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Did You Know?
Boots On Ground Not Necessary
Reversing a long-held position, the Department of Veterans Affairs now says Air Force reservists who became ill after being exposed to Agent Orange residue while working on planes after the Vietnam War should be eligible for disability benefits.
The VA said it has been working to finalize a rule that could cover more than 2,000 military personnel who flew or worked on Fairchild C-123 aircraft in the U.S. from 1972 to 1982. Many of the Vietnam-era planes, used by the reservists for medical and cargo transport, had sprayed millions of gallons of herbicide during the 1955-1975 military conflict in Southeast Asia.
If the White House Office of Management and Budget approves the change, it would be the first time the VA had established a special category of Agent Orange exposure for military personnel without “boots on the ground” or inland waterways service in Vietnam. That could open the VA to renewed claims by thousands of other veterans who say they were exposed to Agent Orange in less direct circumstances, such as on the open sea.
The announcement is expected as early as this coming week (June 14-20, 2015).
Unknown Funds Available Help is available for veterans recovering from floods and storms that hit their homes. However, not all vets know about the programs. The Disabled American Veterans has a disaster relief program that can give thousands of dollars for temporary housing, food and clothing. The organization has provided more than $16,000 to veterans in Pilger, Nebraska, Beaver Crossing, Nebraska, and DeWitt, Iowa, in the past year. The state also has a veteran’s aid program. You have to experience something that has happened that is temporary and unforeseen emergency in your life. The fund was established in 1921 after World War I. Instead of giving bonuses to their veterans, Nebraska invested the money in a trust. The trust has grown to nearly $47 million. The interest helps hundreds of Nebraska veterans each year. Call the organization at 402-420-4025.
New IU Center The Indiana University Maurer School of Law announced the establishment of a Veterans Disability Law Clinic Thursday, June 18, 2015. The new clinic will be the first of its kind in the state and will operate from the already established Disability Law Clinic. It will provide full representation services for low-income disabled veterans inside of the greater Bloomington area who have already applied for benefits and have been denied. Clients will be able to apply to the clinic starting July 1, 2015. For more detail call 812-855-9666.
Tax Help
Honorably Discharged Veterans can receive help from Madison County agency. Madison County will once again offer a program to provide property tax relief for struggling veterans. Treasurer Kurt Prenzler, CPA, and Veterans’ Assistance Commission (VAC) Superintendent Brad Lavite are joining forces to assist honorably discharged veterans who struggle to pay their property taxes. Veterans must contact the VAC no later than December 1, 2015, to receive property tax assistance. The first due for property taxes is July 9, 2015 and subsequent payments are September 9, 2015, October 9, 2015 and December 9, 2015. Contact the Veterans’ Assistance Commission at 618-296-4554 for more information about this program.
Same-Sex Veteran Couples Granted Full Benefits June 26, 2015 - The landmark Supreme Court ruling making same-sex marriage legal across the U.S. means LGBT military personnel will have full access to veterans benefits, according to the nation’s largest organization for LGBT service members and veterans. “Burial rights to veteran home loans, today’s historic Supreme Court decision bringing marriage equality to every state in our great nation means that LGBT military families will finally have access to the full federal veterans benefits they’ve earned,” AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack said in a written statement. Also, today's decision will now permit same sex weddings in military chapels in all 50 states. Additionally, Friday’s ruling means states must also recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. |
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