News Blog

LVMAC News — Veterans, Reservists and the National Guard Should Worry About a Pennsylvania Payday Lending Bill

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In this Issue

Pending Payday Lending Legislation: A Debt Trap for Military Veterans
General Announcements
Homelessness
Scholarship Program
Community Educational Outreach
PTSD Booklet for Families
Healthcare in Our Community
Veterans Supportive Colleges Initiative
DoD/VA News

Pending Payday Lending Legislation: A Debt Trap for Military Veterans

Go to the Forward Observer article on payday lending to read what Kerry Smith told the Council at its 20 March business meeting. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — Poaching Veterans’ Pensions

Veterans Are Being Preyed Upon Again

David M. Dubois, Deputy Director of the Office of Servicemember Affairs in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of the Federal Trade Commission,  has put out this alert to various veterans groups: “Veterans and their families are a target for some dishonest advisers who are claiming to offer free help with paperwork for pension claims.”

“The scheme involves attorneys, financial planners, and insurance agents trying to get veterans to make decisions about their pensions, without giving them the whole truth,” according to Dubois. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — PA Superior Court “Argues” About Vets

An Event Honoring Those Who Have Served

On 26 February the Argument Court of the PA Superior Court is coming to Northampton County and will begin its special session by hosting an open program to honor our veterans.  The event is called, “Honoring Those Who Serve – A Tribute to Our Veterans.”  The purpose of the event is to publicly acknowledge the military service and sacrifices made by veterans and their families.  During the program, three veterans of different wars will speak. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — Last Call for 2013 Student Vets Conference

Less than two weeks are left until the March 2nd through 3rd Student Veterans Education & Employment Conference at the William Pitt Student Union on the University of Pittsburgh campus, Pittsburgh, PA. Register today to meet the Student Veterans of America Staff and National Leadership Council Members who know first-hand effective strategies for supporting student veterans.  And even fewer days are left to register.  The deadline for registration is Friday, February 22nd. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

Forward Observer — VBA Claims Initiative Aims at Reducing Processing Time and Adding Convenience – Is it Possible?

No More In-Person Exam Requirement for Some?

LVMAC Poster Art 2005On 31 January 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it had begun a new initiative which will reduce the requirement for an in-person medical examination for some veterans when applying for a service-connected disability compensation rating – when sufficient information is in the individual’s records.  The intent is to shorten processing times. It is a product of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) Transformation Plan – a five-year effort to improve its processes with the goals of eliminating the widely reported backlog in claims and processing all claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy by 2015. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — A Women Veterans Symposium, First of Its Kind in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), under which the Office of Veterans Affairs is found,  is hosting its first Pennsylvania Women Veterans Symposium (PWVS) on March 8-10, 2013, at the Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg.  All Pennsylvania women veterans, regardless of period of service, are welcome.

The symposium is geared to meet the needs of women veterans by providing them with information and resources, to include VA benefits and health care.  Important guest speakers will be featured, as well as breakout sessions on a variety of topics of particular interest to women veterans.  The event will also provide an opportunity to meet fellow vets and build camaraderie. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News — Babb-ling on About Military History

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In This Issue

  • Mr. Babb Talks About the Veterans History Project Roundtable
  • Veterans Affairs Committee Develops Its Operating Budget
  • Looking Forward on the Homelessness Front
  • 2013 Scholarship Season Opening
  • Re-looking Our Employment Programs
  • Health Care Initiative Progressing
  • Project Healing Waters Events Set for 2013
  • Focus on Colleges Begins
  • Report on the War Veterans Council
  • DoD/VA News

MR. BABB TALKS ABOUT THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT ROUNDTABLE

David Babb, a historian and interviewer for the Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project Roundtable, a member organization, spoke to the Council at its business meeting on 17 January 2013.

His organization was formed in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization two capture the stories of all wartime veterans and also those who served on the home front. It collects documents and preserves their personal experiences and then shares those stories with both the public and the Library of Congress.  To date about 200 interviews have been done. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — A Special Retreat for Women Veterans

ALL WOMEN VETERANS IN PENNSYLVANIA,  STAND UP!

 ATTENTION:

What:  Women Veterans Retreat
Where: Comfort Inn, Duncansville, PA
When:  From 22 March at 4:30 p.m. to 24 March at about 9 a.m.
Cost:    Free, courtesy of state VFW Posts and Ladies Auxiliaries
RSVP required:  PAWomenVets2013@gmail.com by 1 March 2013
Primary POC:  Sandy Showalter, Chair, Women’s Programs, VFW Dept. of PA

Registration starts 22 March at 4:30 p.m. Bring a DD Form 214 or its equivalent, VA Card, or Military ID Card.  Program starts 22 March at 6:00 p.m.

This one-of-a-kind event is open to any woman veteran of any period of service and sponsored by women veterans for women veterans. You do not have to be affiliated with any organization — this event is not about organizations. Come learn about your benefits, learn about yourself, enjoy the company of other women veterans, be “vet proud,” and also feel the appreciation of the Blair County community. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — New TRICARE Pharmacy Copays for 2013

As a result of the enacted Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, beginning this February new  copayments for prescription drugs purchased through TRICARE off-base are about to go into effect. Off-base TRICARE Pharmacy copays will continue to vary based upon class of drug and where beneficiaries choose to fill their prescriptions. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago