Vietnam Reflections
 
 
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The Point Sept.2008
-The Point-
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.
Chapter 172
17 N. Liberty Street
Phone 1-777-7001 Cumberland, Maryland 21502-2316 FAX 1-301-777-7041
1-800-482-VETS Email vva172@atlanticbbn.net
The First Chapter in the State of Maryland – The Gold Standard
September 2008
MEMBERSHIP
During the month of July and August our membership has reached over 900 and around 400 of those members are Life Members. Anyone who is interested in a Life Member now is the time. Receive a free VVA Challenge coin (that will be going to press soon) with a paid up Life Membership. You will no longer have to worry if your dues are paid up or in before they expire.
$225.00 (Age 50 – 55)
$200.00 (Age 56 – 60)
$175.00 (Age 61 – 65)
$150.00 (Age 66 or over)
Or you can pay $50.00 down and $25.00 a month.
FREE COIN OFFER ENDS DECEMBER 31, 2008
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ProCare Serves Local Veterans with In-Home Health Care
ProCare Home Health Providers of Cumberland has been awarded a VA Contract to provide Personal Care and Homemaker Home Health Care Services to Department of Veterans Affairs Beneficiaries referred by the VA Medical Center. We cover Allegany, Bedford, Garrett, Mineral and Washington Counties. It is exciting to be part of the community in helping our veterans who have served in various armed forces and helping them in their greatest time of need. ProCare considers it an honor to be able to serve them now with the services we provide.
ProCare offers Personal Care and Home Support Services, such as, helping with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, companionship, medication reminders, meal prep, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, errands and transportation to doctor appointments. Sometimes if extended help is needed with their medications, we have Certified Medication Technicians available to help them with the medications. If a spouse or family member is taking on the role as caregiver and they need a break or some time away, we can provide the much-needed Respite Care they deserve. With Alzheimer’s and Dementia on the rise, we fully understand the special care needed in helping this veteran and the demands that the family faces with this on a day-to-day basis. The owners of ProCare have personal experience in dealing with Alzheimer’s and will be there to give the family support as they move through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
ProCare offers Peace of Mind by sending only the best caregivers available. All caregivers are supervised, bonded & insured, and completed a criminal background screening. Our goal is to promote a healthy, happy and safe home environment.
If you think you can benefit from our services, we can visit you in your home, you can stop by our office or give us a call. Contact us today for your Free In-Home Needs Assessment. ProCare Home Health Providers thanks you for your time served. We can be reached at 301-876-9152 and our address is 111 S. George St., Suite 11 in downtown Cumberland.
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If you are easily confused, you should not read this next article. Submitted by Chapter Member George Kauffman
Talk About Double-Speak-
After reading the statements of a number of people who appeared at a hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs earlier this month, it’s no wonder veterans are still waiting an inordinate amount of time for responses to claims and appeals.
Patrick W. Dunne, the Veterans Benefits Administration’s acting undersecretary for benefits, reported he expects a more than 5 percent increase in the number of overall claims submitted by veterans, from 855,000 in fiscal 2008, to as many as 883,000 for fiscal 2009.
Veterans will be happy to know, however, that after adding more than 2,700 new employees to the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) payroll, the time spent processing veterans’ claims has dropped from 183 days to – sit down if you must –182 days.
On the bright side, as of the end of May, the VBA’s “inventory” had been reduced to a mere 390,000 claims backlogged. Yep. We don’t even qualify as veterans any more. We’ve been reduced to inventory.
Dunne, by the way, is a retired Navy rear admiral. Go figure.
Speaking on behalf of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was Kerry Baker, the group’s associate national legislative director.
Kerry asked lawmakers to remove procedural roadblocks in the appeals process, noting how lengthy (he’s correct) the process is. Now, if I could just understand what the hell he was talking about.
Committee members were told: NOD to receipt of SOC – 213 days – VARO; SOC issuance to receipt of VA Form 9 – 44 days – appellant; receipt of VA Form 9 to certification to the Board – 531 days –VARO; receipt of certified appeal to Board decision – 273 days – Board; total –1,061 days from NOD to Board decision – sadly, many are much longer.
God love the DAV for what they do for veterans, but huh? Does the average veteran understand just what he’s talking about? To be fair, the transcript supplied on the committee’s Web site explained the abbreviations, but why not speak in plain language, perhaps something like this: “Mr. Chairman, the claims process is entirely too *&^$#* long and we have more veterans dying every (&#$!@ day. How long is it going to take to %$#@&*% this $%@#$% process? Thank you for taking the time to hear our concerns.”
Is it just me, or did I get my point across in three sentences?
Next up on the dais was J. David Cox, the national secretary-treasure of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO.
This irritates me on a couple of fronts. First, never trust anyone not willing to use their first name. What’s the worst it could be; John, Joshua or Jamal?
What’s worse is his reason for appearing before the committee. Oh sure, he began his little fireside chat with the efforts of his union members to ensure veterans are well cared for. But eventually, Cox got around to the real reason his was there: money and benefits for the rank and file.
The “production quality and workplace morale” would be greatly enhanced if there was a “collaborative environment” between management and employees.
Cox also pleaded with the committee to make veterans service representatives’ career ladder more competitive, noting employees can only rise to the level of a GS-10 unless they pass a skills certification test. In other words, Cox is urging the VBA to pay higher salaries without having to prove they can do the job.
I can’t argue with wanting more money. Who doesn’t? To paraphrase Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, if offered, I will accept; if given, I will not return it. But the purpose of the hearing was to review undue delays in processing claims, and not to conjure up a Dickensian image of Oliver, begging, “Please, sir. I want some more.”
The cast of characters didn’t end with Cox, but it would take up too much space to continue. The facts are simple: the VBA’s claim process takes too long. Veterans, particularly those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder need help immediately, not some time in the future.
I realize dealing with the VA can be a Byzantine experience. The cure to the lengthy waiting period is not as simple as, “Here’s a check. Have a nice day.” But I dare say if the process was discussed in simple language, it might translate to shorter decision times.
Bruce Coulter is the editor of the Burlington Union and a retired, disabled veteran. He may be reached at 978-371-5775, or by e-mail at bcoulter@cnc.com.
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Event News
Now pay attention, September 20 is the Annual Adult Picnic aka. Steak Feed. Once again the Mt. Savage Fire Hall is the location. Diner will be served around 6:00pm. If you expect to have your steak at the stroke of six it ain’t going to happen, unless you are the first person in the line. We are not going to start cooking an hour early, it didn’t work last year and we ended up losing a bunch of meat. Read between the lines, come and socialize, have a beverage, play a game of chance, stand outside and have a smoke, relax, we won’t run out of food. And, once again this is an adult picnic, one guest per member. Volunteer are still needed call the office 301-777-7001.
Also, believe it or not the Christmas party is just around the corner Saturday, December 6th. Once again we will have a special rate at the hotel call and make your reservation early, or wait until the last second, whatever.
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Discovering American
Still looking for American made stuff, the hunt goes on. Jim Combs supplied me with an address of a hat company that makes hats in America, they also make jackets, I am waiting for the catalogs as I write. Just went through the new Cabelleas’ catalog not a lot of stuff outside of weapons made in the USA. I am not knocking just making an observation. By the way did you enjoy the Olympics. I watched a documentary today on the construction of the ‘Birdsnest’ stadium it was built entirely by Chinese workers, there was no problem with checking the green cards of the workers.
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Lotta Wind
Editorial Opinion
It’s been a long hot summer and the
Democratic National Convention started today so I guess things are going to get hotter. There was some great speechifying in tonight’s opening session. There was music and dancing and a genuine air of optimism it was warm and fuzzy, but do I believe anything is really going to change? In a few weeks the Republicans will hold their convention. There will be music and dancing and great speeches and a genuine air of optimism, but do I believe anything is really going to change?
Obama made a speech to the VFW last week stating the under him the VA will be fully funded with more care for the wounded veterans including PTSD care and more educational benefits a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage….hmmm. In a few weeks McCain will say just about the same thing, even though he did vote against the new GI bill.
So I guess as veterans we should be all a twitter with excitement there doesn’t seem to be any way we can lose no matter who gets elected.
Now there is only one problem as I see it. Didn’t we go through this same rhetoric in the last election? Didn’t both candidates promise the same thing? And how about the election before that and the one before that?
Does it seem to you that after they get elected the VA becomes a dumping ground for broken promises? Over the last several years the US has embarked on a course of “nation building.” Meanwhile back at the ranch America is literally falling down. Our infrastructure is crumbling; gangs are prevalent in every large city and now ever in some rural areas. How about our schools with what we’ve blown in Iraq we could rebuild every school in the States. Recently Allegany County got its first new school in 40 years.
Here’s something to think about the “Homeland Security Act” which allows the government to circumvent parts of the
Constitution now has a new police force in the county. Apparently according to one of our county commissioners we have a “crisis in law enforcement.” But what will this get us will we be safer in our homes. Do we need more cops or more carpenters? If we are going to re-build any country, re-build America first. Tighten up the borders, fix the economy, do something about flooding, feed everybody. Want to improve homeland security fire every politician at any level that lies, cheats or steals from the people or the country. Maybe we could learn from our nemesis China and stand a few of them against the wall. Okay that’s a bit extreme but you would only have to do one I bet. I like this country and I want to see it do well actually I want to see it do better. To paraphrase Bette Midler – are our best years behind us? Is America still the “shining city on the hill?”
Does the flag still stand for freedom? Or we in the middle of a fire sale and everything is up grabs to the highest bidder. Are we on our way to becoming the worlds police force and flea market?
With this coming election do I smell change in the wind, or is it smoke? Re-build America first.
Steve Parsons
September 2008
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