News and Updates
CHAPTER 138 NEWS
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 10, 2010
Lowe's Military Discount
Most members of the military community no longer will have to wait for a special holiday discount to buy shovels, paint, and other home improvement needs.
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has expanded its 10 percent military discount to all day, everyday, for active-duty, National Guard and reserve, retiree and disabled service members, and their families, company officials announced Wednesday.
Those who want to receive the discount must present a valid military ID card.
All other military veterans will receive the 10 percent discount on the holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day.
The discount is available on in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. It cannot be used on sales at Lowes.com, on previous sales, or on sales of services or gift cards.
“Lowe’s was founded on the heels of World War II by veterans Jim Lowe and Carl Buchan and has always been a supporter of the military,” said Larry D. Stone, Lowe’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement announcing the new policy.
“The year-round discount program is one way we are reaffirming our commitment to the thousands of men and women who are serving throughout the world, as well as their family members at home.”
_________________________________________________________________________
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2009 - A new Department of Veterans Affairs ruling will soon relieve Vietnam veterans suffering from three specific illnesses from the burden of proving their ailments are linked to Agent Orange exposure to receive VA health care and disability payments.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki's decision, announced today, establishes a service connection for Vietnam vets stricken with hairy-cell leukemia and other B-cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease, VA chief of staff John Gingrich told American Forces Press Service.
Shinseki made the decision based on a recent report by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine. The report cited new scientific studies pointing to a strong connection between the illnesses and Agent Orange exposure.
Shinseki determined that evidence was compelling enough to establish a presumption that affected veterans' illnesses are service-related, Gingrich said.
This determination will short-cut the process for them to receive services through what Shinseki called "a world-class health care system," as well as monthly disability payments.
But before the ruling takes effect, it must be published in the Federal Register and opened for final comment, Gingrich explained. He predicted that the process would be completed early next year.
It's unclear exactly how many of the 2.1 million Vietnam veterans the ruling will affect, Gingrich said. If 10 percent have the presumed illnesses, that could result in some 200,000 new VA claims.
Agent Orange, named for the orange-colored barrels in which it was stored, was sprayed widely during the Vietnam War to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy. Veterans have long blamed the herbicide for causing a variety of illnesses, but until now, there's been no official recognition of a link. That put the burden on veterans to prove an association - a process Shinseki conceded too often has created an adversarial relationship between the VA and veterans.
Shinseki, a retired Army general and a Vietnam veteran himself, lamented this situation this summer at a medical symposium in San Antonio.
"I have asked why, 40 years after Agent Orange was last used in Vietnam, this secretary is still adjudicating claims for presumption of service-connected disabilities tied to its toxic effects," he told attendees at the Association of the U.S. Army's Institute of Land Warfare Army Medical Symposium.
Shinseki also questioned why the debilitating effects of Gulf War illnesses still are being debated 20 years after Operation Desert Storm.
"Why weren't conclusive studies conducted by [the Department of Defense] and VA to render presumption of service-connected disability resulting from exposure to toxic environments associated with these operations?"
Shinseki asked. "Such findings would have facilitated VA's settling of service-connected disability claims in far less time. The scientific method, and the failure to advocate for the veteran, got in the way of our processes."
Veterans deserve better, he said.
"We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," he said. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."
Shinseki's decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses VA recognizes. Others are:
-- Acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy;
-- AL amyloidosis;
-- Chloracne;
-- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia;
-- Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2);
-- Hodgkin's disease;
-- Multiple myeloma;
-- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma;
-- Porphyria cutanea tarda;
-- Prostate cancer;
-- Respiratory cancers; and
-- Soft-tissue sarcoma other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma.
Biographies:
Eric K. Shinseki
Related Sites:
Department of Veterans Affairs
AEC Aerospace Education Newsletter - Sep 09
The latest issue of the AEC's Aerospace Education Newsletter is here:
http://www.afa.org/members/AENews/Sept09/default.asp
September 2009
Now available - The Official 2009 AFA Collector’s ornament Air Force memorial Star. Price $25.00 plus 5.00 shipping. Contact AFA Headquarters - www.afa.org/store or 1-800-7272-3337 (press 3).
Saturday, September 19, 2009
AFA Members, Congressional Staffers, Civic Leaders, and DOCA members, this week AFA held its annual Air & Space Conference in Washington DC. It was a great event … and very well attended. We had presentations from a vast array of leaders, both inside and outside of the Air Force. Many attendees got to hear from such luminaries as the Doolittle Raiders and the Tuskegee Airmen.
Three of the presentations were especially notable. The first was by Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. His speech can be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/rgates.pdf
Following his talk, Secretary Gates took questions from the audience. The questions and his answers can be found at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/pdfs/AFA-090916-GatesQA.pdf
The second notable talk was given by Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley. It can be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/donley.pdf
Finally, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen Norton Schwartz made a presentation that can also be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/SCHWARTZ.pdf
For your consideration,
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
To comment on this, visit AFA Blog. (Google account is required)
While this item may not directly apply to you, it may be of interest for older veterans or families of veterans affected by long term care support requirements. I have also provided a link below, and you might also see the "related articles" on this subject. I know that there are families who have older veterans (fathers, grandfathers) who need aid and assistance in activities of daily living (ADL) and who may be able to access this program under Veterans Affairs.
INTRODUCTION TO THE VETERANS' AID AND ATTENDANCE SPECIAL PENSION
The Veterans' Administration offers a Special Pension with Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit that is largely unknown. This Special Pension (part of the VA Improved Pension program) allows for Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing, undressing or taking care of the needs of nature to receive additional monetary benefits. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisted living facility also qualifies.
This most important benefit is overlooked by many families with Veterans or surviving spouses who need additional monies to help care for ailing parents or loved ones. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation. Most Veterans who are in need of assistance qualify for this pension. Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, nursing home or assisted living facility. A Veteran is eligible for up to $1,632 per month, while a surviving spouse is eligible for up to $1,055 per month. A couple is eligible for up to $1,949 per month*.
The Aid and Attendance Benefit is considered to be the third tier of a VA program called Improved Pension. The other two tiers are Basic and Housebound. Each tier has its own level of benefits and qualifications. While the objective of this site is to disseminate information about the Aid and Attendance Benefit, we urge you to read an important document prepared by the American Veterans Institute that clearly explains the Improved Pension program, its levels of benefits and the qualifications for each. If you or your loved one does not qualify for Aid and Attendance, you may want to check to see if you qualify for another level of the Pension.
Please browse this site using the menu on the left to learn more about the Aid & Attendance Special Pension, Eligibility Requirements, How to Apply, What to Expect and Resources to help you with this critical benefit. Also, please visit the Sponsors of this site who have made it possible to disseminate this information to veterans and their families.
Walter M. Ozawa
walter@ozawa.org
http://www.veteranaid.org/
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 10, 2010
Lowe's Military Discount
Most members of the military community no longer will have to wait for a special holiday discount to buy shovels, paint, and other home improvement needs.
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has expanded its 10 percent military discount to all day, everyday, for active-duty, National Guard and reserve, retiree and disabled service members, and their families, company officials announced Wednesday.
Those who want to receive the discount must present a valid military ID card.
All other military veterans will receive the 10 percent discount on the holiday weekends of Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day.
The discount is available on in-stock and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. It cannot be used on sales at Lowes.com, on previous sales, or on sales of services or gift cards.
“Lowe’s was founded on the heels of World War II by veterans Jim Lowe and Carl Buchan and has always been a supporter of the military,” said Larry D. Stone, Lowe’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement announcing the new policy.
“The year-round discount program is one way we are reaffirming our commitment to the thousands of men and women who are serving throughout the world, as well as their family members at home.”
_________________________________________________________________________
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2009 - A new Department of Veterans Affairs ruling will soon relieve Vietnam veterans suffering from three specific illnesses from the burden of proving their ailments are linked to Agent Orange exposure to receive VA health care and disability payments.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki's decision, announced today, establishes a service connection for Vietnam vets stricken with hairy-cell leukemia and other B-cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease, VA chief of staff John Gingrich told American Forces Press Service.
Shinseki made the decision based on a recent report by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine. The report cited new scientific studies pointing to a strong connection between the illnesses and Agent Orange exposure.
Shinseki determined that evidence was compelling enough to establish a presumption that affected veterans' illnesses are service-related, Gingrich said.
This determination will short-cut the process for them to receive services through what Shinseki called "a world-class health care system," as well as monthly disability payments.
But before the ruling takes effect, it must be published in the Federal Register and opened for final comment, Gingrich explained. He predicted that the process would be completed early next year.
It's unclear exactly how many of the 2.1 million Vietnam veterans the ruling will affect, Gingrich said. If 10 percent have the presumed illnesses, that could result in some 200,000 new VA claims.
Agent Orange, named for the orange-colored barrels in which it was stored, was sprayed widely during the Vietnam War to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy. Veterans have long blamed the herbicide for causing a variety of illnesses, but until now, there's been no official recognition of a link. That put the burden on veterans to prove an association - a process Shinseki conceded too often has created an adversarial relationship between the VA and veterans.
Shinseki, a retired Army general and a Vietnam veteran himself, lamented this situation this summer at a medical symposium in San Antonio.
"I have asked why, 40 years after Agent Orange was last used in Vietnam, this secretary is still adjudicating claims for presumption of service-connected disabilities tied to its toxic effects," he told attendees at the Association of the U.S. Army's Institute of Land Warfare Army Medical Symposium.
Shinseki also questioned why the debilitating effects of Gulf War illnesses still are being debated 20 years after Operation Desert Storm.
"Why weren't conclusive studies conducted by [the Department of Defense] and VA to render presumption of service-connected disability resulting from exposure to toxic environments associated with these operations?"
Shinseki asked. "Such findings would have facilitated VA's settling of service-connected disability claims in far less time. The scientific method, and the failure to advocate for the veteran, got in the way of our processes."
Veterans deserve better, he said.
"We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," he said. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."
Shinseki's decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses VA recognizes. Others are:
-- Acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy;
-- AL amyloidosis;
-- Chloracne;
-- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia;
-- Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2);
-- Hodgkin's disease;
-- Multiple myeloma;
-- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma;
-- Porphyria cutanea tarda;
-- Prostate cancer;
-- Respiratory cancers; and
-- Soft-tissue sarcoma other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma.
Biographies:
Eric K. Shinseki
Related Sites:
Department of Veterans Affairs
* * * * * * * * * *
AEC Aerospace Education Newsletter - Sep 09
The latest issue of the AEC's Aerospace Education Newsletter is here:
http://www.afa.org/members/AENews/Sept09/default.asp
September 2009
Now available - The Official 2009 AFA Collector’s ornament Air Force memorial Star. Price $25.00 plus 5.00 shipping. Contact AFA Headquarters - www.afa.org/store or 1-800-7272-3337 (press 3).
Saturday, September 19, 2009
AFA Members, Congressional Staffers, Civic Leaders, and DOCA members, this week AFA held its annual Air & Space Conference in Washington DC. It was a great event … and very well attended. We had presentations from a vast array of leaders, both inside and outside of the Air Force. Many attendees got to hear from such luminaries as the Doolittle Raiders and the Tuskegee Airmen.
Three of the presentations were especially notable. The first was by Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. His speech can be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/rgates.pdf
Following his talk, Secretary Gates took questions from the audience. The questions and his answers can be found at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/pdfs/AFA-090916-GatesQA.pdf
The second notable talk was given by Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley. It can be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/donley.pdf
Finally, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen Norton Schwartz made a presentation that can also be found on our website at: http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2009/scripts/SCHWARTZ.pdf
For your consideration,
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
To comment on this, visit AFA Blog. (Google account is required)
* * * * * * * * * *
While this item may not directly apply to you, it may be of interest for older veterans or families of veterans affected by long term care support requirements. I have also provided a link below, and you might also see the "related articles" on this subject. I know that there are families who have older veterans (fathers, grandfathers) who need aid and assistance in activities of daily living (ADL) and who may be able to access this program under Veterans Affairs.
INTRODUCTION TO THE VETERANS' AID AND ATTENDANCE SPECIAL PENSION
The Veterans' Administration offers a Special Pension with Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit that is largely unknown. This Special Pension (part of the VA Improved Pension program) allows for Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing, undressing or taking care of the needs of nature to receive additional monetary benefits. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisted living facility also qualifies.
This most important benefit is overlooked by many families with Veterans or surviving spouses who need additional monies to help care for ailing parents or loved ones. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation. Most Veterans who are in need of assistance qualify for this pension. Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, nursing home or assisted living facility. A Veteran is eligible for up to $1,632 per month, while a surviving spouse is eligible for up to $1,055 per month. A couple is eligible for up to $1,949 per month*.
The Aid and Attendance Benefit is considered to be the third tier of a VA program called Improved Pension. The other two tiers are Basic and Housebound. Each tier has its own level of benefits and qualifications. While the objective of this site is to disseminate information about the Aid and Attendance Benefit, we urge you to read an important document prepared by the American Veterans Institute that clearly explains the Improved Pension program, its levels of benefits and the qualifications for each. If you or your loved one does not qualify for Aid and Attendance, you may want to check to see if you qualify for another level of the Pension.
Please browse this site using the menu on the left to learn more about the Aid & Attendance Special Pension, Eligibility Requirements, How to Apply, What to Expect and Resources to help you with this critical benefit. Also, please visit the Sponsors of this site who have made it possible to disseminate this information to veterans and their families.
Walter M. Ozawa
walter@ozawa.org
http://www.veteranaid.org/
* * * * * * * * * *
AFA
Exhibits at NSTA Conference
March 25, 2009 - AFA hosted an informational booth last week during the National Science Teachers Association’s National Conference, held in New Orleans, March 19-22nd. During the four-day conference, over 500 attendees visited the AFA booth and took away information on local chapters, grant and scholarship opportunities, as well as membership. Ann Sagle and Hurlburt Chapter member Jeri Martin manned the booth. Jeri’s temporary duty costs and attendance fees were covered by the Hurlburt Chapter. Bill Yucuis, AFA Central Florida Chapter Vice President was also in attendance, sponsored by USA Today. Bill and his school were winners of the USA TODAY 2008 No Boundaries competition.
On Saturday, AFA and USA TODAY held a 90-minute joint workshop for attendees. Also in attendance, were a number of AFA members, former chapter and state teachers of the year, and former AEF Board members. This was AFA’s fifth year participating in this event. Held annually, the National Conference attracts over 8,000 STEM educators.
_______________________________________
Index:
September 2008
Disclaimer: As a volunteer organization we are not responsible for information contained in the above data.