Department of Wisconsin

Officer Training (OTI) Set For Wisconsin Rapids July 25th. Register Now!

Posted at 08:16 AM on Saturday, July 4, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News in Information Pages

The VFW Department of Wisconsin annual Officers Training Institute is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th at the Mead Inn at Wisconsin Rapids.

All Post Commanders, Quartermasters and Veterans Service Officers are advised to attend. Training in these areas is part of the requirements for All State Honors in the 2009/2010 Program year.

The registration form available from the link, below, may be completed and saved. The form has a "typewriter" function that allows you to enter the appropriate information. The information you enter will be saved with the document, unlike most PDF forms.

Please complete one form for each registrant, and send the forms along with the $10/per person registration fee to the address indicated.

Click on the icon to open the actual form =========>

  

  

  

  

  

VFW Washington Weekly - June 29, 2009

Posted at 08:29 AM on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

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/.

Read more Washington Weekly

VFW WI 2009 Convention Photos

Posted at 10:54 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

VFW National Commander Visits Iraq

Posted at 10:49 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

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."

Read more

VA News - Week of June 22, 2009

Posted at 10:33 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

Patriotic Rally To Kick Off State Convention Wednesday Evening

Posted at 06:39 PM on Friday, June 19, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News in Special Events

VA Reopening Health Care Enrollment to Thousands of Veterans

Posted at 09:56 AM on Friday, June 19, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

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

Previous Page | Home | Next Page