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Veterans of Foreign Wars Department Wisconsin

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JUNE INCIDENT GENERATES OUTRAGE, LAWSUIT BY 2-TOUR OIF VETS AGAINST WISCONSIN DELLS OFFICIALS

Posted at 02:00 PM on Saturday, November 29, 2008 by dist7

An incident alledged to have taken place on June 1st involving the Wisconsin Dells Police Department and two Iraq-war Soldiers in the area for training exercises has led to the firing of one officer, temporary suspension of another and a $600,000 lawsuit against the City of Wisconsin Dells and its police officials.

To read the details of this alarming story, CLICK HERE

VA SECRETARY ANNOUNCES MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT RAISE

Posted at 04:25 AM on Friday, November 21, 2008 by dist7

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that eligible veterans will see an increase in the mileage reimbursement they receive for travel to VA facilities for medical care.
 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake announced today that he will use his authority to raise the mileage reimbursement from the 28.5 cents per mile to 41.5 cents per mile for all eligible veterans.
 
“We owe it to our veterans to give them the best care possible,” said Peake. “The increase will once again provide assistance to our veterans, especially in these difficult economic times, to help offset gasoline costs and to assist veterans with access to the VA’s world-class health system.”
Congress, which mandates such increases, recently provided funding to VA to increase the reimbursement rate, which goes into effect on November 17, 2008. Service connected veterans, veterans receiving VA pensions, and veterans with low incomes are eligible for the reimbursement.
“As I have traveled the country and spoken with many of our veterans, they have expressed the need for such an increase,” added Peake. “We are pleased to be able to provide them with the increase needed and we will continue to work with our veterans to ensure they receive the quality care they need.”      
 
While increasing the payment, the current deductible amounts applied to certain mileage reimbursements will remain frozen at $7.77 for a one way trip, $15.54 for a round trip, and capped at a maximum of $46.62 per calendar month.  On January 9, 2009, these deductibles will decrease to $3 for a one way trip, $6 for a round trip, with a maximum of $18 per calendar month.  Deductibles can be waived if they cause a financial hardship to the veteran.
 

POST ACTION REPORT DATA SUMMARY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Posted at 11:07 AM on Thursday, November 20, 2008 by dist7

Your Post Action Report submissions are now available to view online.

A new Post Action Reports Summary may be viewed by clicking on the COMMUNITY SERVICE SUMMARIES link found on the main page of all Wisconsin VFW Webcom Blog sites.

All data entered on the new automated Online Report Form through the E-Forms link will appear each time the Summary Report is updated from now on. (At least weekly.)

Post Officers are reminded that the best way to report Post Activities is through the new Online Report Form.

Reports submitted on forms from prior years will not be accepted for filing. Please refer to the 2008/2009 Wisconsin VFW Program Guide for instructions and details on the current form.

Use of the earlier e-Filing version of the 2008/2009 manual form is discouraged. If you downloaded that and continue to use it, please expect significant delay in posting your entries.

Post Action Reports submitted by regular mail using the manual form may take up to 6 weeks for processing. You are strongly advised to designate a member of your Post with computer access to enter your information through the new system.

Thank you for all you do for Veterans and the VFW of Wisconsin. Report your activities promptly and accurately to receive full credit!

VFW GIFT CARDS --- It's Time You Checked Them Out!

Posted at 11:54 AM on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 by dist7

The following article is from the Post 1318 Newsletter, and is by Gundel Metz, Post 1318 Community Activities Chairman
 
Do you go grocery shopping every week?  Do you get gas for your vehicle every week?  Do you go out to eat?  Usually we pay by check, cash, or credit/debit card.  There is another way that you can pay and that is by getting gift cards.  The VFW Gift Card Store program allows our members, family members and VFW supporters to raise money for our state and post simply by buying items we use everyday.  To raise money, just purchase gift cards through their website or over the phone and instead of using cash, use the gift cards.  Each gift card purchased through the VFW Gift Card Store earns a donation to your VFW Post.  When a gift card is purchased through this program the merchant that issues the gift cards provides a donation. 
 
·        VFW Gift Card Store gift cards are the same as those sold in stores, except each card purchased earns a donation
·        Gift cards are sold at face value
·        There are no hidden fees
·        All purchases are made via check or electronic check withdrawal.  (Bank account information is not retained as part of the security measures).
·        All orders are delivered directly to the purchaser’s home within 7-10 days. 
 
HOW TO ORDER
 
There are five easy ways to order gift cards through the VFW Gift Card Store. 
 
·        Online               www.vfwgiftcards.com
·        Phone               800-514-1891 Monday thru Friday 8:30 – 4:00 CST
·        Fax                   608-821-1025
·        Mail                  P O Box 628458
Middleton, WI 53562
·        Auto-Order        Recurring monthly order option.
 
Of the total dollars raised through purchase of gift cards, 50% will go to the individual post that you designate and 50% will go to Department of Wisconsin.
 
Before writing this article, I purchased Woodman’s and Mobil gift cards.  I went on line and looked through their selection of businesses (and they have too many to list) who are participating.  I had no trouble using the Woodman’s and Mobil gift cards.  There are no additional charges.  I was charged the value of the gift card.  How much the Post receives depends on the gift cards you purchase.  Donations are based on percentages and they range anywhere from 1% to 15% of the value of the gift card.  I purchased a Woodman’s $100 gift card and the donation from that is $3.00 as they donate 3%.  This may not seem like a lot.  But stop and think if you spend $100 a week or more for a family on groceries and multiple that by 52 weeks, through your purchase the VFW would receive $156.00 per year.  If every member did this, just think about how much money we can raise.  The VFW Gift Card Store sells gift cards for athletics/sports stores, gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, office stores, pharmacy, restaurants, retail stores, toy stores, entertainment (such as movie theaters), some hotels.  As you can see they have a variety to choose from. 
 
Look them up on the web.  If you do not have a computer, call them and they will send you an order form and a list of businesses to choose from.
 

VFW Washington Weekly - November 14, 2008

Posted at 08:08 AM on Saturday, November 15, 2008 by dist7

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE SERVICE
1. Navy to Design New GI Bill Software

NATIONAL SECURITY & FOREIGN AFFAIRS
1. JPAC Goes to India
2. Military Healthcare Online Town Hall Meeting
3. Reserve Component Mobilization

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE SERVICE


1. Navy to Design New GI Bill Software: A navy command center in Charleston, SC, has been chosen to design the new GI Bill software which VA will use to implement its education benefits.  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) has experience with sophisticated software that can perform some of the complex calculations that are required under the new law.  The benefit rollout is scheduled for Aug. 1, 2009.  The new education benefit will pay full tuition up to the cost of the most expensive four-year public college or university in the state where a service member or veteran attends school.  It also pays a living stipend based on zip code and other fees for the student veteran.  SPAWAR is still awaiting funding from VA in order to begin the initial stage.

Click here to read more

VETS CAN HAVE FREE TICKETS TO BADGERS/CAL POLY GAME NOVEMBER 22ND!

Posted at 10:02 AM on Thursday, November 13, 2008 by dist7

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and the UW Athletic Department have announced that a limited number of FREE tickets has been set aside for Veterans to attend next Saturday's (Nov 22nd) UW BADGERS game against the CAL POLY MUSTANGS at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

To put your name in for these free tickets, print out and complete the Ticket Form and fax it to the UW Athletic Department. Complete instructions are on the form.

CLICK HERE to access the form. You will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to print this form. If you don't have this free pdf reader, click the Adobe logo, below.

VFW Washington Weekly - November 7, 2008

Posted at 10:06 PM on Sunday, November 9, 2008 by dist7

In This Issue:
1. 2008 Election
2. IB Releases Critical Issues for 2010
3. 2009 Retired Pay COLA
4. Lower Tricare Reserve Select Premiums
5. Guard/Reserve Debt Relief Act of 2008

1. 2008 Election

The 2008 election is one for the history books, with 136.6 million people, or 64.1% of eligible voters turning out. This exceeds the previous records of 122.3 million voters in 2004 and 63.8% of eligible voters in the 1960 elections. The Democratic Party also extended its majority lead in both the House and Senate, despite a few races that have yet to be decided. VFW congratulates everyone and looks forward to working with them when the 111th Congress convenes in January. VFW remains steadfast in our fight to increase VA funding and to help those transitioning from active duty to veteran status. Linked here are VFW's 2009 Legislative Priority Goals, which are the result of resolutions adopted at the 109th VFW National Convention. We ask that you become familiar with them. Any grassroots action that you take to educate your legislators on them will benefit all us all.
For a list of the 2009 priority goals, go to: http://www.vfw.org/legislative/2009prioritygoals.pdf.
To sign-up to receive our VFW Washington Weekly e-newsletter and join our advocacy team, go to: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup/

Read more Washington Weekly

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