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Medical research has found a direct correlation with Vietnam veterans who served in the Navy on ships within a certain distance of the mainland and the number of Agent Orange cases these sailors had. Winds blowing out to sea, the water they used and other conditions caused this. Recently the House of Representatives unanimously approved the Blue Water Navy bill allowing the VA to treat these sailors as casualties of Agent Orange who were exposed.

The former Secretary of the VA, David Schulkin supported this bill becoming law. The House recently approved the bill in their chamber, unanimously. Now it goes to the Senate. However, the new VA Secretary, Robert Wilkie, has asked the Senate not to enact this into law until further research is done which will take until the end of 2019, at earliest. (for more details go to: https://www.stripes.com/news/wilkie-opposes-bill-that-would-extend-agent-orange-benefits-to-blue-water-veterans-1.547062)

We feel this is wrong! Why should our Naval Vietnam veterans who are suffering the effects of Agent Orange be denied medical care at the VA at this time.

HERE IS WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP: Please write, call or email Senator Blumenthal and Senator Murphy to tell them you strongly want them to support this bill when it gets to the Senate. Emailing the senators is very easy and quick to do. Just Google their name and it will indicate, “Contact Senator xxxx”.

Or, if you’d rather call the two senators, they are:
Senator Chris Murphy: 860-549-8463
Senator Blumenthal: 860-258-6940

Every type of communication that goes to the senator’s offices is counted and recorded. Your “vote” on this matter counts. And the contact will be greatly appreciated by the Naval Vietnam vets who are suffering from the affects of Agent Orange and need the medical treatment at the VA now.
“THANKS” in advance for doing this.

After A False Start, The VA’s Vet ID System Finally WorksLate last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it would officially launch the veteran ID card program Nov. 29. Gone would be the days of stuffing a laminated DD-214 into your back pocket before scoring hardware discounts at Home Depot discounts or free grub from Applebees on Veterans Day. Finally, there’d be proof of one’s service in the form of a glossy white ID card.

t least, that was the hope. Instead, the Nov. 29 rollout of the program was fraught with problems. Many applicants — including seven vets at Task & Purpose who tested the application system — reported broken links or error messages. Though the Veteran ID card application page has remained online since it launched, vets who were unable to complete the process were asked to leave their email address with the department, which would get back to the applicants at a later time. More than 136,000 Veterans provided their emails and 1,145 submitted help-desk tickets due to errors, Curt Cashour, the press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs told Task & Purpose.

 

As of Jan. 29, Veterans can once again again submit online applications online, and this time — the applications actually go through.

“We are excited finally to begin providing this resource to Veterans, fulfilling a promise that was made to them more than two years ago under the previous Administration, which never followed through on it,” Cashour told Task & Purpose on Jan. 30. (That last line about following through is an apparent reference to the 2015 Veterans Identification Card Act, a bipartisan effort between Congress and then-President Barack Obama to get vets a hard-copy photo ID.)

All veterans with an honorable or general discharge can request the new ID cards. Keep in mind, they don’t replace VA medical cards or defense retiree cards, nor are they official government-issued forms of identification — so you can’t use it to board a plane, or by booze. But, they are handy for when you’re in a checkout line and spot a “10% off for veterans” discount sign.

But as of Jan. 30, the VA has received and begun processing 16,179 applications, and vets can expect to receive the printed IDs come March, Cashour told Task & Purpose. In the meantime, those with an approved application can download the image of their ID card from the website, and either print it out, or show it on on a mobile phone, to get those sweet patriot prices.

The Veterans History Project is a collaborative enterprise to collect oral histories along with war documents from American veterans who participated in WWI or II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan and/or Iraq Wars. The videos of veterans and materials add a face to the challenges, tragedies and triumphs of war and serves as a teaching and research tool for the general public, scholars and students worldwide.

The Project is managed by Central Connecticut State University.

If you are interested in sharing your reflections and experiences CCSU will video tape you and add your comments in this informative collection that ends up in the Library of Congress.
To find out more contact Brianna McGuckin at 860 832 2062 or at

Last week, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved S. 2193, a comprehensive VA health care bill, which includes provisions to overhaul the agency’s community care program, provide additional funds to improve the VA health care system and extend VA’s comprehensive family caregiver program to veterans of all eras.

On December 7, 2017 DAV joined with 25 other service organizations asking all Senators to push for approval of this landmark legislation (click here to read the letter), and we need everyone who cares about veterans make sure their voice is heard.

VA has been purchasing care in the community through the Choice Program, but this program has been troubled since its rocky implementation. S. 2193 contains numerous provisions DAV supports based on our resolutions, including one that would leave the decision to receive community care between veterans and their clinicians

All veterans with an honorable discharge status are now eligible to apply for a free ID card from the VA. It is essentially a government issued verification of veteran status. Simply put: it’s proof you’re a vet. Need to prove you’re a veteran to get a special discount or free service? This is the card in your wallet in lieu of carrying around a DD-214 with you.

Veterans with Honorable and General discharges are eligible to receive this ID card. According to a press release from the VA, eligible vets who apply should receive the card within 60 days. This is not an official government ID. If you need to prove your personal identity for official purposes, you need your passport, driver’s license, or other legal documentation.

Read more from ConnectingVets.com about the card.

It was announced new legislation has passed the House and expected to pass the Senate: The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. This new legislation will overhaul the current appeals process at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The VA’s current appeals process is in desperate need of updating, and nearly half a million veterans are in limbo because of the VA’s existing backlog. Between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2017, the number of pending appeals increased from approximately 380,000 to 470,000 – a more than 20 percent increase.
By overhauling the VA appeals process, this bipartisan legislation would dramatically shorten the average wait time for an appeal from five years to 125 days. This streamlined process would provide veterans with timely, accurate answers on their appeals so they can access the benefits they need and deserve.

Military Exchanges – retail stores that carry everything from appliances to jewelry – will soon be opened to honorably discharged veterans, the Department of Defense announced.

The change means as many as 20 million veterans will be able to shop online at Army and Air Force Exchanges. Dubbed the “Veterans Online Shopping Benefit,” online shopping privliges will start on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day.

The only exception is liquor and tobacco.

The Ultimate Guide to Veteran’s Benefits. Here’s the link – https://www.moneysavingpro.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-veterans-benefits/.    It covers various issues such as health benefits, pension programs and counseling services to name a few. 

There are two military service medals CT veterans may not be aware of and are eligible for (1) Korean veterans – The Korean War Medal of Gratitude; (2) Vietnam veterans – The Connecticut Wartime Veterans Service Medal. An application and copy of your DD-214 will be needed to receive the appropriate medal you may be entitled to. Contact your congressional district representative’s office for more information regarding these medals.

Here is your all-inclusive retail savings guide to veteran discount sites and companies that offer reduced prices for active military and veterans. It is well organized and provides free services sites, member fee sites with special benefits and companies that offer a veteran discount throughout the year.

Just go to: https://www.couponchief.com/guides/retail_savings_for_veterans