There has been talk going around that Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center does not reimburse for bus travel involving authorized VA appointments. This is misinformation as best as we can determine. For the latest on its travel reimbursement policy and who to contact in the event of a problem, click here. Read more…
Adalberto Morales, one of two Suicide Prevention Coordinators at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center (VAMC), gave an outstanding talk to the Council at its 15 May business meeting. His sole purpose is to help those contemplating suicide to get to needed help, no matter where – within the VA system or within the community. Together with Denise Carey, they operate 24/7 and are busy.
Morales affirmed suicide has become a serious problem for veterans and it is a problem for more than those who have more recently served, the focus of most media articles. He has witnessed an increase among Vietnam era veterans as they retire also. As a result, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates since 2010, a suicide occurs every 11 to 15 minutes (or about 105 suicides daily). Consequently, suicide has risen from the fifteenth to the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.
Making matters worse, the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania are already known for their high suicide rates in their populations. The Wilkes-Barre VAMC has 35 active cases currently being closely monitored, but over the last year, there have been six ‘completions’ and more than 60 “serious attempts” at suicide have occurred – “ideations” being in the hundreds. Therefore, the Wilkes-Barre VAMC Coordinators alternate to provide a 24/7 service, the only ones in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system to do so other than those in the national Crisis Call Center. (more…)
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
Go to the Forward Observer article on payday lending to read what Kerry Smith told the Council at its 20 March business meeting. (more…)
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…)
In This Issue
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…)
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…)
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…)
WILKES-BARRE VA MEDICAL CENTER SAYS IT IS PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY
Dr. Aruna Bhatia, Chief of Mental/Behavioral Health Services spoke to the Council at its business meeting on 19 December on the advances in care by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In an honest and straightforward talk, she stated there has been a focus on mental health over the last decade and a lot of work done in recovery, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide prevention, albeit with some stumbling along the way. (more…)
In This Issue:Robert McKenrick, the relatively new Director of the newly reorganized Philadelphia VA Regional Office of the Veterans Benefits Administration, spoke to the Council at its business meeting on 21 November. He brought along Eileen Kostic, Manager of the Veterans Service Center, and Leroy Saunders, a Military Services Coordinator. Mr. McKenrick is a current war veteran from the Army Reserve.
Recently what was known as the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center (VARIOC) split (more…)
THRIVENT FINANCIAL WANTS TO GET INVOLVED IN ASSISTING VETERANS
Messrs. Rick Baldwin, Community Engagement Coordinator, Tom Knauer and Michael Colson, the regional point of contact, of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans addressed the Council at its 26 September business meeting. Although there is no chapter specific to the Lehigh Valley, there are about 107,287 members in 53 chapters throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Consequently, it might play a huge role to the benefit of veterans in our valley. This is what their talk centered around. (more…)
