Veterans
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is strengthening community and non-profit partnerships to better serve veterans.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America (BPO Elks) has announced that it has committed $4 million over a 4-year period to help end veteran homelessness.
This partnership and pledge embodies the mission of MyVA, launched last year to transform VA by putting veterans in control of how, when and where they wish to be served.
In order to achieve transformation, the department has been reaching out to community partners working to meet the needs of Veterans.
As a part of this partnership, the Elks will work with VHA staff on pilot programs in the cities of Washington, Chicago and New York City.
In addition, the organization is calling on the group’s 800,000 members across the country to support efforts to support homeless veterans in their communities.
The Elks have a strong tradition of service to VA. In this fiscal year alone, approximately 1,300 Elks members volunteered more than 117,000 hours of service at VA facilities nationwide.
“We’re so excited about partnering with the Elks on this important issue impacting far too many Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. “As we move closer to our goal of ending veteran homelessness, partnerships like these will be critical to ensuring that all veterans have access to safe and affordable housing.”
“Our goal is to provide the tools and support necessary for homeless Veterans to transition successfully into healthier and more stable lives,” said Mary Morgan, director of the Elks National Veterans Service Commission. “Most Americans agree that veteran homelessness should not exist, but few people know how they can help.”
For more information about VA’s homeless initiatives, visit http://www.va.gov/homeless/ .
For more information about the Elks’ service to veterans, visit http://www.elks.org/vets/ .
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SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer John Chiang is announcing the sale of up to $445,700,000 of Veterans General Obligation Bonds.
“California’s Veterans served our state and nation with honor,” Chiang said. “We owe them a debt of gratitude that this bond sale will begin repaying by way of helping our returning service members and their families realize the American dream of homeownership.”
The General Obligation Bonds are being issued to finance home and farm mortgage loans for California military Veterans under the Farm and Home Purchase Program, administered by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet).
“This is an important bond sale directly aiding California’s Veterans,” said CalVet Secretary Vito Imbasciani, M.D. “I'm proud California offers these bonds as an expression of our thanks to our Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. This General Obligation Bond sale will provide CalVet with funding sufficient to offer home loans to hundreds of California’s Veterans.”
The joint senior managers include: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which currently employs more than 10,000 Veterans, Guards and Reservists with a major initiative to increase the hiring over the next several years and Academy Securities, the nation’s first—and only—Post 9/11 DVBE broker-dealer founded by a U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis graduate.
Along with these two firms, the underwriting group will also include Drexel Hamilton, LLC, a full-service institutional broker-dealer that offers meaningful employment opportunities to disabled veterans in the financial services industry; and, Mischler Financial Group, founded by a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who served with distinction and decoration in Vietnam before becoming disabled.
“Bank of America has proudly provided financial services to the U.S. Military for 95 years. With our long history and ongoing commitment to U.S. veterans, we were pleased to be involved in this deal, working with veteran-owned firms in a deal that will benefit former Californian service men and women,” said John Lawlor, head of Municipal Banking & Markets Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, himself a former U.S. Navy veteran, and graduate of the U.S Naval Academy.
“We are honored to be appointed as Joint Senior Manager on the upcoming California Veterans General Obligation bond transaction. California has the largest population of military Veterans – nearly two million - in the United States and we are proud to be associated with CalVet’s and Treasurer Chiang’s efforts to assist our state’s Veterans with their housing needs,” said Chance Mims, CEO of Academy Securities.
“Our mission every day is to help those who sacrificed so much for us, and we are pleased to be involved in a transaction that will allow for the State of California to continue that same mission of supporting our returning military heroes,” said James Cahill, President of Drexel Hamilton, LLC.
“As the financial industry’s oldest and largest SDV owned/operated firm and rooted in California, our legacy is dedicated to supporting Veteran initiatives. We are therefore honored to continue our long relationship with the State and to have been selected Co-Senior Manager for this CalVets financing,” said Dean Chamberlain, CEO of Mischler Financial Group.
Sale details: The State will sell approximately $445,700,000 of Veterans General Obligation Bonds in three separate series. The bonds will provide funds for the purchase of homes and farms (by California military Veterans through programs managed by the CalVet).
The bonds received ratings of Aa2 by Moody’s, AA by S&P, and AA- by Fitch. The State will offer the bonds to investors on October 7 and 8. The sale is expected to close on October 29, 2015.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Have you, your family, or your home been impacted by the Valley fire?
If you are a property owner with a CalVet Home loan and experienced property loss or were required to evacuate due to the recent fires, contact the program's claims adjuster, Carl Warren & Co., at its 24-hour hotline at 800-626-1613.
If you have concerns or are in need of insurance information, please call the CalVet Home Protection Unit, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 866-421-6978.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake VA Clinic is open for all scheduled appointments, after having had several days of limited service due to the Valley fire.
There will be, however, limited lab service. There will be no lab draws after 12:30 p.m.
For those veterans affected by the fire who need medication refills, please call the VA Telephone Linked Care line at 800-733-0502 (available 24/7).
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Due to the Valley fire, the Clearlake VA Clinic has canceled all non-urgent, routine medical appointments scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15.
The clinic, located at 15145 Lakeshore Drive, will be open, with limited staffing, for urgent/walk-in appointments only.
For veterans needing assistance with medication or health care needs, please call the Clearlake VA Clinic at 707-995-7200 or the San Francisco VA Medical Center’s Telephone Linked Care at 800-733-0502 (available 24/7).
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Due to the Valley Fire, the Clearlake VA Clinic at 15145 Lakeshore Drive has canceled all non-urgent, routine medical appointments scheduled for Monday, September 14.
The clinic will be open, with limited staffing, for urgent/walk-in appointments only.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Participation in the joint Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) eBenefits Web site topped five million users this week, two months ahead of schedule.
VA established an agency priority goal of reaching five million eBenefits users by the end of fiscal year 2015.
VA achieved this early milestone through aggressive outreach efforts and with the support of DoD and its Veterans Service Organization partners.
“Veterans are encouraged to enroll in eBenefits and file their claims online through this one-stop shop for benefits-related tools and information,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey. “We have already implemented nearly 60 self-service features and we continue to expand eBenefits capabilities to give veterans and servicemembers greater flexibility in securing their information.”
The number of eBenefits users is a key measure of VA’s success in improving veterans’ access to VA benefits and services and is reported on www.performance.gov .
To enroll in eBenefits, veterans and servicemembers must obtain a DoD Self-Service Logon (DS Logon), which provides access to several veterans and military benefits resources using a single username and password.
The service is free and may be obtained online at www.ebenefits.va.gov or in person at a VA Regional Office.
“The successful collaboration of eBenefits and DS Logon is just one more example of how the DoD and VA are working together to continue bringing current and former Servicemembers secure online access to the benefits they've earned,” said Mary Dixon, director of Defense Manpower Data Center.
The rapid and continued growth in the utilization of the eBenefits Web site demonstrates the importance of giving veterans greater access to information about their own benefits.
In addition to filing claims online and checking the status of those claims, veterans can also message their VA doctor, order prescription drug refills and obtain official military documents through eBenefits.
More than 7.5 million VA letters have been generated and downloaded by veterans that show proof of disability, income or veterans preference used in federal or state government hiring.
For more information about VA benefits, go to http://www.benefits.va.gov .
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FORT BENNING, Ga. – Adam Holguin of Lakeport graduated from one station unit training, or OSUT, on July 10 at Fort Benning.
Holguin, who attended school in Lakeport from kindergarten through 12th grade, is a 2013 graduate of Clear Lake High School.
He signed on with the U.S. Army in February and began his training in Georgia in mid-March.
He completed OSUT program – which lasts between 14 and 16 weeks – in which recruits remain with the same unit for both basic combat training and advanced individual training.
OSUT training is for those recruits whose military occupational specialty is infantry, cavalry or armor.
Recruits who successfully complete this training attend a special “turning blue” ceremony, where they receive their infantry blue cord signifying they have completed all requirements to join the rank of the U.S. Army.
During this special ceremony, which took place on July 9 at Fort Benning, Holguin asked his mother, Paula Tolle, to do the honor of assisting him with the pinning of his cord.
Immediately after graduation, Holguin left to report for duty at Fort Polk in Louisiana.
His family includes mother, Paula Tolle of Lakeport; father, Alex Holguin Jr. of San Jose; brothers, Alex Holguin of Lakeport and Trevor Holguin of Fairfield; sister, Melissa Schweitzer of Lakeport; nephews, Schad Schweitzer of Lakeport and Elias Holguin of Fairfield; and nieces, Bella, Sylvia and Mia Holguin, and Aubrey Schweitzer, all of Lakeport.
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FORT BENNING, Ga. – Private First Class Alexander Andrews graduates on Friday from the US Army's Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning.
Andrews, an infantryman, graduates as the Soldier of the Cycle and Honor Graduate, topping a class of more than 160 soldiers.
He now is waiting to be assigned to Airborne training.
Last August, Andrews graduated from Army basic combat training as a squad leader of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 54th Infantry Regiment, also at Fort Benning.
He is a member of the Oregon National Guard.
Andrews attended elementary and high school in Lakeport, Calif., graduating from Clear Lake High School in 2013 before going on to Oregon State University, Corvallis in the fall of 2013.
Andrews is engaged to Ashley Bolling, and is the son of Tom Andrews, and Wendy Andrews and Darren Hoffeditz, all of Lakeport.
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