April 10th. 2021

 Changes in Travel Pay Reimbursements

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) changed processes for veterans to receive pay for their travels to and from appointments for medical conditions.   

These changes started on January 1, 2021, in which some veterans may have a more difficult time filing for travel reimbursements.  The VA has moved everything to an online format, therefore, all veterans who want to be reimbursed for their travel expenses now have to go to a special VA website and set up an account. Each time a veteran travels to an appointment, he will have to log into the website to create a travel claim for each appointment they have attended before they can be reimbursed. 

To set up an account; <https://eauth.va.gov/ accessva/

Burial Expenses Reimbursed        

Did you know VA will pay burial allowances up to $2,000 if the veteran’s death is service-connected? In such cases, the person who bore the veteran’s burial expenses may claim reimbursement form VA.

Expense form; https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/ forms/VBA-21P-530-ARE.pdf     

In some cases, VA will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a veteran whose death was service-connected to the nearest National Cemetery with available gravesites.  There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims in service-connected cases.             

Burial Allowance

Did you know VA will pay $300 burial and funeral allowances for veterans who, at the time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled if they were not receiving military retirement pay?  Eligibility also may be established when death occurs in a VA facility, a VA-contracted nursing home or State Veterans nursing home.  In cases in which the veteran’s death was not service-connected, claims must be filed within two years after burial or cremation.

 

April 9th, 2021

NCVSD has rescheduled our Stand Down to September 16-21, 2021. Our Guests are not yet ready to attend, even with COVID protocols in place. 

 

ALL

Vietnam veterans need you to take action!

 

On March 17, 2021, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (MT) and Senator Ron Wyden (OR), introduced S. 810—the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act of 2021. On that same day, Representative Josh Harder (CA) and Representative Pete Stauber (MN) introduced H.R. 1972—also titled the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act of 2021—in the House of Representatives.

 

These companion bills would add hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of unspecified significance (MGUS) as presumptive diseases to Agent Orange exposure.

 

In its 2018 report "Veterans and Agent Orange,” the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine noted that there is significant evidence of a positive scientific association between hypertension, MGUS, and Agent Orange exposure.

 

While the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has the authority to add these two diseases to the list of Agent Orange presumptive diseases, they have failed to do so for the last three years. Therefore, we need Congressional action.

 

Consistent with DAV Resolution No.109, we support S. 810 and H.R. 1972, as they would add hypertension and MGUS to the list of Agent Orange presumptive diseases and provide access to VA benefits and health care for hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans.

 

We are calling on all DAV members and supporters to contact their Senators and Representatives and urge them to co-sponsor and support S. 810 and H.R. 1972. Thank you for supporting DAV in the fight for justice for our Vietnam veterans.

 

Take Action!

 

 

 

Women Who Served in the U.S. Military    #Not Invisible  #Not Ignored  #WomenVetsCount Finding Invisible Veterans   Jerry;   This past Friday, March 19th, the growing community advancing the Women Who Served survey (available here: https://bit.ly/38y975y) had the opportunity to e-meet Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas, USMC Vetera n, researcher, author and friend.  "Doc Kate" shared updates and insights into the University of Alabama's survey on the needs of women veterans, all recorded and saved for your re-viewing.   Dr. Kate shared this stunning image from the cover of Invisible Veterans: What Happens When Military Women Become Civilians Again, co-edited by "Doc Kate" and Kyleanne Hunter.  This image as well as other images contributed by Brighton Marine (Massachusetts), Still Saving Veterans (Alabama), sample social media posts, and other helpful "campaign" pieces are available in a community Google Drive here. Bookmark the link until we're done in June and contribute your own best ideas, best posts, and images that work to this Drive.   We need each and every one of you to promote this free gift of intellect and time. The University of Alabama will be making raw data available to its distribution partners including states and organizations who are joining together to drive deep nationwide participation.  If you paid for this kind of work, your cost would likely be over one hundred thousand dollars.  Please, do your part ... and use the hashtags   #NotInvisible           #Not Ignored          #WomenVetsCount

 

 

 

 

Feb 4, 2021

 Veterans Service Organizations:  We have been contacted by the California State Library regarding a program that is of interest to veterans orgs.  The State Library is concerned that many of the historical items owned and exhibited by smaller organizations may be at risk because of a lack of disaster response plans and long-term protection strategies for the cultural keepsakes in their care.  They contacted us because many vet orgs have military and historical memorabilia stored or on display in their halls, posts, and administration buildings.  The State Library has a survey they would like your organization and your posts to take.  They want to make sure you have the tools to let the next generation see and understand the history.  There is also a video introduction from the State Librarian.  

 

Deadline to complete the survey is February 21.

 

Take the survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/ r/CSLSurveyRegistration

Watch the introduction from the State Librarian:  https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=srqWTrFudtU

 

So far, the State Library has seen that:

• More than 80% of early respondents do not have a long-term preservation plan.  Almost half have never completed a general condition assessment of their collection.
• Approximately half of respondents do not have a written disaster plan, a significant need given the risks posed by fire, flood and earthquakes and threats from inadequate storage facilities and simple decay over time.
• Three in four of the collections surveyed have not been digitized, a crucial concern for those organizations holding works on paper and other fragile materials.