Happy Tuesday good people! Hope everyone is doing well.

 

Operation Overlord: The D–Day Invasion: Today marks the 67th anniversary of D–Day, the bold invasion of France that brought American troops to the fight in Fortress Europe. VA remembers and honors the men and women who made the historic invasion a success. View photos of past D–Day anniversary commemorations 

 

H.R. 240:  I recently sent an e-mail to a couple of people that indicated I did not believe HR 240 was going forward; that Congress would not pass it.  With that said however, let me be very clear that this Veteran fully supports HR 240 and I encourage ALL Veterans to contact their leadership in the House and Senate to voice their support for this Bill.  Veterans above all Americans should be authorized routine Sole Source small business opportunities through the Veterans Administration procurement process and have "first in line precedence!"  Please see HR 240 attached.  I would love to be wrong and would be elated to see this Bill become Law, but I believe we need a major ground-swell of activity to see this Bill move forward. Get involved....please.

 

Cost Free SDVOSB/VOSB Workshops/Training in Dayton, Ohio Area:  Bob Leibecke and Rick Pearce from Ohio would like to inform our Ohio and other interested Veterans of a Cost-Free SDVOSB and VOSB Vetrepreneur Academy Course that starts on June 14 and ends on September 6, 2011.  Location is Wright State University, Raj Soin College of Business, Rike Hall.  Please see the attached Flyer and Map.  This is a good example of how “we take care of our own".  Thanks Gents!

 

Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our great Troops and their loved ones everywhere.

 

Sincerely...............Wayne

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Our friend Colonel Wayne Morris, USMC (Ret), sent in an e-mail that contained a List of the Top 100 DOD Contractors.  Fact is, Col Morris' e-mail led me to a great website:   http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/.  Below is a News Advisory from the DoD Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO).  Maybe some of you want to sign up to receive the News releases disseminated by DOD SOCO....I have.  We find something new everyday.  Thanks Col. Morris

 

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1.  No New Pay, No New Thresholds. 

Because the Executive Branch has been placed in a pay freeze for 2011 and 2012, the 2011 statutory threshold for outside earned income is frozen at $26,955 (15% of the annual rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule). Note this change from the previous SOCO Advisory. The initial advisory has been corrected.

 

2.  Simplified Acquisition Threshold Amended.

The simplified acquisition threshold was amended in August 2010, effective October 1, 2010, raising this threshold from $100,000 to $150,000.  If you are subject to the Procurement Integrity Law, the threshold for recusal when receiving a job overture is now $150,000. 

http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/08/30/2010-21024/federal-acquisition-regulation-federal-acquisition-circular-2005-45-introduction. 

75 FR 53129-53135 (Aug. 30, 2010) effective October 1, 2010.

 

3.  Raising the Threshold on the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act.

The definition of “minimal value” under the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act was raised from $335 to $350. 

http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/05/26/2011-13028/federal-management-regulation-change-in-consumer-price-index-minimal-value#p-3. 

That means if you accept a tangible gift from a foreign government, it cannot exceed the value in the United States of $350, and if it does, you must turn it over to the State Department or purchase the gift.  This rule is retroactive to January 1, 2011.

 

4.  FY2010 Listing of Companies with Contracts with DoD of $25,000 or More.  

The Fiscal Year 2010 listing of companies with DoD contracts of $25,000 or more is now available on the SOCO web site, under Ethics Resource Library at  http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/resource_library/2010 contractor list.pdf.   

 

5.  FY2010 Listing of Top 100 DoD Companies.  

The most current listing of the top 100 defense contractors is now available on the SOCO web site at

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/resource_library/dod_top_100_fy2010.pdf. 

 

6.  Determining Reasonable Costs Under JER 3-211.a(7).  

 SOCOAdvisory 09-03, March 23, 2009, provided guidance regarding when attendance fees at conferences may be deemed reasonable for attending a conference where DoD personnel would be speaking for the purposes of JER 3-211.a(7).  At that time, it was determined that attendance fees of $645 per day or less were considered reasonable (worldwide) and noted that this figure would be adjusted every three years by the percentage increase/decrease in the minimal value amount established by GSA under the Foreign Gift and Decorations Act (FGDA).  GSA announced on May 26, 2011, 76 Fed.Reg.30550, that “minimal value” under the FGDA has been increased to $350.  http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/05/26/2011-13028/federal-management-regulation-change-in-consumer-price-index-minimal-value#p-3.  This increase was retroactive to January 1, 2011.  Accordingly, the reasonable per day attendance fee for purposes of JER 3-211.a(7) is now $675.

 

As a reminder, the highest rate charged to any attendee (including late fees) will be used for purposes of the $675 per day reasonable fee.  The $675 per day figure may be adjusted upward but only by the percentage amount by which the per diem rate for the conference location exceeds that for Washington, DC.  For example, if an NFE conference will be held in New York City and the per diem rate for New City is 15% higher than that for Washington, DC, the reasonable daily fee for the New York event would be $776 ($675 x 15% = $101 + $675 = $776).  No downward adjustment will be required where the per diem rate for the NFE event location is less than that for Washington, DC.

 DoDStandards of Conduct Office
http://www.defenselink.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/

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Veterans News for Tuesday, June 7, 2011. Thanks as usual to Kevin Secor at VA HQ

 

1.    Veterans Health Administration (VHA) At Least As Good As Private Sector.  Medical News Today  VHA is part of the VA (US Department of Veterans Affairs) that provides the medical assistance VA program through various of its own outpatient clinics, medical centers, hospitals and long-term healthcare facilities. More people work in VHA than in all ... 

2.    In Dallas Veterans Court, Desert Storm Soldier Gets His Promised Second Chance. Dallas Observer (blog)  The treatment and supervision of the Veterans Court participants are monitored by the court, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Dallas County Community Supervision Office and ultimately, by the Dallas County District Attorney's Office. ... 

3.    New System Screens Heart Disease Patients for Severe Sleep Apnea.  UB News Center  The study, funded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, is being conducted by a UB researcher at the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System. The goal is to evaluate how well the computer screening tool developed at UB diagnoses sleep ... 

4.    Most in VA cemetery not war dead.  Arizona Republic  Those interred there (and at the US Department of Veterans Affairs' other national cemeteries) were all veterans or spouses of veterans. A small minority were indeed military casualties of war, but most simply served honorably in one of our armed ... 

5.    Collecting benefits is a losing battle for some veterans.  Glens Falls Post-Star  "If there is a little bit of wiggle room, the VA will give the veteran a break." William Kraus, acting director of the state Division of Veterans Affairs, had nothing bad to say about the VA, even when asked about delays that drag on for years and ... 

6.    Time is running out to apply for The Military Injury Relief Fund.  Examiner.com  The intent of the program is to help returning injured veterans and their families make ends meet upon a veteran's return home – particularly since VA disability determinations can often take some time, and these families can be left in financial limbo ... 

7.    Bill to help NJ veteran-owned business advances to state Assembly.  NJ.com  The new legislation proposes the state Treasury to encourage veteran-owned business to bid for state contracts. The bill was unanimously passed by the state Senate in late April and is awaiting a Military and Veterans' affairs committee hearing in the ... 

8.    Golden Age Games was testament to state's aloha spirit.  Honolulu Star-Advertiser
As a veteran and a local girl, I have never been prouder of Hawaii and I trust your enthusiasm and support for America's veterans will continue through the year. There are so many ways to support our veterans, and Rick Velasquez at the VA Pacific ... 

9.    City Council to decide on block grant.  Daily Mail - Charleston  The agency has already obtained $461500 in grant money from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and a total of $175000 from two foundations for the project, said Alex Alston, the center's chief operating officer. The $180000 in total funds was left ... 

10.                       Legislator Pace pays tribute to D-Day anniversary.  Pueblo Chieftain  About 25 veterans undefined including two who had participated in the D-Day invasion undefined were present when Pace delivered the tribute at the US Department of Veterans Affairs Pueblo Community Living Center

 

11.                       Cheyenne VA Reaches Out To Women Veterans. Casper (WY) Star-Tribune  "Nora Monnett has civilian insurance but receives her health care from the women's clinic" at the Veterans Affairs hospital "in Cheyenne. The VA personnel, she said, understand what she was exposed to and her specific needs." After noting that Monnett said she is "really impressed" by the Cheyenne clinic, the Star-Tribune added, "The VA nationally is encouraging women veterans to contact their local VAs and enroll in the health care system as part of its outreach efforts."

 

12.                       VA Trauma Center Treats Most Grievously Wounded Troops.  Los Angeles Times the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, California, is "one of four VA centers nationwide staffed and equipped specifically to treat the most grievously wounded US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq. The centers have become a key element in caring for the wounded as the war in Afghanistan enters its second decade and the injured from Iraq continue to need care." The centers are the "result of important medical insights gleaned from the long wars in the Middle East - that modern battlefield injuries, particularly those from bomb blasts, require a team approach from physicians and therapists."

 

13.                       Despite New Efforts, Battlefield Blasts Still Damage Hearing Of Thousands Of Troops. Stars And Stripes "During the past five years," the US military has "initiated a series of measures to reduce the number of servicemembers returning" from war "with hearing damage. It has introduced advanced earplugs, mandated more training about hearing protection and increased testing to detect hearing loss. But hearing loss and tinnitus, a debilitating ringing in the ears, remain the most common service-related disabilities claimed by vets the past three years, according to the latest annual benefits report by the Department of Veterans Affairs."

 

14.                       Collecting Benefits Is A Losing Battle For Some Veterans. Sunday Problems local Vietnam veteran Charles Cooley has had since Veterans Affairs cut off benefits he had been receiving for health problems developed as a result of exposure to Agent orange, the Glens Falls (NY) Post-Star reports that in 2002, VA "changed the way it interpreted the Agent Orange Act, excluding blue water veterans" like Cooley, "who served on ocean-going ships during the Vietnam War." The "appeals process, which the Cooleys are engaged in now, takes an average of four years," and some veterans die while waiting, according to the Post-Star, which takes note of a recent Federal court decision finding that VA compensation claim delays "violate veterans' due process rights to receive care and benefits guaranteed by law." Laurie Tranter, a VA spokeswoman, "said the VA could not answer questions about the case of a specific veteran, such as Charles Cooley, without a waiver from the veteran."

 

15.                       Grand Opening For New East End VA Clinic. North Shore Sun "Suffolk County may have more veterans than any other New York State county outside New York City, but many of its vets still had to travel more than 50 miles to receive basic health care. Not anymore," though, because on Friday, a "new state-of-the-art medical clinic operated by the US Department of Veterans Affairs had its grand opening at the County Center in Riverside."

 

16.                       Motorcycle Ride Raises $58,000 For VA. Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail "Staff, patients and supporters" at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia, "say the rumble of 1,100 motorcycles arriving...the first Sunday of every June signals hope. ... 'The people on those motorcycles make a difference,'" according to veteran Ed Vance, who "was the featured speaker during a ceremony closing the 21st annual Operation God Bless America ride. The event had 1,667 registered participants, who contributed $58,000" to the hospital.

 

17.                       Peers Are Trained Guides At VA Medical Center. Providence (RI) Journal "If you are a veteran of World War II onward and wonder why you never bothered to contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to inquire about any benefits for which you might be eligible, a unique group of your peers stands ready to assist you." The Veterans Affairs hospital on Chalkstone Avenue in Providence "has a new cadre of peer-to-peer facilitators to assist you. Recently, seven veterans completed facilitator training as part of the medical center's efforts to help returning veterans and veterans new to the VA system navigate it and obtain services that suit their recovery needs."

 

18.                       Veteran Who Flew Flag Upside Down Supported. Canyon News US District Court Judge S. James Otero has sided with 68-year-old veteran Robert Rosebrock, "saying the Veterans Administration violated his freedom of speech." Otero sided with Rosebrock, who flew an American "flag upside down last year at a West Los Angeles medical center campus to protest what he saw as a failure to use the center to its potential as a place to help veterans, especially those without homes." Otero "denied a request for a permanent injunction, stating that Rosebrock's perseverance to draw attention to this condition of homeless veterans through negative depictions of America may actually cause more harm to the group he wishes to help."

 

19.                       Everyday Hero: Tyler Barat. BN9-TV "Everyday Hero," fifth-grader Tyler Barat, decided that on his most recent birthday, he would "turn his gifts into something that would greatly benefit those more in need." Barat "took his money and presents and bought baskets and gift cards for military men and women recovering from head injuries at Tampa's James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital." Barat "also wrote letters to each basket recipient, thanking them for their time in uniform serving their country."

 

20.                       We Mustn't Let Memories Of D-Day Fade Away. Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times

 

21.                       Marker Helps Us Remember An Oft-forgotten Part Of History. Wilmington (NC) Star News

 

22.                       WWII Veteran Thankful For His Chance To Serve. Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch

 

23.                       More Servicemembers Now Eligible For Traumatic Injury Funds. Stars And Stripes

 

24.                       Honoring Forgotten WWI Vets: VA Headstones Procured For 12 At Childs Cemetery.  Charleston (SC) Post And Courier

 

25.                       Looking Back. Tuscaloosa (AL) News

 

26.                       Praise, Honor For Iraq Veteran. Boston Globe

 

27.                       Indiana Receives $500,000 Federal Grant To Help Veterans Find "Green" Jobs. AP

 

28.                       College Reaches Out To Military Families. Watertown (NY) Daily Times "Bryant & Stratton College, Buffalo, which offers degree programs online, is increasing its efforts to support military students with an online network for service members, their spouses, veterans and civilian Department of Defense workers." Navy "veteran Shay Leech of North Carolina, who studies medical reimbursement and coding online, wanted better resources for military students. Tuesday, she launched the Student Veterans at Bryant & Stratton College Online group - hosted by LinkedIn - to provide resources, support and advocacy."

 

29.                       From New Jersey To Pittsburgh, Riders Come To Rally For POW/MIA. Norristown (PA) Times Herald  "Roughly 600 bikers, riders, local law enforcement members and supporters came out en masse from the greater five-county area - New Jersey, Delaware and Pittsburgh - to remember those service members who never came home. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the event sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of the Forgotten." The "event aims to make sure the pledge to bring home all of America's war dead and missing is a promise kept."

 

30.                       Leave No Soldier Behind Grants Retroactive Scholarships To Veterans In Need.  Huffington Post

 

31.                       "Vet Hunters" To Make 1,900-mile Bike Ride To Help Find Homeless Veterans.  Pasadena (CA) Star-News

 

32.                       Women's Army Corps Soldier Who Served In Vietnam Is Honored As Ill. Veteran Of The Month.  AP

 

33.                       Amputee NCO Honored For Selfless Service. Army Times

 

34.                       Disabled Vets Appreciate Lawyer's Personal Experience. Treasure Coast Palm

 

35.                       Idaho Provides "An Everlasting Tribute" To Those Veterans Who Died. Idaho Statesman