Veterans Services

Forward Observer — President Trump signs S. 544, The Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act

Click on image for the Military.com article

LVMAC Poster Art 2005Yesterday, the President signed Senate Bill 544 into law.  It extended and amended the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014.  Otherwise, the controversial Veterans Choice (Card) Program would have expired in August, although $1 billion of the original $10 billion remained in the account and the number of veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare system using  private care, under VA direction, had risen from approximately 10 to 33 percent.   Essentially, the bill was a no-brain’er, as no doubt the good senator from Montana, Jon Tester (D), would himself admit.  It was not a remarkable feat on the part of the Congress or the President — or the VA. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — Northampton County Bar Association To Hold a Special Veterans Legal Needs Forum

norco-bar-assoc-logoOn 1 December 2016 at Penn State – Lehigh Valley, the Northampton County Bar Association will hold a forum entitled, “Lehigh Valley Veterans: Their Story, The Challenges and How We Can Work Together.”  The event is open to the public and, for the first time in the Lehigh Valley, provides the opportunity for both veterans and the legal community to converse on this important subject. (more…)

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Forward Observer — VA Expands Medical Reimbursement Period for Drinking Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune

LVMAC Poster Art 2005On 18 July the VA issued a final ruling which expanded eligibility for those who may have been affected by drinking contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.  The window of eligibility has been expanded by about two and a half years.  Previously, you must have been there from 1 January 1957 to 31 December 1987.

You may now be eligible for VA health benefits if you served on active duty or resided (family members) at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — The Little Known Veterans Employment Center™ (VEC)

VA VEC LogoLast Veterans Day 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched with little fanfare a new website, www.vets.gov, though it is still under development and not anticipated to be finally complete for a year.  It is part of the ostensibly transformative MyVA initiative and is being done in response to the federal government’s acknowledgment that there is are far too many “helpful” websites, call centers and 1-800 numbers out there.  The end result is “the VA customer experience is fragmented, frustrating and confusing.”  The VA is attempting to develop a simplified website “which provides useful information that’s clearly written and presented and tools that are easy to find and use” in all one place.  This is no easy task.

One of its better efforts on this website seems to be the  The Veterans Employment Center™ (VEC).  Its intention is to connect veterans and their families with meaningful employment and career-development opportunities. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — VA Adds Telephone Enrollment for Healthcare

VA LogoVeterans may now apply to enroll in the VA’s healthcare system by picking up the phone and dialing 1-877-222-8387 (VETS) between Monday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it has eliminated paper signature requirements for military veterans wishing to enroll in VA healthcare.  That door was opened through an amendment to its regulations. (more…)

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LVMAC Tidbit — Veterans Health Administration to Hold Town Hall in Bethlehem Area

VA LogoFor the first time in the Bethlehem area, the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center will be conducting a Community Town Hall — one of many such meetings the Veterans Health Administration is hosting nationwide on a quarterly basis. The event will be held on 29 June starting at 5 p.m. on Northampton Community College’s north main campus in the Gates Center’s Alumni Hall (Room 130) just off 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem. (more…)

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