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......from the desk of Bob Hogan, Director of Veterans' Services, Town Hall, Burlington, Massachusetts 781 270-1960 Burlington Veterans' Newsletter Fall 2001 Veterans Day, November 11, 2001
Veterans Day is Sunday, November 11, 2001. The traditional morning Flag Raising will occur at 9am on the Town Common. Coffee and donuts will be available in the Town Hall Annex thanks to the generosity of the Marriott Hotel here in Burlington. We will re-assemble at Pine Haven Cemetery for the 10am ceremonies. Since it is a Sunday morning, there will be no procession, so we do not interfere with Sunday morning traffic to and from the local churches. The 10am ceremony will take place at Pine Haven Cemetery.
It is our hope that all veterans take a few moments out of their busy schedule on Veterans' Day to stop by the cemetery to be among fellow veterans. With the extraordinary patriotism flowing over America, let’s celebrate the fact that we as veterans, have done the work others would not, and stepped forward and into harms way when others could not. In our Country’s 225 years, it has been the veterans who have protected our way of life and helped America maintain it’s greatness.
Thank you for your service to your Country. God Bless America. New Burlington Office of Veterans' Services Web Page The Burlington Office of Veterans Services has created a new web site, www.veteransinfo.net . By going onto the site, you will have access to all the information any veteran or active duty member of the military, reserves and National Guard could want. There is complete coverage of all federal benefits through the Veterans Administration, as well as all the state benefits from the Massachusetts Office of Veterans Services. Tricare has it’s own site here, as well as links to many active duty branches of service, and veterans' sites.
There are links to the Burlington Veterans' Services newsletters, monthly history articles, and updated press releases. With this new technology, it is important that we keep up with it, in order to provide as much information as is possible.
Oldest Veterans Get First Attention from VA According to the Secretary of the Veterans Administration, Anthony Principi, it is unacceptable that the veterans with claims in with the VA have to wait almost 300 days, at a minimum, to hear anything from the VA. And with our World War II veterans dying at staggering rates, they deserve to have their claims attended to immediately.
A special VA Claims team in Cleveland has been assigned to concentrate on the estimated 6,000 claims on file for veterans over 70 years of age. There are approximately 80,000 claims in general that have been on file for more than a year. They will also get special attention. According to the VA there are approximately 700,000 claims backlogged, including about half of them, which are for service-connected disabilities.
Tricare Questions
For Military Retirees, Captain Arlene Love, with the Military Retirees Activity Office over at Hanscom Air Force Base, can answer your questions about Tricare For Life. There have been a lot of changes with Champva and Tricare that many retirees ask me for information. Captain Love is available to answer all your questions. Also, you may wish to ask her to place your name on a mailing list. For more information on military retiree benefits, contact Captain Love, at Hanscom AFB, by calling 781-377-2476. There is also a section dedicated to Tricare at the www.veteransinfo.net website.
Department of Defense Training for Veterans to Participate in Burial Honor Guards
The DoD is training veterans who wish to participate as members of Burial Honor Guards. With the number of active duty personnel limited in availability for complete Burial Honor Guards, veterans are being trained to make up those Honor Guards requested by veterans and the surviving families. We have earned the right to have an Honor Guard, and now we can also help in providing one. No uniform is required, just a nice jacket and tie, and a hat identifying you as a veteran. If you would like to join a training session and are available to participate, call Bob Hogan at 781-270-1959.
Presidential
Memorial Certificates
Families of deceased veterans can apply for a Presidential Memorial Certificate. The certificate is awarded posthumously to the veteran for his devoted and selfless service to his country in the Armed Services of the United States. It is signed by the President of the United States and is awarded by a grateful nation. If you would like to request a Presidential Memorial Certificate, contact the Burlington Office of Veterans Services.
60th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor (Our First Day of Infamy)
December 7th 2001 will be the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. There will be a conference held in Hawaii from December 1 through the 5th. It is being sponsored by the Arizona Memorial Museum Association. For more information contact: Sue Husch, Conference Coordinator at 866-225-7267. Their Web site is: www.pearlharborevents.com. If there are any Pearl Harbor survivors reading this, or if you know a Pearl Harbor survivor, we would like to speak with you to chronicle your memories for future generations. Contact the Burlington Office of Veterans Services at 781-270-1959.
Stephen Ambrose Looking for WW-2 Pacific Veterans
The author of Citizen Soldiers, the stories of those who served in the European theater in World War II, is now turning his attention to those who served in the Pacific. He would like audiotapes of your oral history, plus letters sent home, diaries, or any other information to give authenticity and a genuine reality to the book.
If you would like to share your stories with Stephen, write to Stephen Ambrose, PO Box 1713, Helena, MT 59624. According to Mr. Ambrose, some of the best stories come from men and women who did not think their story was very interesting. He would like everyone to contact him with some information.
Photos of Names on The Wall
The Virtual Wall ( www.thevirtualwall.org), the online version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, would like to match a photo with every name on The Wall. The Put a Face to the Name campaign, sponsored by Kinko’s is making this permanent digital photo collection possible. From September 12 through Veterans Day, all 1,000 Kinko’s stores will offer free computer and scanning time with instructions on how to scan and upload an image to the Virtual Wall.For more information, contact Alan Greilsamer, Director of Communications for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at 202-393-0090, extension – 19.
Probable Increase in Pharmacy Co-Pay Moves Forward
The Federal Register recently published a proposed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regulation, which will increase the co-payment some veterans would have to make for outpatient prescriptions. For the past decade, veterans have paid $2.00 for each 30-day supply of a medication furnished on an outpatient basis for treatment of a non-service connected condition. Under the proposed regulations, this would increase to $7.00, with an annual out of pocket payment of $840.00 for veterans in certain enrollment categories.
Certain veterans are now not required to make any co-payments, and that would not change. Veterans who have a 50% or more service connected disability, veterans who receive medication for a service connected disability, veterans with incomes below the maximum amount of VA pensions and a limited number of other veterans exempt by public law, are exempt from the proposed regulation. During fiscal year 2000, 1.1 million veterans received medication from the VA, averaging 47 prescriptions (30-day supply) each. The VA collected $101 million in fiscal year 2000 for medication co-pays.
Non-VA Emergency Care Coverage The VA will now begin reimbursing non-VA hospitals for emergency services provided to eligible veterans who have no other means of payment. (That means if any third party pays all or part of the hospital bill, the VA cannot provide reimbursement.) This is a major improvement in providing emergency care to qualified uninsured veterans. To be qualified you must: Be enrolled in VA health care, have been seen by a VA Health Care Professional within the past 24 months and carry no other form of health insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid. VA Secretary Anthony Principi stated that this benefit will ease the financial burden for veterans who have no other health insurance to fall back on. He added, " This is strictly for emergency care, when it is obvious that a delay in medical treatment would be hazardous to the veterans health and no VA or federal facility is available."
Disposing of US Flags With all the Patriotism and Pride Americans have been feeling lately, we have been proudly flying our colors. The Burlington Office of Veterans Services also reminds everyone that when the Flag becomes torn and tattered, there is an official and legal manner for disposing of it. DO NOT THROW A UNITED STATES FLAG IN THE TRASH. If you have a Flag that is torn and frayed, drop it off at the Burlington Office of Veterans Services, or at either Burlington cemetery.
There are so very many men and women who have worn the uniform of one of our Armed Services, who stood tall and were there to protect that Flag. Let’s show The Flag the respect it deserves even after it is old and worn.
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Page Revised: December 29, 2005 |
From: www.veteransinfo.net
Burlington Veterans Services
Town Hall
Burlington,
MA 01803
Office:
781 270-1959
Send
us an E-Mail at:
Veterans@BurlMass.org
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