Leading veterans service organizations (VSOs) –– the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), DAV (Disabled American Veterans), and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) –– have released The Independent Budget Recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for FY 2023 and FY 2024. This report serves as a roadmap to ensure VA is fully funded and capable of carrying out its mission to serve veterans and their families, both now and in the future. “For over 30 years, the IBVSOs have co-authored the IB, offering substantive solutions and policy recommendations to ensure the timely delivery of specialized health care, as well as appropriate earned benefits for the men and women who served,” said Bob Wallace, executive director of VFW Washington Office. “While this year’s report is now complete, it is now imperative Congress and VA work together, along with veterans service organizations and other veterans stakeholders to put veterans interests on the top of their list.”
House Holds Hearings on Survivor Benefits and Services
The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held an oversight hearing on the effectiveness of VA services for dependents and survivors. VFW National Legislative Associate Director Kristina Keenan submitted a statement for the record explaining how VA needs to improve outreach to military and veteran families and better explain the benefits available to survivors. “Pre-planning is key. Veterans and their families need to receive clear and continuous communications informing them of future benefits and the documentation needed to ensure that survivors are supported in the event of the veteran’s passing,” stated Keenan. She stressed that surviving family members are often unaware that the benefits they may be entitled to receive are significantly less than what veterans receive in disability compensation, resulting in unanticipated financial hardship.
COVID-19 Testing
Veterans that are enrolled in the VA Health Care System at the Erie VA and the outlying area CBOX, take note. If you believe that you have the COVID-19, or symptoms of it, you must call your VA provider at those locations to get a time and place to be tested. Do not go to a facility without a scheduled appointment.
Take Your Health to Heart
February is American Heart Month and VA is raising awareness regarding heart health by encouraging veterans to take a proactive approach with healthy living options. According to the National Institutes of Health, veterans are at a higher risk of heart attack or heart diseases than their civilian counterparts. Additionally, the American Heart Association reports that individuals with PTSD or TBI are significantly at a higher risk of heart attack even at a young age. What can you do to protect yourself and lower your risk of heart disease? Stay compliant with your physician’s direction regarding your medication regimen, smoking cessation, exercise, heart-healthy diet, stress reduction, and rest.
POW/MIA Update
Navy Storekeeper 1st Class Harry E. Walker, 36, of San Diego, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. He will be buried March 15, 2022, in Verdes, California.
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Richard W. Horrigan, 24, of Chester, West Virginia, was assigned to 22nd Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force. On April 19, 1945, the P-47D Thunderbolt fighter on which Horrigan was piloting was part of a reconnaissance mission to the Alt Lönnewitz Airfield. He will be buried in his hometown. The date has yet to be determined.
Navy Fireman 1st Class George F. Price, 23, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Interment services are pending.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
