VFW NC Post 11533 - Greensboro

VA News - Week of October 6, 2008

Posted at 10:31 PM on October 10, 2008 by BlogMaster

NC VFW Extends Invitations to Candidates to Connect

Posted at 01:19 PM on October 10, 2008 by BlogMaster

The Department North Carolina: Veterans of Foreign Wars and Choices of Democracy are extending this open invitation to the Candidates seeking to represent NC in the elections to participate in our:

2008 VFW NC
Online Video Forums
These neutral, non-partisan, not-for-profit forums are part of  an ongoing effort to engage our membership, our deployed military community and our state's voters in the democratic process .
The VFW NC will be asking questions of the Candidates on behalf of our membership over the course of the 2008 Elections.

To view Invitations and Questions for the Candidates click on links below:

2008 VFW NC US Senator Video Forum
2008 VFW NC US Congress Video Forums
2008 VFW NC Governor & Lt Governor Forums
2008 VFW NC State Senate & State House Video Forums

VA Washington Weekly - October 9, 2008

Posted at 11:25 AM on October 10, 2008 by BlogMaster

110th Congress Wrap-Up

In This Issue:
1. President Signs VA Funding Bill
2. Congress Clears Veterans' Health and Benefit Bills
3. Vet Accomplishments for 110th Congress
4. Election Day Coming - Get Out the Vote

1. President Signs VA Funding Bill
President Bush signed the FY 2009 VA funding bill which is $4.5 billion more than last year. Some of the highlights in the VA funding package, which was passed as a part of the $634 billion Continuing Resolution, include $3.8 billion for mental healthcare, $584 million for substance abuse programs, $510 million for medical and prosthetic research, and additional funding for homeless grants. It allows the Veterans Benefits Administration to hire 2,000 additional claims adjudicators to help reduce the disability claims backlog, raises the mileage reimbursement rate to 41.5 cents per mile, and provides an additional $750 million in funding for the construction of VA medical facilities. It was the first time in well over a decade that the VA was able to begin a new fiscal year with an on-time budget. VFW national commander Chief Glen Gardner thanked Congress and the president, and said, "We hope the delivery of an on-time budget is the start of a trend that will continue into the next administration and Congress."
Read the VFW Press Release at: http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=4772. For a summary of the bill, visit the House Appropriations Committee website at http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/MCFY09CONFSummary09-22-08.pdf.

Read more

DoD Revises Purple Heart Policy

Posted at 01:11 AM on October 10, 2008 by BlogMaster

The Department of Defense announced today (6 OCT08) it has expanded the Purple Heart eligibility criteria allowing prisoners-of-war who died in captivity to receive the award. 

The revised department policy presumes, for service members who die in captivity as a qualifying prisoner-of-war, that their death was the "result of enemy action," or the result of wounds incurred “in action with the enemy” during capture, or as a result of wounds incurred as a “result of enemy action” during capture, unless compelling evidence is presented to the contrary.

The revised policy allows retroactive award of the Purple Heart to qualifying prisoners-of-war since Dec. 7, 1941. Posthumous award will be made to the deceased service member’s representative, as designated by the secretary of the military department concerned, upon application to that military department.

Each military department will publish application procedures and ensure they are accessible by the general public. Family members with questions may contact the services:  Army: Military Awards Branch, (703) 325-8700; Navy: Navy Personnel Command, Retired Records Section, (314) 592-1150; Air Force: Air Force Personnel Center, (800) 616-3775; Marine Corps: Military Awards Branch, (703) 784-9340.  For further information, media representatives should contact Eileen Lainez, (703) 695-3895

Source: Defense Link

Sponsorship on the VFW NC WebCOM Network

Posted at 03:54 PM on October 9, 2008 by BlogMaster

USA Today Highlights VFW Foundation

Posted at 10:20 PM on October 7, 2008 by BlogMaster

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 7, 2008--VFW Foundation is highlighted in today's USA Today "Sharing in the USA" special section.

Approximately 70 charities were chosen nationally and selected based on fundraising and administrative efficiency. The VFW Foundation is one of two charities listed in the Missouri section. The foundation's mission is to manage and distribute resources to support veterans, active-duty personnel, the National Guard and Reserves, their families and communities.

Here is what USA Today wrote:

"The Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation helps military personnel and their families by providing free phone cards, financial assistance and claims assistance for veterans, foundation director Dan Shea says. The foundation has provided 9 million phone cards to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and $2.2 million to nearly 1,600 families for unmet needs, including groceries, rent and home repair."

Charity watchdog groups like the Independent Charities of America gave the VFW Foundation a "Best of America" rating, an honor given to only 1,500 of some 50,000 groups. Charity Navigator provided the foundation with three stars and a four-star efficiency rating, the highest rating possible. The foundation also achieved full inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #10511), due to low operating costs.

To learn more about the VFW Foundation, visit the website at www.vfwfoundation.org.

Forum Hot Topic: Virtual Posts

Posted at 07:11 PM on October 7, 2008 by BlogMaster

Thanks to your support the VFW WebCOM Network Membership Forum now has 10382 Posts in 3099 Topics by 1604 Members!

The hot topic as of late has been the discussion around the pros/cons of establishing a
"Virtual Post" as a means of connecting with younger Veterans. Stop by and share your
 thoughts:

http://www.vfwwebcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,3260.0.html

Also the VFW WebCOM Network has established a Facebook page. Drop in a "Fan" us up.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/VFW-WebCOM-Network/25570084434

October Survey

Posted at 08:29 AM on October 6, 2008 by BlogMaster

The American Veteran - October Edition

Posted at 12:09 PM on October 5, 2008 by BlogMaster

(via The Pentagon Channel)

TRICARE Reserve and Guard Family Benefit Now Permanent

Posted at 12:04 AM on October 5, 2008 by BlogMaster

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Eligible families of activated National Guard and Reserve members will continue to save up to $300 in annual deductibles now that a TRICARE "demonstration" program is a permanent benefit.
 
Eligible family members of Guard and Reserve personnel activated for more than 30 days under federal orders in support of a contingency operation are made eligible for TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra, which have annual deductibles.  While they may be eligible to enroll into TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members, which have no deductibles, many may choose to stay with TRICARE Standard or Extra.
 
Introduced as one of the first TRICARE healthcare enhancements after Sept. 11, 2001 to assist the increasing number of National Guard and Reserve service members activated to support the Global War on Terrorism, the benefit waiving annual deductibles has been a demonstration project for over seven years.
 
"The demonstration has worked well and the benefit is not changing," said the Deputy Director of TRICARE Management Activity, Maj. Gen. Elder Granger. "We simply want to make sure our Guard and Reserve families know this is a permanent benefit now that final federal regulation has been published."

Read more

2008 Veterans Day Teacher Resource Guide

Posted at 07:04 PM on October 3, 2008 by BlogMaster

The 2008 Veterans Day Teacher Resource Guide is now online. Parents and educators can download the guide as a PDF file from the VA Web site:

The guide includes: suggested activities for Veterans Day (such as a school assembly, musical performance, or flag-raising ceremony); information on how to contact veterans service organizations and staff at VA medical centers, benefits offices, and National Cemeteries; information for older students including handouts on the origins of Veterans Day, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, statistics on America’s wars, and scholarships; and subjects for younger students such as a Veterans Day maze and coloring pages. The guide, along with a Veterans Day poster, is being distributed on CD-ROM to principals at 118,000 schools nationwide. America’s veterans have shaped our history. Let’s share their example of courage and sacrifice with future generations.

Click on image to download .pdf file.

Source: VFW WebCOM Membership Forum

VFW Salutes Passage of 2009 VA Budget

Posted at 03:28 PM on October 1, 2008 by BlogMaster

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2008--The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is saluting the 110th Congress for providing $50.2 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs fiscal year 2009 budget.

As part of the $634 billion Continuing Resolution signed by President Bush yesterday, VA discretionary funding is increased $4.5 billion over last year, which meets Independent Budget recommendations for healthcare funding. The Independent Budget is a detailed analysis of VA operations that the VFW has co-authored for the past 22 years with AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

VA budget highlights include $3.8 billion for mental healthcare, $584 million for substance abuse programs, $510 million for medical and prosthetic research, $250 million to improve access for veterans in rural areas, and additional funding for homeless grants, the hiring of 2,000 additional claims adjudicators, and to raise the mileage reimbursement rate from 28.5 to 41.5 cents per mile.

“We are very grateful to the president and to congressional leadership for keeping to their pledge to take care of our veterans,” said VFW National Commander Glen Gardner, a Vietnam veteran from Round Rock, Texas. “And we hope the delivery of an on-time budget is the start of a trend that will continue into the next administration and Congress.”

Happy 109th Birthday VFW!

Posted at 04:44 PM on September 29, 2008 by BlogMaster

Gold Star Moms Day: September 28, 2008

Posted at 01:02 PM on September 27, 2008 by BlogMaster

Whereas the preamble to Public Resolution 123, 74th Congress, approved June 23, 1936 (40 Stat. 1895), recites:

Whereas the service rendered the United States by the American mother is the greatest source of the Country’s strength and inspiration; and “Whereas we honor ourselves and the mothers of America when we revere and give emphasis to the home as the fountainhead of the State; and

“Whereas the American mother is doing so much for the home and for the moral and spiritual uplift of the people of the United States and hence so much for good government and humanity; and

“Whereas the American Gold Star Mothers suffered the supreme sacrifice of motherhood in the loss of their sons and daughters in World Wars”

and Whereas the said Public Resolution 12 provides:

“That the President of the United States is hereby authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the Government officials to display the United States flag on all Government buildings, and the people of the United States to display the flag and to hold appropriate meetings in their homes, churches, or other suitable places, on the last Sunday in September, as public expression of the love, sorrow and reverence of the people of the United States for the American Gold Star Mothers."

“Sec. 2. That the last Sunday in September shall hereafter be designated and known as “Gold Star Mother’s Day,” and it shall be the duty of the President to request its observance as provided for in this resolution.”

Read President Bush's Proclamation here

Find out more about our Gold Star Mothers here

VA: Changes to TBI, Burn Scars and ALS Programs

Posted at 05:47 PM on September 23, 2008 by BlogMaster

Traumatic Brain Injuries and Burn Scars

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced changes in the way VA will evaluate traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and burn scars for purposes of determining the appropriate level of compensation veterans receive for these injuries.

“These important regulatory changes will allow VA decision makers to better assess the consequences of these injuries and ensure veterans are properly compensated for their residual effects,” stated Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.

VA has revised the Disability Rating Schedule in light of current scientific and medical knowledge in order to provide VA employees with more detailed and up-to-date criteria for evaluating and compensating veterans with these injuries.

Read more

New VA Rules for ALS Victims

New VA Rules for ALS Victims Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may receive badly-needed support for themselves and
their families after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active service in the military.

"Veterans are developing ALS in rates higher than the general population, and it was appropriate to take action," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said.

Secretary Peake based his decision primarily on a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the association between active-duty service and ALS.

Read more

Home Repair Scam Appears to Target Military Families

Posted at 12:48 PM on September 17, 2008 by BlogMaster

WASHINGTON - The letter that appeared in a Soldier's mailbox promised an offer almost too good to be true: a home improvement loan approved by Congress and backed up by a government agency.

Officials at the Federal Citizen Information Center fear it's a scam targeting military members that uses the center's credibility to lure victims in.

An eagle-eyed Soldier notified the Federal Citizen Information Center after receiving the ad from the "Home Information Center" linked to post office boxes in Dallas and in Owasso, Okla. The letter included a reference to FCIC's Web site in an apparent attempt to show a federal endorsement.

"The thing that immediately sends up a red flag is the fact that [the advertisement] says these loans are approved by the U.S. Congress," said Mary Levy, director of consumer education and outreach in the FCIC's Office of Citizen Services. "Congress would absolutely never approve any particular home improvement loan."

Source: DVIDS-Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System

Read Full Story Here: Home Repair Scam Appears to Target Military Families

VFW WebCOM Department Toolbar Tour

Posted at 10:36 AM on September 10, 2008 by BlogMaster

What is the VFW WebCOM Department Toolbar?  What does it do?  Click the video below for a tour or click here for a larger version.

Department VFW Canopy Available

Posted at 06:58 AM on September 3, 2008 by BlogMaster

The Department's canopy is available to posts and districts for use at recruiting events. To reserve the canopy contact State Membership Chairman Jason Schoolcraft at (910) 642-7105 or jschoolcraft@embarqmail.com

2008 North Carolina Veterans Parade and Ceremony

Posted at 01:15 PM on August 28, 2008 by BlogMaster

North Carolina Veterans Parade and Ceremony
Raleigh, North Carolina
8 November 2008
by
Wake County Council of Veterans Organization, Inc.



Greetings,

This is an invitation to participate in the 2008 North Carolina Veterans Parade and Ceremony. The Parade will be held Saturday, 8 November 2008 in Raleigh and proceed down Fayetteville Street beginning at Davie Street and circle the North Carolina State Capitol. The ceremonies will be held on the Capitol grounds immediately following the parade.

The 2007 Parade had over 100 organizations participating, and we are expecting that amount or more for the 2008 parade. Your participation is very important to the continuing success and growth of The North Carolina Veterans Parade.

The Parade will start at 9:15 and should be finished no later than 10:50, as the ceremony will begin at 11:00. We look forward to your organizations participation.
In order to plan for timing, spacing and line up would you please respond to this invitation with how you would like your organization announced, the approximate number of participants and any vehicles that you may be using. Please submit this information by October 15, 2008 to allow for planning.

The units line up positions will be posted on www.ncveteransparade.com along with other line up information by November 1st.

If you have any questions or comments or we can assist you in any way please contact: Bill Dixon, Chairman 2008 Veterans Parade: Phone 919-434-7345, email ncveteran@nc.rr.com or fax 1-866-511-8130. Please include your contact name and information.

Sincerely,

Bill Dixon
Chairman 2008 Veterans parade and Ceremony
Wake County Council of VeteransG

Convention 08: Video of New Commander-In-Chief

Posted at 04:10 AM on August 28, 2008 by BlogMaster

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 21,008--America’s largest organization of combat veterans has elected a Vietnam War veteran to head the 1.6 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

Glen Gardner, a resident of Round Rock, Texas, was elected national commander August 21 during the VFW’s national convention, held August 16-21 in Orlando, Fla. Gardner is the fourth Texan to head the 109-year-old veterans’ service organization.

Read more here or watch the video below.

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