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Veteran's E-News (January 2009) |
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Connect with the Spirit of the Horse |
WHAT:
A special day for Veterans and their families
WHEN:
Saturday January 31
Time:
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
WHERE:
SF Veterans Multi-Purpose Center
4311 SW 63rd Ave
Davie, FL |
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A free fun filled day for veterans and their
families who want to learn more about how horses
can help folks suffering with PTSD. Horses are
very intuitive animals that help humans "feel"
emotions in their own body.Horses are perfect
mirrors of what is going on inside of us. No
riding or horse experience necessary. Free BBQ,
PTSD information, VA Service Connection
Disability Claim assistance and lots of horse
related activities with experienced horse
professionals. For more information and to RSVP
please call 954-791-8603 |
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139 Missing WWII Marines Found on Tarawa |
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During the early morning hours of 20 November
1943, Marines of the 2nd Marine Division mounted
and amphibious attack against the Japanese
stronghold of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll,
Gilbert Islands. The battle, that lasted 72
hours, would become infamous for the high number
of casualties the Americans suffered. The sorrow
was further compounded because many of the
American bodies buried on the island were never
recovered after the war.
In November 2007, the History Flight
organization of Marathon, Florida and the WFI
Research Group of Fall River, Massachusetts
agreed to a joint, privately funded venture to
locate and return the bodies of our war dead to
their families. With the financial support of
the VFW, The American Legion, The Baddour
Foundation, private individuals and History
Flight board members the joint effort was able
to bring a team of professional researchers,
historians and ground penetrating radar
specialists together to find 139 of the 541
missing Marines from The Battle of Tarawa.
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Changes to Retiree ID Renewal Rules |
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Homeland Security Directive 12 now requires
retirees and family members seeking to renew or
replace a military identification card to
provide two types of ID, one of which must
include a photo. A list of acceptable documents
can be found in PDF format on page No. 4 of the
Form I-9. |
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Some Veterans to See Another Travel... |
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WASHINGTON (Dec. 29, 2008) - Service-disabled
and low-income veterans who are reimbursed for
travel expenses while receiving care at
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities
will see an increase in their payments beginning
January 9. A recently passed law allows VA to
cut the amount it must withhold from their
mileage reimbursement. The deductible amount
will be $3 for each one-way trip and $6 for each
round trip - with a calendar cap of $18, or six
one-way trips or three round trips, whichever
comes first. The previous deductible was $7.77
for a one-way trip, and $15.54 for a round trip,
with a calendar cap of $46.62.
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VA Ramps Up Job Search for Injured Vets |
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WASHINGTON (Dec. 30, 2008) - Thirty percent of
employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) are veterans - the second highest ranking
among cabinet departments after the Department
of Defense - and nearly 8 percent of VA
employees are service-connected disabled
veterans. But the VA intends to increase the
number of disabled veterans who obtain
employment in its workforce. "I am proud of
this effort," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Dr. James B. Peake. "VA knows the true quality
of our men and women, and we should be a leader
in employing them."
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VA Urges Vets to Sign-up for Direct
Deposits |
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WASHINGTON (December 15, 2008) - Every month,
730,000 veterans or survivors look for their
compensation, pension checks or educational
assistance payments in their mailboxes. Nearly
all receive them, but theft and mail delays
cause problems for some veterans, which can be
prevented by direct deposits. The Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) is urging those
veterans and family members now receiving paper
checks to join nearly 3.1 million others whose
VA payments are safely deposited electronically.
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HCVets.com Surveillance Alert |
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Send a
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the
Department of Veterans Affairs to find out if
your claim information has been shredded. Ask
for a complete and undeleted copy of your file
containing all records in possession of the
Veterans Administration (VA). It's easy to do!
It is the policy of the VA Central Office
FOIA/Privacy Act Officer to acknowledge your
request within 20 working days of receipt. Write
Freedom of Information Act Request on the
envelope. There are no special forms required
for use in submitting a FOIA Request.
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The Case for Presumptive Disability for
TCE Veterans |
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VA policy puts the burden of proof on veterans
to provide extensive supporting documentation
for disability compensation claims for TCE
exposure, even when veterans have been stationed
at contaminated military sites and the illness
is linked to TCE exposure. Government reports
show that many military bases have elevated
levels of Trichloroethylene (TCE)-a toxic
chemical linked to cancer and other serious
illnesses.
A 2003 Air Force Pentagon report estimated
that there were 1,400 TCE-contaminated military
sites. Former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
is one of those bases.
At MCAS El Toro, EPA estimated that the
source area of the TCE plume spreading into
Orange County had an estimated 8,000 pounds of
TCE in the soil and groundwater. No question
that Marines working in this area were at risk
of exposure to TCE.
A major problem for sick veterans who were
stationed at El Toro and other military bases
with TCE contamination is the VA requirement to
obtain proof that their disability was due to
military service.
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Enhanced VA Mortgage Options Now
Available for Vets |
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Veterans with conventional home loans now have
new options for refinancing to a Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) guaranteed home loan.
These new options are available as a result of
the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008,
which the President signed into law on October
10, 2008. "These
changes will allow VA to assist a substantial
number of veterans with subprime mortgages
refinance into a safer, more affordable, VA
guaranteed loan," said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Veterans in
financial distress due to high rate subprime
mortgages are potentially the greatest
beneficiaries."\VA has never guaranteed subprime
loans. However, as a result of the new law VA
can now help many more veterans who currently
have subprime loans.
The new law makes changes to VA's home loan
refinancing program. Veterans who wish to
refinance their subprime or conventional
mortgage may now do so for up to 100 percent of
the value of the property. These types of loans
were previously limited to 90 percent of the
value.
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Help for Families Facing Military
Foreclosures |
The Biggest Untold Mortgage Crisis:
Help for Families Facing Military Foreclosures
More and more military families are finding
themselves in the middle of a mortgage
nightmare. Soldiers are returning after several
tours of duty, only to find they are on the
verge of losing their homes. While trying to
rebuild their lives, they face the additional
pressure and stress of a looming foreclosure.
According to one recent study, the number of
foreclosures in military towns are four times
the national average. Why? Because military
families were targeted as customers during the
boom in subprime lending. Their frequent moves,
overseas stints, and low pay meant they were
likely to have weak credit ratings. The initial
low rates and easy terms of these loans made
them more attractive than the traditional route
of taking out a Veterans Administration (VA)
loan. In fact, at the peak of the U.S. subprime
lending, the number of new VA loans fell to
their lowest level in 12 years.
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