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VFW
Washington Weekly
In This Issue:
1. No COLA for 2011 2. CR Passes as Congress Recesses 3. Stop-Loss Payments Extended 4. VA Adds 9 Gulf War Presumptions 5. GAO Investigates Long-Term Neglect 6. Veterans Benefits Package Passes Senate 7. Two WWII MIA's Identified
1. No COLA for 2011: VFW has
been made aware of a document going around the internet which falsely
increases the VA compensation rates up to 50% effective December 1,
2010. The
document is not valid. Congress did pass a COLA bill (HR 4667)
which authorizes an increase in payments to recipients of
compensation, Dependency and Indemnity compensation (DIC), the VA
clothing allowance, and certain wartime disability and other
compensation based on cost-of-living increases that are provided to
beneficiaries of Social Security. The COLA allowance this bill
provides is based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, a
calculation of inflation in the United States measured by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Data accumulated to date indicates that it
is unlikely that the CPI will increase by an amount necessary for
veterans to receive a COLA increase for 2011 The congressionally
passed bill (HR 4667) summary is posted here: http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:1:./temp/~bdwDqC:@@@D&summ2=m&|/home/LegislativeData.php|
2. CR Passes as Congress Recesses: Before recessing to return to the campaign trail, Congress passed a stop-gap funding measure or continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government until December 3, 2010. Funding for this year (FY 2011) will remain at last year’s (FY 2010) levels. The CR allows Congress to delay negotiations on all 12 appropriations until after the elections. VA medical care accounts will not be affected since funding for FY 2011 was approved last year as a result of Congress decision to adopt advance appropriations for VA health care. 3. Stop Loss Payments Extended: Congress, as a part of the continuing resolution extended stop loss payments owed to active duty servicemembers. Servicemembers and veterans have been given until December 3 to apply for extra pay that is owed them if their active duty service was involuntarily extended between 9/11 and September 30, 2008. Congress hopes that by extending the date, the number of those applying for the payment will increase. Currently only 40% of the people who qualify have applied and received the extra allowance. 4. VA Adds 9 Gulf War Presumptions: The VA published its final regulation in the Federal Register this week to establish new presumptions of service-connection for nine specific infectious diseases associated with military service in Southwest Asia beginning on or after the start of the first Gulf War on Aug. 2, 1990, through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the final rule, a veteran only has to show service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan, and that he or she had one of the nine diseases within a certain time after service, and has a current disability as a result of that disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Visceral leishmaniasis may appear any time after discharge; however, the other seven disabilities must be shown to a compensable degree within one year of discharge. The nine new presumptions are: Brucellosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella Burnetii (Q fever), Malaria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nontyphoid Salmonella, Shigella, Visceral leishmaniasis and West Nile virus. Read the VA press release athttp://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1974. 5. GAO Investigates Long-Term Care Neglect: The Government Accountability Office has been asked by Congress to research instances of abuse and/or neglect in State Veterans Homes and VA Community Living Centers. They are now reaching out to the veteran population to better understand and portray the realities of life in a nursing home. If you have first-hand information regarding abuse or neglect, please e-mail the GAO at vetnursinghomeabuse@gao.gov. No personal information or medical history will be included in their final report. 6. Veterans Benefit Package Passes Senate: A large veterans’ benefit bill cleared the Senate this week. The bill, HR 3219, will provide improvements to a host of VA benefits and reauthorize programs that provide services to veterans, including qualifying work-study activities, the Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education and the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs. It also improves life insurance programs for “totally disabled” veterans, increases disability compensation for several categories of disabled veterans, including a cost-of-living increase for spouses that survive servicemembers, if those spouses have minor children and increases burial plot allowances. 7. Two WWII MIAs Identified: The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of two Navy aviators missing in action since World War II have been identified. They are Lt. Francis B. McIntyre of Mitchell, SD, and Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell of Cherokee, OK. On Nov. 10, 1943, the two men took off on a bombing and strafing mission in an SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Munda Field, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. Witnesses last saw the aircraft flying at low altitude through a large explosion on an enemy airfield on Buka Island, Papua New Guinea. The aircraft did not return to base. Read about the search and recovery effort and identification process athttp://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13923. |
| Stop-Loss Vets to Lose Retroactive Payments:
Approximately 145,000 service members who were stop-lossed between September 2001 and September 2008 are eligible to receive $500 for every month they were kept beyond their initial separation date. The problem is only about 20 percent, or 30,000 claims, have been paid, and the program ends Oct. 21. The VFW is asking its members, Posts and friends to spread the word. For more information about the program and to apply for retroactive stop-loss pay, go to www.defense.gov/stoploss. |
|
Officers
for 2010-2011:
Nominations
for officers continued after being opened at the March meeting. There
being no opposition for any office, Adj. Pothier cast one unanimous
ballot each for Commander
Louis Salem, Senior Vice Commander Michael Sparkman, Junior Vice
Commander Wayne Neufeld, Quartermaster Kim Hamilton, Judge Advocate
Wheeler Tillman, Chaplain Sidney Byrd, and 3 Year Trustee Thomas
Tellefsen. JVC
Neufeld cast one unanimous ballot for Surgeon
Gerald T. Pothier.
Also
elected were: Delegates
to the District 1 Convention Gerald T. Pothier and Kim Hamilton;
delegate to the Department Convention Gerald T. Pothier; delegate to
the National Convention Gerald T. Pothier. All
officers and delegates will serve during the 2010-2011 administrative
year and will assume their duties at noon on Sunday 27 June 2010 when
the State Commander is installed. Appointments
will be made by the incoming Commander at the May Post meeting.
|
| New Law Authorizes Veterans' Salutes During National Anthem: WASHINGTON (Oct. 30, 2008) -- Veterans and active-duty military not in uniform can now render the military-style hand salute during the playing of the national anthem, thanks to changes in federal law that took effect this month. "The military salute is a unique gesture of respect that marks those who have served in our nation's armed forces," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "This provision allows the application of that honor in all events involving our nation's flag." The new provision improves upon a little known change in federal law last year that authorized veterans to render the military-style hand salute during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag, but it did not address salutes during the national anthem. Last year's provision also applied to members of the armed forces while not in uniform. Traditionally, members of the nation's veterans service organizations have rendered the hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the national flag while wearing their organization's official head-gear. The most recent change, authorizing hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel, was sponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, an Army veteran. It was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed on Oct. 14. The earlier provision authorizing hand-salutes for veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag, was contained in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, which took effect Jan. 28, 2008. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It must be noted the above provision does not accommodate rendering the hand salute while uncovered during the playing of Taps. |
Date Last updated: 08/25/2011
