VFW WI Post 2925 - Berlin

VA News - Week of October 6, 2008

Posted at 21:31 on Friday, October 10, 2008 by post2925

VA Washington Weekly - October 9, 2008

Posted at 10:25 on Friday, October 10, 2008 by post2925

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.

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DoD Revises Purple Heart Policy

Posted at 00:11 on Friday, October 10, 2008 by post2925

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

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Posted at 09:17 on Thursday, October 9, 2008 by post2925

© Courtesy Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd.

October 9 - 12, 2008

At Princeton Public School

Everyone Welcome

Oct 9	6:00 pm	Opening Ceremony
Oct 10	6:00 pm	POW/MIA Ceremony
Oct 11	3:00pm	Ladies in Service
	6:00pm	Honoring Gold Star Families
Oct 12	6:00pm	Closing Ceremony

 

Continuous Reading of Names on the Wall

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Sponsoring Veterans Organizations

Women for Veterans Princeton

Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts

• 10452 Princeton
• 2925   Berlin
• 5278   Ripon
• 10892 Neshkoro
• 8718   Westfield

American Legion Posts

• 306    Green Lake
• 395    Kingston
• 282    Markesan

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Link to:  VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL HOMEPAGE

Directions:  THE MOVING WALL * OCT 9-12, 2008 * PRINCETON, WI

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"IN HONOR OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES WHO SERVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR. THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND OF THOSE WHO REMAIN MISSING ARE INSCRIBED IN THE ORDER THEY WERE TAKEN FROM US."

© Courtesy Vietnam Combat Veterans, Ltd.

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USA Today Highlights VFW Foundation

Posted at 09:20 on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 by post2925 in VFW News

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 09:11 on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 by post2925 in WebCOM

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 09:29 on Monday, October 6, 2008 by post2925 in VFW News

The American Veteran - October Edition

Posted at 09:09 on Sunday, October 5, 2008 by post2925 in The American Veteran

(via The Pentagon Channel)

TRICARE Reserve and Guard Family Benefit Now Permanent

Posted at 09:04 on Saturday, October 4, 2008 by post2925 in VA News

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."

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NEW LAW HELPS TROOPS AVOID UNFAIR CELL PHONE FEES

Posted at 16:30 on Friday, October 3, 2008 by post2925

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that Congress has passed legislation based on a provision he authored allowing servicemembers deployed overseas to terminate cell phone contracts free of penalties. Feingold introduced the Servicemembers’ Cellular Phone Contract Fairness Act in 2006 after learning Wisconsin servicemembers were being forced to pay early termination fees or pay for a service they could not use when they were transferred overseas. The Feingold measure, which passed as part of the Veterans’ Benefits Enhancement Act, will expand the rights servicemembers already have to terminate similar contracts like residential and automobile leases without penalty. The measure now heads to the President for his signature.

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