Did You Know?                       Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance  A provision of the National Defense Authorization Act Fiscal Year 2008 has established a Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) for surviving spouses who are the beneficiary of the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity and their SBP annuity is partially or fully offset by the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). SSIA also applies to the surviving spouses of members who died on active duty whose SBP annuity is partially or fully offset by their DIC.  SSIA starts at $50 per month for in October and then increases each fiscal year by $10 until it reaches $100 in 2014.  SSIA will terminate in Feb. 2016.       Free College Entrance Guide Service to School (S2S) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free application counseling to military veterans. They help veterans win admission to the best universities possible and to help them maximize their education benefits. Download Book    USERRA Helps Veterans USERRA (Employment and Reemployment) gives members of the uniformed services re-employment protection and other benefits when military duty forces them to miss time from their civilian jobs. Provided that members of the Reserve Corps meet the eligibility criteria, USERRA mandates that returning service members must be promptly re-employed in the same position that they would have attained had they not been absent for military service, with the same seniority, status and pay, as well as other rights and benefits determined by seniority. USERRA also requires that reasonable efforts (such as training or retraining) be made to enable returning service members to refresh or upgrade their skills to help them qualify for reemployment. Be sure your employer knows this important information if you are in the Guard or a Reservist.      2015 National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic The deadline to apply for the 2015 National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic is May 1, 2015.  For more information or for an application, visit www.summersportsclinic.va.gov. The 2015 National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic is sponsored by VA, the Veterans Canteen Service and other community organizations.   Veteran Bonus Veterans who served in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations from August 2, 1990 to August 31, 1991, can apply for a bonus from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2015. The bonus pays $75 a month, up to a maximum of $525, for those who served in Operation Desert Shield or Operation Desert Storm.   Compensation for Parents A Veteran whose parent(s) are dependent upon him/her for financial support may be paid additional benefits. Dependency of a parent is based on need. Both the parental relationship and financial dependency of the parent must be established to qualify for this benefit. See your VSO for more information.

What Every Veteran Should Carry                         No longer will you have to carry around your DD Form 214 as proof of your military service.  The Veteran ID Card will quickly establish you as a veteran, along with other essential benefits.  More... Veteran ID Card

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