VA Loan Updates

House Dems wish they’d considered problems in Ariz. ‘T-shirt’ measure

PHOENIX — Several House Democrats are having second thoughts about supporting a law making it a crime to use the names or images of dead soldiers on merchandise sold in Arizona.

“I shouldn’t have voted the way I did,” House Minority Leader Phil Lopes said. The Tucson Democrat blamed his vote in favor of Senate Bill 1014 on a “senior moment.”

Rep. Tom Prezelski, D-Tucson, said he thought problems he originally had with the measure had been fixed. He acknowledged not reading the final version.

And Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, conceded that she wasn’t paying attention and was totally unaware of the contents of the bill on which she voted at least twice — once after a proponent of the measure gave a short floor speech explaining the essence of the bill and why he believed it was necessary.

The net result was that the measure passed unanimously.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The new $8.5 million Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Reno officially opens today with all veterans records under one roof, an energy-efficient building and what officials say will be streamlined claims services.

But it lacks one thing the old building had: bus service.

VA officials said Monday that the lack of bus service won’t be a problem because people can use the Access buses (formerly CitiLift service) and few veterans depend on buses to get to the claims center. But some veterans and veterans advocates disagreed.

“There are those who feel (bus service) isn’t an issue, but our office found that in our previous location we had about six to 10 vets per week using buses to get to the DAV,” said Fred Wagar, director of the Disabled American Veterans office in Reno, which is housed within the new VA building.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Blagojevich faces funding shortfall, barring budget deal

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration on Tuesday announced it will launch a partially funded program for Illinois combat veterans, even though the effort needs budget support from lawmakers who are feuding with the governor.

Beginning later this summer, the state Department of Veterans Affairs will evaluate Illinois National Guard members for signs of “traumatic brain injury,” or TBI, as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Officials will help afflicted soldiers get the federal medical benefits they need to treat the condition or provide state assistance, Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth said.

Meanwhile, her agency also plans to begin operating a 24-hour, toll-free hot line for veterans suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD), a psychological condition that can erupt long after battle.

Both TBI and PTSD have become hallmark injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More troops are surviving brain injuries - typically from roadside bombs - in part because of the expertise of front-line medical care.

Duckworth said her agency’s $10.5 million plan is unprecedented for any state, though she acknowledged the federal government may eventually offer similar services. Duckworth spokeswoman Jessica Woodward said the state veterans department only has $4.3 million to begin the screenings and hot line, but Blagojevich said it was safe to proceed and indicated lawmakers would approve the balance.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Q: I heard the VA can make available a specially adapted housing grant. Can you provide more information on what this is about?

A: Veterans that have specific service-connected disabilities may be entitled to a grant from the VA for the purpose of constructing an adapted dwelling or modifying an existing home to meet the veteran’s needs. These are severe disabilities such as the loss or loss of use of both lower and upper extremities. The goal of the Specially Adapted Housing Program is to provide a barrier-free living environment that affords the veterans a level of independent living he or she may not normally enjoy. For more grant information, go to: www.homeloans.va.gov/sah.htm.

The VA loan guaranty department can be reached at (800) 827-1000 option 2.

Found here.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

NASHVILLE — A lawmaker who proposed financing veterans’ programs by adding 3 cents to the 42-cent cigarette tax increase that has already passed the Legislature put his measure on hold today to consider other ways to raise the money.

House Democrats had advanced a bill the day before to hike the cigarette tax by an additional 3 cents per pack to pay for veterans’ homes and scholarships. It passed out of the House Finance Committee and had been scheduled for a floor vote today.

Rep. David Shepard asked that the vote be put on hold to ‘‘study this and reflect … to come up with the best proposal that we can.’’

‘‘There are other options besides raising the cigarette tax,’’ he said.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Thank you for the article you ran in the May 28 Register regarding Leo Parent, a veteran’s advocate in Montague, Mass. (”Veterans’ agent honors vets, Purple Heart recipients”). The service he provides is, unfortunately, so vital.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is an enormous bureaucracy with an equally large and confusing set of rules and procedures. Filing a claim or applying for benefits is a daunting task for anyone; it is nearly unapproachable for a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Our vets need people like Mr. Parent, people who are familiar with the process and familiar with the myriad forms.

There are an amazing number of vets who do not use the benefits to which they are entitled. Generally, there seem to be three reasons for this. They thought they weren’t eligible, they felt it would be too much of a hassle to apply or they felt there were others that were worse off. I’ve worked with veterans for several years as a county veterans service officer, and I’m amazed how many think they aren’t even veterans because they didn’t make a career of the military.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

WASHINGTON — The chairman of a House panel wants to stop hefty bonus payments to senior Veterans Affairs officials until they reduce a severe backlog of veterans waiting for disability benefits.

Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., said Friday he was introducing legislation to place a hold on this year’s bonuses after The Associated Press reported that senior VA officials involved in a budget foul-up which jeopardized veterans’ health care received bonuses ranging up to $33,000.

Under the measure, 2007 bonuses could not be released until the VA pares down its backlog to under 100,000 cases — a feat the VA has said could take many months, if not years. Currently, the backlog of claims ranges from between 400,000 to more than 600,000, with delays averaging 177 days.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Dear Fixer: I am a disabled veteran. On Aug. 27, I had Steele Mobility come out to repair a wheelchair lift in my home. The repair call cost $722.29.I paid Steele Mobility with a personal check, which cleared my bank three days later. Subsequently, I discovered that the VA would have paid — and did pay — for the repairs.

I have been calling Steele Mobility since early September to try to get a refund of my $722.29 and can’t get a return call.

They’ve been paid twice for the same job. My income is limited to my disability checks, and I could use some help getting my refund.

Clarence Daly, Tinley Park

Dear Clarence: If Team Fixer could figure out how to get paid twice for the same job, we’d be one happy pack of reporters. But we digress. We called Steele Mobility and spoke with a man who gave his name as Dave, who agreed you were due the money. It only took 10 follow-up calls over two months till you finally got your refund — plus $25 for interest you might have earned.

Found here.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

A two-day Gateway to Government Contracting conference at the Antlers Hilton Hotel drew businesses from across Colorado and neighboring states interested in competing for government contracts. Jovita Carranza, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, was the keynote speaker Thursday.

Carranza, who spoke about opportunities for veteranowned businesses, talked to The Gazette before her speech.

QUESTION: Are you hearing from more and more veterans seeking to start small businesses?

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The media are full of stories of how badly the returning disabled vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated. Walter Reed and other military hospitals and Veterans Affairs will be pilloried, along with the Bush administration, and then things will probably settle down without much change for the returning veterans.The VA, with the blessings of both Republican and Democratic administrations, has established a system that will not get at the root problems that then get built into the system in the form of disability pensions for disabled veterans.

I was severely wounded in the closing days of combat in Germany in World War II. After a year in Army hospitals, I went to college on the GI Bill and then was given a 50 percent disability rating by the VA.

In the 56 years since then, I have never been examined by the VA to see if I am recovered or whether I need the money any more! With the blessings of Congress and the pressure of the veterans’ lobby, these disability pensions have become lifetime entitlements, not helps to getting back to a normal life.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites