Here’s a list of upcoming happenings and helpful information for veterans and their families. Kauai’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS) announces a veteran’s job fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Kauai Veterans Center. Interested
Here’s a list of upcoming happenings and helpful information for veterans and their families.
Kauai’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS) announces a veteran’s job fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Kauai Veterans Center. Interested employers and veterans must register in advance at www.hiringourheroes.org. A prep workshop for job seekers begins at 9 a.m. and will include instruction on resume writing, navigating a job fair, military skills translation effective interviewing and more. Register for the prep workshop at www.hohworks.eventbrite/com.
Veterans Texas Hold’em, second Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Kauai Veterans Center in Lihue.
Three ways to request duplicate 1099R
1. myPay – Visit https://mypay.dfas.mil. Password required.
2. Automated Phone System – Call 800-321-1080 Tuesday – Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST and select option 1 for Military Retired and Annuitant Pay.
3. Written request – include your name, Social Security number, mailing address, signature and date. Fax your request to 800-469-6559 or mail to: Retirees: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Retirement Pay. P.O. Box 7130
London, KY 40742-7130
Annuitants: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Annuitant Pay, P.O. Box 7131, London, KY 40742-7131
You should receive a copy of your 1099R within a month.
Opportunity for military retirees with same-sex spouses
Military retirees who were married to a same-sex spouse on or before June 26, 2013, may now have spouse coverage in the Survivor Benefit Plan. The retiree should visit: www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/provide/sbp.html as soon as possible for more information to learn what steps must be taken by June 25, 2014 to secure or decline benefits.
New conditions presumed service-connected in TBI
The VA has added five medical conditions to a list of illnesses that, if they are diagnosed in a patient with a service-connected brain injury, automatically are presumed to be service-connected. The new regulation, which takes effect Jan. 15, adds Parkinson’s disease, certain types of dementia, depression, unprovoked seizures or some diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to the list of conditions that, when diagnosed secondary to a brain injury, also are presumed to be related to military service.
Card access
The Office of Veterans’ Services in Lihue now provides free smart ID card access for active-duty military, selected reserve, DoD civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel. Open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday (except holidays).
What’s not in the National Defense Authorization Act?
On Dec. 26, the president signed the 2014 NDAA into law. Although the bill authorizes nearly $527 billion in defense spending, many are disappointed to find: No end to SBP-DIC offset for widows, no expanded concurrent receipt for retirees and no veteran’s status for career reservists with no active duty service.
• Tony Elliott is the director of Kauai Office of Veterans’ Services. He can be reached at 241-3348
