Benefits

LVMAC News

Speaker:  On 17 August, BG (PA) Michael Gould, the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs in the Commonwealth, spoke to the council.  He explained that most states have a Secretary of Veterans Affairs but in this state the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has the responsibility.  He is one of three deputies and serves at the pleasure of the Governor, though he sees his responsibility is in serving first the veterans.

His Office of Veterans Affairs is primarily consumed with the operation of six state veterans homes, requiring some 1800 employees.  Its other functional responsibilities, in comparison, are relatively small.  For example, the Office of Veterans Affairs has three small field offices of veterans service officers located in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Ft. Indiantown Gap which file VA claims on behalf of veterans and work in confederation with the County Directors of Veterans Affairs.

This does not mean he is not busy.  He has an open door policy for any veteran and has traveled approximately 63,000 miles on veterans business in the last year.

General Gould pointed out that his office manages six benefits programs, such as a paralyzed veteran pension and an emergency assistance fund, to the tune of $1 million but these touch only 1 to 2 per cent of the state’s veterans and as constituted are mostly redundant, considering the federal programs available for the same purposes.

He believes changes are necessary in his office (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits — Review of Medical Separations

DoD Physical Disability Board of Review is Reviewing Medical Retirement Ratings

Share this with the younger veterans you encounter. It may be old news, but it is worth repeating.

Roughly 70,000 vet­er­ans rated at less than 30% disability and given a  med­ical sep­a­ra­tion between Sep­tem­ber 11, 2001 and Decem­ber 31, 2009 now have the chance to get their sep­a­ra­tions reviewed and pos­si­bly upgraded to a “med­ical retire­ment” status.  This could mean thou­sands in added ben­e­fits for dis­abled vet­er­ans who were orig­i­nally denied a mil­i­tary retire­ment.  The review is being con­ducted by the Phys­i­cal Dis­abil­ity Board of Review.  It will exam­ine each applicant’s med­ical sep­a­ra­tion records and make a rec­om­men­da­tion to the respec­tive  Ser­vice Sec­re­tary based on its find­ings. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

VA Rolls Out 2011 Edition of Its “Primer” Handbook

Although not available yet in printed form,  the 2011 edition of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors  handbook is now available online at (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

Vet Cards and Discount Programs

We have had several queries about “Vet Cards” in relation to discount programs offered by various businesses in the Lehigh Valley. Currently no such thing as an official “Vet Card” exists locally. Also, misunderstandings of the policies of various businesses which offer discounts abound. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

Lejeune Update … Depression Hits Older Veterans … Latest Agent Orange Info … HIV Test encouraged

Vet Toxic Exposure … Lejeune:  A Senate bill (S.277) (Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011) would make it easier for veterans and their families affected by contaminated water aboard base to receive medical assistance.  It has the support of 22 National and state organizations.  It is NC senators who introduced the bill.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 500,000 people may have been exposed in the 30-year period from 1957 to 1987 to a host of toxic chemicals, including known human carcinogens benzene and vinyl chloride, as well as drying cleaning solvents and degreasers.  It’s the largest DoD environmental contamination on record. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

VA Rolls Out 2011 Edition of Its “Primer” Handbook

Although not available yet in printed form,  the 2011 edition of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors  handbook is now available online at (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News

Speaker:  On 15 June, Paul Hoffecker, founder and CEO of Renovating Hope (www.renovatinghope.org), spoke to the Council on the topic of “Renovating Hope … Finding a Better Way” and of his organization’s ambitions.

About three years ago he was asked to help a veteran in fixing his home. Shortly afterwards, ten more requests followed.  From this experience Renovating Hope, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization was born.

Renovating Hope is not an “Extreme Makeover” giveaway program [editor’s comment].  Instead it provides basic housing rehabilitation services (roofing repairs, plumbing, electrical and HVAC/ appliance purchases and installations, and the like) to those who are or have given military service and are in immediate need and in financial difficulty (and the widows of KIA). Those to receive the offer of help must first demonstrate they have been unsuccessful, after sincere effort, in securing sufficient funds to hire help and/or to effect the repairs to their homes themselves.

Renovating Hope is also about community working together to solve problems. It is an alliance between contractors (typically members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry) and suppliers and those being helped under the thoughtful guidance and negotiating power of Renovating Hope.

(more…)
By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News

Speaker:  Mr. Stephen Lew, the Army Wounded Warrior (AW2) Program’s Advocate (contractor) for our region spoke to the Council at its 18 May meeting, explaining the program and his role within it.

Not to be confused with the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization, AW2  is “the official Army program that serves the severely wounded, ill, and injured soldiers, veterans, and their families, wherever located and for as long as it takes” – even a lifetime if necessary. It was created in 2004 as part Army Medical Command’s response to a critical need to transform outpatient care and services. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

VA Finally Rolls Out its Family Caregiver Program

After missing the 30 January deadline for full implementation, the VA is posting the “interim” final rule to enable them to get rolling on “Family Caregiver Program” of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act 2010, which includes enhanced services to a family caregiver of a veteran who sustained a serious injury in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. The Act does not help veterans of other periods.

Aspects of the program, which came on line on 9 May 2011, are: (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbits

Avoiding Foreclosure

Since at least 2008, veterans defaulting on their mortgages has been a concern.  Unlike several other states, Pennsylvania has no special home loan programs to assist.  However, for veterans there is possible recourse through a service offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Cleveland Regional Loan Center (in the Cleveland Regional Office) for those of us who live in the Lehigh Valley. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago