Fry Chapter 14

Since we did not have sufficient new information to warrant distribution of a full newsletter, the March edition of the newsletter is located here, or you can go to the “News Section”.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is dropping its annual verification requirement for pension payouts, a move that should save tens of thousands of veterans paperwork grief and free up VA staff to work on other benefits claims. The VA’s Eligibility Verification Report, asked for annual updates on veterans’ finances, medical coverage and living situation. The two-page form had an accompanying six-page set of instructions and required numerous other documents to ensure veterans didn’t lose their benefits. Instead, department officials will use data from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration to confirm veterans’ eligibility in real time. The move is designed to speed up processing times and cut down on administrative errors.

The December newsletter is now available, Click here or go to the news section to view, download or copy the newsletter.

The VA has a new program to help unemployed veterans get back into the work force. The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) is jointly administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor (DOL). The VRAP offers 12 months of training assistance to veterans who are at least 35 years old but no older than 60. Eligible participants will receive up to 12 months of training assistance at the full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program (currently $1,473 per month). DOL will offer employment assistance to every veteran who participates or applies to the VRAP program. The program is limited to 45,000 participants during fiscal year 2012, and to 54,000 participants from Oct. 1, 2012, through March 31, 2014. Participants must be enrolled in a VA approved program of education offered by a community college or technical school. The program must lead to an associate degree, non-college degree, or a certificate, and train the veteran for a high demand occupation. You can learn more about VRAP at http://benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm.

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act has one provision that be great news to unemployed veterans over the age of 35 – a new shot at 12 months of the Montgomery GI Bill (http://www.military.com/education/content/gi-bill/montgomery-gi-bill.html). Pre-9/11 veterans may soon qualify for as much as $17,600 for education and training. This benefit can be used for finishing up a college degree, certification, vocational training, On-the-Job Training and more. http://www.military.com/education/content/gi-bill/veteran-gi-bill-apprenticeship-and-ojt-program.html . They may also  soon qualify for as much as $17,600 for education and training. This benefit can be used for finishing up a college degree, certification, vocational training, On-the-Job Training and more. http://www.military.com/education/content/gi-bill/veteran-gi-bill-apprenticeship-and-ojt-program.html .

The VA is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to Servicemembers who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred. Effective Oct. 1, the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury Protection benefit, known as TSGLI, will be payable for all qualifying injuries incurred during this period.  This retroactive benefit is payable whether or not the Servicemember had SGLI coverage at the time of the injury. National Guard and Reserve members who were injured during the retroactive period and suffered a qualifying loss are also eligible for a TSGLI payment, even if the cause was not related to military service, such as a civilian automobile accident or severe injury which occurred while working around their home. Although applications are currently being accepted by branch of service TSGLI offices, benefits will not be paid until Oct. 1, 2011, the effective date of the law. For more information, go to http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2169.

Veterans now have on-demand access and can download official data about their military training and experience, which can be used to help them find jobs and continue their careers.  Their service data can be uploaded to job search and networking sites to help identify employment opportunities.  Starting Dec. 3, Veterans can use the VA’s online My HealtheVet portal (www.myhealth.va.gov) to see official information about their military service, including deployment data, in-uniform experience, and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes which define the type of work performed and skills learned during their tour of duty.  Veterans can electronically download that information to their personal computers by using an enhanced version of the Blue Button.  Military job information available to Veterans under this program will depend on discharge or retirement date.  See our December newsletter for more information.                    

Veterans and their families now have another tool to help them find information and the support they need to help them meet life’s challenges. This new tool is the Department of Veterans Affairs’ new online resource center at www.MakeTheConnection.net. In addition to connecting users to resources for issues affecting their health, well-being and everyday lives, the site features inspiring true stories from other veterans who faced life events, experiences, physical ailments or psychological symptoms and found ways to overcome their challenges.

The Veterans Job Bank is a central source for veterans to locate job opportunities without having to visit multiple sites. It provides users with the ability to define their search criteria by keyword, Military Occupational Code and location. The National Resource Directory jobs search then pulls a selection of global job opportunities that have been posted or specifically tagged for veterans on job websites. The Veterans Job Bank is powered by the National Resource Directory (www.NRD.gov). In support of this initiative, the NRD also developed a Veterans Job Bank Widget, which allows access to the Veterans Job Bank directly from other websites. An easy to implement feature that any individual or organization can use, the Veterans Job Bank Widget allows veterans to conduct a targeted job search without ever leaving the website they are visiting.

Are you getting ready to leave service? We have put together a newsletter of programs available to veterans, with emphasis on disabled veterans. You can read the newsletter by clicking here. You can also print it from this link.

It is important to know your Arizona veteran benefits. Click here for an updated list of those benefits.   

There is a website online that provides information to our veterans.  It is a combination of 63 websites that provide information, service, and product sites serving the U.S. Military Veterans market.  You can find this website at http://www.veteranstodaynetwork.com/.

The VA has is reaching out to women Veterans to solicit their input on ways to enhance the health care services VA provides to women Veterans. It is seeking the input of women Veterans so that VA can continue to provide high quality health care to the growing numbers of women Veterans. Representatives at VA’s Health Resource Center (HRC) are placing calls to women Veterans nationwide, asking them to share their experiences with VA and suggest potential enhancements that will further VA’s mission to provide the best care anywhere. The HRC, which started placing calls on June 1, is contacting women Veterans who have enrolled, but have not begun using VA services. . “We want these Veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they are not using VA, whether they are aware of the gender-specific services we offer, and what additional services they would like to see VA offer.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reaching out to Veterans in crisis and their families in a new public service announcement to raise awareness about suicide prevention resources, such as the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). “VA is increasing its efforts to reach out to Veterans in need and their families, to inform them about available services and programs.” The new television spot encourages Veterans in crisis to call the crisis hotline number at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and then push 1 on their telephone keypad to reach a trained VA mental health professional who can assist the Veteran 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  “Suicide is preventable,” said Batten. “Every Veteran suicide is tragic and regardless of the numbers or rates, one Veteran suicide is too many.  We feel the responsibility to continue to spread the word throughout the nation that suicide prevention is everyone’s business.”So far, more than 379,000 people have called the hotline, and more than 200,000 of these callers have identified themselves as Veterans, family members or friends of Veterans. The hotline has led to more than 13,000 rescues of actively suicidal Veterans. The hotline also operates an online Veterans Chat program, which provides Veterans, their families and friends with the ability to communicate anonymously online in real-time with a trained VA mental health professional.  Veterans Chat can be accessed through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s web page at http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx.

The VA is launching the first of a series of new and enhanced services supporting family caregivers of seriously ill and injured Veterans.   In May 2010, President Obama signed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 legislation authorizing VA to establish a wide range of new services to support certain caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans. In addition to the new benefits and services for eligible Veterans who were disabled in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001 (Post 9/11 Veterans), VA will also begin providing enhanced benefits and services to caregivers of Veterans of all eras who are already enrolled in VA care. For more information, go to http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2048.

There is a website online that provides information to our veterans. It is a combination of 63 websites that provide information, service, and product sites serving the U.S. Military Veterans market. You can find this website at http://www.veteranstodaynetwork.com/.

The Arizona Department of the Disabled American Veterans has modified its website to include activities that may be of interest to our veterans. The AZ DAV website is at http://www.azdav.org , but the events are located at http://www.azdav.org/chapter-events .  Check it out!

Military Homeowners - If you have been wounded while on active duty, or your spouse has lost their life in combat, you may be eligible for special mortgage forbearance. If you are unable to make your mortgage payment as a result of one of these unique hardships, and your loan is owned by Fannie Mae, you may be eligible for temporary relief from your monthly mortgage payments. To find out if Fannie Mae owns your mortgage or if you are eligible, please call Fannie Mae at 1-877-MIL-4566. Click here for more information.

To bring the educational benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill closer to more Veterans and Service Members, President Obama signed legislation Jan. 4 that streamlines the 18-month-old education program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Among the provisions of the legislation are:

·Paying for on-the-job training, some flight training; apprenticeship training and correspondence courses;

·Allowing reservists and Guardsmen to have their time supporting emergencies called by their state governors credited to the time needed to qualify for educational benefits;

·Providing one half of the national average for the program’s housing allowance to students enrolled in distance learning;

·Pro-rating the housing allowance to exclude payments when students are not in class;

·Allowing students on active duty receive the stipend for books and supplies;

·Allowing people eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, but participating in VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) benefits to choose between the GI Bill’s housing allowance or VR&E’s subsistence allowance;

·Permitting reimbursement for more than one “license and certification” test; 

·Reimbursing fees to take national admission tests, such as SAT, ACT, GMAT and LSAT; and

·Establishing a national cap of $17,500 annually for tuition and fees in a private or a foreign school, not including contributions by educational institutions under the “Yellow Ribbon” program.

Information about the new provisions is available on the Internet at www.gibill.va.gov.

WARNING TO ALL VETERANS

Forwarded by Kevin Secor, VSO Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

 An organization called Veterans Affairs Services (VAS) is providing benefit and general information on VA and gathering personal information on veterans.  This organization is not affiliated with VA in any way.
http://www.vaservices.org/us/index.html

VAS may be gaining access to military personnel through their close resemblance to the VA name and seal.  Our Legal Counsel has requested that we coordinate with DoD to inform military installations, particularly mobilization sites, of this group and their lack of affiliation or endorsement by VA to provide any services. In addition, GC requests that if you have any examples of VAS acts that violate chapter 59 of Title 38 United States Code, such as VAS employees assisting veterans in the preparation and presentation of claims for benefits, please pass any additional information to Mr.Daugherty at the address below.

Michael G. Daugherty
Staff Attorney
Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of General Counsel (022G2)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420

As part of VA Secretary Shinseki's effort to reduce the claims backlog, the VA is reducing the paperwork and expediting the process for Veterans seeking compensation for service-connected disabilities.  VA has shortened application forms to reduce paperwork. The new forms, which are being made available on VA's Web site at www.va.gov/vaforms Forms include:

*A shortened VA Form 21-526 for Veterans applying for the first-time to VA for disability compensation or pension benefits. This form has been cut in half - from 23 to 10 pages. It is immediately available to Veterans via Web download, and will be available through VA's online claim-filing process later this summer at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

* VA Form 21-526b for Veterans seeking increased benefits for conditions already determined by VA to be service-connected. This new form more clearly describes the information needed to support claims for
 increased benefits.

To schedule DAV transportation, please call the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System at (520) 792-1450 (AZ toll free1-800-470-8262) ext.6565 at least 5 working days in advance. You must call the DAV Transportation Office at (520) 458-5776 between 1000-1200 on the last working day before your appointment to confirm your ride. The Transportation Office is open Monday-Friday 1000-1200. For DAV transportation rules, go to http://azdav.org/shuttle.