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ROBERT BERTSCHY

Department Commander

I want to thank all the chapters, members and auxiliary members for attending my testimonial dinner. I also want to thank you for all the gifts. I hope you all had a good time. I know that I did. Again, I thank all those who attended and making it a special night to remember.

Have any of you scheduled a DAV Mobile Service Office (MSO) van in your area? Do you know what the MSO Program is?

Part of the National Service Office’s outreach activities involves the MSO Program. This program is designed to educate disabled veterans and their families on specific benefits and services. It generates considerable claims work on behalf of veterans and their families. The job of the National Service Officer (NSO) is to seek out veterans, to discover if they have a claim, and to follow that claim through to a successful conclusion.

The rollout of DAV’S (MSO) Program is the most extensive outreach effort in the history of our organization.

These distinguished looking and well equipped “offices on wheels” will eliminate long trips some veterans in smaller towns and communities must take to visit our National Service Offices. This means, providing better service to more veterans and their families.

Les James, Director, of our National Service Office in Cleveland and Charles Lambert in Cincinnati, and their NSO’s are always willing to help our veterans.

Following are the dates and cities or communities that the MSO van will be visiting in May:

May 14- Clermont County CBOC in Cincinnati

May15-Hamilton VA Healthcare Associates in Butler City

May 16-DAV Harold John Hursh Ch. #131 in Middleton

May 17-Buckman’s Harley-Davidson in Xenia

May 19-Veteran Clothing Closet in Columbus

May 20-VA CBOC in Canton

May 21-DAV Ch # 50 in Alliance

May 22-23-Lake Erie Harley-Davidson in Avon

May 24-Joe Carson Harley-Davidson in Carroll

May 24-Southeast Harley-Davidson/Buell in Bedford Heights

May 25-26-Signature Harley-Davidson in Perrysburg

May 31-Adventure Harley-Davidson in Dover

May 31-C & A Harley-Davidson in Plain City

If you would like to schedule the MSO van in your city or community, when it is in Ohio, contact Les James in Cleveland at 216-522-3507 or Charles Lambert in Cincinnati at 513-684-2676.

Let’s not forget our 87^th Department Convention to be held June 4-7 at the Crowne Plaza in Dublin, Ohio. If your chapter doesn’t have the money to send a couple delegates to the convention, contact Department Headquarters for more information in applying for a chapter grant. Hope to see you at the convention.

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

Mike Shaw (513) 475-6443

Dayton HSC, (937) 268-6511

Gene McCorkle Ext. 2962

Wade Park HSC, (216) 791-3800

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

May 2-3, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, H.B. “Doc” Riley Chapter #51, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Kroger, Ace Hardware, Community Markets, Ironton, Ohio

May 10, 2008 1^st District Meeting, St. Timothy Episcopal Church, 8101 Beachmont Ave., Meeting to begin at noon, Cincinnati, Ohio

May 14, 2008 Mobile Service Office, Clermont County Community Based Outpatient Clinic, 4355 Ferguson Dr., Suite 270, Cincinnati, Ohio from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 15, 208 Mobile Service Office, Hamilton VA Healthcare Associates, Butler County, 1755-C South Erie Highway, Hamilton, Ohio from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 16, 2008 Mobile Service Office, Harold J. Hursh Chapter #131, 4610 Trenton-Franklin Road, Middletown, Ohio from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 17, 2008 Mobile Service Office, Buchminns Harley-Davidson, 1213 Cincinnati Ave., Xenia, Ohio from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 23-26, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Hamilton-Fairfield Chapter #15, Bass Pro, 300 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio.

May 30, 2008 DAV Day at the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati, Ohio

June 5-8, 2008 DAV Department Convention, The Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio

June 15, 2008 DAV Day at the Indians Ballpark, Cleveland, Ohio

June 26-27, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Brooklyn-Parma Chapter #116, Wal-Mart, Parma, Ohio

June 28, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Brooklyn-Parma Chapter #116, Giant Eagle, North Royalton, Ohio

August 8-9-10, 2008 Forget-Me-Not Drive, Salem Chapter #122, Salem, Ohio

August 1-2, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Darke County Chapter #57, Darke County area.

August 8-9, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Darke County Chapter #57, Greenville area

August 9-12, 2008 DAV National Convention,

Bally’s Hotel, Las Vegas.

August 23, 2008 Forget-Me-Not, Auglaize County Chapter #73, Wapakoneta and St. Marys, Ohio

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

Thought For May: Calling an illegal alien an “undocumented immigrant” is like calling a Drug dealer an “unlicensed pharmacist”.

IRS Electronic Postcard (Form 990-N): Beginning this year, all small tax exempt organizations, including DAV Chapters, who previously not required to file a tax return (Form 990) will be required to file the new E-Postcard 990 with the IRS. This NEW filing requirement applies to tax year 2007 and is due no later than November 15, 2008 covering DAV tax period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008.

Small DAV Chapters whose gross receipts were normally $25,000 or less were not required to file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ. However, this new law requires all Chapters, regardless of income, to file the 990-N (E-Postcard). When I first became aware of this new policy, I called the IRS and explained that many of our chapters do not have a computer. I was informed that computers are available at local libraries and, therefore, no exceptions to the electronic filing of the 990-N (E-Postcard) would be allowed.

There is a simple, internet based process for filing this E-Postcard, however, a chapter must have a email address, or at least the person using the computer can use his email address, in order to complete the filing process. Full instructions and detailed information on this E-Postcard is available online at: www.irs.gov/eo Also, you can print the instructions and forms from this IRS Website. I will allow time to answer specific questions on this matter during our June Convention.

Ohio could do well by consulting with state legislators in Kentucky in order to better serve our Senior Citizens while saving lots of money in the process. Lawmakers in the Blue Grass State are considering expanding home & community based services to allow older residents to continue living in their own homes at an average annual cost per person of $4,759. This represents a savings of almost $30, 000 when compared to the annual cost of Medicaid funding ($34,453.00)for nursing home care per person!!!

TOWN HALL MEETINGS: Operation Ohio Helps Its Own – These meetings give opportunity for Ohio DAV Chapters to participate and help provide support for our Troops and their families prior to and during deployments. I encourage all Chapter Members and Officers to attend and do your best to assist troops and their families with much needed help.

May 20, 2008, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

First Church of God

3100 Princeton Rd

Hamilton, OH 45011

And, as always, keep our troops in your prayers as they fight the good fight in the war on terrorism. And, never forget FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!

In May, We Have to Be Better than That

PDC Tom Keller

It was telling line about the state of public opinion in our United States.

“Most Americans don’t want to hear, see or feel anything about Iraq, whether they support the war or oppose it,” wrote Frank Rich in a nationally syndicated column. “They want to look away, period, and have been doing so for a long time.”

Yes, it’s painful to look at war and the consequences of war, but we in the Disabled American Veterans can’t let our nation’s people to take the easy road. As we approach Memorial Day, in particular, we cannot allow them to forget that 4,500 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In terms of those served by the DAV, we cannot permit America to turn a blind eye to the 75,000 battlefield casualties these two wars have produced. We cannot let our nation’s people forget that a quarter million veterans of today’s wars have filed claims for service-connected disability compensation, and that 295,000 turned to the VA for medical care last year.

It’s not only our duty to make sure America honestly faces the consequences of war, it’s in our own individual interest. If a nation’s people wipe the memory of war from their minds, their elected leaders will feel no obligation to disabled veterans.

What can you do to be an agent of change in a society that would rather not look at war and the consequences that war creates in the lives of disabled veterans? First of all, the DAV’s National Communications Department addresses this problem head-on in a Memorial Day speech it recently sent to all Chapters and Departments.

Chapter and Department leaders are urged to use this speech in addressing local audiences at Memorial Day events. You can also use short passages from this speech to create letters to the editors of local papers, probably signed by your Chapter Commander.

The speech is on the DAV’s website (www.dav.org), in the section called “Speeches” under the button called, “News & Events.” If you can’t find it, contact me at kellercopy@aol.com.

Listen, please, if you and your Chapter or Auxiliary Unit have not lined up at least one public Memorial Day activity this year, please do so now. We have to get out of our Chapter meeting places and reach out to America. We owe this to each other, and we surely owe it to our youngest brothers and sisters as they come home disabled from Iraq and Afghanistan.

THE OHIO BENEFIT BANK CAN HELP VETERANS CLAIM ECONOMIC STIMULUS PAYMENTS

The Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB) is a project of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. The OBB provides free tax-filing assistance both at counselor-assisted sites and online in a self-service edition.

The OBB released this week Economic Stimulus Filing Software for those who re not normally required to file federal income tax returns, but are required to do so to receive the economic stimulus payments recently authorized by Congress.

This Economic Stimulus Filing Software is available in a self-service version right now at www.OBB.Ohio.Gov. Next week, the OBB will also be releasing a counselor-assisted version, which Veterans Service Officers could use to help eligible veterans claim their stimulus payments. The web site next week will include video training for those who want to help people claim these payments.

Who qualifies for the economic stimulus rebate? Most individuals who are either U.S. citizens or resident aliens, have a Social Security Number at least $3,000 in qualifying income for 2007, and cannot be claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s 2007 tax return are eligible to receive a stimulus payment.

What is considered qualifying income for the rebate? Only the following types of income will count toward the $3,000 limit:

Wages report on W-2
Self-employment income
Social Security reported on SSA-1099 (not including SSI)
Tier 1 Railroad Retirement benefits reported on RRB-1099
Veterans’ disability, pension, or survivors’ benefits
Non-taxable combat pay

So other income types such as interest, dividends, alimony, unemployment, retirement plan for pensions, IRA distributions, gambling/lottery winnings, do not count as qualifying income for the economic stimulus rebate.

Can everyone who qualifies to receive the economic stimulus payment use the OBB’s new Economic Stimulus Filing Software? No, only those individuals who meet all of the following conditions:

The individual (and/or their spouse, if filing jointly) received at least $3,000 from Social Security, Railroad Retirement, or Veterans’ benefits as their primary source of income
The individuals (and/or spouse, if filing jointly) had combine unearned income (interest, dividends, lottery or gambling winnings, alimony or unemployment) that is less than the following amounts depending on their filing status:
Single - $8,750
Married Filing Jointly - $17,500
Married Filing Separately - $3,400
The individual (and/or their spouse, if filing jointly) had no dependents;

The individual (and/or their spouse, if filing jointly) have a Social Security Number;
The individual (and/or their spouse, if filing jointly) are a U.S. citizen or resident alien;
No federal taxes were withheld from their individual’s (and/or their spouse’s, if filing jointly) income, EXCEPT for any income reported in box 6 of a SSA-1099 OR box 10 of a RRB-1099;
The individual (and/or their spouse, filing jointly) made no estimated federal tax payments; AND
The individual (and/or their spouse, if filing jointly) cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s return.

Can the OBB help someone who is normally required to file a tax return? Veterans with household incomes of less than $54,000 per year may use the self-serve version of the OBB for federal and state taxes, at www.OBB.Ohio.Gov, or visit a counselor-assisted OBB tax site. Information about locations of those sites is available at the web site or by calling (800) 648-1176. You may also learn about how to become a Benefit Bank site by calling the same number.

OHIO VETERANS HOME AGENCY “THE BEST KEPT SECRET”

Immediate Placement in our Independent Living section at the Sandusky facility and an extremely short term waiting list in the Sandusky and Georgetown Nursing Home Facilities.

Please call our admissions department for more information at 1-800-572-7934.

Information Bulletin

IMPORTANT NUMBERS