Veterans
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The gathering will be held at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish Hall, 801 N. Main St., Lakeport.
The potluck begins at 6 p.m., with the meeting to follow at 7 p.m.
Veterans of all eras, their families and friends, and the general public are cordially welcome to attend.
For more information about the group visit its Web site, www.vva951.org.
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Veterans can now apply online and also can request courtesy transportation to VA regional benefits offices.
"Our veterans went the extra mile for their country," Shinseki said. "One of our top priorities in transforming VA is to be, first and foremost, the advocate for veterans."
Shinseki previously announced that on Friday, Oct. 2, VA's 57 regional benefits offices would begin providing on-the-spot emergency payments up to $3,000 to students who have applied for their education benefits but who have not yet received a government payment.
Citing the distance many veterans would have to travel to apply in person at a VA benefits office, Shinseki announced veterans also can apply online at www.va.gov .
The online application will guide veterans through the process to supply needed information. Shinseki noted that online applicants will receive their emergency payments through the mail after processing.
"VA is adapting to meet the financial needs of our veteran-students who are on campus," Shinseki said. "They should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties."
Students without their own transportation can also request free van service, provided by volunteers, to carry them to the nearest benefits office. To obtain this service, veterans would have to call their
nearest VA medical center and ask for the "Volunteer Transportation Coordinator."
Transportation will be on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. Veterans can find a map and list of medical centers at www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=1 .
Whether traveling by personal vehicle or volunteer van, VA officials suggest students check their mail boxes and banking accounts before leaving home, since some veterans will find their checks have already arrived. VA would like to recognize the volunteers and veterans service organizations for partnering with the department to ensure that veterans' needs are met.
The emergency checks are an advance on each student's education benefits, and the amount will be deducted from future benefits payments. Checks will be written at the regional offices for veterans who bring a photo ID and evidence of their enrollment. VA officials emphasize that $3,000 is the maximum payment, with many veterans receiving smaller payments based upon their likely monthly education benefits.
A map and list of the participating VA regional benefits offices is available on the Internet at
http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=3 . The most updated information regarding VA issuing emergency checks is available on the VA's Web site at www.va.gov .
Applications from approximately 25,000 veterans are currently being processed for Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit payments to students or schools.
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COLUMBIA, SC – Army Pvt. Wayne E. Kahill has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises.
He is the son of Chuck and Linda Kahill of Redwood Valley. His uncle and aunt, Tim and Delina Hill, reside in Lakeport.
Kahill is a 2004 graduate of South Valley High School in Ukiah.
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The event will be held at the VFW post on Veterans Lane in Clearlake beginning at 11 a.m.
Barbecued beef and chicken will be served. The requested donation per person is $8.
Come out and support the team, which offers military honors at the funerals of veterans and also is featured at many local events.
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“Taking care of survivors is as essential as taking care of our veterans and military personnel,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. "By taking care of survivors, we are honoring a commitment made to our veterans and military members.”
The office serves as the primary advisor to the secretary on all issues affecting the survivors and dependents of deceased veterans and service members.
It will monitor VA's delivery of benefits to survivors, make appropriate referrals to VA offices for survivors seeking benefits and explore innovative ways of reaching survivors who are not receiving the VA benefits for which they are eligible.
VA benefits for eligible survivors include educational assistance, home loan guaranties, health care insurance and dependency and indemnity compensation, a monthly payment to the survivors of some people who die on active duty and some seriously disabled veterans.
More than 554,000 spouses, dependents and other survivors of veterans are receiving VA benefits. That figure includes nearly 5,000 spouses of World War I veterans, 90 spouses and 94 children of Spanish-American War Veterans, and two children of Civil War veterans.
The establishment of this office was authorized in the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008.
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With two million troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States can expect that an astounding 700,000 veterans will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
These numbers are double previously projected numbers because unlike other projections, this study factors in delayed onset of PTSD, which is common.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) must increase staff and resources to accommodate the mental health care needs of Iraq and Afghanistan active duty service members and veterans, according to the group, Swords to Plowshares.
The DoD claims that the transition to VA services is a seamless one for veterans, but evidence shows otherwise.
Both DoD and VA lack a sufficient number of mental health professionals on staff to diagnose, treat and provide compensation to patients with PTSD.
The staff shortage can be attributed to a lack of funding and a national shortage of mental health professionals, however the shortages continue to cause delays in treatment and compensation.
In California alone there are 59,659 VA claims that are currently pending process and this number will continue to rise as more troops return home.
“The DoD and VA must work together to eliminate the delays in treatment of and compensation for PTSD and co-occurring mental illnesses,” said Michael Blecker, executive director of Swords to Plowshares.
“With 42 percent of troops stilled deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan it is crucial that the DoD improve transitional support and that the VA increase the number of mental health staff in order to provide mental health care and compensation in a timely manner. These delays are unacceptable because they create overwhelming stress and health complications for veterans,” Blecker said.
The VA needs to increase the number of mental health professionals in order to diagnose and treat PTSD patients. And they must hire and train additional claims reviewers so that disabled veterans don’t have to wait months and years to receive their benefits.
Delays in treatment and disability compensation leads to high rates of unemployment, homelessness, family dissolution, incarceration and self medication through substance abuse. In the worst of outcomes, veterans with mental illness and PTSD are nine times more likely to commit suicide than those who do not suffer from a form of mental illness, depression or PTSD.
“Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are often faced with multiple deployments, meaning they are repeatedly exposed to trauma and more likely to develop PTSD,” said Blecker. “It is disheartening that even after witnessing the tragic effects that a lack of mental health diagnosis treatment and compensation had on Vietnam veterans, we continue to stigmatize PTSD and other mental illnesses. It is critical that the VA and the DoD improve the level of support, mental health care and access for veterans so that they don’t have to endure the suffering that Vietnam veterans faced.”
Swords to Plowshares, a veteran service agency based in San Francisco, works with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to provide comprehensive care.
Many of these young men and women have suffered from PTSD that has gone untreated or undiagnosed.
The Iraq Veteran Project at Swords to Plowshares provides comprehensive services including employment and training, supportive housing, legal services and health and social services.
Many of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seek help with employment and training and work with the legal team at Swords to Plowshares to file for disability compensation and/or a military discharge upgrade. Already, more than a dozen homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sought housing at the agency.
“Community-based organizations, like Swords to Plowshares, are working with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to provide supportive services and preventative care,” said Amy Fairweather, Director of the Iraq Veteran Project at Swords to Plowshares. “We try to reduce the stigma and make sure that these veterans seek care immediately so that they don’t have to suffer alone.”
War causes wounds and suffering that last beyond the battlefield. Swords to Plowshares' mission is to heal the wounds, to restore dignity, hope, and self-sufficiency to all veterans in need, and to reduce homelessness and poverty among veterans.
Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting www.stp-sf.org .
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"America's veterans have become targets in an inexcusable scam that dishonors their service and misrepresents the Department built for them," said Dr. Gerald Cross, VA's Under Secretary for Health. "VA simply does not call veterans and ask them to disclose personal financial information over the phone."
Veteran Service Organizations have brought to VA's attention that callers are misrepresenting the VA to gain personal information over the phone. They say VA recently changed procedures for dispensing prescriptions and ask for the veteran's credit card number.
"VA has not changed its processes for dispensing prescription medicines," Cross said. "Nor has VA changed its long-standing commitment to protect the personal information of this nation's veterans."
Veterans with questions about VA services should contact the nearest VA medical center or call, toll-free, 1-877-222-8387.
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KELSEYVILLE – The Kelseyville American Legion Post 194 will hold its monthly dinner meeting Thursday, Sept. 24.
Doors open at 5 p.m., with dinner served at 6 p.m.
The group will meet at the American Legion Post at Second and Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville.
The donation is $7 per person.
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WASHINGTON – Recently-injured veterans will learn how to surf, kayak, sail and enjoy other summer sports at a rehabilitative clinic sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
"As Americans, we have a covenant to care for those who have served our nation with honor," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "VA is proud to fulfill this covenant through events such as the Summer Sports Clinic, which gives injured veterans an opportunity to rediscover their potential and redefine their capabilities."
The second annual National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic will be held Sept. 20 through 25 in San Diego.
The clinic is aimed at introducing recently-injured veterans to adaptive sports and renewing their self
confidence through sporting activities.
Events at this rehabilitation clinic include adaptive kayaking, sailing, track and field, cycling and surfing, using venues throughout San Diego, including the U.S. Olympic Training Center. At the week-long event, they also build life-long relationships with fellow veterans.
Participation is open to military veterans who are eligible for VA medical care and who have orthopedic amputations, traumatic brain injuries, burn injuries, psychological trauma, certain neurological conditions, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries and other injuries incurred in the last six years.
VA is a health care leader in rehabilitation. The clinic is one of VA's six rehabilitation events held each year, with sponsorship support for the summer clinic provided by original founding sponsors Help
Hospitalized Veterans and the Veterans Canteen Service and national sponsor Health Net. The VA San Diego Healthcare System hosts the Summer Sports Clinic.
For more information, visit www.summersportsclinic.va.gov .
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