VA News Briefs

Posted at 09:43 AM on Thursday, January 1, 2009 by post9488

VA Ramps Up Job Search for Injured Vets

WASHINGTON – Thirty percent of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are veterans – the second highest ranking among cabinet departments after the Department of Defense -- and nearly 8 percent of VA employees are service-connected disabled veterans.  But the VA intends to increase the number of disabled veterans who obtain employment in its workforce.

"I am proud of this effort," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.  "VA knows the true quality of our men and women, and we should be a leader in employing them."

Peake said all severely injured veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be contacted by VA's Veterans Employment Coordination Service to determine their interest in -- and qualifications for -- VA jobs.  So far, that office has identified 2,300 severely injured veterans of those wars, of whom 600 expressed interest in VA employment.

Click here to read more

Some Veterans to See Another Travel Reimbursement Increase

WASHINGTON – Service-disabled and low-income veterans who are reimbursed for travel expenses while receiving care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities will see an increase in their payments beginning January 9. 

A recently passed law allows VA to cut the amount it must withhold from their mileage reimbursement.  The deductible amount will be $3 for each one-way trip and $6 for each round trip -- with a cap per calendar-month of $18, or six one-way trips or three round trips, whichever comes first.  The previous deductible was $7.77 for a one-way trip, and $15.54 for a round trip, with a calendar-month cap of $46.62.

January Grassroots Survey

Posted at 09:31 AM on Thursday, January 1, 2009 by post9488

Last month, we asked, "With the election over, do you think our citizens will become more united?"

A majority of respondents—more than 65% percent—believe that the division of American citizens will continue in the years to come. Many noted, however, that people really need to put their differences aside for the health of the country.

• "America is strong as a people, and it's the people who will bring us back as the guiding light of the world, not the government."
• "These are tough times. We've used times like this to re-unite and get stronger. We're Americans first, as that we're all one."
• "We have to, and leaders in all organizations would best serve the goals of the organization and the country by encouraging everyone to do so."

Click here to see more results

Post 9488 January Calendar

Posted at 09:08 AM on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 by post9488

January                                                                                                    2009

 

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			New Year's Eve Party!	1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!	2	3
4	5    MOC & MOCA Mtg 7:00 pm	6	7   MVVA Mtg 7:00 pm	8	9	10  Covered Dish & Karaoke  7:00 pm
11	12	13   American Legion Post #9	14	15	18	17    VFW & VFWA Breakfast 8:00 am Meetings  9:00 am
18	19       Martin Luther King’s Day	20	21	22	23   MOC/MOCA Council of Adm Fayetteville, NC Jan 23-25, 2009	24 Covered Dish & Karaoke 7:00 pm
25	26	27	28   VA Patients Dinner   6:30 pm	29	30	31 FYI VFW & VFWA Dept. Council of Adm Feb 6-8, 2009 Raleigh, NC

Post 9488 January Newsletter

Posted at 03:58 PM on Monday, December 29, 2008 by post9488

 

January 2009 Newsletter

Website – www.vfwwebcom.org/nc/post9488

 

VFW OFFICERS Commander – Elmo Langley             Trustee – Earl Sechler Sr. Vice –Jeff Friar                             Trustee – Jack Kerns Jr. Vice –Terry Beaver                       Trustee – Alvin Jones Quartermaster – Leo Long                 Chair. House – Ken Lee Chaplain – Jerry Overman                 House – Jim Hopkins Judge Advocate – Dallas Hudson      House –  Steve Coulson Surgeon – Skip Hunt

LADIES AUXILIARY President –   Colleen Sakala        Guard –  Donna Watts Sr. Vice –  Deanna Long              Trustee – Teri Thompkins Jr. Vice –  Betty Morris                Trustee –  Debbie Fox Treasurer –  BJ Rape’                   Trustee –  Donna Watts Chaplain –  Janice Gatti              Patriotic Inst. –  Donna Watts Conductress –  Dottye Brimhall      Secretary –  Elaine Friar

Commanders Corner:

 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to everyone and thanks to everyone who has donated their time to the post this past year for the cleanups, cookouts, VA patients dinners and other events.

 

The Color Guard Children’s Christmas party at the NC Guard Armory was a great success. Everyone should give a big thank you to the men and women who worked very hard to make it happen. The event is something for everyone in 9488 to be proud of.

 

The Saturday breakfast/meetings are going well but we would like to see more members attending. The next one is January 17th starting at 8:00am with sausage gravy, biscuits and eggs and then meeting at 9:00 am.

 

 

Elmo (Butch) Langley, Commander

 

 

Quartermaster:

 

Attention all members!

 

Year 2009 dues must have been paid before December 31, 2008 to remain as a member in good standing to permit voting.  Any dues payable January 1, 2009 or later, will prevent you from voting at the monthly meetings until paid and it will cause deactivation of your door card.  To reactive, you must pay dues and an additional $5 for a new door card so you may enter the Post.

 

All newsletters may now be viewed on the internet at:  www.vfwwebcom.org/nc/post9488.  Printed copies are available in the canteen for anyone wishing to pick one up at the Post.

 

Leo Long, Quartermaster

 

 

House Committee:

 

Thanks to all the ladies and men who helped this s past month and to all our good cooks.

 

Please Note that we will be having Karaoke on January 10^th and January 24^th which also includes a covered dish starting at 7:00 pm.  Why not join us for a good time and bring your favorite food to share.

 

The House Committee elected to postpone the VFW Golf Tournament until the spring of 2009.  Ample notice will be given when a date and location have been selected.

 

Ken Lee, Chairman

 

 

 

Ladies Auxiliary:

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Hope all of you had a great holiday! Let’s hope for a wonderful New Year. I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Post Christmas Party Dinner, Christmas dinner, and the New Year’s Eve meal, the food was delicious and greatly appreciated!

Ladies please plan to come to the next meeting, January 17, 2009, at 9:00 am; we will be covering quite a few things and start planning our next fundraiser. We need everyone’s input! You are also invited to enjoy breakfast starting at 8:00 am.  Also I would like to ask each one of you to bring a canned food or pre-packaged food item to donate to our Food Bank Container to our next meeting. On that note, I would like to THANK EVERYONE (you know who you are) who has donated to the Food Bank Container that is located in the Canteen.

Don’t forget that the Council of Administration is coming up February 6-8, 2009 in Raleigh, please plan to attend as there is a lot of useful information that is given out and you will definitely learn.

As always please keep our service members and veterans in your prayers.  Look forward to seeing all of you, have a great month and be safe

Colleen Sakala, President

 

Military Order of the Cootie Auxiliary:

 

December was really a busy month for the MOC/MOCA.  So many exciting things happened.  The MOC/MOCA sponsored JROTC Drill Team Competition at Garinger High School was an extraordinary event.  Cadets from 11 Mecklenburg County High Schools competed, and trophies were given to the winning school for each of several events. We were fortunate to have UNCC ROTC cadets as judges.  Thanks to all who came and helped.

 

The Veterans from Salisbury and the Charlottetown Manor enjoyed a beautiful Christmas dinner with music from Maggie Marie, and Sgt. Marshall from Garinger High school lead the Veterans in Christmas carols.  As the Veterans left they were all given a bag of Christmas gifts from MOC/MOCA members.  Another big THANKS to all who contributed to the gifts and the dinner for the veterans.

 

Our dinner for the Veterans will return to the 4^th Wednesday of the month starting January 28, 2009.  Please come, bring a dessert and visit with our honored guests.

 

Our Winter C of A in Fayetteville will be January 23-25, 2009.  For Hotel information call me at 704-596-0675.

 

Next meeting will be January 5^th at 7:00 p.m.

 

Dottye Brimhall, MOCA President

Vets Visits on TV - December 2008

Posted at 08:29 AM on Monday, December 29, 2008 by post9488

VA Reaches 11,000 Survivors for Retroactive Benefit

Posted at 08:01 AM on Monday, December 29, 2008 by post9488

WASHINGTON (Dec. 24, 2008) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has identified nearly 11,000 surviving spouses of deceased veterans who will receive a lump-sum payment before the New Year to correct an error in their VA benefits.  Also documented were more than 73,000 who had been previously paid.  VA officials are still tracking down eligible survivors.

"I am pleased that our task force working to correct this problem has been able to identify this first group this week," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "We understand the difference these funds can make for these surviving spouses, especially during the holiday season."

Payments will be released to these survivors on Dec. 29.  The total value of the payments is about $24 million.

At issue is a 1996 federal law that makes a surviving spouse eligible to receive the veteran's VA compensation or pension benefit for the month of the veteran's death.  VA failed to properly implement that law in all cases.

Most likely to have been affected by this problem are surviving spouses who never applied for VA survivors' benefits following the death of a veteran.  Eligible for the payment are surviving spouses of veterans who died after Dec. 31, 1996.  The Department doesn't have current addresses for many of them, which makes the process of contacting them difficult.

VA has established a special Survivor Call Center (1-800-749-8387) for spouses who believe they may be eligible for this retroactive benefit. The Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Central Standard Time.  Inquiries may also be submitted through the Internet at http://www.vba.va.gov/survivorsbenefit.htm.

Post's Auxiliary Drives Across State to Feed Wounded Warriors

Posted at 12:07 PM on Sunday, December 28, 2008 by post9488

The following is an excerpt from the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Magazine-Janurary 2009 issue. Congratulations ladies for a job well done.

Click to enlarge

VA Urges Vets to Sign-up for Direct Deposits

Posted at 03:50 PM on Monday, December 15, 2008 by post9488

WASHINGTON (December 15, 2008) -- Every month, 730,000 veterans or survivors look for their compensation, pension checks or educational assistance payments in their mailboxes.  Nearly all receive them, but theft and mail delays cause problems for some veterans, which can be prevented by direct deposits.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is urging those veterans and family members now receiving paper checks to join nearly 3.1 million others whose VA payments are safely deposited electronically.

"VA is teaming up with the Treasury Department in a new campaign to protect government beneficiaries against the theft of funds and of their identities," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Veterans earned -- and rely on -- the financial support we send them every month.  I urge them to help VA ensure they get those funds reliably and safely by signing up for direct deposit."

Peake cited several easy ways to sign up for direct deposit -- calling VA toll-free at (800) 333-1795 or enrolling online at www.GoDirect.org.  Veterans, and family members who receive VA payments, also can sign up by contacting a VA regional benefits office or their financial institution.  Information about direct deposits will be included in VA's monthly compensation and pension envelopes throughout 2009.

The VA Secretary urged veterans to remember that direct deposits relieve worry about mail delivery being delayed by severe weather or natural disasters.  The deposits also eliminate trips to banks or credit unions to deposit checks, while providing immediate access to money at the same time each month.

VA Announces Enhanced and Expanded Care for N.C. Veterans

Posted at 06:50 AM on Friday, December 12, 2008 by post9488

 

Health Care Centers to Come to Charlotte, Winston-Salem

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced a strategic realignment plan today that will enhance and expand access to health care for North Carolina veterans.  Through the creation of new facilities in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, plus improvements to the medical center in Salisbury, veterans will have more options for VA health care.

“Our veterans have earned access to VA’s world-class health care,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “This strategic plan will increase VA’s capacity to care for North Carolina’s veterans, while putting health care closer to where veterans live.”

A major feature of the plan is the creation of new Health Care Centers (HCCs) in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, scheduled to be completed by 2013.  The HCCs will offer veterans primary care and specialty care, including surgical, rehabilitative and mental health services.  Inpatient care will be provided under VA contract at local private-sector hospitals in these areas.  The plan provides that no changes to health care delivery services at the Salisbury VA Medical Center will be made until 2013, nor will there be any staff reductions.

Once the HCCs in Charlotte and Winston-Salem are operational, the Salisbury VA Medical Center will be reviewed for opportunities to enhance its scope of providing health services and to become a center of excellence in both long-term care and mental health care.  Primary care and urgent care services will continue at the site.

 “It’s important VA provides veterans with state-of-the-art health care technologies in contemporary facilities,” added Peake. “As we move forward, this plan will provide enhanced care for our veterans in North Carolina.”

More information on the plan is available on the Internet at http://www.salisbury.va.gov 

BUDDY POPPIES: PANHANDLING? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Posted at 08:45 PM on Sunday, November 30, 2008 by post9488

(via Dept of Wisconsin)

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