Protect your VA Card (Veterans Identification Card, aka VIC, which has been issued since 2004) against identity theft like you would your Social Security card. Leave home without it if you do not need it for an appointment. Don’t hand it to anyone but a VA employee. If you are using it for a purchase discount, be careful it is not scanned. The reason? (more…)
To meet the demand, a reprinting of Stephanie Laite Lantham’s Veterans and Families’ Guide for Recovering from PTSD is now available upon request at no cost to those who want to learn more about PTSD and want to know how to help a loved one or a friend. The booklet has also proven unexpectedly useful to the local judiciary and municipalities as well.
“The Guide” was at one time distributed by the Military Order of Purple Heart (MOPH) to the VA Vet Centers in all 50 states. That’s how it came it first came to our attention. We believed booklet could fulfill an additional, special need in our community if tailored to it. Fortunately, the author was willing to work with us. (more…)
Tis the season to deceive veterans … We thought you might want to know about this one because it is particularly devious in the way it is done. We wish to thank our Navy Club brothers from the Reading area for putting us onto it. (more…)
They say you can always learn from others. While it is a bit out of our area of operations, we think the 16 November Mini Stand Down in the Reading area is something about to which to take note. (Rumor has it there will be one at the Allentown VA Outpatient Clinic in the near future by another organization. Nothing official has come from the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center network to us.) As the cold weather approaches, such events for veterans who are homeless and perhaps living on the streets take on added significance. Kudos to Chapter G, 2nd Brigade Motorcycle Club for taking on this duty … and not just for the first time. See the flyer attached. (more…)
Healthcare Providers Seek to Identify Veterans to Improve Their CareLEHIGH VALLEY, PA; November 6, 2013 – An alliance of every hospital in the Lehigh Valley, created by the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) in 2011, is announcing an initiative to identify veterans during the hospital registration process. Much in the same way patients are asked if they feel safe in their home, all adult patients soon will be asked whether they are a veteran. Completion is targeted for 31 March 2014. (more…)
Nope, they’re not being disrespectful … but many businesses are offering free meals or discounted prices in recognition of veterans and their families this November, particularly on 11 November. Thought you might be interested. These two files offer a nearly complete list of what we know is out there but Read more…
It is that time of year again when temperatures are getting cold again. Temperatures are predicted to be slightly below 32 degrees overnight throughout the next couple of days and into the weekend. I have spoken with both Shelter Directors (Salvation Army and Allentown Rescue Mission) who have agreed to Read more…
The Lehigh County Veterans’ Mentorship Program, a beneficial county effort which plays shortstop to a full Veterans’ Treatment Court as practiced in other states and a few counties of this Commonwealth, is holding a special Veterans Forum partially as a result of recent veterans’ suicides in the area. It is entitled, “Hope, Healing and Returning Home.” Its purpose is to provide information regarding: suicide prevention, the Veterans’ Mentorship Program itself, and other support services. It will be held on 7 November, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the former Veterans Sanctuary site at 24 S. Fifth St., Allentown. (more…)
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, using Penn State University (PSU) – Harrisburg as its contractor, is conducting an unusual survey to assess the real needs of veterans and their families.
There are significant concerns with the current system which need addressing at state and federal levels or, in our estimation, this study would not not be conducted. If properly done, LVMAC sees the study as a tool towards achieving future system changes for the benefit of our local military veterans and their families. In addition to literature searches, comparisons with other states, random surveys and interviews of selected organizations to help assess the situation, focus group meetings are being conducted at six sites throughout the state. The Lehigh Valley has been selected for one of these sites – usually we are overlooked. (more…)
Hurry if you want to see a Penn State football game on 16 November for free. They’re playing Purdue University. The school is offering 5,000 tickets to servicemembers (reserve and active), wounded warriors, Gold Star mothers and NOW veterans of any era, to include their family members, and we hear if you register now, you are virtually assured seating. Yes, you must register — the extended deadline is now 25 October. (more…)