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Extreme Makeover to Honor Veterans

VetLawyers — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:29:11 +0000

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition host Ty Pennington will commemorate Veterans Day with a special dedicated to helping those who have served in our Armed Services.: Photo by Flickr user Patrishe

ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will celebrate Veterans’ Day 2011 by airing a special fundraising episode on Friday, November 11th. The hour-long special will air at 8 pm EST and will focus on the many issues facing Veterans and their families.

Jewel, who will co-host the episode with regular host and carpenter-extraordinaire Ty Pennington, is also planning a musical performance as well.

“We want everyone to pitch in,” she said in a statement. “We don’t want the veterans to feel forgotten. Through their struggles, illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and a tough economy, we’re here to let them know they’re still supported.”

Celebrities will encourage viewers to donate to Veteran-focused charities and programs and will also man the phones. Those celebrities participating include: Whoppi Goldberg, George Lopez, Rachel Ray and others, including several major league baseball players.

Contributions will go to the Fisher House Foundation, Hire Heroes USA, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, USO, Volunteers of America and Welcome Back Veterans.

Veterans Ride to Support Programs

VetLawyers — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:12:14 +0000

On August 23, over 200 Veterans and supporters will begin a 5 day, 270 mile bike ride to support mental and physical rehabilitation programs for injured Veterans in a “Ride 2 Recovery.” The ride will begin and end in Minneapolis, MN, with overnight stops along the route. Veterans of varying levels of disability are expected to ride, and those involved explain that the program allows disabled Veterans to “regain their physical, emotional and spiritual strength as they recover from the visible and invisible scars from their time served overseas” and that the program adapts bikes for disabled Veterans so they can ride.

Registration is still open, and riders can elect to participate in all five days or any one day: http://ride2recovery.com/join-the-ride/challenges/great-lakes-challenge.html

For more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/injured-veterans-to-cycle-270-miles-through-central-minnesota-for-2011-ride-2-recovery-great-lakes-challenge-2011-08-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Orlando VA Medical Center Updates

VetLawyers — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:18:45 +0000

The Orlando VA Medical Center has begun an initiative to incorporate Mental Health care with Primary Care for Veterans being treated in Florida. The Lake Baldwin campus of the Orlando VA Medical Center started this combination of services in May 2011. The goal of incorporating the two is to make mental health and substance treatment more accessible for Veterans. It is hoped that early intervention will help to prevent a worsening of psychiatric symptoms. Psychologists on the teams will be offering same day evaluations and will assist Veterans who require more long-term care with setting up appointments outside of Primary Care.

For more information, please see: http://www.orlando.va.gov/features/Managing_Your_Mental_Health.asp.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Announces Veterans Job Portal

Chris Rogers — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:38:59 +0000

Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor recently announced a new initiative to help recent Veterans find federal jobs.

Lt. Gov. Brown, who is a colonel in the US Army Reserves, launched the website with the intention of connecting a Veteran’s military occupational code with federal jobs that match those qualifications. It also allows hiring managers to identify specific military occupations that share attributes that are needed for specific jobs.

The website is a unique site that will help Veterans find jobs, and Brown says that with the current base realignment, Maryland will have a unique opportunity to connect Veterans with thousands of new jobs coming to the state.

For access to the website, visit https://mwejobs.maryland.gov/.

If you are an unemployed Veteran who has filed a disability claim with VA, please call Bergmann & Moore at (877) 838-2889 or visit us online at www.vetlawyers.com.

Feres Doctrine Scrutinized

VetLawyers — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:14:17 +0000

After decades, the Feres Doctrine, which essentially bars lawsuits for injuries “incident to military service,” has gained public attention and is being challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court. This growing opposition stems from a 2003 case where a young noncommissioned officer passed away after a nurse inserted a tube in the wrong part of his throat. If the Feres Doctrine is overturned, military medical personnel would potentially be subject to malpractice suits. The estimated cost to the government for a changed ruling would be an average of $135 million every year; and if retroactive, approximately $2.7 billion over the next ten years.

For more information, please see: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQ8ELLv0aAz6sJHqzLO13RNI-fVg?docId=ab0f55f8d2384ac6a3f51fc2e565512f.

Troops to Teachers Program

Kim Sheffield — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:59:40 +0000

Military Veterans have many qualities which make them positive role models for our youth. The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program is a Department of Defense program established in 1994 that helps eligible Veterans begin new careers as teachers in schools serving low-income families where their skills, knowledge and experience are needed most. A network of State TTT Offices has been established to provide participants with counseling and assistance regarding certification requirements, routes to state certification, and employment leads. The TTT homepage provides information and resource links, including a job referral system to allow participants to search for job vacancies as well as links to state Departments of Education, state certification offices, model resumes, and other job listing sites in public education. Pending availability of funds, financial assistance may be provided to eligible individuals as stipends up to $5,000.00 to help pay for teacher certification costs or as bonuses of $10,000.00 to teach in schools serving a high percentage of students from low-income families. Participants who accept the stipend or bonus must agree to teach for three years in targeted schools in accordance with the authorizing legislation. Educational and service eligibility requirements for referral and financial assistance are available on the TTT Home Page at www.ProudToServeAgain.com. Also available is a “Self Determination Guide” to quickly assess eligibility.

Landmark Initiative for VA Cuts Infection Rates

Sara Panfil — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:09:50 +0000

The latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine will be featuring a VA initiative that has reduced instances of medicine-resistant MRSA (staphylococcus aureus) infections in intensive care units by 60% nation-wide. VA’s Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel, has classified this as a “landmark initiative for VA and health care in general,” and that he was “proud that VA is leading the way.” VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the country with more than 1,000 medical facilities throughout the U.S., which serve more than 6 million Veterans a year. For more on this story, click here.

VA Officials Urge Veterans to Sign Up for Direct Deposits

Joyce Aceves Amaya — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:05:28 +0000

Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs urge veterans to sign up for electronic payment of their benefits since the Department of the Treasury has announced a new rule that will phase out paper checks for federal benefits by March 1, 2013.

“Receiving VA benefits electronically will increase the security, convenience and reliability of these vital payments,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. “VA encourages veterans who are now receiving their benefits in paper checks to set up direct deposits before the deadline.”

On March 1, 2013, VA officials will stop issuing paper checks. People who do not have electronic payments for their federal benefits by that time will receive their funds via a pre-paid debit card called the Direct Express card. The cards will be issued by Comerica Bank, the financial agent of the U.S. Treasury.

However, another deadline affects people receiving VA’s compensation or pensions for the first time after May 1, 2011. Those people will automatically receive the benefits electronically.

Anyone already receiving federal benefit payments electronically will be unaffected by the changes. To learn more about the federal government’s switch to direct deposit, or to change VA benefits to direct deposit, visit www.GoDirect.org. Information about the federal government’s “Go Direct” campaign also is available by calling 1-800-333-1795.

Japanese-American WWII Veteran Awards

VetLawyers — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:27:41 +0000

The House is slated to vote on a measure this week regarding awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to approximately 6,000 Japanese-Americans who served during World War II. This event is particularly emotional for some, as many Japanese-American soldiers fought for the U.S. while their families spent time in internment camps. The Senate passed the bill unanimously in August.

For more information, please see:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/09/19/national/a125511D44.DTL

Ceremony Honoring Vietnam Veterans

Carrie Weletz — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:45:10 +0000

Each year the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund honors men and women whose noncombat deaths were related to their service in Vietnam, many of whom died as a result of conditions due to Agent Orange exposure. The ceremony recognizes that, while these Veterans don’t meet the qualifications to have their names etched on the wall (which requires that the death be due to wounds in a combat zone), they also have given their lives as a result of service in Vietnam. Nearly 2000 Veterans have been honored since the annual memorial service began. This year’s service was held on April 19^th. To learn more, please see: www.militarytimes.com/news/2010/04/gns_vietnamvets_041910/.