Department of New Hampshire

VFW Washington Weekly - June 29, 2009

Posted at 09:29 AM on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

In This Issue:

1. GI Bill Hearing

2. GI Bill Transferability Rules

3. House Passes Defense Bill

4. Congress on Recess

1. GI Bill Hearing: The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held another hearing on VA's implementation plans for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The GI bill benefit is scheduled to be fully implemented on Aug. 1, 2009. The application process to determine eligibility opened on May 1. VA has reported over 100,000 applications filed for the education benefit. Keith Wilson, Director of VA's Education Services, testified that VA has a two-part IT strategy that relies on short- and long-term goals for processing the claims. He updated committee members on VA's partnership with the Navy's SPAWAR Systems Center, which is contracted to design, develop, and deploy an end-to-end solution that utilizes rules-based, industry-standard technologies. VA is currently working with SPAWAR on the long-term IT solution, and expects the program to be completed no later than December 2010. For more on the hearing, visit the House VA website at: http://veterans.house.gov/.

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VFW National Commander Visits Iraq

Posted at 11:49 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2009 — The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. returned home after spending almost four days visiting American troops stationed in Iraq. His overall assessment: "This war is nearing its end, which has our troops pumped with anticipation and the Iraqi people increasingly hopeful for their future."

Glen M. Gardner Jr., a Vietnam veteran from Round Rock, Texas, entered Iraq on Sunday with the leaders of four other veterans' service organizations for a first-hand view of the progress that has occurred in Iraq. He is the fourth consecutive VFW national commander to visit Iraq.

"Iraq is a different country today because of the tremendous effort of our military to make the surge work," he said. "The assessment that everything is on target for the upcoming handover of the cities was made by everyone I met, from Multi-National Force-Iraq Commanding Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to his officers and enlisted soldiers, all of whom have served multiple tours in-country."

Gardner's trip comes a full year after the conclusion of a three-prong surge strategy that focused on security, the economy and political reconciliation. He said the changes on the ground were most noticeable in the eyes of six amputee veterans who returned to Iraq for the first time since being wounded. Their trip was sponsored by the Troops First Foundation, which has a program that allows wounded troops to return to where they were stationed to help close the loop on their wartime service. Gardner called the program "a great initiative, because departing a warzone strapped to a stretcher is not the last memory anyone should have to carry for a lifetime."

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VA News - Week of June 22, 2009

Posted at 11:33 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

Va Benefit Phone Numbers

Posted at 10:14 AM on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

VA Benefits Phone Numbers

Bereavement Counseling	1-202-461-6530
Education	1-888-442-4551
Headstones and Markers	1-800-697-6947
Health Care	1-877-222-8387
Homeless veterans	1-877-222-8387
Home Loans	1-877-827-3702
Life Insurance	1-800-669-8477
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline	1-800-273-8255
Pension Management Center	1-877-294-6380
Special Health Issues	1-800-749-8387
Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD)	1-800-829-4833
VA Benefits	1-800-827-1000

What is the VFW?

Posted at 05:58 PM on Monday, June 22, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

Great article on the www.vfw.org website on Why Join the VFW. It provides a great recruiting message!

What is the VFW?

By Dave Rowland

As I talk to some of my peers that are either still on active duty or recently separated from the Army and tell them I am volunteering at the VFW, they commonly respond by asking, “So what are you doing? Sitting around drinking beer?”

This is still a common misconception that many young veterans who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan have of the organization. I was also one of them until I became an active member. At one point in the VFW’s history, it was one of the few places where veterans could go and talk to other veterans about some of the experiences they had in Europe, the Pacific, Korea, Vietnam and a host of other countries scattered throughout the world. There weren’t any clinics, doctors or other official support networks established that focused on the mental trauma experienced by veterans.

The VFW is much more than a place for fellowship with other veterans or to connect with previous generations that have answered our Nation’s call to duty. Many veterans and members of the armed services don’t know how active and supportive the VFW is for those of us who have served or are serving our country overseas.

I’ve learned that the VFW was the main veteran’s service organization that ensured the passage of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill. This new GI Bill will benefit us veterans and our families for years to come. Veterans can now return from fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with the ability to go back to school full-time, even with a family, and then re-enter the work force. I never knew about the tremendous amount of work and commitment it took the VFW to get the bill passed in Congress.
One of the most important components of the VFW is that it assists wounded and disabled veterans in receiving the VA benefits they deserve. I had no idea about the complexities involved when determining the category of a wounded or disabled veteran. I quickly learned that the VFW has an entire department dedicated to assisting veterans navigating the VA bureaucratic process, which might otherwise overwhelm a young returning soldier or even a hardened NCO. The VFW has Field Representatives throughout the country and scattered around the world specifically to assist veterans once they leave the military.

When I put one of the NCOs whom I used to work with in touch with one of the Field Representatives, he was shocked that the VFW had programs like this. I must admit, so was I.
The VFW makes sure that the veteran is never taken for granted and provides the assistance needed when he or she does not know where to turn.

Of course none of this would be possible without the grassroots membership of individual veterans that join their local VFW post. Many young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are reluctant to join the VFW for various reasons. I say to them, “Go and join!” There are many local posts that are active in their local communities and do a variety of community service and sponsor programs that promote further service to our Nation. Where else will you find a group of individuals welcoming you at 2 o’clock in the morning when your plane arrives at the airport in the States for R&R or as you are coming home from deployment?

If only older veterans compose the VFW, then who will change and evolve the VFW to meet the needs of our generation or future challenges? Who will greet the next generation when they come home from serving the United States overseas? We must take the torch from the older veterans and bear the responsibility to take care of our fellow veterans and continue community service.

Dave Rowland is a volunteer at the VFW National Headquarters Legislative Branch in Washington D.C. He is an active duty infantry officer with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dave is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Georgetown University.

VA Reopening Health Care Enrollment to Thousands of Veterans

Posted at 10:56 AM on Friday, June 19, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

WASHINGTON (June 19, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which now has nearly 8 million Veterans enrolled in its award-winning health care system, is poised to welcome nearly 266,000 more Veterans into its medical centers and clinics across the country by expanding access to health care enrollment for certain Veterans who had been excluded due to their income.

"This incremental approach to expanding enrollment ensures that access to VA health care for a greater number of beneficiaries does not sacrifice timely access or quality medical care for those Veterans already enrolled in VA's health care system," Dr. Gerald Cross, VA's Acting Under Secretary for Health, said. "Over the next four years, we hope to provide enrollment to more than 500,000 Veterans."

Under a new regulation effective June 15, VA will enroll Veterans whose income exceeds current means-tested thresholds by up to 10 percent. These Veterans were excluded from VA health care enrollment when income limits were imposed in 2003 on Veterans with no service-connected disabilities or other special eligibility for care. There is no income limit for Veterans with compensable service-connected disabilities or for Veterans being seen for their service-connected disabilities.

Veterans who have applied for VA health care but were rejected due to income at any point in 2009 will have their applications reconsidered under the new income threshold formula. Those who applied before 2009, but were rejected due to income, must reapply. VA will contact these Veterans through a direct-mail campaign, Veterans service organizations, and a national and regional marketing campaign.

Information about enrollment and an income and assets calculator are available at www.va.gov/healtheligibility. The calculator provides a format in which Veterans enter their household income, number of dependents, and zip codes to see if they may qualify for VA health care enrollment.

In addition to applying online, Veterans may also contact VA's Health Benefits Service Center at 1-877-222 VETS (1-877-222-8387). Each VA medical center across the country has an enrollment coordinator available to provide Veterans with enrollment and eligibility information.

Click here for official press release

Scam Artist Hits VFW Posts

Posted at 07:12 AM on Thursday, June 18, 2009 by New Hampshire Blog Master

A con artist has been preying on the generosity of sympathetic veterans and has managed to bilk numerous VFW Posts around the country out of as much as $400 each by posing as either a veteran who has "filled out an application" to join a specific Post or as a current VFW member.

The scammer has used a couple of different approaches when he calls a Post asking for a specific Post Officer by name for financial assistance, usually alleging to be experiencing some sort of car trouble and has even gone as far as to claim to be the parent of an Iraq veteran on his "way to the funeral for his son killed in Iraq." He has also used a bogus story about how he recently visited a Post while introducing his son, "just back from Iraq" to various Post members. The swindler apparently goes on-line beforehand and obtains information about the Post in order to include details about the Post to help lend credibility to his story.

According to information received by VFW national headquarters, VFW Posts in AL, OK, WV, TX, KS and MO have responded by wiring money to the man who promises to repay the cash as soon as he returns home. So far, the sum being requested is in the $200- $500 range. Western Union doesn't require identification for sums under $1000.

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