Officials from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs visited Bemidji last week for an update on the future Veterans Home.
The project is about 35 percent complete, and resident applications will be accepted beginning on Sept. 15.
Potential residents or families will be encouraged to submit complete applications, as eligible residents would be admitted, in phases, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Resident eligibility requires the need for skilled nursing care and a veteran who was separated under honorable conditions.
When completed in June 2023, the home will include 72 residential units with private baths, split into two “neighborhoods” and four “households” of 18 residents each.
MDVA leaders also shared plans to hire 164 full and part-time staff, with new leadership hires expected by the end of this year.
Featured photo from the Aug. 2021 groundbreaking ceremony for the Bemidji Veterans Home. From left: MN Senator Paul Utke (R-Park Rapids), Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (R-MN’s 7th), MN Representative Matt Grossell (R-Clearbrook), Congressman Pete Stauber (R-MN’s 8th), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), MN Senator Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids), MN Representative Matt Bliss (R-Pennington), MN House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), and MDVA Commissioner Larry Herke.F
