2007 Minnesota Statutes

196.05 DUTIES OF COMMISSIONER.
    Subdivision 1. General duties. The commissioner shall:
(1) act as the agent of a resident of the state having a claim against the United States for
benefits arising out of or by reason of service in the armed forces and prosecute the claim
without charge;
(2) act as custodian of veterans' bonus records;
(3) administer the laws relating to the providing of bronze flag holders at veterans' graves for
memorial purposes;
(4) administer the laws relating to recreational or rest camps for veterans so far as applicable
to state agencies;
(5) administer the state soldiers' assistance fund and veterans' relief fund and other funds
appropriated for the payment of bonuses or other benefits to veterans or for the rehabilitation of
veterans;
(6) cooperate with national, state, county, municipal, and private social agencies in securing
to veterans and their dependents the benefits provided by national, state, and county laws,
municipal ordinances, or public and private social agencies;
(7) provide necessary assistance where other adequate aid is not available to the dependent
family of a veteran while the veteran is hospitalized and after the veteran is released for as long
a period as is necessary as determined by the commissioner;
(8) act as the guardian, conservator, or representative payee of the estate for a minor or an
incompetent person receiving money from the United States government when requested to do so
by an agency of the United States of America provided sufficient personnel are available;
(9) cooperate with United States governmental agencies providing compensation, pensions,
insurance, or other benefits provided by federal law, by supplementing the benefits prescribed
therein, when conditions in an individual case make it necessary;
(10) assist dependent family members of military personnel who are called from reserve
status to extended federal active duty during a time of war or national emergency through the state
soldiers' assistance fund provided by section 197.03;
(11) exercise other powers as may be authorized and necessary to carry out the provisions of
this chapter and chapter 197, consistent with that chapter; and
(12) provide information, referral, and counseling services to those veterans who may have
suffered adverse health conditions as a result of possible exposure to chemical agents.
    Subd. 2. Mission; efficiency. It is part of the department's mission that within the
department's resources the commissioner shall endeavor to:
(1) prevent the waste or unnecessary spending of public money;
(2) use innovative fiscal and human resource practices to manage the state's resources and
operate the department as efficiently as possible;
(3) coordinate the department's activities wherever appropriate with the activities of other
governmental agencies;
(4) use technology where appropriate to increase agency productivity, improve customer
service, increase public access to information about government, and increase public participation
in the business of government;
(5) utilize constructive and cooperative labor-management practices to the extent otherwise
required by chapters 43A and 179A;
(6) report to the legislature on the performance of agency operations and the accomplishment
of agency goals in the agency's biennial budget according to section 16A.10, subdivision 1; and
(7) recommend to the legislature appropriate changes in law necessary to carry out the
mission and improve the performance of the department.
History: 1943 c 420 s 5; 1947 c 172 s 1; 1963 c 132 s 1; 1969 c 275 s 2; 1980 c 414 s 3; 1986
c 444; 1988 c 699 s 3; 1991 c 123 s 1,5; 1995 c 248 art 11 s 15; 1998 c 366 s 61; 2000 c 390 s 1