VA Encourages Vets to Go Paperless: To provide federal beneficiaries with a safer and more convenient alternative to receiving payments via paper checks, the Department of Treasury is encouraging all VA beneficiaries to elect electronic payment for recurring benefits. Learn more: http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/payments/
For you Commonwealth of Virginia, Northern Shanendoah Valley Veterans , James Thur, Regional Director, Northern Region Virginia Wounded Warrior Program alerts you to the 2011 Disabled Veterans Committee on Housing Gathering, scheduled for May 27, 2011, at Jordan Springs Virginia. Please see attachments if interested.
Our good friend, Vietnam Vet, and outstanding USACE Small Business Officer, Jack Beecher, alerts you SDVOSB's involved in Construction, to a SDVOSB set-aside at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. If interested please open attached pdf.
On May 19, 2011, the World War II Foundation will be holding an Inaugural Washington DC Band of Brothers Fundraiser hosted by Former Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge. Both the USO and Wounded Warrior Project have endorsed this event. Many of the seats are being reserved for Wounded Warriors. Many of the cast members from the HBO Special “Band of Brothers” will be in attendance as well as various WW II Veterans who actually served in Easy Company during the War. Senator Scott Brown will be there as well. If interested in attending this very worthwhile and exciting event, please go to: http://wwiifoundation.org/donate/washington-dc-event-sponsorship/ All non-profit proceeds raised from the special evening will benefit the Richard Winters Leadership project in Normandy, France as well as the development of a new leadership documentary focusing on the combat leadership skills of the legendary commander of the Men of Easy Company, the late Major Dick Winters.
On May 21, 2011, the DAV, Rockville Maryland Memorial Chapter 12, is hosting a cost-free Veterans Benefit Information Fair. Both Federal and State organizations will be participating. If interested, please see the attached Flyer.
Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our dear Troops and their loved ones everywhere!
STATE OF MARYLAND, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
MARTIN O’MALLEY, GOVERNOR
JOHN P. MCDONOUGH, SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 9, 2011
Re: Lowering of the United States Flag and Maryland State Flag to Half Staff
Air Force MSgt. Tara R. Brown
This is to advise you that Governor Martin O’Malley has ordered the United States Flag and Maryland State Flag flown at half-staff on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, from sunrise to sunset. This is in memory of Air Force MSgt. Tara R. Brown of Bowie, Maryland, who was killed in action while serving as a NATO Air Training Commander-Afghanistan Communication Advisor in Kabul, Afghanistan.
This action is taken under the Protocol for the United States and Maryland State Flag. Any questions on the above should be directed to the Office of the Secretary of State.
1. Father of U.S. soldier captured in Afghanistan asks for son's freedom. The father of a U.S. soldier, captured in Afghanistan two years ago, on Friday posted an online appeal asking the government of Pakistan and its armed forces to help free his son, Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl.
2. Photo gallery: Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team vs. FBI. The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team plays a game against a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
3. Democrat gets GOP support for Camp Lejeune water bill. The legislation would establish a presumptive link between the poisonous water at Lejeune and a variety of cancers and other illnesses, and would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for the health care not only of veterans but of family members as well.
4. VA warns that proposed change to GI Bill would cause massive tuition delays. Lawmakers insist the measure could help as many as 30,000 veterans. But the VA says the changes would force claims workers to go back to manual processing of GI Bill payouts, a situation which caused massive delays and confusion when the college tuition program underwent a massive overhaul in 2009.
5. Air Force grounds F-22 Raptors. The U.S. Air Force has grounded its fleet of F-22 Raptors, citing concerns over the aircrafts oxygen system.
6. 1.6 percent pay hike for troops in House defense budget proposal. Troops would receive a 1.6 percent pay raise in January and Tricare fees for veterans would be held steady under a defense budget plan released by House lawmakers on Tuesday.
7. More than 4100 graduate from the University of Kentucky. Louisville Courier-Journal
Now, Herst wants to use his degree to aid other veterans, and he already works at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. “It's all I want to do,” said Herst. “It gets me up in the morning. It makes me realize that I am a lucky person to be able to sit ...
8. legislative brief. Wilkes Barre Times-Leader The US Department of Veterans Affairs operates the mobile veterans center to reach veterans in underserved areas. Some of the services provided through the center include: Individual and group counseling; Marital and family counseling; ...
9. Mothers Who Served, World War II – Present. The White House (blog) In honor of Mother's Day, the US Department of Veterans Affairs is celebrating the women who have served our country and taken on one of the greatest roles in life: motherhood. In doing so, we reached out to mom Veterans and their family members for ...
10. Veteran's claims questionable. Tampabay.com Last April, Livingston applied for grants from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Pasco County government with the hope of opening a halfway house for veterans. He envisioned a place where vets could get temporary housing plus counseling and ...
11. Broken soldier or safety threat? Ex-GI faces prison. Florida Times-Union Public Defender Matt Shirk, who has been lobbying for such a court, also spoke up for Snodgrass after hearing about him through a social worker with the Veterans Justice Outreach Initiative. The US Department of Veterans Affairs program is meant to ...
12. From Soldier to Scholar: Veterans Take the College Challenge. TakePart - Inspiration to Action In August 2009, the US Department of Veterans Affairs implemented the Post 9-11 GI Bill which pays in-state tuition and fees for veterans who attend public colleges and universities. Mendes was among the first wave of veterans eligible to use the new ...
13. VA relief is on the way for soldiers' in-home caregivers. Review Times The US Department of Veterans' Affairs will begin accepting applications for the long-awaited Caregiver Support Program on Monday. This development means help may soon be on the way for Cindy Parsons of Fostoria and her son Shane, ...
14. VA Launches Genomic Research. GovInfoSecurity.com The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday a national effort to recruit veterans to participate in an ambitious genomics research project. A website for the Million Veteran Program outlines multiple security measures for the effort. ...
15. Mo. veterans see $1 billion in federal benefits. Westport-News Veterans and their families receive compensation from the US Department of Veterans Affairs for pensions, disabilities and service-related deaths. In all, the VA spent more than $2.2 billion in Missouri last year. Part of that money went toward VA
16. Helping Our Troops With Their Own Fight at Home. Hicksville Illustrated News The effects of this kind of activity causes some veterans to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. According to information put out by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, “Most people have some stress-related reactions ...
17. VA program ties veteran health to genetics. UPI.com The US Veterans Affairs Department hopes to transform veterans' healthcare by tying veterans' health issues to genomic research, an official said Thursday. The Million Veteran Program, expanded nationally Thursday, ...
18. Veterans Affairs Dept. Still Struggles With GI Benefit Program, Report Says. Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription) (blog) Although the US Department of Veterans Affairs has worked to improve its management of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Program, which provides benefits to veterans pursuing postsecondary education, the department still faces challenges in claims processing and ...
19. A connection here? Osama's gone. Mom's day looms. AnnArbor.com Timed for Mother's Day, the US Department of Veterans Affairs just posted an interim final rule that allows the department to provide enhanced services to Moms and other family members who take care of injured vets at home. ...
20. Expand VA day care, Charles Schumer says. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Jim Blue, regional director of the US Department of Veterans Affairs/Office of Public & Intergovernmental Affairs in New York City, wrote in an email that the agency was committed to the program. "VA has surveyed the field for available sites and is ...
21. VA center earns praise for helping storm victims. Tuscaloosa News On Wednesday, officials from the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC, visited the Tuscaloosa VA to observe how the center is assisting veterans and the community after the tornado. Visiting officials included Dr. Robert Petzel, ...
22. VETS VIEWS: Veterans successfully lobby to reinstate marker program. Park Rapids Enterprise Vet Centers are community based and part of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. You are eligible for Vet Center readjustment counseling if you, or a family member, served in any combat zone and received a military campaign ribbon (Vietnam, ...
23. Top VA official blasts Dayton clinic's leadership. DrBicuspid.com A top US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official has acknowledged the "failure of leadership" that took place at the Dayton VA Medical Center's dental clinic in Ohio, where a dentist's lack of adherence to basic ...
24. The Military Can Take Care of Bin Laden -- Let's Take Care of Homeless Veterans. Huffington Post (blog) I felt out of place at a California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVets) Conference in the Los Angeles Police Academy dining hall. I was not a decorated war hero, and not a veteran. I had never even played with toy guns as a child. ...
25. 2011 session a learning experience for freshman legislators. Bismarck Tribune Ron Guggisberg, D-Fargo, sat on the Government and Veteran's Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee during the 62nd Legislative Session held at the state Capitol in Bismarck. 4-28-2011 There were a lot of fresh faces this session. ...
26. American Legion Posts Selling Illinois Lottery Veteran's Cash Scratch-Off Tickets. AP (5/7) American Legion groups in Illinois "are selling Illinois Lottery scratch-off tickets to members. Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation last year allowing veterans service groups to sell lottery tickets for games supporting Illinois veterans. The American Legion received the first lottery sales license awarded to a veterans group." The state DVA has made over 150 grants worth almost $8 million from the lottery ticket proceeds.
27. Former Wisconsin DVA Chief's Lawsuit Has Hearing. WKOW-TV A case involving the 2009 firing of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos is moving along. The second hearing in Dane County Circuit Court on the matter was held at the end of April. Scocos says he's going to be able to pursue both federal and state claims for damages, after he claims he was unjustly fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs.".
28. Remembrance Day Saturday At Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Holmdel (NJ) Patch The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation's plans to its May 7 annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
29. The Next Step For Researchers Is Not Finding Brain Trauma. New York Times An investigation of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among professional football players notes in passing that the lead neuropathologist on a team of Boston University researchers working on the issue is Dr. Ann McKee, director of neuropathology at New England Veterans Administration Medical Centers.
A welcoming home for our Troops.
