Licenses, parks, vehicles
- Fishing and hunting (97A.441)
- Permanent free angling license and free deer, firearms and small-game licenses for a resident veteran with a 100 percent service-connected disability; the driver's license veteran designation is proof
- State parks (85.053)
- Free annual permit for any level of service-connected disability, on the VA letter each year
- Plates
- 23 veteran and service plates, all with the disability symbol on request; Ex-POW, Medal of Honor and Gold Star plates are free
- Registration (168.012, 168.031)
- No registration tax, plate, sticker or filing fees on up to two vehicles for a total service-connected disability; a vehicle furnished by the federal government to a disabled war veteran is exempt
Income tax
- Subtractions (290.0132)
- Active-duty pay, Guard and Reserve active-service pay, and federal military retirement pay including Survivor Benefit Plan payments; Schedule M1M
- Credit for Past Military Service
- Up to $750 if income is under $37,500 and the veteran served 20 years, is rated 100 percent permanent and total, or receives retirement pay; Schedule M1C; not combinable with the pension subtraction
Veterans homes
Minnesota runs eight state veterans homes. Hastings (1200 18th Street East, 651-438-8500, 37 miles) has 145 beds and an independent-living domiciliary; Preston (1864 First Minnesota Drive, 507-808-8910, 75 miles) opened in January 2024 with 54 private rooms in three households. Admission requires a skilled-nursing need, an honorable discharge and 181 consecutive days of active duty, with residents contributing by means; all three homes opened in 2024 filled within weeks and keep waiting lists. Kenyon's own senior housing is on the Sunset Home and Roseview pages.
Holidays
Veterans Day is a legal holiday on which no public business may be transacted (Minn. Stat. 645.44); the council moved its November 2025 meeting to the 12th for that reason.
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.
Questions
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.