VFW MEN'S AUXILIARY NV POST 10047: March 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2014

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 28, 2014

Thank You

Robert Serge

Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Subject: VFW Washington Weekly, March 28, 2014

VFW Washington Weekly, March 28, 2014

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 28, 2014

In This Issue:
1. Senate Hears Military Compensation, Benefits Proposals
2. Busy Week for House VA Committee
3. VFW Calls for VRAP Extension
4. Purple Heart Survey
5. TBI App Now Available
6. D-Day 70th Anniversary Planning
7. National Memorial Day Concert Seeks D-Day Vets
8. Three Korean War MIAs Identified

1. Senate Hears Military Compensation, Benefits Proposals: The Pentagon's FY 2015 budget submission came under fire at a Wednesday hearing by the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. At issue is the negative impact the proposed compensation and quality of life program changes could have on a military still at war, proposals that include another 1 percent pay raise, reduced housing allowances, increased TRICARE health and pharmaceutical fees on dependent families and retirees, and creating economic conditions that could force some stateside military commissaries to close, among others. The VFW will be submitting testimony for the record, but as stated previously, VFW National Commander Bill Thien blames the continued threat of sequestration for forcing the Defense Department to continue to shrink the size of the military and their benefits to meet ever-declining budgets. "Sequestration jeopardizes readiness and modernization programs and the continued viability of the All-Volunteer Force, which is why the VFW will redouble our efforts to work with Congress and the administration to end the sequester and help bring financial stability to a military that is still at war, and who will still be required to operate in a very dangerous and unpredictable world." Watch video of the subcommittee hearing at http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/active-guard-reserve-and-civilian-personnel-programs_03/26/14.

2. Busy Week for House VA Committee: The House Veterans' Affairs Committee had a busy week of hearings with all four House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittees hosting hearings to discuss pending legislation under their jurisdiction. The VFW was on hand to testify at all four of the hearings. Below are some of the bills that were under consideration:

* H.R. 2527 which would allow VA to provide veterans with counseling and treatment for sexual trauma that occurred during inactive duty training.
* H.R. 3387, Classified Veterans Access to Care Act, legislation would require VA to develop standards and disseminate guidance to ensure that veterans who participated in sensitive missions or were assigned to sensitive units are able to access mental health services.
* H.R. 3593, VA Construction Assistance Act would reform VA's construction process by coordinating with others in the industry to include design/build architectural experts and the Army Corps of Engineers.
* H.R. 3671, provides a cost-of-living increase to recipients of veterans' disability compensation, and dependency and indemnity compensation at the same rate as Social Security benefits.
* The COLA is tied to the annual CPI and social security index increases which are .
* H.R. 4037, Improving Veterans' Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Act of 2014 would ensure that VA's VR&E program provides rehabilitative services to veterans in need. It also calls for more accurate metrics to measure successes within the program.
* H.R. 4038, Veterans Benefits Administration Information Technology Improvement Act of 2014,
* demands that VA prioritizes the completion of its information technology (IT) solution for processing VA education benefit claims.
* H.R. 4151, Veterans Education Survey Act of 2014, legislation that would capture statistical information from student veterans currently using their GI Bill benefits.
* H.R. 4191, Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act requires VA to accept private medical evidence as credible for use during the disability claims process for rating purposes.
For highlights from this week's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/03/vfw-testifies-on-va-construction.html
For highlights from this week's Economic Opportunity Subcommittee hearing, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/03/vfw-testifies-on-education-employment.html
To view a list of witnesses and read the VFW's prepared remarks from this week's Health Subcommittee hearing, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/%E2%80%9Clegislative-hearing-on-hr-183-hr-2527-hr-2661-hr-2974-hr-3508-hr-3180-hr-3387-hr-3831-hr
To view a list of witnesses and read the VFW's prepared remarks from this week's Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/legislative-hearing-on-hr-2018-hr-2088-hr-2119-hr-2529-hr-3671-hr-3876-hr-4095-hr-4102-hr

3. VFW Calls for VRAP Extension: This week the VFW joined Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) and other veterans' advocates for a press conference on Capitol Hill, calling on Congress to extend the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP). VRAP is an education benefit program for older unemployed veterans that was commissioned through the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, but is scheduled to expire on March 31. The VFW has heard student veteran advocates praise the program, but also share concerns about some of its restrictions. For highlights from the press conference and to see how the VFW is working to extend and improve VRAP, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/03/vfw-calls-on-congress-to-extend-vrap.html

4. Purple Heart Survey: The VFW was asked by the Pentagon to comment about whether the Purple Heart eligibility criteria should be changed to include service members who are injured or killed by acts of violence, regardless of where they are stationed. We discovered a lot of VFW members have yet to take the Purple Heart Survey because it's in a "members only" section of the VFW website that they either didn't know about or know how to access. We have since added a link to the log-in section on our homepage at www.vfw.org. Your VFW membership number is required to gain entry. The survey closes on Monday, March 31.

5. TBI App Now Available: Traumatic Brain Injuries extend far beyond combat veterans, and to meet the needs of veterans and others who have suffered mild to moderate concussions, the VA has developed "Concussion Coach," a mobile application that provides tools to assess symptoms and facilitate the use of coping strategies. The app is intended to support, not replace professional treatment or rehabilitation therapies. The app is available for Apple mobile devices at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/concussion-coach/id713590872?ls=1&mt=8, and will be made available for Google Play later this year.

6. D-Day 70th Anniversary Planning: According to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France is offering to provide D-Day veterans and a guest with roundtrip transportation from Paris to Normandy, and lodging, meals and transportation while in Normandy for the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord this June 6. Travel to/from Paris is an individual responsibility. Paris-based VFW Benjamin Franklin Post 605 is assisting by collecting the names of VFW and other D-Day veterans planning to attend. Please e-mail the following information as soon as possible to Chuck Steiner at VFW Post 605 at cjsteiner@aol.com.
* Full name, age and home address of veteran (include home/cell phone and e-mail, too).
* Indicate if a D-Day veteran, Normandy campaign, or WWII veteran.
* Escort or guest's name (if more than one, so indicate).
* Special needs (e.g., wheelchair).
* Dates of planned attendance (arrival to and departure from France).
If unable to send by e-mail, address regular mail to: Chuck Steiner, VFW Benjamin Franklin Post 605, 4 rue du General Leclere, 92130, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. Other WWII veterans who plan to attend should forward this information, too, as the French Government may also extend similar support to them. Be advised, however, that the in-country support is subject to revision.

7. National Memorial Day Concert Seeks D-Day Vets: The 2014 National Memorial Day Concert will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day with a special tribute. Concert organizers are looking for a small, representative group of D-Day veterans who could attend and participate in the program on Sunday, May 25, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In addition, there will be a limited number of seats at the concert reserved for WWII veterans. Contact Events Manager Anne Maginnis at 202-554-4620 or amaginnis@capitalconcerts.org. This is a correction to what they provided for last week's Washington Weekly.

8. Three Korean War MIAs Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office has announced the identifications of remains belonging to two Marines and one soldier who had been missing and unaccounted-for since the Korean War. Identified are:
* Marine Corps Cpl. William F. Day, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Dec. 2, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on March 6 and will be buried with full military honors on April 5 in La Center, Ky.
* Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost on Jan. 1, 1951, in South Korea. He was accounted for on March 21. A burial date has yet to be set.
* Marine Corps Cpl. William S. Blasdel, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Oct. 28, 1953, in North Korea. He was accounted for on March 10 and will be buried with full military honors this spring in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

**Special thanks to Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief John Biedrzycki for a successful month of signing up new advocates to join our Action Corps team! Great job and keep up the good work!

As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

To sign up new veterans' advocates to receive the Washington Weekly every Friday, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm.

If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here.

FW: Your March 28 Washington Weekly

Thank You

Robert Serge

Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:02:31 -0500

The Veterans of Foreign Wars

March 28, 2014

Post on Facebook

Senate Hears Military Compensation, Benefits Proposals
At a hearing on Wednesday, the Pentagon's FY 2015 budget submission came under fire by the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. At issue is the negative impact the proposed compensation and quality-of-life program changes could have on a military still at war, proposals that include another 1 percent pay raise, reduced housing allowances, increased TRICARE health and pharmaceutical fees on dependent families and retirees, and creating economic conditions that could force some stateside military commissaries to close, among others. The VFW will be submitting testimony for the record, but as stated previously, VFW National Commander Bill Thien blames the continued threat of sequestration for forcing the Defense Department to continue to shrink the size of the military and their benefits to meet ever-declining budgets. "Sequestration jeopardizes readiness and modernization programs and the continued viability of the All-Volunteer Force, which is why the VFW will redouble our efforts to work with Congress and the administration to end the sequester and help bring financial stability to a military that is still at war, and who will still be required to operate in a very dangerous and unpredictable world." Watch video of the subcommittee hearing.
Busy Week for House VA CommitteeThe House Veterans' Affairs Committee had a busy week of hearings with all four House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittees hosting hearings to discuss pending legislation under their jurisdiction. The VFW was on hand to testify at all four of the hearings. Below are some of the bills that were under consideration:

H.R. 2527, which would allow VA to provide veterans with counseling and treatment for sexual trauma that occurred during inactive duty training.
H.R. 3387, Classified Veterans Access to Care Act, would require VA to develop standards and disseminate guidance to ensure that veterans who participated in sensitive missions, or were assigned to sensitive units, are able to access mental health services.
H.R. 3593, VA Construction Assistance Act, would reform VA's construction process by coordinating with others in the industry, including design/build architectural experts and the Army Corps of Engineers.
H.R. 3671 provides a cost-of-living increase to recipients of veterans' disability compensation, and dependency and indemnity compensation, at the same rate as Social Security benefits.

The COLA is tied to the annual CPI and social security index increases which are:

H.R. 4037, Improving Veterans' Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Act of 2014, would ensure that VA's VR&E program provides rehabilitative services to veterans in need. It also calls for more accurate metrics to measure successes within the program.
H.R. 4038, Veterans Benefits Administration Information Technology Improvement Act of 2014, demands that VA prioritizes the completion of its information technology (IT) solution for processing VA education benefit claims.
H.R. 4151, Veterans Education Survey Act of 2014, would capture statistical information from student veterans currently using their GI Bill benefits.
H.R. 4191, Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act, requires VA to accept private medical evidence as credible for use during the disability claims process for rating purposes.

For highlights from this week's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, click here.
For highlights from this week's Economic Opportunity Subcommittee hearing, click here.
To view a list of witnesses and read the VFW's prepared remarks from this week's Health Subcommittee hearing, click here.
To view a list of witnesses and read the VFW's prepared remarks from this week's Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing, click here.

The VFW Calls for VRAP ExtensionThis week, the VFW joined Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) and other veterans' advocates for a press conference on Capitol Hill, calling on Congress to extend the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP). VRAP is an education benefit program for older unemployed veterans that was commissioned through the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, but is scheduled to expire on March 31. The VFW has heard student-veteran advocates praise the program, but also share concerns about some of its restrictions. For highlights from the press conference and to see how the VFW is working to extend and improve VRAP, click here.
Purple Heart SurveyThe VFW was asked by the Pentagon to comment about whether the Purple Heart eligibility criteria should be changed to include service members who are injured or killed by acts of violence, regardless of where they are stationed. We discovered a lot of VFW members have yet to take the Purple Heart Survey because it's in a "members only" section of the VFW website that they either didn't know about or didn't know how to access. We have since added a link to the log-in section on our homepage at www.vfw.org. Your VFW membership number is required to gain entry. The survey closes on Monday, March 31.
TBI App Now AvailableTraumatic Brain Injuries extend far beyond combat veterans, and to meet the needs of veterans and others who have suffered mild to moderate concussions, the VA has developed "Concussion Coach," a mobile application that provides tools to assess symptoms and facilitate the use of coping strategies. The app is intended to support, not replace, professional treatment or rehabilitation therapies. The app is available for Apple mobile devices and will be made available for Google Play later this year.
D-Day 70th Anniversary PlanningAccording to the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France is offering to provide D-Day veterans and a guest with roundtrip transportation from Paris to Normandy, as well as lodging, meals and transportation while in Normandy, for the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord on June 6. Travel to and from Paris is an individual responsibility. Paris-based VFW Benjamin Franklin Post 605 is collecting the names of VFW and other D-Day veterans planning to attend. If you plan to attend, please e-mail the following information as soon as possible to cjsteiner@aol.com:

Full name, age and home address of veteran (include home/cell phone and e-mail, too).
Indicate if a D-Day veteran, Normandy campaign, or WWII** veteran.
Escort or guest's name (if more than one, please indicate).
Special needs (e.g., wheelchair).
Dates of planned attendance (arrival to, and departure from, France).

If unable to send by e-mail, address regular mail to: Chuck Steiner, VFW Benjamin Franklin Post 605, 4 rue du General Leclere, 92130, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
**Other WWII veterans who plan to attend should forward this information, too, as the French Government may also extend similar support to them. Be advised, however, that the in-country support is subject to revision.
National Memorial Day Concert Seeks D-Day VetsThe 2014 National Memorial Day Concert will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day with a special tribute. Concert organizers are looking for a small, representative group of D-Day veterans who could attend and participate in the program on Sunday, May 25, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In addition, there will be a limited number of seats at the concert reserved for WWII veterans. Contact Events Manager Anne Maginnis at 202-554-4620 or amaginnis@capitalconcerts.org. This is a correction to what they provided for last week's Washington Weekly.
Three Korean War MIAs IdentifiedThe Defense POW/MIA Office has announced the identifications of remains belonging to two Marines and one soldier who had been missing and unaccounted-for since the Korean War. Identified are:

Marine Corps Cpl. William F. Day, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Dec. 2, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on March 6 and will be buried with full military honors on April 5 in La Center, Ky.
Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost on Jan. 1, 1951, in South Korea. He was accounted for on March 21. A burial date has yet to be set.
Marine Corps Cpl. William S. Blasdel, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Oct. 28, 1953, in North Korea. He was accounted for on March 10 and will be buried with full military honors this spring in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

**Special thanks to Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief John Biedrzycki for a successful month of signing up new advocates to join our Action Corps team! Great job, and keep up the good work!
As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

Was this Washington Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week.

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Saturday, March 22, 2014

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

Thank You

VVA Chapter 17

Member
Robert serge

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Subject: VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:21:54 -0400

VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 21, 2014

In This Issue:
1. VFW to Testify on Veterans Bills
2. Armed Services Committees to Discuss Personnel Issues
3. Compensation Commission to Meet in California
4. Veterans' Unemployment Drops in 2013
5. ALS Housing Grant Update
6. Seeking Purple Heart Recipients
7. Memorial Day Concert Seeks WWII Vets
8. Two Korean War MIA Recovered

1. VFW to Testify on Veterans Bills: The VFW will be testifying next week before all four House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittees on an array of pending bills spanning issues like civilian/military licensing and credentialing gaps, vocational rehabilitation, education and employment, PTSD treatments, improvements in MST care and legislation on construction procedures and enhanced leasing at VA medical centers. To watch any of the hearings live, visit the House VA Committee website and click on the specific hearing for the webcast at: http://veterans.house.gov/. Check back next week for complete coverage of all four hearings on the VFW blog at http://thevfw.blogspot.com/.

2. Armed Services Committees to Discuss Personnel Issues: Both Senate and House Armed Services Committees are scheduled to discuss military personnel issues within the proposed FY 2015 Defense Budget. Subcommittee members will hear from witnesses from DOD and the military service organization community. Sequestration and the ongoing devastating effect it continues to have on DOD looks to be one of the key items discussed. Other personnel issues include pay, commissary benefits, housing allowances, TRICARE, and the military retirement system. Check back here for our Action Alert on Sequestration and more on both Armed Services personnel hearings next week.

3. Compensation Commission to Meet in California: The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will be holding two town hall meetings in Southern California next week. All service personnel, veterans, military retirees and their families are encouraged to attend because the Commission is charged with examining how the troops are compensated while in uniform, in retirement, and as veterans, and their reach includes those programs operated by the VA and Department of Labor. The meeting dates and locations are:
* March 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa Conference Center, 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
* March 26, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton San Diego, Harbor Island, 1960 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Among the compensation and Quality of Life programs under review are the 20-year retirement system; military pay and the tax-exempt status of allowances; concurrent receipt of retiree and disability pay; the GI Bills; military healthcare costs and eligibility; military exchanges, commissaries and schools; and transition and employment assistance programs, among many others. The VFW has met several times with the Commission and testified before them in November. We remain wary of their overall intent, but are appreciative of the continued two-way conversation. The Commission is required to issue their report to the White House in February 2015. More information on the two town hall meetings is on the Commission website at http://www.mcrmc.gov/.

4. Veterans' Unemployment Drops in 2013: This week the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its employment report of veterans for 2013. According to BLS, unemployment among all veterans in 2013 was 6.6 percent -- nearly one percentage point lower than the national average. Unemployment among Post-9/11 era veterans also dropped to 9 percent, but remains significantly higher than civilian unemployment. To the VFW, this means that employment initiatives like the VOW to Hire Heroes Act have produced results, but gaps remain in services for younger Post-9/11 era veterans and female veterans. For VFW's full analysis of the BLS report, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-employment-figures-for-veterans.html

5. ALS Housing Grant Update: The VA has announced that veterans and active duty military personnel with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, will now be automatically eligible for almost $68,000 in VA Specially Adapted Housing grants to help pay for the costs of building, buying or adapting a home to accommodate service-connected disabilities. Studies have shown that veterans and military members are nearly twice as likely to develop ALS as those who haven't served. Learn more at http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2530.

6. Seeking Purple Heart Recipients: Close to 2 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to since the medal was created in 1932, but the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor only has the names of 193,000 recipients in its database. If you or a loved one received a Purple Heart, make sure to add your names to the Hall of Honor, along with photos and narratives of when, where and how the medal was earned. For more information or to submit, go to http://thepurpleheart.com/.

7. Memorial Day Concert Seeks WWII Vets: On May 25, 2014, Gary Sinese and Joe Mantegna will return to host the Memorial Day Concert on the Mall, along with Gen. Colin Powell. This year Capital Concerts, the producer of the event, is seeking World War II veterans to help commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, and the 10th anniversary of the National WWII Memorial. Some veterans could be interviewed on videotape and then honored on stage. Interested WWII veterans should contact Celia Straus, writer of the concert, at Celia.straus@gmail.com. More information about the Memorial Day Concert is at www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/features/.

8. Two Korean War MIA Recovered: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of two soldiers who had been missing in action since the Korean War. Identified are:
* Pfc. James R. Holmes, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 1, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 14 and will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery in May.
* Cpl. Cristobal Romo, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 12, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 13 and is scheduled to be buried tomorrow with full military honors in Riverside, Calif.

As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

To sign up new veterans' advocates to receive the Washington Weekly every Friday, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm.

If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here.

Friday, March 21, 2014

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:22:04 -0400

VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 21, 2014

If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here.

FW: Your March 21 Washington Weekly

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:20:52 -0500
From: friendsoffreedom@vfw.org
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Your March 21 Washington Weekly

The Veterans of Foreign Wars

March 21, 2014

Post on Facebook

The VFW to Testify on Veterans Bills
The VFW will be testifying next week before all four House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittees on an array of pending bills spanning issues like civilian/military licensing and credentialing gaps, vocational rehabilitation, education and employment, PTSD treatments, improvements in MST care, and legislation on construction procedures and enhanced leasing at VA medical centers. To watch any of the hearings live, visit the House VA Committee website and click on the specific hearing for the webcast. Check back next week for complete coverage of all four hearings on the VFW blog.
Armed Services Committees to Discuss Personnel IssuesBoth Senate and House Armed Services Committees are scheduled to discuss military personnel issues within the proposed FY 2015 Defense Budget. Subcommittee members will hear from witnesses from DOD and the military service organization community. Sequestration and the ongoing devastating effect it continues to have on DOD looks to be one of the key items discussed. Other personnel issues include pay, commissary benefits, housing allowances, TRICARE, and the military retirement system. Check back here for our Action Alert on Sequestration and more on both Armed Services personnel hearings next week.

Compensation Commission to Meet in CaliforniaThe Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will be holding two town hall meetings in Southern California next week. All service personnel, veterans, military retirees and their families are encouraged to attend because the Commission is charged with examining how the troops are compensated while in uniform, in retirement, and as veterans, and their reach includes those programs operated by the VA and Department of Labor. The meeting dates and locations are:

March 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa Conference Center, 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
March 26, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton San Diego, Harbor Island, 1960 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

Among the compensation and Quality of Life programs under review are the 20-year retirement system; military pay and the tax-exempt status of allowances; concurrent receipt of retiree and disability pay; the GI Bills; military healthcare costs and eligibility; military exchanges, commissaries and schools; and transition and employment assistance programs, among many others. The VFW has met several times with the Commission and testified before them in November. We remain wary of their overall intent, but are appreciative of the continued two-way conversation. The Commission is required to issue their report to the White House in February 2015. More information on the two town hall meetings is on the Commission website.
Veterans' Unemployment Drops in 2013This week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its employment report of veterans for 2013. According to BLS, unemployment among all veterans in 2013 was 6.6 percent—nearly one percentage point lower than the national average. Unemployment among Post-9/11 era veterans also dropped to 9 percent, but remains significantly higher than civilian unemployment. To the VFW, this means that employment initiatives like the VOW to Hire Heroes Act have produced results, but gaps remain in services for younger Post-9/11 era veterans and female veterans. Read the VFW's full analysis of the BLS report.
ALS Housing Grant UpdateThe VA has announced that veterans and active duty military personnel with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, will now be automatically eligible for almost $68,000 in VA Specially Adapted Housing grants to help pay for the costs of building, buying or adapting a home to accommodate service-connected disabilities. Studies have shown that veterans and military members are nearly twice as likely to develop ALS as those who haven't served. Learn more.
Seeking Purple Heart RecipientsClose to 2 million Purple Hearts have been awarded since the medal was created in 1932, but the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor only has the names of 193,000 recipients in its database. If you or a loved one received a Purple Heart, make sure to add your names to the Hall of Honor, along with photos and narratives of when, where and how the medal was earned. For more information or to submit, click here.
Memorial Day Concert Seeks WWII VetsOn May 25, 2014, Gary Sinese and Joe Mantegna will return to host the Memorial Day Concert on the Mall, along with Gen. Colin Powell. This year, Capital Concerts, the producer of the event, is seeking World War II veterans to help commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion and the 10th anniversary of the National WWII Memorial. Some veterans could be interviewed on videotape and then honored on stage. Interested WWII veterans should contact Celia Straus, writer of the concert, at Celia.straus@gmail.com. Learn more about the Memorial Day Concert.
Two Korean War MIA RecoveredThe Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of two soldiers who had been missing in action since the Korean War. Identified are:

Pfc. James R. Holmes, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 1, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 14 and will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery in May.
Cpl. Cristobal Romo, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 12, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 13 and is scheduled to be buried tomorrow with full military honors in Riverside, Calif.

As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

Was this Washington Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week.

—

	Find a Post \| Contribute \| About Us \| Contact Us

		Unsubscribe \| Tell A Friend © 2001 - 2013. All rights reserved.

Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111

Having difficulty seeing the images in this message? View it online.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

FW:

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Subject: FW:
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:24:49 -0400

FW: Forwarding Veteran and Retiree Information

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 07:12:54 -0700
From: loumicsm@yahoo.com
Subject: Forwarding Veteran and Retiree Information
To: loumicsm@yahoo.com

Attached glib newsletters might have some useful information for you or someone you know.
For Veterans in the area of claims is an item called the Nexus Letter with help to get past the usual VA Denial letter.
For those who remember the GP Medium Tent, I put in some thoughts on it.
Veteran-related activities are on the upswing. If your organization has something to disseminate, send it in loumisgm@yahoo.com.
Lou

Saturday, March 15, 2014

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014

Thank You

Member
Robert serge

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Subject: VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014
To: rserge@live.com
From: tmorris@vfw.org
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:01:12 -0400

VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 14, 2014

In This Issue:
1. House /Senate Discuss VA 2015 Budget
2. MST Bill Clears Senate
3. Military Family Survey Ends this Weekend
4. Two MIA Soldiers Identified

1. House/Senate Discuss VA 2015 Budget: This week, the House and Senate VA Committees held hearings on VA's proposed FY 2015 budget. During the Senate hearing, Secretary Shinseki testified that the budget VA asked for was what they felt was needed, but acknowledged that the request was put together before DOD announced its plan to reduce troop size. With the possibility of a sizable increase in returning veterans enrolling in VA, Senate committee members commented that an increase may be needed. Other items discussed included implementation of VBMS and the disability claims backlog goal, access to mental health care providers, long term care programs and major construction funding. The VFW provided written testimony regarding the woefully underfunded construction programs as a part of the Independent Budget. For complete hearing information, to include the recorded webcasts from both hearings -- visit the committee websites.
For the House VA Committee website, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/
To check out the Senate VA Committee website, click here: http://www.veterans.senate.gov/
For more about the Independent Budget and our funding recommendations for VA, click here:
http://www.independentbudget.org/

2. MST Bill Clears Senate: On Monday, the Senate passed (97-0) legislation to expand protections for victims of sexual assault in the military. S. 1917, the Victims Protection Act of 2014 would eliminate the "good soldier" defense and expand the role of special counsels for victims of sexual assault and rape by providing advice on the advantages of prosecution by court-martial or in civilian court. In cases of dual jurisdiction, the victim gets a say between having the case heard by a civilian or military court. It would also extend protections to students in service academies, and require that in every decision regarding promotions in the military that a commander's record on the handling of sexual-assault cases would be taken into account.

3. Military Family Survey Ends this Weekend: With announced Pentagon recommendations to change military pay and allowances, retirement, healthcare programs and commissaries, it is now more important than ever for active-duty, Guard, Reserve and veteran families to complete the Blue Star Families' 2014 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, which ends this weekend. More than 1,200 VFW and family members already have. The survey is available online at http://tiny.cc/2014VFW. The data collected provides real-time feedback from military families on issues ranging from operations tempo to pay and benefits, stress, caregiving and employment.

4. Two MIA Soldiers Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office recently announced the identification of remains belonging to two soldiers who had been unaccounted-for since the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Identified are:
* Army Pfc. Donald C. Durfee, 19, of Painesville, Ohio. In November 1950, Durfee was assigned to Company M, 31st Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, when his unit was attacked and forced into a fighting withdrawal south of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. He was reported killed-in-action on Dec. 2, 1950.
* Army Staff Sgt. Lawrence Woods, 39, of Clarksville, Tenn., will be buried as part of a group on March 21 at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony honoring the servicemen who were lost in an aircraft crash on Oct. 24, 1964. Woods and seven other servicemen were aboard a C-123 Provider aircraft that was shot down after resupplying the U.S. Special Forces camp at Bu Prang, Vietnam. Seven remains were recovered, but they could not locate Woods.
Read more about their individual stories at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/news_releases/.

As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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Friday, March 14, 2014

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014

Thank You

Robert Serge

Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

From: rserge1@outlook.com
To: grumpiebob.veteransfrist@blogger.com
Subject: FW: VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 15:23:58 -0700

Thank You

Robert Serge

Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

Subject: VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014
To: rserge1@outlook.com
From: tmorris@vfw.org
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:01:21 -0400

VFW Washington Weekly, March 14, 2014

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY
March 14, 2014

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