Two years ago, President Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act into law. That Act designates every March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. It was March 29, 1973, when the last of our combat troops left Vietnam and, argumentatively, the day the last American prisoners of war Read more…
The fourteenth annual Tribute to Our Freedom, to be held on 19 May 2019 between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at its Macungie location (3801 Brookside Road), is an inspiring evening to honor and pray for our veterans. This one is intended to honor Purple Heart recipients. There will be a color guard, armed forces medley, patriotic performances, a Purple Heart veterans presentation and hors d’oeuvres Meet & Greet following. This evening is free and open to the entire community. At this moment, it is seeking Purple Heart veterans to honor (past and present) in two ways: (more…)
On 28 February 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced that $800,000 of grant money from the Veterans Trust Fund (VTF) will be awarded to 29 Pennsylvania organizations that support veterans’ programs throughout the commonwealth, contingent upon completion of a grant agreement. The trust’s funds are meant to be exclusively used for military veterans, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs administers it. Since 2013, a total of $3,632,860 has been awarded. (more…)
It is often forgotten — despite eye care being, amazingly, the Veteran Health Administration’s third busiest program — that if you are enrolled in VA healthcare, you are eligible for diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic eye care services, regardless of your priority group. You may also be eligible to receive eyeglasses and medically necessary contact lenses, if the ophthalmologist/ optometrist determines the need. (more…)
On 30 November, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program (VR&E) announced its ability to provide “Tele-counseling” to those disabled veterans desiring it.
The VA’s Tele-counseling, or virtual communication system, allows the use of any device with a webcam and microphone to communicate with one of its 1,000-plus Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC). This capability reduces travel costs and time for both veterans and VRCs, thereby potentially improving a veteran’s access to necessary VR&E services. “VR&E’s Tele-counseling service is another example of how VA continually modernizes in support of Veterans’ needs … [It provides] personalized, interactive face-to-face services regardless of location”, according to the Secretary of the VA, Robert Wilkie.
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Verbatim from the TRICARE.mil website
If you missed TRICARE Open Season, you still have time to enroll. For this year only, you can enroll in or change your TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select plan through Dec. 31, 2018 for coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2019. You may also change your type of enrollment, like switching from individual to family coverage. (more…)
The Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center will hold a Town Hall at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, at the Allentown VA Outpatient Clinic, 3110 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown. Its purpose is to give an opportunity to veterans to meet with top officials and ask questions which concern them and others. Source: Read more…
This Christmas, Nazareth Life Church Ministries will be granting some Christmas wishes for local veterans, active military and their families. It will also hold a Christmas Party for them at the Blue’s event center in Bethlehem on December 20th between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to express its appreciation for Read more…
The following is an excerpt from the minutes of the monthly VISN-4 veterans service organizations’ conference call in November. It addresses the issue of suicides among veterans:
In September, VA released national and state-level findings from its most recent analysis of Veteran suicide data, from 2005 to 2016. The analysis is part of VA’s ongoing examination of non-Veteran and Veteran death records that is being used to evaluate and improve VA’s Suicide Prevention Program. (more…)