Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 29 April 2013

Created: 29 April 2013

Last Updated: 29 April 2013

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), a Member of the House Armed Services Committee who represents Beale and Travis Air Force bases, reported with great sadness that two Beale Airmen, Staff Sergeant Richard A. Dickson and Captain Reid K. Nishizuka, died on April 27 near Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan following an MC-12 aircraft crash.

Sergeant Dickson was assigned to the 306th Intelligence Squadron, and Captain Nishizuka was assigned to the 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, both based out of Beale.

“Staff Sergeant Richard A. Dickson and Captain Reid K. Nishizuka served our country valiantly. These heroes served their nation until their last days, executing their mission with courage and the kind of selfless commitment that is the core of our nation’s strength,” said Congressman Garamendi.

“When they joined the Air Force, Sergeant Dickson and Captain Nishizuka knew the dangers of the job, yet they willingly put their lives on the line in service to our country. As a community and as a nation, we must rally behind their families and friends during this period of mourning. My thoughts and prayers are with them all,” Garamendi said.

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 28 April 2013

Created: 28 April 2013

Last Updated: 28 April 2013

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new hotline – 1-855-VA-WOMEN --to receive and respond to questions from veterans, their families and caregivers about the many VA services and resources available to women veterans.

The service began accepting calls on April 23.

“Some women veterans may not know about high-quality VA care and services available to them,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The hotline will allow us to field their questions and provide critical information about the latest enhancements in VA services.”

The hotline is staffed by knowledgeable VA employees who can provide information about benefits including health care services for women.

Callers can be linked to information on claims, education or health care appointments as well as information about VA cemeteries and memorial benefits. Staff can answer urgent questions and provide referrals to homeless and mental health services as well as provide Vet Center information.

Women make up nearly 15 percent of today’s active duty military and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces.

The population of women veterans using VA benefits including health care is growing rapidly. Since 2000, the number of women using VA health care more than doubled, from nearly 160,000 in 2000 to more than 354,000 in 2012.

Based on the upward trend of women in all branches of service, the number of women veterans – and female VA users – will keep climbing.

VA is committed to making improvements for the growing population of women veterans, including the way it communicates with them.

In 2010, VA established an outbound call center to contact women veterans and encourage them to enroll in VA health care.

“In VA health care alone, women constitute only 6 percent of VA patients, but those veterans have a high perception of the quality care they are receiving,” said Irene Trowell-Harris, director of VA’s Center for Women Veterans.

“Many women who served don’t self-identify as veterans and therefore don’t think they qualify for VA benefits. We need to correct existing misinformation and misperceptions so we can serve more women Veterans with the benefits they’ve earned.”

Women veterans are entitled to apply for the same benefits as their male counterparts, which include health care and pharmacy benefits as well as education benefits, disability compensation, home loans, employment assistance and more.

The hotline (1-855-VA-WOMEN) joins numerous other VA hotlines that provide critical information and assistance to veterans, such as those for veterans in crisis and in danger of becoming homeless. Veterans can also receive information and apply for benefits online at VA’s www.eBenefits.va.gov and manage their health care at www.MyHealtheVet.va.gov .

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 28 April 2013

Created: 28 April 2013

Last Updated: 28 April 2013

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is implementing an initiative to expedite compensation claims decisions for veterans who have waited one year or longer.

VA claims raters will make provisional decisions on the oldest claims in inventory, which will allow Veterans to begin collecting compensation benefits more quickly, if eligible.

Veterans will be able to submit additional evidence for consideration a full year after the provisional rating, before VA issues a final decision.

“Too many veterans wait too long for a decision, and this has never been acceptable,” said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. “That is why we are implementing an aggressive plan to eliminate the backlog in 2015. This initiative is the right thing to do now for veterans who have waited the longest.”

Provisional decisions will be based on all evidence provided to date by the veteran or obtained on their behalf by VA. If a VA medical examination is needed to decide the claim, it will be ordered and expedited.

“Issuing provisional decisions not only provides veterans with applicable benefits much more quickly, but also gives them an additional one-year safety net to submit further evidence should it become available. Our door will remain open and if a Veteran has additional evidence, their case will be fast tracked,” said Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey.

If any increase is determined to be warranted based on the additional evidence received, benefits will be retroactive to the date the claim was initially filed. The initiative protects the veteran’s right to appeal the decision.

If no further evidence is received within that year, VBA will inform the veteran that their rating is final and provide information on the standard appeals process, which can be found at http://www.bva.va.gov/ .

Throughout this initiative, VA will continue to prioritize claims for homeless veterans and those claiming financial hardship, the terminally ill, former prisoners of war, Medal of Honor recipients, and veterans filing fully developed claims.

More information about filing fully developed claims is available at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/transformation/fastclaims/ .

Claims for Wounded Warriors separating from the military for medical reasons will continue to be handled separately and on a priority basis with the Department of Defense through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). Wounded Warriors separating through IDES currently receive VA compensation benefits in an average of 61 days following their separation from service.

As a result of this initiative, metrics used to track benefits claims will experience significant fluctuations.

The focus on processing the oldest claims will cause the overall measure of the average length of time to complete a claim – currently 286 days – to skew, rising significantly in the near term because of the number of old claims that will be completed.

Over time, as the backlog of oldest claims is cleared and more of the incoming claims are processed electronically through VA’s new paperless processing system, VA’s average time to complete claims will significantly improve. In addition, the average days pending metric – or the average age of a claim in the inventory – will decrease, since the oldest claims will no longer be part of the inventory.

While compensation claims are pending, eligible Veterans are able to receive health care and other benefits from VA.

Veterans who have served in recent conflicts are eligible for five years of free health care from VA. Currently, more than 55 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are using VA health care, a rate of utilization greater than previous generations of veterans.

Veterans can learn more about disability benefits on the joint Department of Defense-VA Web portal eBenefits at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal .

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 14 April 2013

Created: 14 April 2013

Last Updated: 14 April 2013

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Air Force Airman John S. Hays graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Hays is the son of Corinne and Ronald Hays of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.

He is a 2010 graduate of Middletown High School in Middletown, Calif.

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 13 April 2013

Created: 13 April 2013

Last Updated: 13 April 2013

The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) announces grant funding opportunities for California veterans service organizations.

These grant funds are made available by the Federal government and by private foundations and will be awarded to qualifying veterans service organizations that successfully apply.

The grants are intended to support for programs in the areas of education, employment, housing, and health/mental health with an emphasis on activity-duty service members, veterans and their families.

“These funds provide the opportunity for large and small veterans service organizations alike to enhance their service to veterans and their families,” said CalVet Secretary Peter J. Gravett. “I encourage you to apply for any and all grants available to your organization.”

Possible funding opportunities are divided into the following categories for veterans:

• Education funding opportunities;
• Employment funding opportunities;
• Housing funding opportunities;
• Health care/mental health funding opportunities.

For a more complete description of the funds available, funders, eligibility requirements and links to the grant applications, visit www.calvet.ca.gov/Files/Resources/VeteransOrganizationsGrantOpportunities.pdf .

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 12 April 2013

Created: 12 April 2013

Last Updated: 12 April 2013

With the Senate set to vote on a comprehensive gun-violence prevention bill, a new poll released Friday and commissioned by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and VoteVets.org leaves no doubt that veterans believe the president and Congress need to do something to address gun violence.

The nationwide survey of 804 registered voters who are veterans of the military illustrates that veterans believe it is possible to strengthen the country’s gun laws while continuing to protect the right to bear arms.

“When you carry a gun in a war zone as I did, you come to understand the awesome responsibility and risk that comes with owning a firearm,” said former Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and a veteran of the first Iraq War. “I cherish the right to bear arms here at home, but I also understand that with this right comes responsibility – especially the responsibility of comprehensive background checks so that we can keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill.”

“On the issue of gun violence, there is no daylight between what veterans believe and what the American public believes – specifically, that this is a crisis, and something needs to be done,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org. “The veterans we polled tend to identify as Republican and aren’t predisposed to disliking the NRA, and yet, their level of support for the major anti-gun-violence measures being proposed is extremely high. We’ve seen what assault weapons can do, up close and firsthand. Many of us even own weapons. And yet we recognize that reasonable measures to combat gun violence can be consistent both with the Second Amendment and protecting American lives.”

Key findings from the poll include:

• 85 percent of veterans believe it is important for national leaders in Washington, D.C., to address the issue of gun violence; 39 percent say it’s extremely important, 24 percent say it’s very important, and 22 percent say it’s somewhat important.
• The vast majority of veterans – 85 percent – agree that, “We can protect responsible gun owners’ Second Amendment rights while still making it more difficult for criminals and other dangerous people to obtain guns.” This includes 43 percent who strongly agree.
• In addition, while veterans’ opinions of the National Rifle Association are somewhat split, there are more veterans with a favorable than an unfavorable view – 43 percent favorable to 36 percent unfavorable.

Two of the four proposed changes to the country’s gun laws that are being considered on Capitol Hill receive near unanimous support and a high level of intensity among veteran voters.

• More than 9 in 10 veterans – 91 percent – support requiring a criminal background check of every person who wants to buy a firearm, including 74 percent who strongly support it.
• Nearly all veterans – 99 percent – support increasing criminal penalties for people convicted of illegally trafficking guns to criminals, including 91 percent who strongly support it.

The other proposed changes to the country’s gun laws are also supported by a strong majority of veteran voters.

• More than 6 in 10 veterans – 61 percent – support banning high-capacity ammunition magazines, including 45 percent who strongly support it.
• Nearly 6 in 10 veterans – 58 percent – support banning assault-style weapons, including 40 percent who strongly support it.

On Thursday Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), former Rep. Murphy, and Soltz stood with fellow veterans from across the country to discuss the new survey and to call on Congress to do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

“As today’s study shows, America’s heroes who have carried guns in defense of our nation overwhelmingly agree that it’s time for Congress to act to reduce gun violence; I’m one of them,” said Rep. Thompson. “As a Vietnam veteran, hunter, and gun owner, I know that we can keep guns from criminals and the dangerously mentally ill, and respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. The best way to do this is by expanding background checks. Background checks are the first line of defense against guns getting in the hands of those we all agree shouldn’t have them.”

Details

Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs

Published: 11 April 2013

Created: 11 April 2013

Last Updated: 11 April 2013

Continuing the transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs into a 21st century organization, the president has proposed a $152.7 billion budget, a 10.2 percent increase over fiscal year 2013, that will support VA’s goals to expand access to health care and other benefits, eliminate the disability claims backlog, and end homelessness among veterans.

The budget includes $66.5 billion in discretionary spending, largely for health care, and $86.1 billion for mandatory programs – mostly disability compensation and pensions for veterans.

“This budget will have a positive impact on the lives of veterans, their families and survivors for generations to come,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The president believes in veterans and their families and believes in providing them the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”

The $66.5 billion total in discretionary spending includes approximately $3.1 billion in collections from health insurers and veteran copayments in addition to the $63.5 billion in discretionary funding announced last week.

“VA’s commitment to veterans spans generations,” Shinseki added. “From the men and women of ‘the greatest generation’ to the veterans who have returned from Iraq and those returning from Afghanistan, VA will make sure our benefits are useful and accessible.”

VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the country with nearly 9 million enrollees; the eighth largest life insurance program; monthly disability pay, pensions and survivors payments to more than 4 million people; education assistance to 1 million students; mortgage guarantees to 1.5 million homeowners; and the largest cemetery system in the nation.

Here are highlights from the president’s 2014 budget request for VA.

Health care

With a medical care budget of $54.6 billion, VA is positioned to provide care to 6.5 million veterans in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The patient total includes 675,000 people whose military service began after Sept. 11, 2001.

Major spending categories within the health care budget are:

• $6.9 billion for mental health;
• $4.1 billion for health care for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn;
• $2.5 billion for prosthetics;
• $601 million for spinal cord injuries;
• $246 million for traumatic brain injuries;
• $230 million for readjustment counseling; and
• $7.6 billion for long-term care.

Expanding access

The president’s proposed budget would ensure that care and other benefits are available to veterans when and where they need them. Among the programs that will expand access under the proposed budget are:

• $460 million in home telehealth funding, which helps patients monitor chronic health care problems through innovative uses of the telephone, a 4.4 percent increase over the current year;
• $422 million for women-specific medical care, an increase of nearly 14 percent over the present level;
• $799 million for the activation of new and enhanced health care facilities;
• $116 million for the construction of three new national cemeteries; and
• $8.8 million for “VetSuccess on Campus” at 84 facilities, a program that helps veterans transition to college life.

Eliminating claims backlog

The president’s proposed budget provides for full implementation of VA’s robust Transformation Plan – a series of people, process and technology initiatives – in FY14.

This plan will systematically reduce the backlog and reach Shinseki’s 2015 goal – to eliminate the claims backlog and process all claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy.

Major transformation initiatives in the budget proposal invest $291 million to bring leading-edge technology to the claims backlog, including:

• $136 million for Veterans Claims Intake Program (VCIP); and
• $155 million for the next generation of the electronic claims processing system Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).

Eliminating veterans homelessness

A major strategic goal for the department is to end homelessness among veterans in 2015. The budget request targets $1.4 billion for programs to prevent or reduce homelessness, which includes:

• $300 million for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) to promote housing stability;
• $278 million for the HUD-VASH program wherein VA provides case management services for at-risk veterans and their families and HUD provides permanent housing through its Housing Choice Voucher program; and
• $250 million in grant and per diem payments that support temporary housing provided by community-based organizations.

Veterans Job Corps

Too many veterans take off their uniforms only to join the ranks of the unemployed. In March, 2013, about 783,000 veterans were unemployed, a figure that includes 207,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans.

This budget proposes a Veterans Job Corps, focused on investing in veterans’ skills and experience, putting tens of thousands of veterans into civilian jobs. Budget features of this initiative include:

• $1 billion in mandatory funds to help unemployed veterans;
• A target of putting 20,000 veterans to work within the next five years in conservation, law enforcement and infrastructure jobs on public lands;
• Developing back-to-work programs for veterans with other federal agencies, including the departments of the Interior and Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers; and
• Supporting job-producing projects with contracts and grants with non-federal organizations, such as states, nonprofits and private businesses.

Other Services for veterans

Other features of the administration’s FY 2014 budget request for the department are:

• $250 million to administer the VA-run system of national cemeteries;
• $3.7 billion for information technology; and
• $1.2 billion in construction, cemetery grants and extended care grants.

Details

Written by: Editor

Published: 28 March 2013

Created: 28 March 2013

Last Updated: 28 March 2013

The Second (Indianhead) Division Association is searching for anyone who ever served in the Army's 2nd Infantry Division at any time.  

For information about the national association and its annual reunion in Columbus, Georgia, from Sept. 17-21, contact secretary-treasurer, Bob Haynes, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 224-225-1202.