Veterans Affairs Report - November 2007
New
Handbook Updates Veterans Benefits
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2005)-- A new
edition of the popular handbook Federal Benefits for Veterans and
Dependents by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) updates the
rates for certain federal payments and outlines a variety of
programs and benefits for American veterans.
Most of the nation's 25 million veterans qualify for some VA
benefits, which range from health care to burial in a national
cemetery. In addition to describing benefits provided by VA, the
2005 edition of the 120-page booklet provides an overview of
programs and services for veterans provided by other federal
agencies.
Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents includes resources to
help veterans access their benefits, with a listing of toll-free
phone numbers, Internet addresses and a directory of VA facilities
throughout the country. The handbook can be downloaded free from
VA's Web site at
http://www.va.gov/opa/feature/.
The handbook is one of the top selling consumer publications of the
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). GPO accepts credit card
orders for the publication at 866-512-1800 (toll-free) for a cost of
$7 each to U.S. addresses, or $67 for bulk orders of 25 copies. It
can be ordered by mail from the GPO at Superintendent of Documents,
P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 (stock #051-000-00228-8).
In addition to health-care and burial benefits, veterans may be
eligible for programs providing home loan guaranties, educational
assistance, training and vocational rehabilitation, income
assistance pensions, life insurance and compensation for
service-connected illnesses or disabilities.
In some cases, survivors of veterans may also be entitled to
benefits.
The handbook describes programs for veterans with specific service
experiences, such as prisoners of war or those concerned about
environmental exposures in Vietnam or in the Gulf War, as well as
special benefits for veterans with severe disabilities.
Information on Senate Committee on Veteran’s
Affairs
The Current membership of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs
consists of the following:
Republicans: Ranking Member Richard Burr (North
Carolina), Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania),
Larry Craig (Idaho),Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Lindsey Graham
(South Carolina), John Ensign (Nevada), and Johnny Isakson
(Georgia).
Democrats: Chairman Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), John
Rockefeller (West Virginia), Patty Murray (Washington), Barack Obama
(Illinois), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Jon Tester (Montana) and Jim Webb
(Virginia).
Senator Richard Burr |
Senator Daniel Akaka |
News Stories on Veterans Affairs
Enrollment
in the National Purple Heart Roll of Honor
I would like to take this opportunity to spread the word about the
Hall of Honor, and particularly the Roll of Honor, their database
and archival record of Purple Heart recipients. The National Purple
Heart Roll of Honor and Museum opened in November of 2006. Each day,
they continue to add Purple Heart recipients to the Roll, which is
accessible via computer terminals in the hall of Honor and
eventually, the Roll of Honor will also be accessible via the
internet.
They are asking for your help. The Museum is counting on veterans,
friends, family members and comrades to help enroll each and every
Purple Heart recipient. People interested in enrolling someone can
start the process by contacting them by phone (845- 561-1765), or
visiting their website,
www.thepurpleheart.com. Once on the website, in the FAQs
section, you can find information about the materials required for
documenting receipt of the Purple Heart, and other information and
objects they are interested in acquiring, as well as the address for
sending an enrollment application. There is no charge for being
enrolled in the Roll of Honor.
Please help pass the word to your membership.
Kevin Secor
Veterans Service Organizations Liaison
Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Chairman Filner
Names New Staff Director of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Malcom A. Shorter, Lieutenant Colonel, (Retired – U.S. Army) to Lead
Committee Staff
 Washington,
D.C. – Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman-designate of the
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today, named Malcom A.
Shorter, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with experience on
Capitol Hill to lead the House Veterans Affairs panel in the 110th
Congress.
“I am very proud to have Malcom Shorter accept the position of Staff
Director of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. I am confident he
will provide steady leadership, wise counsel and valued insight to
the Committee,” said Filner. “I am also certain that America’s
veterans will appreciate his efforts to focus the Committee on
providing high quality services in a bipartisan manner.”
Prior to becoming Committee Staff Director, Mr. Shorter served as
Director, Office of Budget, Finance and Administration, Office of
the Special Trustee for American Indians, United States Department
of the Interior since January, 2005. He previously served as the
Assistant Director for Programming and Budget, United States
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Counter-narcotics. Mr.
Shorter retired from the United States Army in September 2003 after
a distinguished military career of more than 20 years.
Mr. Shorter graduated from Rutgers University in 1981 with a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics. He also holds a Master of
Science Degree in Administration from Central Michigan University.
In the Army, Shorter served in a variety of command and staff
assignments both in the continental United States and overseas. He
was also assigned to Capitol Hill in May, 1998 in the Army’s House
Liaison Division as a Congressional Fellow. He also served as the
Military Legislative Assistant to Congressman Martin T. Meehan of
Massachusetts for the first session of the 106th Congress. Upon
returning to the Army’s House Liaison Division, he served as the
Executive Officer and Division Chief. In that capacity, he
accompanied the President of the United States, Members of Congress,
and their staffs on more than 75 worldwide fact-finding missions.
Mr. Shorter will begin his tenure as Committee Staff Director full
time on January 22, 2006
Information
about Records Destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Fire
A fire at the NPRC in St. Louis on July 12, 1973, destroyed about 80
percent of the records for Army personnel discharged between
November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960. About 75 percent of the
records for Air Force personnel with surnames from "Hubbard" through
"Z" discharged between September 25, 1947, and January 1, 1964, were
also destroyed. It is hard to determine exactly what was lost in the
fire, because: There were no indices to the blocks of records
involved. The records were merely filed in alphabetical order for
the following groups: World War I: Army September 7, 1939 to
November 1, 1912; World War II: Army December 31, 1946 to September
8, 1939; Post World War II: Army December 31, 1959 to January 1,
1947; Air Force December 31, 1963 to September 25, 1947; Millions of
records, especially medical records, had been withdrawn from all
three groups and loaned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
prior to the fire. The fact that one's records are not in NPRC files
at a particular time does not mean the records were destroyed in the
fire.
Reconstruction of Lost Records:
If a veteran is advised that his or her records may have been lost
in the fire, he or she may send photocopies of any documents they
possess to the NPRC, particularly separation documents. The address
is National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records,
9700 Page Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. This enables the NPRC to
re-establish files by adding those documents to the computerized
index and filing them permanently.
In the event a veteran does not have any records in his or her
possession, the essential military service data may be available
from a number of alternate sources. The Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) maintains records on veterans whose military records
were affected by the fire if the veteran or a beneficiary filed a
claim prior to July 1973. Service information may also be found in
various kinds of "organizational" records such as unit morning
reports, payrolls and military orders on file at the NPRC or other
National Archives and Records Administration facilities. There also
is a great deal of information available in records of the State
Adjutants General, and other state "veterans services" offices. By
using alternate sources, NPRC may often be able to reconstruct a
veteran's beginning and ending dates of active service, the
character of service, rank while in service, time lost while on
active duty, and periods of hospitalization. NPRC is usually able to
issue NA Form 13038, "Certification of Military Service," considered
the equivalent of a Form DD-214, "Report of Separation From Active
Duty," for the purpose of establishing eligibility for veteransʼ
benefits. Necessary Information for File Reconstruction:
The key to reconstructing military data is to give the NPRC enough
specific information so the staff can properly search the various
sources.
The following information is normally required:
1. Full name used during military service
2. Branch of service
3. Approximate dates of service
4. Service number
5. Place of entry into service
6. Last unit of assignment, and
7. Place of discharge.
Veterans
Pride Initiative
Check the following PDF documents to find out more
about this program:
●
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Pride Brochure
●
Secretary’s Message
●
VA Urges Veterans to Wear Medals on Veterans Day
●
Questions and
Answers: The Veterans Pride Initiative
Veteran
Gravesite Locator
WASHINGTON (June 20, 2006)- The grave locations of more than three
million veterans and dependents buried in national cemeteries can be
found more easily now because the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) has added maps of burial sections online that can be printed
from home computers and at national cemetery kiosks.
The latest improvement builds upon a service begun two years ago, in
which a VA online feature permits family members to find the
cemetery in which their loved one is buried.
"This new map feature makes it easier for families, friends and
researchers to find the exact location of a veteran's grave in all
national cemeteries and some state veterans cemeteries," said the
Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "It
enhances VA's service at national cemeteries, already highly
regarded, and our commitment to them as national shrines and
historical treasures."
The gravesite locator (gravelocator.cem.va.gov),
online since April 2004, helps veterans' families, former
comrades-in-arms and others find the cemeteries where veterans are
buried. With the new online feature, people enter a veteran's name
to search, click on the "Buried At"
(burial location) link and a map of the national cemetery is
displayed, showing the section where the grave is located.
In a related development, VA recently added to its database the
cemeteries in which 1.9 million veterans were buried with VA grave
markers. These are mostly private cemeteries. This addition brings
the number of graves recorded in the locator to approximately five
million. Those with maps are in VA national cemeteries and in state
veterans cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery if burials were
since 1999.
Beyond the five million records now available, VA continues to add
approximately 1,000 new records to the database each day. VA also
plans to add to its online database the exact locations of veterans'
gravesites in the remaining state veterans cemeteries.
In the midst of the largest cemetery expansion since the Civil War,
VA operates 123 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and
33 soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than three million
Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict - from the
Revolutionary War to the Global War on Terror - are buried in VA's
national cemeteries on more than 16,000 acres of land.
Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses,
and eligible dependent children may be buried in a national
cemetery. Other burial benefits include a burial flag, Presidential
Memorial Certificate, and a government headstone or marker - even if
they are not buried in a national cemetery. Information on VA burial
benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the
Internet at http://www.cem.va.gov
or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 1-800-827-1000.
VA Volunteers Mark
60th Anniversary
Volunteers Donated 13 Million Hours
Last Year
WASHINGTON (May 15, 2006) - For as long as the United States has had
veterans, the nation has also had men and women who volunteered to
help in the care of the wounded, the sick and the injured.
But 60 years ago, a partnership was formalized when the Veterans
Administration (VA) created an office to oversee the volunteers
assisting at the agency's facilities. That office now has about
140,000 volunteers on its rolls, with 94,000 contributing more than
13 million hours last year. VA would have needed 6,200 employees to
replace the time donated by the volunteers, at a cost of nearly $228
million.
"Volunteers have always been at the heart of VA," said R. James
Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "They free our doctors,
nurses and technicians for work that only a professional can do.
They are visible proof, especially to our combat-wounded, that the
nation deeply appreciates the many sacrifices of our veterans."
In April 1946, former General of the Army Omar Bradley, then head of
the Veterans Administration, convened a meeting of veterans groups
and welfare organizations to establish a national plan for volunteer
assistance at VA facilities.
From that meeting grew the Voluntary Service Office that now works
with more than 60 national groups to provide volunteers for the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
"Our volunteers take your breath away with their spirit,
selflessness and dedication," said Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, VA's
Under Secretary for Health. "Our health care system is immeasurably
better for their priceless contributions."
Volunteers assist hospital staff. They work in nursing homes,
hospital wards, clinics, recreational activities, end-of-life care
and many other programs. They also work in national cemeteries and
benefits offices
Intrepid Fallen Heroes
Fund
To date over 15,000 men and women have been wounded in
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some are treated in the field
and returned to duty, others require more extensive care in an
in-theater medical facility, but eventually return to duty. More
severely injured personnel are transferred to military hospitals in
the U.S. Some of these troops are ultimately returned to duty. But
some suffer injuries so severe that they require extensive medical
care, years of treatment and rehabilitation, and they are medically
discharged from the armed forces. Their future quality of life,
their ability to care for themselves and provide for their families,
and their very survival depends on the treatment, rehabilitation and
advanced training skills they receive following their injury.
Many of the most severely injured military personnel, from all
branches of the Armed Forces, are treated at Brooke Army Medical
Center in San Antonio, Texas. The most severely injured suffer from
double and triple amputations, severe head and body trauma,
blindness, deafness, and partial and full paralysis. The use of
improvised explosive devices in Iraq has resulted in many cases of
severe burns. The care and rehabilitation of these men and women who
have sacrificed so much for our nation demands that they be given
the care they need and deserve.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is constructing a world-class
state-of-the-art advanced training skills facility at Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The center will serve military
personnel who have been catastrophically disabled in operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan. The center will also serve military personnel
and veterans severely injured in other operations and in the normal
performance of their duties, combat and non-combat related.
The Center will encompass a 60,000 square foot structure, providing
ample space and facilities for the rehabilitation needs of the
patients and their caregivers. It will be constructed on a site
sufficient in size to meet the needs of the center’s patients and
caregivers and will include $35 million in top of the line indoor
and outdoor facilities, a child care center, and other needed
facilities.
This Facility will serve not only those injured in Iraq and
Afghanistan, but also veterans injured in prior conflicts and
service members critically injured in non-combat operations. The
center will be built in conjunction with and attached directly to
two 21-room Fisher Houses. .
This Facility will be presented by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
to all five military branches and to the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Richard Petty Joins
VA to Encourage Volunteerism
 WASHINGTON
– Legendary stock car racer and seven-time NASCAR champion Richard
Petty has teamed up with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to
promote volunteerism at VA hospitals. Petty was named chairman of
the 2006 National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans.
Petty will make public service announcements encouraging the public
to volunteer at VA facilities, and be the national spokesman for
more than 140,000 volunteers serving veterans at 154 VA hospitals,
more than 850 outpatient clinics and 134 nursing homes across the
nation.
"It’s an honor to have such a champion join VA in saluting the men
and women who have worn our country’s uniform," said the Honorable
R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "Richard has
shown that he shares our commitment to veterans through his efforts
to raise awareness of VA and the veterans we serve."
Known to stock car racing fans simply as “The King,” Petty is the
most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR racing. His
illustrious career includes a record 200 NASCAR victories, earning
him a place in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“I am very proud of the titles I have earned. However, the honorary
title I have been given this year as chairman of the VA National
Salute to Hospitalized Veterans program is one I accept with great
humility and pride,” said Petty. “I encourage all Americans to visit
some true champions this Valentine’s week and find out how you can
serve those who have served us so well.”
The National Salute is timed to coincide with Valentine's Day
because the holiday’s sentiments of caring and sharing match the
salute's purpose of expressing honor and appreciation to veterans.
With the additional support of “Annie’s Mailbox” founded by the late
columnist Ann Landers, newspaper readers, students, scout troops and
others annually generate more than a million "Valentines for
Veterans" delivered to local VA medical centers and nursing homes to
express gratitude for veterans' service to their country.
Community and state officials, military and veterans organizations
and youth groups often join with the public during the National
Salute week to visit patients in VA hospitals, nursing homes, state
veterans homes and other facilities.
Members of the public are encouraged to call their local VA health
care facilities to participate in activities during the 2006
National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. At VA medical centers,
they should ask for the Voluntary Service Office, which coordinates
the activities.
To find out more about volunteering at a VA facility near you check
the Web at
http://www1.va.gov/volunteer/
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