IMPORTANT
NUMBERS
Nat’l. Hdqrs., DAV (877) 426-2838
NSO Office, Cleveland (216)
522-3507
NSO Office, Cincinnati (513)
684-2676
Washington Office, DAV (202)
554-3501
Cincinnati HSC,
Sheila Clements (513) 475-6443
Dayton HSC, (937)
268-6511
Michael Muhammad Ext.
2962
Walter Dryja Ext.
3395
Chillicothe HSC (740)
773-1141
James Keller Ext. 7916
Columbus Clinic, (614)
257-5487
Michael
Hackworth
Brecksville HSC, (440)
526-3030
Don Branford Ext. 7353
Warren Clinic (330)
392-0311
Youngstown Clinic (330)
70-9200
Ext.
105
Veterans Administration 1-800-827-1000
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 19-21, 2007 Fall Conference, The Crowne Plaza,
Dublin, Ohio
March 2-5, 2008 DAV Mid-Winter Conference, Crystal
Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA
June 5-8, 2008 DAV Department Convention, The
Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio
August 9-12, 2008 DAV National Convention,
Bally’s Hotel, Las Vegas.
October 10-12, 2008 DAV Department Fall Conference, The
Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.
June 4-7, 2009 DAV Department Convention,
The Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.
October 9-11, 2009 DAV Department Fall Conference, The
Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.
June 10-13, 2010 DAV Department Convention,
The Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.
October 8-10, 2010 DAV Department Fall Conference, The
Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.
NOTES FROM YOUR STATE
ADJUTANT
Frank Williams, State
Adjutant
Never mistake knowledge for wisdom!
One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life!
I would like to let everyone know that Department of Ohio, Disabled
American Veterans contributed over $22,000.00 to help pay for 3 new DAV Ford
Vans. These vans were requested by
Chapters with very limited funds and live in counties where the County
Veteran’s Service Office also have limited funds. These Chapters, and their County VSO’s, spend every dollar they
get for the mandated purpose of assisting Veterans and set the example that I
would like to see in every County in Ohio.
These new Ford Vans will be delivered in the Spring, after the DAV Logo
is installed, and will become part of the National DAV Van Transportation Network
and will be operated by Volunteer Drivers here in Ohio.
It has just been announced that Ohio’s Department of Aging has named Ohio
Veteran’s Home in Georgetown, Ohio as one of the States Best! “We are pleased to be recognized as one of
Ohio’s best,” Director George Kinney said.
“It is a particularly impressive honor, given that we have only been in operation
for three years.”
Director Kinney
said the Georgetown Home has 168 total beds, with 8 in single-occupancy rooms
and 160 in 80 double-occupancy rooms.
There are 42 beds in a wing that hasn’t opened yet because the Home is
waiting for funding so the wing may be staffed. He said the wing is 99.44% ready. He also mentioned that funding for the home comes from three
sources: State Tax dollars; the US Department of Veterans Affairs and,
resident’s own ability to pay. There
is, currently, a waiting list to get into the Home.
Recognizing the obvious need, due to more and more veterans returning from
Iraq & Afghanistan, the new heads of congressional Veterans Affairs panels
say they will ask for more money. As
most of you know, we are still “in limbo”, having to transfer $ from
construction funds, due to the 109th Congress not approving VA
funding before final adjournment. The new
110th Congress has not yet finalized the Defense and VA Funding
Bill, which would have increased VA funding by $3 Billion. The VA has said it needs the additional
money just to take care of veterans already in the system.
Many of your State Officers, including myself, will be attending the
upcoming Midwinter Conference in D.C., where we will be visiting Ohio’s
Senators and participating in other events where DAV National Commander Brad
Barton will make his presentation to a Joint Session of Senate & House
Veteran Affairs Committee on February 27, 2007.
Should any of you desire to have your thoughts on Veteran’s matters
brought to the attention of either Senator Voinovich or Senator Brown, please
contact me at Department Headquarters prior to February 22, 2007.
As always, pray for our troops who are in harms way. God bless America and may he continue to
bless the Disabled American Veterans.
Never forget that……………………FREEDOM IS NOT FREE…it is bought and paid for
by our Veterans who are not so unlike YOU and ME!
Vets Urged to
Apply for CRSC
Many veterans may be missing hundreds or
thousands of dollars every month because they have not applied for
Combat-Related Special Compensation, said Ann Lacey of the CRSC office at the
Air Force Personnel Center. “Don’t let the term ‘combat’ throw you; there are
many circumstances which are combat related that could justify approval of
extra tax-free money for you,” she said, and her advice can apply to all
services. CRSC restores military retirement pay that has been reduced by
Department of Veterans Affairs compensation. To be eligible to apply, veterans
must (1) be retired with 20 or more years of active-duty military service, or
retired at age 60 from the Guard or Reserve; (2) be receiving military retired
pay; (3) have a VA disability rating of 10 percent or higher; and (4) receive
military retired pay that is reduced by VA disability payments.
FROM THE
HOSPITAL CHAIRPERSON
Raymond
Hutchinson, Hospital Chairman
Since my last newsletter
article I have toured the Cincinnati VAMC, Ft. Thomas nursing Home, Chillicothe
VA, Dayton VA, the Southern Ohio Veterans Home and the Columbus Clinic.
The
State Commander Herman Morton, DAVA State Commander Marcella Brewster and both
the DAV and Auxiliary State Adjutants accompanied me on these tours.
At
the Southern Ohio Veterans Home, I have helped the State Representative and
Deputy put on a spaghetti dinner which is done there four times a year and is
enjoyed by the residents.
I
have also attended and helped with the Cincinnati VA/Ft. Thomas Nursing Home
picnic that was held in September at the Ft. Thomas Nursing Home.
In
December I went to the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky and participated in the
residents Christmas Party that is on by the DAV State Department.
I also go to Chillicothe VA
and help the VAVS Representative and his deputies with the Horse Races that are
put on the first Monday of each month.
The patients there enjoy these horse races and it gives a good feeling
to know that you are helping to give them an evening of enjoyment.
I
am looking forward to touring the Ohio Veterans home and Brecksville/Wade Park
VA Medical Centers in the spring. I
hope that many of you have looked into the possibility of volunteering at your
VA Medical Center or Veterans Home. It
is very rewarding.
S/Raymond Hutchinson, Hospital Chairman
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
As quick as a prayer can bring Him,
He answers my call for aid,
And doors that were locked swing open
No evil has power to touch me,
As long as I am His own,
And placing my feet in his footprints,
I find I’m no longer alone.
He shows me the wisdom of patience,
Consoles when the going is rough,
And pleasures that used to entice me,
Are strangely no longer enough,
With Him I find a completeness,
Fulfilling my dearest hope,
He lends me His should to lean on,
When I can no longer cope,
The joy that surrounds His presence,
Enriches me greater than gold,
His gentle hands lift the burden,
That I can no longer hold,
He dresses the wounds of my spirit,
Inflicted at such a cost,
He reaches for me through the darkness,
And I am no longer lost.
For I am the captive He ransomed,
The reason for which He came,
And touched by His infinite mercy,
My heart is no longer the same,
Born without any possessions,
What care I when these be gone,
For I belong to the Master,
And I am no longer my own!
S/James E. Keller, Chaplain
Recognizing
Robert Bertschy, Sr. Vice
Commander
Department membership goals are to reward chapter
members (blue hats) to sign up 2-5 new members and receive a DAV ball cap.
We will have a special drawing for members that sign
up 1-10 new members who will be eligible to win a DAV winter jacket. Each new
member signed up will give you a chance to win the jacket. Each new additional
member gives you more chances in the drawing.
Every member who signs up 6-10 new members will
receive a DAV shirt with pocket.
Every member who recruits 11-15 new members will
receive a DAV spring jacket.
For additional incentives info, contact your chapter
commander, membership chairman or Department at 614-221-3582. The cutoff date
for membership rewards is April 30, 2007.
All
NSO’S,HSC’S & Department employees will be recognized separately from the
blue hats.
“Okay,” let’s
get out there and recruit the NEW LEADERS OF TOMORROW. Don’t stop when
you have reached your chapter membership quota. Stay in the recruiting mode all
year.
Suggestions from the 2006 Fall Conference that may be
helpful in recruiting new members are:
1
.Host a DAV Information Seminar. For more information . (Contact Leslie James,
Cleveland NSO Supervisor.)
2.
Invite prospective members to your meeting.
3.
Ask a veteran if he is eligible for the DAV. If
you
don’t ask, you can’t recruit.
4.
A list of prospective members can be requested from our National Membership
Department. Toll -free 877-426-2838.
ANCILLARY BENEFITS FOR DEPENDENTS
When a veteran passes away the surviving spouse and
children may be entitled to various ancillary benefits. They are burial benefits, Dependents
Educational Assistance, CHAMPVA and Home Loan Guaranty. For everyone’s convenience, I have included
phone numbers and email addresses to assist you with any questions you may
have.
Burial Benefits
Burial in a VA national cemetery is available
for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependents at no cost to the family
and includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, a
headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. For
veterans, benefits also include a burial flag (with case for active duty) and
military funeral honors. Family members and other loved ones of deceased
veterans may request Presidential Memorial Certificates.
Burial options are limited to those available
at a specific cemetery but may include in-ground casket, or interment of
cremated remains in a columbarium, in ground or a scatter garden.
Surviving spouses of veterans who died on or
after Jan.1, 2000, do not lose eligibility for burial in a national cemetery if
they remarry.
Burial of dependent children is limited to
unmarried children under 21 years of age, or under 23 years of age if a
full-time student at an approved educational institution. Unmarried adult
children, who become physically or mentally disabled and incapable of
self-support before age 21, or 23 if a full-time student, also are eligible for
burial.
Headstones and Markers
Veterans, active duty members and retired reservists and National Guard members
are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker to mark their grave at any
cemetery; national, state veterans or private, delivered at no cost, anywhere
in the world. Spouses and dependent children are eligible for a government
headstone or marker only if they are buried in a national or state veterans
cemetery.
Flat markers are available in bronze, granite
or marble. Upright headstones come in granite or marble. In national
cemeteries, the style chosen must be consistent with existing monuments at the
place of burial. Niche markers are available to mark columbaria used for
inurnment of cremated remains.
Headstones and markers previously provided by
the government may be replaced at government expense if badly deteriorated,
illegible, vandalized or stolen. To check the status of an application for a
headstone or marker for a national or state veterans cemetery, call the
cemetery. To check the status of one being placed in a private cemetery, call
1-800-697-6947.
Inscription: Headstones and markers
must be inscribed with the name of the deceased, branch of service, and year of
birth and death. They also may be inscribed with other markings, including an
authorized emblem of belief and, space permitting, additional text including military
rank; war service such as “World War II;” complete dates of birth and death;
military awards; military organizations; civilian or veteran affiliations; and
words of endearment.
Private Cemeteries: To apply for a
headstone or marker for a private cemetery, mail a completed VA Form 40-1330
(available at
http://www.va.gov/vaforms/va/pdf/VA40-1330.pdf),
Application for Standard Government Headstone or Marker for Installation in a
Private or State Veterans Cemetery, and a copy of the veteran's military
discharge document and death certificate to Memorial Programs Service (41A1),
Department of Veterans Affairs, 5109 Russell Rd., Quantico, VA 22134-3903. Or
fax documents to 1-800-455-7143.
Presidential Memorial Certificates
Certificates are issued upon request to recognize the military service of
honorably discharged deceased veterans. Next of kin, relatives and friends may
request them in person at any VA regional office or by mail: Presidential
Memorial Certificates (41A1C), Department of Veterans Affairs, 5109 Russell
Rd., Quantico, VA 22143-3903 or fax documents to 202-565-8054.
Burial Flags
VA will furnish a U.S. burial flag for memorialization of:
1. Veterans who served
during wartime or after Jan. 31, 1955.
2. Veterans who were
entitled to retired pay for service in the reserves, or would have been
entitled if over age 60.
3. Members or former
members of the Selected Reserve who served their initial obligation, or were
discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty, or died
while a member of the Selected Reserve.
Reimbursement of Burial Expenses
The VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000 if the veteran's death is
service-connected. In such cases, the VA must have a receipt showing that the
funeral bill has been paid in full.
Burial Allowance: VA will pay a $300
burial and funeral allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were entitled
to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled if they weren't
receiving military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when
death occurs in a VA facility, a VA-contracted nursing home or a state veterans
nursing home. In non service-connected death cases, claims must be filed within
two years after burial or cremation.
Plot Allowance: VA will pay a $300
plot allowance when a veteran is buried in a cemetery not under U.S. government
jurisdiction if: the veteran was discharged from active duty because of
disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; the veteran was
receiving compensation or pension or would have been if they weren't receiving
military retired pay; or they died in a VA facility.
The $300 plot allowance may be paid to the
state for the cost of a plot or interment in a state-owned cemetery reserved
solely for veteran burials if the veteran is buried without charge. Burial
expenses paid by the deceased's employer or a state agency will not be
reimbursed.
In some cases, VA will pay the cost of
transporting the remains of a service-connected veteran to the nearest national
cemetery with available gravesites. There is no time limit for filing
reimbursement claims in service-connected death cases.
Military Funeral Honors
Upon request, the Department of Defense (DoD) will provide military funeral
honors consisting of folding and presentation of the United States flag and the
playing of Taps. A funeral honors detail consists of two or more uniformed
members of the armed forces, with at least one member from the deceased's
branch of service.
Family members should inform their funeral
directors if they want military funeral honors. DoD maintains a toll-free
number (1-877-MIL-HONR) for use by funeral directors only to request honors. VA
can help arrange honors for burials at VA national cemeteries.
Veterans’ service organizations or volunteer groups may help provide honors.
For more information, visit: http://www.militaryfuneralhonors.osd.mil/.
The best advice I can give to everyone is to
make arrangements prior to the time of death.
I would urge everyone to contact a funeral home and let him or her know
what type of funeral you desire; if you want to be buried in a National
Cemetery; or if you want Military funeral honors. It is stressful enough when a loved one passes away and to have a
pre-arranged funeral will help alleviate the anxiety.
Dependents Educational Assistance
(Chapter 35)
Eligibility: VA provides educational assistance to spouses who
have not remarried and children of:
1. Veterans who died or
are permanently and totally disabled due to a disability arising from active
military service.
2. Veterans who died
from any cause while rated permanently and totally service-connected disabled.
3. Service members
listed for more than 90 days as currently MIA, captured in the line of duty by
a hostile force, or detained or interned by a foreign government or power.
4. Service members who
died on active duty.
Surviving spouses lose eligibility if they
remarry or are living with another person who has been held out publicly as
their spouse.
They can regain eligibility if their
remarriage ends by death or divorce or if they cease living with the person.
Dependent children do not lose eligibility if the surviving spouse remarries.
Period of Eligibility: The period of
eligibility for spouses of deceased veterans or service members listed as
MIA/POW expires 10 years from the date they become eligible or the date of the
veteran's death. The VA may grant an extension. Children generally must be between
the ages of 18 and 26 to receive education benefits, though extensions may be
granted.
The period of eligibility for surviving
spouses of service members who died on active duty expires 20 years from the
date of death. This is a change in law that became effective Dec. 10, 2004.
Spouses of service members who died on active duty whose 10-year eligibility
period expired before Dec. 10, 2004, now have 20 years from the date of death
to use education benefits. However, in these cases, VA can pay only for training
that began on or after Dec. 10, 2004.
Payments: The payment rate
effective Oct. 1, 2005, is $827 a month for full-time school attendance, with
lesser amounts for part time. Benefits are paid for full-time training for up
to 45 months or the equivalent in part-time training. The money paid may be used for any purpose to include tuition,
fees, books, etc.
Training Available: Benefits may be
awarded for pursuit of associate, bachelor or graduate degrees at colleges and
universities, independent study, cooperative training, study abroad,
certificate or diploma from business, technical or vocational schools,
apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs and farm cooperative courses.
Benefits for correspondence courses under certain conditions are available to
spouses only.
Beneficiaries without high-school degrees can
pursue secondary schooling, and those with a deficiency in a subject may
receive tutorial assistance if enrolled halftime or more.
CHAMPVA
CHAMPVA, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of VA, provides reimbursement
for most medical expenses – inpatient, outpatient, mental health, prescription
medication, skilled nursing care and durable medical equipment.
Eligibility: To be eligible for
CHAMPVA, an individual cannot be eligible for TRICARE (the medical program for
civilian dependents provided by DoD) and must be one of the following:
1. The spouse or child
of a veteran who VA has rated permanently and totally disabled for a
service-connected disability.
2. The surviving spouse
or child of a veteran who died from a VA-rated service-connected disability, or
who, at the time of death, was rated permanently and totally disabled.
3. The surviving spouse
or child of a military member who died in the line of duty, not due to
misconduct. However, in most of these cases, these family members are eligible
for TRICARE, not CHAMPVA.
A surviving spouse under age 55 who remarries
loses CHAMPVA eligibility on midnight of the date of remarriage. However, they
may re-establish eligibility if the remarriage ends by death, divorce or
annulment effective the first day of the month following the termination of the
remarriage or Dec. 1, 1999, whichever is later. A surviving spouse who is 55 or
older does not lose eligibility upon remarriage.
Those with Medicare entitlement may also have
CHAMPVA eligibility secondary to Medicare. To be eligible for CHAMPVA for Life
the dependent must purchase Medicare, Parts A & B. For information, contact the VA Health
Administration Center, P.O. Box 65023, Denver, CO 80206, call 1-800-733-8387 or
visit: http://www.va.gov/hac/.
Many VA medical centers provide services to
CHAMPVA beneficiaries under the CHAMPVA In House Treatment Initiative (CITI)
program.
Contact the nearest VA medical center to
determine if it participates. Those who use a CITI facility incur no cost for
services, however services are provided on a space available basis, after the
needs of veterans are met. Not all services are available at all times. CHAMPVA
beneficiaries covered by Medicare cannot use CITI.
Home Loan Guaranty
A VA loan guaranty to acquire a home may be available to an unmarried spouse of
a veteran or service member who died as a result of service-connected
disabilities, a surviving spouse who remarries after age 57, or to a spouse of
a service member officially listed as Missing in Action (MIA) or Prisoner of
War (POW) for more than 90 days. Spouses of those listed MIA/POW are limited to
one loan.
It is my pleasure to provide everyone with
information on veteran’s benefits and even though I provided you with VA
contacts, please feel free to contact this office anytime for assistance. Next month I will present information on
ancillary benefits for veterans.
Leslie A. James
National Service Officer
