Kaua‘i Remembers The public is invited to join Kaua‘i’s veterans from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 3 at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center as we celebrate our nation’s independence. Admission is free, and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided
Kaua‘i Remembers
The public is invited to join Kaua‘i’s veterans from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 3 at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center as we celebrate our nation’s independence. Admission is free, and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided by the Kaua‘i Veterans Council and the Kaua‘i Remembers, Armed Forces Memorial Foundation. There will be local crafts on display, military museum tours, games for the keiki and paintball for the big guys.
Commissary case lot sale this weekend
PMRF Barking Sands will host a “Case Lot Sale” at the Navy’s C-26 Operations Hanger near Base Security & THAAD Bldg. from noon to 5 p.m., Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; and 8 a.m. to noon, Sunday. This sale is open to all military Active Duty, Retired, Reserve, National Guard and their ID card-carrying family members.
Mandatory e-payments
The Department of the Treasury recently announced that beginning March 1, 2011, all new enrollees for Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, veterans, railroad retirement and federal civil servant retirement benefits will be required to receive their payments by direct deposit either into a bank account or a Direct Express Debit MasterCard. And existing beneficiaries, who currently receive their government benefits via paper check, will have until March 1, 2013, to switch to electronic payments.
About 85 percent of federal benefit recipients already receive their payments electronically. Switching all beneficiaries to paperless payments is expected to save the government around $300 million in the first five years and $125 million each following year. It costs $1 overall to cut and mail a check, but only 10 cents for a direct deposit. The Treasury issues about 135 million benefit checks annually. (Source: http://www.giftlegacy.com/savvy_senior.jsp?WebID=GL2010-1915&D=201025)
What’s a vet center?
Vet centers provide free readjustment services for veterans who served in combat — all in an environment veterans find comfortable. This includes group and individual counseling, family counseling, and more. (Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKog7p5131E)
Delay in new Agent Orange claims
The VA’s decision to add ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and B-cell leukemia to the list of presumptive conditions for veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam has been temporarily blocked by Congress pending a closer examination of the medical link found between these diseases and herbicide exposure. The VA had initially planned to begin processing claims by the end of spring.
VA has projected the costs for Agent Orange claims will jump by $13.6 billion in the first year and by $42.2 billion over the next 10 years. At issue is that, based on modest scientific evidence, VA could be paying claims on diseases that a large proportion of any population would normally contract otherwise through normal aging. (Source: http://articles.dailypress.com/2010-06-07/news/dp-nws-milupdate-0607-20100607_1_presumptive-diseases-disease-or-b-cell-leukemia-agent-orange-claims)
Concurrent receipt
for Chapter 61 medical retirees
The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (HR 4213) includes a provision to provide full concurrent receipt of military retired pay paid by the DoD and disability compensation paid by the VA to some Chapter 61 medically retired military personnel. However, because sufficient offsets were not found, the provisions would only be funded for two years.
If passed by Congress, beginning Jan. 1, medical retirees with less than 20 years of service who are rated 90 to 100 percent disabled, or “Individually Unemployable” (IU) by VA would be allowed to receive full veteran’s disability and military retired pay. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, and until Sept. 30, 2012, individuals with fewer than 20 years of service who have disabilities rated at 70 percent or greater would receive the concurrent benefit as well.
It is estimated that 12,000 retirees would benefit from the change on Jan. 1, 2011, and another 20,000 on Jan 1, 2012. The remaining Chapter 61 retirees, about 100,000 in all, could benefit from this legislation if enough funding is found to continue the plan beyond FY 2012. (Source: NAUS Weekly Update, June 11)
New shorter VA disability claim form
The VA has created a new “express” claim form for applying for service-related disabilities. Only six pages long, the new 21-526EZ form is much shorter and requires the veteran to provide his/her own medical and military records, rather than waiting for the VA to gather them. Veterans who do not have their medical and service records must continue to complete the current 26-page VA 21-526 claim form. This change will greatly assist Iraq and Afghanistan veterans dealing with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which can cause short-term memory loss and other cognitive issues. (Source: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/06/military_benefits_shortform_060910w/)
VA medication
co-pay increase
Effective July 1, veterans enrolled in Priority Groups 7 and 8 will see an increase from $8 to $9 for each 30-day supply of outpatient medications. Veterans in Priority Groups 2-6 will have no increase. Veterans receiving medications for service-connected disabilities will continue to receive those medications at no charge. While these increased prices will hold steady until January 2012, another rate review is expected at that time. (Source: VA News Release dated June 10)
• Questions? Call the State Office of Veterans’ Services at 241-3348.
