News Blog

LVMAC News — Roll Call! Community Banquet to Honor Those Who Serve

LVMAC Logo (Best Small PNG)LVMAC Salute to the Troops Dinner Flyer 24Apr2016The Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council’s annual “Salute to the Troops” dinner will be held on 13 May, starting at 6 p.m., at a new location this year:  the Holiday Inn at 7736 Adrienne Drive in Breinigsville.  Our member organizations are strongly encouraged to attend, but the event is open to any member of the community wishing the recognize the service of the current military and recently returned veterans.   Now the the time to reserve your seat(s).  We ask that you do this no later than 4 May. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — Vietnam War Observance

A Commemoration of the Vietnam War at the State Capitol

VietnamLogo_50th_Circle_3-27-12 FinalOn March 29 at 11 a.m. in Harrisburg, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is conducting a Vietnam War 50-year commemoration ceremony in the Rotunda of the State Capitol.

Besides the eight Vietnam-era, state legislators and a part of the National Guard establishment who will be there,  the President of the Pennsylvania State Council of Vietnam Veterans, Tom Haberkorn and a color guard from VVA Chapter 542 will be in attendance. (more…)

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Forward Observer — The Veterans Choice Program Drama Continues: Getting Bugged by the Private Healthcare’s Debt Collectors?

VA Announces Community Care Call Center to Help Veterans with Choice Program Billing Issues

LVMAC Poster Art 2005The joy of encountering the American private medical systems’  debt collectors has been taken on by the Department of Veterans Affairs in effort to make right with their veterans.  On 14 March 2016, the VA announced the opening of yet another call center – this time to resolve debt collection issues resulting from problems created by the Veterans Choice [Card] program.  Veterans have been experiencing adverse credit reporting or debt collection resulting from inappropriately billed Choice Program claims.  The VA is now acknowledging that delayed payments and inappropriately billed claims are unacceptable and have caused stress for veterans and providers alike. (more…)

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Forward Observer — Out of Bad Comes Good In A Strange Way

New Heptatitis-C Drugs Now Available to All Veterans Who Need It

LVMAC Poster Art 2005In a past articles we have written about the current abortion of a program known as Veterans Choice  which Congress itself helped to create in trying to make the VA’s healthcare system more responsive to veterans living in the current era  (In the coming year we should expect to see major improvement.)   Ironically, an immediate good has resulted from this failure because funds were transferred from the program to overcome a critical budgetary crisis, partially caused by the cost of a certain breakthrough, hepatitis drug.  Furthermore, the issue of hepatitis care was not then forgotten.   This is important news to those among the estimated 200,000 veterans who heretofore have been awaiting the lifesaving medicine now available – sofosbuvir, sold as Sovaldi and Harvoni. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — Want to Learn How to Drive and Get Paid?

NCC Offers Free Tuition for Truck Driver Training

NCC LogoAccording to a 4 March 2016 posting by Northampton Community College (NCC), a grant from the United States Department of Transportation has enabled the college to offer free commercial truck driver training to current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouses (including current members of the National Guard and Reserves) who reside in Northampton, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Carbon, or Lackawanna counties.   [Editor’s Note: It is unfortunate such a course offering does not exist for Lehigh County residents.] (more…)

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Forward Observer — Getting the Right Treatment

Newly Formed Department Steps In

LVMAC Poster Art 2005Earlier this year, the relatively new Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) stepped in and righted a wrong over a matter of significance to those veterans who struggle with alcohol or drug use. Its action should not go unnoticed, for it has a deep impact on the way business has been done in the past. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Announces New One-Number, Call Center

On 17 February, in an effort to improve contact between the serviced veterans and their assigned clinical teams, Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT), the Wilkes-Barre VAMC has announced the opening of a one-stop call center with a one-call number (1-877-928-2621) beginning 19 February 2016.   It is intended to help those using the Medical Center and their Community-Based Outpatient Centers (CBOC) — the Lehigh Valley has two of these, one in Allentown and another in the Bangor area; and it will provide veterans with a direct line of contact to schedule or cancel appointments, relay messages to their provider, request medication refills, or have their calls routed to the appropriate service. (more…)

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