STAND UP FOR BILL (And Other Veterans and Their Families)

STAND UP FOR BILL

(And Other Veterans and Their Families)

I would like to create state and federal legislation that does the following:

1.  Directs the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to create free, accredited continuing professional education (CPE) for civilian health care workers and paramedical case workers (including social workers and chaplains) on veterans health issues. 

2.  Directs all health care providers to change their intake forms and health questionnaires to ask if patients “had any US military service” in order to “begin the conversation”.   Self identified veterans should be asked to fill out an additional military questionnaire.  A proposed format is available.

3.  Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to require that all health care workers (including VA health care workers and CHOICE doctors) be familiar with compensable diseases and disabilities so they can refer Vets and their families to the VA benefits office for evaluation and additional assistance. 

4.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to use public service announcements and other media to reach out to veterans and their families to inform them about presumed connected disabilities and report back to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Nevada state governor and the veterans legislative committee annually on the effectiveness of these techniques.  

5.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media on presumed connected disabilities to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.

6.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media about survivor benefits to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.

7.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to contact civilian support groups that routinely work with people who have one of the presumed connected disabilities (e.g. the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and work with them to identify veterans, children and grandchildren who have a disease presumed connected to military service. Identified veterans and family members should be referred to designated VA resources.  Records of these referrals should be rolled up to the governor, state legislative affairs committee and the Secretary of  Veterans Affairs on a yearly basis. 

8.  Directs each state to keep records and prepare a yearly report to the governor, the veterans legislative committee and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs evaluating the effectiveness of the training delivered, contacts made and media used to provide information to veterans, spouses and health care professionals.

WE MUST ACT NOW

•   We must make sure that Vietnam Veterans who have a presumed connected disease take full advantage of the benefits that they earned by their service to our country.

•   We must make sure that Vietnam Veteran survivors have access to the benefits that their loved one earned by their service to our country.

•   We must make sure that veterans from other conflicts such as the Korean War, the Gulf War, Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, certain defense department projects and Camp Lejeune know about the diseases and disabilities presumed connected to their military service.

•    We must act now to protect the children and grandchildren of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service.

The VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.

•          AL Amyloidosis

•          A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs

•          Chronic B-cell Leukemias

•          A type of cancer which affects white blood cells

•          Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)

•          A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

•          Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

•          A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin

•          Hodgkin's Disease

•          A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia

•          Ischemic Heart Disease

•          A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain also called coronary artery disease

•          Multiple Myeloma

•          A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow

•          Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

•          A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue

•          Parkinson's Disease

•          A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement

•          Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset

•          A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure

•          Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

•          A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides

•          Prostate Cancer

•          Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men

•          Respiratory Cancers  (includes lung cancer)

            and cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus

•          Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma) A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

•          Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease causes the death of neuron controlling voluntary muscles.  This disease is associated with service in Vietnam.

If you would like to help me in this effort, or if you have ideas  on how to spread the word about presumed connected disabilities, please feel free to contact me.  I am Barbara Rodgick and I am the widow of an Agent Orange Vet.  My phone number is 425-442-7563 and my email address is barbara98065@gmail.com. 8/18/18

    

Purple Heart recipients short on qualifying service for Post-9/11 GI Bill to receive full education benefits

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 Posted on Thursday, July 26, 2018, 1:22 pm Posted in Benefits, Education by VAntage Point Contributor  2 comments  31 views

If you’ve received a Purple Heart Medal for active duty service on or after Sept. 11, 2001, but didn’t qualify for full Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits because you didn’t have enough time in service, you’ll soon qualify for the full education benefit.

A provision of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, known as the “Forever GI Bill,” extends education benefits to this group of Purple Heart recipients effective Aug. 1.

If your length of active duty service hasn’t qualified you for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, being awarded a Purple Heart for service on or after Sept. 11, 2001, can qualify you for the 100 percent tier of benefits. This provision is one small way to recognize the sacrifice of this special group, assuring they receive the benefits they have earned.

To qualify for the full benefit, you must have received a Purple Heart on or after Sept.  11, 2001, and have been discharged or released honorably.

Start your education journey

If you haven’t explored your options to use your education benefits, you can start by visiting the GI Bill Comparison Tool. You can see how to maximize your education value and look up the college, training school, or apprenticeship program you’re interested in attending. You can also see how much your GI Bill benefits will cover and if you’d have any out of pocket expenses.

If you have any questions, please call 1–888-GI-BILL-1 (1–888–442–4551). If you use the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), the Federal number is 711. You can also visit the GI Bill website.

As always, be sure to follow us on our Facebook page and on Twitter  @VAVetBenefits. These give you quick and helpful updates.

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About the author:  Veterans Benefits Administration’s Education Service delivers GI Bill® education benefits to Veterans, service members, and their families.  Since 1944, the GI Bill has helped millions of Veterans pay for college, graduate school, and training programs.

Tags:

·         beneficiaries

·         Benefits

·         Colmery Act

·         dependents

·         forever gi bill

·         GI Bill

·         Post-9/11 GI Bill

·         purple heart

·         service members

·         Veterans

Author

Vantage Point Contributor

— Vantage Point Contributors provide insight and perspective on a wide range of Veterans issues. If you’d like to contribute a story to Vantage Point, learn how you can submit a guest blog at http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/how-to-submit-a-guest-post/

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Minutes of 7 July Chapter 711 Meeting 2018

 Minutes of 7 July Chapter 711 Meeting 2018

The Commander called the meeting to order at 1000 hours 7 July 2018.  After the roll call of officers and the reading of the last month’s meeting, the following subjects were covered,

Three new members attended the 7 July meeting and we hope more will attend after our phone tree has alerted members of where and when we meet.

Our Jr. Vice Commander (Eddie Kines) was saluted for the work he put in to coordinate Chapter 711's participation for the 4 July Parade.  Over 40,000 people attended the parade.

Clayton Harrold, our Sergeant at arms, will coordinate with the VA Vet Center on Washington street to see how best we can assist them.  We stand ready to supply the center with bottled water or anything else that is needed.

Our Commander, Len Yelinek, has ask for members to look at ways for the chapter to get together for socials.

Members were reminded that Purple Heart Day is 7 August 2018.  Chapter 711 will present Clark County with a plaque and a Purpe Heart flag on that day.  All veterans are invited.

On 8 September 2018,  Armed Forces and Veterans Day will be celebrated at Craig Ranch in North Las Vegas.

The July meeting of Chapter 11, MOPH was concluded at 1115 hours

Why Does America Celebrate The 4th Of July? SOMETIMES A REMINDER IS IN ORDER.

  Why Does America Celebrate The 4th Of July? SOMETIMES A REMINDER IS IN ORDER.

"An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation." —John Marshall (1819)   "We are all born ignorant, but one must work very hard to stay 

STUPID!"

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790)

Subject: Why Does America Celebrate The 4th Of July?

If you concur, please pass it on. If NOT, just delete.

Tomorrow is America's 242nd Independence Day, colloquially known as the Fourth of July. It is always celebrated with fireworks, parades, cookouts, and concerts.

But how did July 4th become the day? On that day in 1776, the Continental Congress ratified our Founding Fathers first founding document, the Declaration of Independence. One of three documents known as the Charters of Freedom, the original Declaration of Independence is displayed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Here are the facts from the National Archive's website:

• The Declaration of Independence announces a complete break with Great Britain and expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

How it came to be

• In the early 1770's, American colonists, under British rule, saw a pattern of increasing oppression, tyranny and corruption happening all around the world. The colonists elected delegates to attend a Continental Congress that eventually became the governing body of the union during the Revolution. Its second meeting convened in Philadelphia in 1775. In less than a year, most of the delegates abandoned hope of reconciliation with Great Britain. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution “that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states.” They appointed a Committee of Five to write an announcement explaining the reasons for independence. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who chaired the committee and had established himself as a bold and talented political writer, wrote the first draft. Other members of the committee were: John Adams of Massachusetts; Roger Sherman of Connecticut; Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania; and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

• On June 11, 1776, Jefferson holed up in his Philadelphia boarding house and began to write. He borrowed freely from existing documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights and incorporated accepted ideals of the Enlightenment. Jefferson later explained that “he was not striving for the originality of principal or sentiment.” Instead, he hoped his words served as an “expression of the American mind.” Less than three weeks after he’d begun, he presented his draft to Congress.

• On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence. Two days later, it ratified the text of the Declaration. John Dunlap, official printer to Congress, worked through the night to set the Declaration in type and print approximately 200 copies. These copies, known as the Dunlap Broadsides, were sent to various committees, assemblies and commanders of the Continental troops.

• One of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration is that it was signed on July 4, 1776, by all the delegates in attendance.

• By July 9, the action of Congress had been officially approved by all 13 colonies. On July 19, Congress ordered the Declaration be "fairly engrossed on parchment, with the title and stile [sic] of 'The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America,' and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress."

• On Aug. 2, the journal of the Continental Congress records that "The declaration of independence being engrossed and compared at the table was signed."

• John Hancock, the President of the Congress, was the first to sign the sheet of parchment measuring 24¼ by 29¾ inches. He used a bold signature centered below the text. In accordance with prevailing custom, the other delegates began to sign at the right below the text, their signatures arranged according to the geographic location of the states they represented. New Hampshire, the northernmost state, began the list, and Georgia, the southernmost, ended it. Eventually, 56 delegates signed, although all were not present on Aug. 2.

• There is one line of text along the bottom edge on the back of the Declaration. It reads, "Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776," This docket (identifying label) was visible when the document was rolled up for storage.

Where has it been kept?

• During the Revolutionary War, the original document traveled with the Continental Congress. Afterward, it was cared for by various departments of government in various locations — until its permanent home was constructed at the National Archives.

• Its locations over the years: Washington, D.C. (three sites): 1800-1814; Leesburg, VA: August-September 1814 (during the War of 1812, it was taken there and hidden as British troops ransacked and burned Washington, D.C.); Washington, D.C. (three sites): 1814-1841; Washington, D.C. (Patent Office Building): 1841-1876; Philadelphia: May-November 1876 (for the Centennial Exposition celebrating the nation's 100th birthday); Washington, D.C. (State, War, and Navy Building): 1877-1921; Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress): 1921-1941; Fort Knox*: 1941-1944 (for protection during World War II, except that the document was displayed on April 13, 1943, at the dedication of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC.); Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress): 1944-1952; Washington, D.C. (National Archives): 1952-present.

Copies

• In 1820, the original Declaration of Independence was already showing signs of age. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving. This plate was used to print copies of the Declaration. The 1823 Stone engraving is the most frequently reproduced version of the Declaration.

• 26 copies of the Dunlap broadside are known to exist today and are dispersed among American and British institutions and private owners.

About the signers

• In an event of historical coincidence, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4,1826: the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is rumored that late in the afternoon before John Adams died, unaware of the passing of Jefferson, he said: “Thomas Jefferson survives.”

• Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer at 70 years old. He was born on Jan. 17, 1706, in Boston.

• Two of the signers were 26 at the time of the signing. Edward Rutledge (Nov. 23, 1749) edged out Thomas Lynch Jr. (Aug. 5, 1749) by just over three months to be the youngest signer.

• Four signers were physicians, 24 were lawyers, and one was a printer. The remaining signers were mostly merchants or plantation owners. Two were also clergymen: John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister, and Lyman Hall was a pastor, teacher, and physician.

• Pennsylvania had the largest number of representatives with nine signers. The second largest group came from Virginia, which had seven signers.

• Eight signers were born in Europe. James Smith, George Taylor and Matthew Thorton were born in Ireland. Robert Morris and Button Gwinnett were born in England. James Wilson and John Witherspoon were born in Scotland. Finally, Francis Lewis was born in Wales

Below is the full text of the Declaration of Independence. Make a copy and gather your family around and read it out loud. Better yet, pass it around the gathered group to let every family member that can read, read it to it's end - to include reading the signatures. Then make it as much an annual ritual as Christmas, for your family on July 4th.

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives

Pecos Road/CC-215 bridge closure scheduled for July 1

Pecos Road/CC-215 bridge closure scheduled for July 1
VASNHS staff and Veterans will begin seeing major traffic changes around the VA Medical Center over the next year as the next phase of improvements begins on the Clark County 215 Beltway between North 5^th Street and Lamb Boulevard.

The first impact will be felt on July 1 as the current bridge in front of the VA Medical Center at 215 and Pecos Road closes for approximately four months for demolition and construction of a new bridge.

Individuals traveling to VA Medical Center eastbound on the 215 from the Northwest will be able to exit at Pecos Road, but will need to use S. Lamb Blvd. or Losee Rd. to travel westbound on the 215 from the facility.

Individuals traveling to the facility westbound on the 215 from I-15 will not be able to exit at Pecos. They will need to exit at S. Lamb Blvd. or Losee Road. Pecos Road will be open to eastbound traffic toward I-15 on the 215 from the facility during this phase of construction.

Those traveling to the VA Medical Center on I-15 North from Las Vegas are advised to exit at Lamb Blvd and take E. Centennial Pkwy to Pecos Road.

Engineering, Public Affairs, and leadership will all work to keep staff and Veterans updated as construction progresses.

Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s Business. #BeThere.

 

"FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO) - PRIVACY SENSITIVE. Any misuse or unauthorized disclosure may result in both civil and criminal penalties" Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipients and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. This document is protected from disclosure by Title 10, United States Code, Section 1102 (1978).”

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Len Yelinek

Commander, Department of Nevada

Military Order of the Purple Heart

(702) 362-7673-h    (702) 460-076

US moves 100 coffins to inter-Korean border for war remains

©  The Associated Press FILE - In this Nov. 6, 1998, file photo, North Korean soldiers carry an aluminum casket containing remains of a U.S. serviceman killed during the Korean War toward U.N. Command soldiers, foreground, at the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea. South Korean media reported that the U.S. military plans to send 215 caskets to North Korea through a border village on Saturday, June 23, 2018, so that the North could begin the process of returning the remains of U.S. soldiers who have been missing since the 1950-53 Korean War. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military said it moved 100 wooden coffins to the inter-Korean border on Saturday to prepare for North Korea's returning of the remains of American soldiers who have been missing since the 1950-53 Korean War.

U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Chad Carroll also said 158 metal transfer cases were sent to a U.S. air base near Seoul, South Korea's capital, and would be used to send the remains home.

North Korea agreed to return U.S. war remains during the June 12 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

While the U.S. military preparations suggest that the repatriation of war remains could be imminent, it remains unclear when and how it would occur.

Earlier Saturday, Carroll denied a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency that U.S. military vehicles carrying more than 200 caskets were planning to cross into North Korea on Saturday. He said plans for the repatriation were "still preliminary."