VETERANS NEWS from the USSVI Veterans Service Officer Items provided by John Dudas - VSO Contact: john-dudas@cableone.net Veterans Administration NEWS RELEASES VETERANS INFO and LINKS |
CURRENT YEAR VETERANS NEWS POSTINGS
| Posting Date | Subject | |
| 14 August 2006 |
myPay Offers New Features
myPay users now have the ability to establish Restricted Access PINs and alternate LOGIN IDs to access their myPay account. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
VA Could Share Facilities in Charleston
Options are being considered for enhanced collaboration between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Department of Veterans Affairs, which could include a co-located, joint-use facility in Charleston. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
VA to Modernize Livermore Nursing Home
Veterans in the Livermore, Calif. area will receive either major renovations to a current veterans nursing home or a new state-of-the-art facility. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
VA to Hire Data Analysis Company
VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said recently that his agency will soon hire a leading data analysis company to ensure the data is not being used by criminals. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
No Free Credit Monitoring for Veterans
The White House withdrew its funding request recently for free credit monitoring services for the 26.5 million veterans and family members whose information was thought to be impacted by the May 3 theft of a Department of Veterans Affairs computer. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
VA Plans Modernization at Montgomery
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is putting together plans to modernize the facility in Montgomery, Ala. (Full Story here) | |
| 14 August 2006 |
VA Plans to Modernize Oregon Facility
Veterans in the White City, Oregon area are a step closer to getting a new rehabilitation center and modernized clinics from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) thanks to a recent decision to modernize VA's Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Awards Grants to Michigan Veterans Homes
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is targeting two grants worth nearly $1.5 million for improvements at the state veterans homes in Marquette and Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Announces New Medical Center for Louisville
Veterans in the Louisville area will be receiving a new, state-of-the-art medical center from the VA to replace the existing facility. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Announces New Vet Centers
VA will soon open additional "Vet Centers" in Atlanta and Phoenix. VA's Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) Vet Center program is a special program designed to help veterans exposed to the unique stress of serving in combat. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
South Dakota Paying Veterans Bonus
South Dakota is paying a veterans bonus of up to $500 to certain military personnel who were legal residents of the state for no less than six months immediately preceding entry into the Armed Forces, who are currently on active duty or were honorably discharged from the Armed Forces, and who served on active duty during one or both of several periods. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Adds Maps to Online Gravesite Locator
The grave locations of more than three million veterans and dependents buried in national cemeteries can be found more easily now because the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has added maps of burial sections online that can be printed from home computers and at national cemetery kiosks. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Opens 25 New Clinics
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has announced plans to open 25 new community-based clinics in 17 states and American Somoa. (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
TRICARE Continues to Enhance Benefits
(Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
Virginia Extends Benefits to Military Families
The commonwealth of Virginia recently passed a law that will extend in-state college tuition rates to the children of servicemembers stationed there. Other veteran-related bills were also signed (Full Story here) | |
| 05 July 2006 |
VA Adds More Cemeteries to Database
VA recently added to its database the cemeteries in which 1.9 million veterans were buried with VA grave markers. (Full Story here) | |
| 01 July 2006 |
Veterans Housing and Benefits Bill Signed
One provision of the new Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Act of 2006 recently signed by President Bush authorizes VA to make grants available to assist with housing adaptations at a family member's home in which a severely disabled servicemember is temporarily residing. (Full Story here) | |
| 01 July 2006 |
VA Awards Grant to California Veterans Home
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is targeting more than $807,000 in grant money for improvements to the State Veterans Home in Yountville, CA. (Full Story here) | |
| 01 July 2006 |
VA Partnership for New Orleans Hospital
To provide medical care for veterans in metropolitan New Orleans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Louisiana State University (LSU) have taken a major step toward creating a shared, VA-LSU medical complex in downtown New Orleans. (Full Story here) | |
| 01 July 2006 |
VA Awards Grant for Connecticut Veterans Home
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a grant of $2,990,000 for renovations of the State Veterans Home in Rocky Hill, CT. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Senators Vote to End Ex-Spouse Law's '10-Year Rule'
The Senate Armed Services Committee has voted to end the "10-year rule" used by the government for more than two decades to screen court orders seeking automatic payment of retired pay to former military spouses. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Denied VA Health Care Claims
Do you need help to reprocess a denied claim? The Health Administration Center has recently created a new service to provide additional guidance on how to respond to a claim denial, based on their 10 most frequent used denial codes. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
TRICARE Lifts Prescription Refill Limits in flood ravaged States
Early refills are available in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, where governors have declared a state of emergency. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
VA Selects New Cemetery Site in FL
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected a 466-acre property in Sarasota County as the site for a new national cemetery in west central Florida. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
VA Awards Grant for Veterans Home
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs announced last week a $43 million grant to replace the State Veterans Home in Oxford, New York. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
New Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
TRICARE Introduces Alcohol Education Program
TRICARE and the DoD are sponsoring a Web-based alcohol abuse prevention and education pilot program to help servicemembers learn about responsible drinking. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Flying space A is worth it - if you're patient and flexible
(Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Copay to increase for six brand-name drugs
Co-payments for six more brand-name drugs will jump to $22 in July, Pentagon officials announced. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Maximum VA Loan Amounts
Although there is no maximum VA loan (limited only by the reasonable value or the purchase price), lenders generally limit the maximum VA loan to $417,000. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
VA Opens New National Cemetery in GA
Georgia National Cemetery is nation's newest veterans cemetery. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
PTSD Support
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a disorder that occurs after a life-threatening event, such as personal assault, natural disaster, or military combat. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Virginia to Offer In-State Tuition to Military Dependents
Starting July 1, all dependents of military servicemembers stationed in Virginia will be eligible for in-state college tuition rates. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Privacy Notice Available On TRICARE Website
Regulations require that TRICARE Management Activity make beneficiaries aware once every three years both of the availability of the military health system notice of privacy practices and how to obtain it. (Full Story here) | |
| 31 May 2006 |
Military Lounge Set for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Active-duty and retired military veterans could soon pass the time waiting for flights at Sky Harbor International Airport in a lounge that caters solely to them. (Full Story here) | |
| 24 March 2006 |
TRICARE Launches New Programs
TRICARE has created two demonstration projects and one pilot program to test help servicemembers and their families battle the dangerous effects of obesity, tobacco use and excessive drinking. (Full Story here) | |
| 24 March 2006 |
TRICARE Encourages Mail Orders
TRICARE has launched its first-ever campaign to encourage beneficiaries to use the TRICARE Mail Order Program (TMOP) to fill prescriptions. (Full Story here) | |
| 24 March 2006 |
Shift Colors Newsletter Keeps 650,000 Retirees Connected By NPC
The Navy Personnel Command Communications office has published the 50th-anniversary edition Shift Colors, the newsletter that stays connected to nearly 650,000 Navy Retirees. (Full Story here) | |
| 24 March 2006 |
Pentagon Channel Adds Video Podcasting
The Pentagon Channel has added video podcasting to its line of products. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Tricare fee hikes contingent on review
A Senate panel promised Tuesday that it will not endorse a Pentagon plan to increase Tricare fees for working-age retirees until an independent review of the military health care system is completed. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Overhaul of military pay and pension is on the table
The Bush administration is mulling a dramatic military pay and pension overhaul aimed at putting more cash in the pockets of current and future troops while delaying their receipt of retirement payments. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Air Force and VA to Build Joint Clinic
The South Texas Veterans Health Care System and Wilford Hall Medical Center announced construction of the North Central Federal Clinic during a recent groundbreaking ceremony. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Senate restores $3 billion to defense budget
The Senate voted Tuesday to restore $3 billion that was cut from the defense budget by the Senate Budget Committee and to reject a Bush administration plan to increase health care fees for veterans. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
National Defense Authorization Act
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, Public Law 109-163, was enacted January 6, 2006, and has some provisions that impact military retired pay. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Social Security Offset & SBP
(Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
VA Program Targets Obesity, Diabetes
The Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services departments were launching a campaign on Monday to promote nutrition, exercise, education, preventive medicine and weight loss. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
CRSC Eligibility Correction
In the January 2006 edition of the Retired Pay Newsletter we inadvertently provided some answers in the CRSC Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section that were based on the initial legislation effective June 1, 2003. Legislative changes became effective January 1, 2004, that are addressed in the corrected FAQs. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Wait for GI Bill benefits increases
Service members and veterans filing claims for GI Bill education benefits can expect to wait an average of 39 days for their claims to be processed, three days longer than last year, Bush administration officials told Congress. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
End to Pay Disparity ?
End to Married-Single Pay Disparity Endorsed To strengthen the link between pay and performance, the military should raise the pay of unmarried service members to the level of married members, says a blue ribbon panel completing a year-long pay study. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Gray Area Retiree Space A
Under 60 reserve retirees (Gray Area) cannot travel space-a OCONUS. Presently, travel without dependants in CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. possessions is authorized. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Tricare Tax Free Premiums Update
Active federal employees have had the benefit of pre-tax payment of TRICARE-related health and dental premiums since 2000. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) have introduced legislation to accomplish this for the military community. (Full Story here) | |
| 19 March 2006 |
Disability Retirement Update
(Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
TRICARE Plan Finalized
The Bush administration, in its fiscal 2007 defense budget, unveiled its plan to raise TRICARE fees and deductibles for military retirees under age 65 and their dependents. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
2006 Dental Premiums Increase
The 2006 rates for TRICARE dental premiums will be effective February 1, 2006. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
VA Health Care Beats Private Sector
Veterans continue to be more satisfied with their health care than the average American, according to an annual report on customer satisfaction that compares the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system with private-sector health care. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
TRICARE Dental Program Update
NOTE: This is not the Retiree Dental Program TRDP run by Delta Dental. This is for active duty personnel only. TRICARE Management Activity began its new Tricare Dental Program, or TDP, contract with United Concordia Companies Inc. Feb. 1. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
Retirees Abroad Get Direct Deposit
U.S. military retirees living outside the States can now enroll to have their monthly payments directly deposited in their bank accounts. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
Record Your Sea Service in The Navy Log
Now through the end of July 2006, all members and veterans of the Sea Services are able to enroll in the U.S. Navy Memorial's Navy Log without charge and without any obligation. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
Overseas Voting Instructions
U.S. servicemembers and federal employees stationed overseas need to act quickly to request absentee ballots for this year's primary and general elections. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
Funding and fees would rise under 2007 VA budget
The Bush administration is asking for a 12.2-percent increase in funding for veterans programs, hoping the $8.8 billion increase will quickly dispel any doubt about the commitment to veterans programs. (Full Story here) | |
| 13 February 2006 |
VA Presents Grant to Joplin Area Group
Homeless veterans in the Joplin, Missouri area will have greater access to vital services, thanks to a major grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to a Webb City organization. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Anheuser-Busch Extends Military Tribute For our Active Duty Members: A tribute program that provided free admission to Anheuser-Busch theme parks to more than 900,000 members of U.S. and coalition armed forces and their families has been extended through 2006, company officials announced. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Veteran's Pensions
If you are a wartime veteran with a limited income and you are no longer able to work, you may qualify for a Veterans Disability Pension or the Veterans Pension for Veterans 65 or older. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA ponders lump sum payments for lesser disabilities
The Department of Veterans Affairs is considering a controversial change in disability benefits that would provide a one-time lump sum, rather than monthly payments, to those with low-rated disabilities. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA negotiates better prescription drug deals than Medicare
Prices for the most commonly used prescription drugs will be significantly higher under the new Medicare drug plan than comparable prices under the Veterans Affairs drug plan, according to a study by FamiliesUSA. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA Breaks Ground in Reno
The new Regional Office building will be a facility where veterans and their families can come for assistance in obtaining the benefits they have earned. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA Compensation Tables for 2006
The tables show the current VA compensation rates for veterans with a disablity rating 10 percent or higher. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA Creates Mental Health Care Centers
The Department of Veterans Affairs' announced that three locations - Waco, Texas; San Diego and Canandaigua, NY - have been designated special centers of excellence devoted to advancing research and enhancing care for mental health issues that affect some American veterans. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Tricare Vs. Medicare Part D
Tricare-for-life beneficiaries are encouraged to weigh the facts before deciding whether to sign on to the new Medicare part D plan. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Combat-Related Special Compensation
Simply put Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) provides military retirees a monthly compensation that replaces their VA disability offset. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Committee Studies Shared VA Facilities
Last week, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Steve Buyer and Subcommittee on Health Chairman Henry Brown met with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and VA officials to receive the preliminary report detailing the possibility of MUSC and the VA building a joint-use hospital together in Charleston, SC. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
2005 Retirement Tax Statements
Retired and annuitant account statements and 1099-R tax statements will be mailed throughout the latter half of December. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
2006 VA Budget is a Mixed Bag
Congress passed a $2.1 billion budget increase for the Veterans Health Administration, of which, the Medical Care account will receive a $3.1 billion increase. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
DFAS Distributes Year-End Statements
Servicemembers, military retirees and annuitants and federal civilian employees paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service can expect to receive their 2005 tax statements by mail soon, a DFAS official told the American Forces Press Service. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA Bill and Budget Information
Information about three VA-related legislative actions (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Survivor Benefit Plan Enrollment Questions
The SBP Task Force toll free number is 1 (800) 531-7502 and operates between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday except holidays to provide important information on the Survivor Benefit Plan. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
Open Season Scheduled for Compensation
The next Combat Related Special Compensation and Concurrent CRSC/CRDP Open Season, during which retired members eligible for both the Combat Related Special Compensation and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay must choose between the two, is scheduled for Jan. 1-31, 2006. (Full Story here) | |
| 08 January 2006 |
VA Starts Processing REAP Applications
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that they have begun processing claims for the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607 GI Bill). (Full Story here) | |