Category Archives: Veterans Benefits

Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

New Marine Corps League Announcement

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From: Marana Marines
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:25:59 -0800
Subject: Press Release – Marana Detachment Marine Corps League

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2010

Marana, AZ

We are proud to announce the Charter has been approved of the Marana Nighthawk 72 Detachment #1344 of the Marine Corps League.

The presentation of the Charter will be held at the Marana Municipal Complex, Mayor and Council Chambers at 7:00 PM on February 19th 2010.

Former and current Marines and Navy Corpsmen who served with the United States Fleet Marine Force of any rank are invited to be the pioneers of the Marana Nighthawk 72 Detachment Marine Corps League. We will conduct regular open meetings monthly for the purpose of:

• Providing the community with uniformed color guard services for special community events and services.

• Engaging in, participate in and promote community service projects within Marana Township.

• Offering assistance and promote Marine Corps values to local residents who are considering a career in the United States Marine Corps.

• Establishing an annual Marine Corps Ball for former Marines residing in the Marana
Township vicinity.

Additionally, the detachment will adhere to the goals set forth by the Marine Corps League National Headquarters.

• To preserve the traditions, promote the interest and perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps.

• To band together those who are now serving in the United States Marine Corps, eligible
FMF Corpsmen and those who have been honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps, together in fellowship, that they may effectively promote the ideals of American freedom and democracy.

• To help fit its members for the duties of citizenship and to encourage them to serve ably as citizens as they have served our nation under arms.

• To hold sacred the memory and history of the men and women who have given their lives to the Nation.

• To foster love for the principles which they have supported by blood and valor since the founding of the Republic.

• To aid voluntarily and to render assistance to all Marines and FMF Corpsmen, uniformed and civilian, as well as their widows and orphans.

• To create a bond of comradeship between those in the service and those who have returned to civilian life.

• To perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps and by fitting acts to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of peculiar interest to Marines.

All Marines and Navy Corpsman, past and present, are encouraged to become part of the Marana Nighthawk 72 Detachment Marine Corps League. Any eligible individual who is interested in becoming a member of the Marana Nighthawk 72 Detachment Marine Corps League should contact Don LaVetter (520) 623-7471 or email MaranaMarines@hotmail.com

Additional information contact: Don LaVetter (520) 623-7471 MaranaMarines@hotmail.com

——————————————————————————–

Health, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Ministry Helps Veterans Deal With Demons of War

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National Catholic Reporter, by Lynanne Lasota

In 1999 Vietnam veteran Michael Brewer attended a “base camp” in the Arizona desert, an outing sponsored by Point Man International Ministries, a multi-denominational Christian organization that serves war veterans. In 1969, a year and a half after arriving in Vietnam, Brewer had become 100 percent disabled from complications of Agent Orange, a head injury and post traumatic stress disorder. “PTSD meets altar boy,” said Brewer. “They did battle for my soul for nigh on to 30 years.”

At the base camp, led by Don Weaver, an 82-year-old World War II former prisoner of war, veterans sat around a campfire talking about how the first recorded episode of posttraumatic stress disorder occurred thousands of years ago–the story of Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel, and when asked by God what happened, Cain denied the event by asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

“Cain disconnected himself from God, became angry and wandered around aimlessly,” said Brewer. “The same signs we see today of veterans with PTSD.”

Brewer recognized a need for a Point Man outpost in Tucson with the ability to minister to the large Catholic population. The Tucson outpost of the organization opened in early 2000.

“It’s exactly what my grandfather did after World War I,” Brewer said. “We’re a modern day version of Catholic War Veterans”–an organization that helped veterans coming home from World War I and World War II.

Brewer meets with approximately 20 clients individually to talk and pray together. He focuses on the Point Man philosophy of acceptance, understanding, recognition and fellowship. “Demons of war are nothing but idols,” he said. “Killing is not something that vanishes–ever. You must deal with it.”

Brewer said he believes God called him to be an outpost leader. He wasn’t going to allow his disability to stop him; instead he would use his energy as an advocate for veterans.

When he returned from the war at age 21, he became an active member of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Today, he wants to start a program at the center for men and women returning from war and for their families, with a similar program offered in the public library system. With veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, Brewer sees a greater need for counseling. He also sees a need for assistance to college students whose parents may be Vietnam veterans. (Next Library Forum: Himmel Park Library, February 28th Sunday. Noon to 4pm. 520-540-7000).

As outpost leaders guide a veteran through spiritual healing, they provide a network of helping agencies and contacts with referrals for physical needs. Needs include medical resources, legal resources, emergency rood and clothing. “Each outpost is autonomous, providing a contact list within their geographical area,” said Dana Morgan, president of Point Man International Ministries.

The mental and physical resources come with a gift of Christ’s love through the spiritual support and help shown in everything the outpost leader does. “We don’t beat you to death with the Bible,” said Dean Black, a Vietnam veteran and an outpost leader in North Carolina. When a veteran “comes out of his shell,” Point Man outpost leaders emphasize, “God did not desert you. You are never alone.”

Many veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder have lost faith in the world and in themselves, according to Black. They are often alcoholics or drug addicts with no self-esteem; some cannot even talk, they are so withdrawn, he said. Black met with a man “bunkered in” in his house for years. “His house becomes his defense system,” said Black. “It took me two and a half years to get him out of his house and today he works at Sam’s Club.”

Black himself recalled that when he visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington in 1997, “I was still in denial of PTSD and didn’t want to go near the wall. I couldn’t deal with seeing my friends’ names. I had to get away.”

Point Man outpost leaders help veterans bring themselves back to the present day. “We make them realize they are loved and valuable people because God made us that way,” said Black. The aim is to help the veteran to learn to function within society and let go of the demons haunting him.

Point Man also recognizes the importance of ministering to the families and friends of veterans with Homefront chapters, led by veterans’ spouses who have experienced the “war at home.”

Brewer’s wife, Lydia, joined an online support group and found she was not alone. “We all deal with near identical issues in our homes,” Lydia Brewer said. “I realized I had a God-given gift for helping other women and to not share this gift would be to ignore my calling by God to be a healer.” She became a Homefront leader in Tucson and moderates an online support group. On a daily basis, she encourages other members, suggests ways to strengthen their marriages, and praises their successes.

There is no lack of work as the war on terrorism continues. Outpost leaders currently travel to Iraq and Afghanistan to help young men and women in combat. “If I was in better health I would be over there also,” said Black.

“Everyone has to adjust to coming home from war, whether it’s Francis of Assisi coming home from the Crusades, Vietnam draftees coming home from the jungle, or today’s veterans coming home from the desert of Iraq,” Brewer said. “We’re here to help and let them know there are resources available.”

Footnote:

The Tucson Outpost has an office in La Placita Village downtown. There are many more Iraq and Afghan vets joining our Outpost. Our retreats in Payson, Arizona, in conjunction with the Merritt Center, have become very popular as they enter the fifth year. And they are free!

Contact information at “pointmanchaplain@aol.com”

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits

Veterans Legislative Update Compliments of Catholic War Veterans

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The following is for your information and distribution to your members. The following Legislative Report was compiled 29 December 2009.

Of the 4470 House and 2920 Senate pieces of legislation introduced in the 111th Congress to date, the following are of interest to the non-active duty veteran community. Bill titles in green are new additions to this summary. A good indication on the likelihood a bill of being forwarded to the House or Senate for passage and subsequently being signed into law by the President is the number of cosponsors who have signed onto the bill. An alternate way for it to become law is if it is added as an addendum to another bill such as the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and survives the conference committee assigned to iron out the difference between the House and Senate bills. At http://thomas.loc.gov you can review a copy of each bill’s text, determine its current status, the committee it has been assigned to, who your representative is and his/her phone number, mailing address, or email/website to communicate with a message or letter of your own making, and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it. To separately determine what bills, amendments your representative has sponsored, cosponsored, or dropped sponsorship on refer to http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d111/sponlst.html. To review a numerical list of all bills introduced refer to http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/111search.html. The key to increasing cosponsorship is letting legislators know of their constituent’s views on issues. Those bills that include a website in red are being pushed by various veterans groups for passage and by clicking on that website you can forward a preformatted message to your legislator requesting he/she support the bill.

H.R.82 : Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009 to expand retroactive eligibility of the Army Combat Action Badge to include members of the Army who participated in combat during which they personally engaged, or were personally engaged by, the enemy at any time on or after December 7, 1941.

Sponsor: Rep Brown-Waite, Ginny [FL-5] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors (17)

Committees: House Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 1/30/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

H.R.161 : Social Security Beneficiary Tax Reduction Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the 1993 increase in taxes on Social Security benefits.

Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors (7)

Committees: House Ways and Means

Latest Major Action: 1/6/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.162 : Senior Citizens’ Tax Elimination Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the inclusion in gross income of Social Security benefits.

Sponsor: Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors (3)

Committees: House Ways and Means

Latest Major Action: 1/6/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.775 : Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act to repeal the requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan to offset the receipt of veterans dependency and indemnity compensation.

Sponsor: Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] (introduced 1/28/2009) Cosponsors (310) Companion Bill S.535

Committees: House Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 2/17/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

To support this bill and/or contact your legislators send a message via or http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12541746

S.535 : SBP DIC Offset Elimination. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan by veterans’ dependency and indemnity compensation, and for other purposes. Companion Bill H.775.

Sponsor: Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] (introduced 3/5/2009) Cosponsors (54)

Committees: Senate Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 3/5/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

To support this bill and/or contact your Senator send a message via http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=14275496&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

S.1118 : DIC Compensation Rate Increase to 55%. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in the amount of monthly dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR] (introduced 5/21/2009) Cosponsors (3)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 10/21/2009 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Hearings held.

H.R.466 : Wounded Veteran Job Security Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit discrimination and acts of reprisal against persons who receive treatment for illnesses, injuries, and disabilities incurred in or aggravated by service in the uniformed services.

Sponsor: Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] (introduced 1/13/2009) Cosponsors (8)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 6/9/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.1089 : Veterans Employment Rights to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the enforcement through the Office of Special Counsel of the employment and unemployment rights of veterans and members of the Armed Forces employed by Federal executive agencies, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [SD] (introduced 2/13/2009) Cosponsors (None)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 5/20/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.1647 : Veterans’ Employment Transition Support Act of 2009 to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for hiring veterans.

Sponsor: Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] (introduced 3/19/2009) Cosponsors (None)

Committees: House Ways and Means

Latest Major Action: 3/19/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

H.R.1211 : Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand and improve health care services available to women veterans, especially those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. Companion Bill S.597

Sponsor: Rep Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [SD] (introduced 2/26/2009) Cosponsors (51)

House Reports: 111-165
Latest Major Action: 6/24/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

To support this bill and/or contact your legislators send a message via http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=12833716&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

H.R.2583 : Women Veterans Access to Care Act to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve health care for women veterans, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [IA-3] (introduced 5/21/2009) Cosponsors (8)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 5/21/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

S.597 : Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand and improve health care services available to women veterans, especially those serving in operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. Companion Bill H.R.1211

Sponsor: Sen Murray, Patty [WA] (introduced 3/16/2009) Cosponsors (20)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 3/16/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.1232 : Far South Texas Veterans Medical Center Act of 2009 to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to construct a full service hospital in Far South Texas.

Sponsor: Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] (introduced 2/26/2009) Cosponsors (6)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 2/26/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

S.699 : South Texas Veterans’ Hospital. A bill to provide for the construction by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of a full service hospital in Far South Texas.

Sponsor: Sen Cornyn, John [TX] (introduced 3/25/2009) Cosponsors (1)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 3/25/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.2254 : The Agent Orange Equity Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam.

Sponsor: Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] (introduced 5/5/2009) Cosponsors (226)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 5/8/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

To support this bill and/or contact your legislators send a message via http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=13301656&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

S.1939 : Vet Presumptive Exposure in Vietnam. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] (introduced 10/27/2009) Cosponsors (4)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 10/27/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.177 : Depleted Uranium Screening and Testing Act to provide for identification of members of the Armed Forces exposed during military service to depleted uranium, to provide for health testing of such members, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors (None)

Committees: House Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 1/30/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

H.R.2926 : VA Special Care for Vietnam-era & Persian Gulf War Vets Exposed to Herbicides. To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide, without expiration, hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for certain Vietnam-era veterans exposed to herbicide and veterans of the Persian Gulf War.

Sponsor: Rep Nye, Glenn C., III [VA-2] (introduced 6/17/2009) Cosponsors (5)

Latest Major Action: 7/9/2009 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.

S.642 : Health Care for Members of the Armed Forces Exposed to Chemical Hazards Act of 2009. A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish registries of members and former members of the Armed Forces exposed in the line of duty to occupational and environmental health chemical hazards, to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide health care to veterans exposed to such hazards, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] (introduced 3/19/2009) Cosponsors (7)

Committees: Senate Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 3/19/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

S.1779 : Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Chemical Hazards Act of 2009. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide health care to veterans exposed in the line of duty to occupational and environmental health chemical hazards, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] (introduced 10/14/2009) Cosponsors (7)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 10/21/2009 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Hearings held.

H.R.3491 : Thomas G. Schubert Agent Orange Fairness Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a presumption of service connection for certain cancers occurring in veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam and were exposed to certain herbicide agents, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] (introduced 7/31/2009) Cosponsors (3)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 9/11/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

H.R.952 : Compensation Owed for Mental Health Based on Activities in Theater Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the meaning of “combat with the enemy” for purposes of service-connection of disabilities.

Sponsor: Rep Hall, John J. [NY-19] (introduced 2/10/2009) Cosponsors (94)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 6/10/2009 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

S.1452 : COMBAT PTSD Act. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the meaning of “combat with the enemy” for purposes of service-connection of disabilities.

Sponsor: Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] (introduced 7/14/2009) Cosponsors (5)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 7/14/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.1544 : Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for unlimited eligibility for health care for mental illnesses for veterans of combat service during certain periods of hostilities and war.

Sponsor: Rep Driehaus, Steve [OH-1] (introduced 3/17/2009) Cosponsors (7)

Committees: House Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 3/17/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

H.R.1701 : PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review For Heroes Act to amend title 10, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a special review board for certain former members of the Armed Forces with post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] (introduced 3/25/2009) Cosponsors (11)

Committees: House Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 4/27/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

H.R.4051 : Cold War Service Medal Act of 2009 to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the award of a military service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served honorably during the Cold War, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] (introduced 11/6/2009) Cosponsors (3) Related bill: S.2743

Committees: House Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 11/18/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

S.2743 : Cold War Service Medal Act of 2009. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the award of a military service medal to members of the Armed Forces who served honorably during the Cold War, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] (introduced 11/5/2009) Cosponsors (4) Related bill: H.R.4051

Committees: Senate Armed Services

Latest Major Action: 11/5/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

S.1556 : Veteran Voting Support Act of 2009. A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to be designated as voter registration agencies, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] (introduced 8/3/2009) Cosponsors (6)

Committees: Senate Veterans’ Affairs

Latest Major Action: 10/21/2009 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Hearings held.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

Alternative Care, Health, Veterans Benefits

Affordable Acupuncture for Veterans With Pain Issues

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For release: Community acupuncture clinic brings health care reform to Tucson
As Congress debates and devises ways to reform our nation’s health care system, two local acupuncturists are already working to revolutionize alternative medicine in Tucson.

Keith Zabik and Larry Gatti say they founded Tucson Community Acupuncture last year in order to make acupuncture more affordable and accessible for residents in southern Arizona. The clinic, located at 2900 E. Broadway, is one of more than a hundred around the country that is using a “community model” where treatments are conducted in a large open setting and prices are set on a sliding scale starting as low as $15.

“Acupuncturists have been treating in this community-style for millennia in China,” Zabik says. “But in the U.S., private treatments are more the norm and typically cost $60 and up—a price most people can’t afford on a regular basis.”

Instead of treating people in isolated rooms and cubicles, the Tucson clinic treats people in a quiet, common area filled with comfortable recliners. The acupuncturists place hair-thin needles primarily in people’s hands, feet, legs, and arms in order to treat pain anywhere in the body and also to relieve a variety of common ailments.

“It’s like a big living room rather than a typical medical office,” Gatti says. “Many of our patients comment that the group setting is very relaxing and helps their healing.”

Since opening their doors in June 2008 the clinic has given more than 8000 treatments—with currently anywhere from 150 to 200 patient visits each week. Zabik notes that the clinic recently expanded their current operation by 700 square feet in order to provide additional treatment space and to be able to serve more Tucsonans.

“It’s bittersweet that we are one of the few businesses flourishing under such a bleak economy,” Zabik says. “I think it reflects how much people need affordable health care.”

In particular, Zabik and Gatti say they are reaching out to working- and middle-class Tucsonans who have never tried acupuncture before.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much acupuncture can help relieve pain, fatigue, and stress,” Gatti says. “Plus many who already know about the benefits would not try acupuncture due to the high cost. Our goal is to remove financial barriers and help people get better.”

Each time patients visit the clinic they are asked how much they wish to pay on the sliding scale of $15 to $35 (with a additional $10 fee for the first visit). Zabik emphasizes that the clinic does not ask patients to declare their salaries or require any proof of income.

“We recognize that people’s financial situations can change, even from week to week,” Zabik says. “Our sliding scale is one way to remove barriers and empower people in their medical choices—something that doesn’t seem to be happening right now in the current health care system.”

For more information contact:
Keith Zabik, L.Ac. or
Shoshana Mayden
(520) 400-5606 (cell)
(520) 881-1887 (clinic)
info@tucsoncommunityacupuncture.org

Related links:

Tucson Community Acupuncture website

http://www.tucsoncommunityacupuncture.org

Community Acupuncture Network

http://www.communityacupuncture.org

***************************
Link to Yes! Magazine article: Acupuncture for All (Winter 2008)

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=2108

This concept just makes sense. So many of us combat vets are living with pain so much of the time that we just write it off, or rely on medications that ultimately are not very friendly to the kidneys over the long haul. Before you just cave into your chronic pain game, try some of these tiny magic sticks for an hour or so. I did, and now I can probably reach under the Christmas tree for the gifts!

Health, Politics, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

VA Health Care Enrollment and Refunds For Combat Veterans

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The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 extended the period of enhanced enrollment eligibility and cost-free care for conditions potentially related to the theater of combat operations.

Major implications of this law are:

Any combat veteran currently enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system and new combat veteran enrollees who are discharged from active duty on or after January 28th, 2003, are eligible for enhanced enrollment placement into Priority Group 6,( unless eligible for higher priority group placement, for five years post discharge.

Combat veterans discharged from active duty before January 28, 2003 who did not previously enroll in the VA’s health care system and who apply for enrollment on or after Jan.28,2003, are eligible for enhanced enrollment placement into Prioriy 6 through January 27. 2011.

As a result of the National Defense Authorization Act, veterans who are eligible for retroactive refunds of co-payments they made for medical services and prescriptions associated with treatment related to combat experience.

VA medical facilities are currently conducting reviews to determine applicable co-payments which should be refunded to these veterans.

The Veterans Administration anticipates mailing letters to impacted veterans before the end of the year informing them that they are due a refund which will be issued by the end of December, 2009.

Veterans are asked to contact the VA’s Health Resources Center with any questions at 1-800-0932.

Update data provided by Disabled American Veterans.

I remind our readers that the VA Budget was approved back in October. The first time in 20 years the VA has budget has been signed off on before the end of the year. This is a good thing, as they have spent the last 60 days planning for 2010, which is assured to see a huge influx in the needs of returning vets.

The very reason for this Blog, is to impart information like this that never makes conventional news dailies. I hope you pass it on.

Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

My Pal and My Sergeant in the Nam

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Well, this is suppose to be site for advocacy, yet I cannot help reporting to you the pure joy I have tonight for my pal and my former Sgt. in the Marine Corps; Bob Boytor. After 5 years of tugging with the VA he was awarded his long overdue 100% disability rating today. Two tours in the Nam, one at Khe Sahn and 14 Operations. We met on Operation Meade River; the largest Helicopter assault in the War. And then did not hook up again until one night in 1999, when I was putszin’Vets for Us around with my new and first email address, and there popped up Bob on an instant message.

“Is that you Brewer?” I about fell off my chair. I had been trying to find him for 30 years.

Vietnam Veterans all rotated home alone you know, never in a Unit, so we were all pretty dispersed for years. Some say it was planned that way, so as to never be able to tell the truth of Vietnam in mass.

You always think you are in charge when you are looking for someone. Seldom does one think that someone is looking for you! So there we were on AOL IM in the middle of the night getting acquainted. It was 10 years ago this week. 41 years ago this week, we had just completed Operation Meade River. 41 years ago this week I was knocked unconscious with a blast injury. 42 years ago this week I joined the Marine Corps. 8 years ago this week, I completed a PTSD program at the VA, ending years of repression. 28 years ago this week I got the best job of my life running La Placita Village. And now this week in December my very close battle buddy gets his due.

Merry Christmas Bob Boytor! And may the peace of the season be as permanent as you wish.

And yes Bob, we do wonder why claims take so long in California.

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

New Veterans Administration Web Site

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The following is for your information and distribution to your members.

John A Miterko
Veterans Advocate

New VA Website

Same name; new face! On Veterans Day, VA rolled out the first phase of a large-scale Web renovation to better serve America’s Veterans. This is the first and most visible step of changing VA’s Web domain to better serve Veterans and their families by making it easier for them to find the information they need about benefits and programs. Long term, VA goals for its Web presence are to make it easier and more inviting for Veterans by focusing on topics and tasks rather than office functions, improving the navigational structure to ensure consistency, and making it more visually appealing. The new Web site design will cover more than 500 VA Web sites and about 80,000 pages. Major changes include improvements in the navigational structure that provide consistency among all sites and consolidate major topics; a slide show section that showcases current VA events or hot topics; and bottom columns that feature news items, highlights and a “Quick List” with links directly to important applications such as Veterans On Line Applications (VONAPP) and MyHealtheVet. Check out VA’s new Web face by clicking here.

Same name; new face! On Veterans Day, VA rolled out the first phase of a large-scale Web renovation to better serve America’s Veterans. This is the first and most visible step of changing VA’s Web domain to better serve Veterans and their families by making it easier for them to find the information they need about benefits and programs. Long term, VA goals for its Web presence are to make it easier and more inviting for Veterans by focusing on topics and tasks rather than office functions, improving the navigational structure to ensure consistency, and making it more visually appealing. The new Web site design will cover more than 500 VA Web sites and about 80,000 pages. Major changes include improvements in the navigational structure that provide consistency among all sites and consolidate major topics; a slide show section that showcases current VA events or hot topics; and bottom columns that feature news items, highlights and a “Quick List” with links directly to important applications such as Veterans On Line Applications (VONAPP) and MyHealtheVet. Check out VA’s new Web face by clicking here.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Head Injuries From War Mounting

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The following story was televised on ABC News Channel 7 in Arlington, Va. The technology that has been developed to objectify the unseen and frequently undiagnosed injuries of war; head injuries and post traumatic stress are going to tax the disability system to the maximum. Is this not the irony of 21st Century war? The cost of the aftermath of war may soon become so onerous that we can no longer afford to wage it!

And to think of how frequently the syndrome and symptoms of head injuries have occurred in the veteran population since the Civil War, which would have been the advent of huge blast injuries. So for 150 years we have had vets out there compromised in executive functioning and both they and the health professionals never knew what was up.

When grampa was on the front porch acting a little dink dauy and maybe drinking too much whiskey. The chances are real high that he was just clocked in the trenches of France in WWl.

Head Injuries have now become the signature wound of the War on Terrorism. Oddly this was the prevalent injury in WWll and Korea. In Vietnam it was small weapons fire and booby traps.

Is it not spooky that primitive warriors always find a way to enter combat with stronger Armies, both in weaponry and financing? Is there ever going to be an end to this insanity? Notice this is not a political question. It is the same one that the Generals have to deal with, because they have to replace these soldiers in the bush. So we got a bloody numbers game going on—-exactly like the days of William Westmoreland. Except this time the soldier survives to live a war of homeland disability. Isn’t this like a terrorist memo sent home?

One thing I have never understood is why we now state that PTSD was once defined as, “shell shock.” That is not really very accurate, because shell shock is its own baby as is PTSD. I know, I have experienced both.

The good news is that VA knows this and we now have some of best care in the world for our returning combatants. Tucson VA has is ranked as one of the best in the nation and its poly-trauma unit personnel are the unsung heroes of the day.

ABC NEWS STORY

Washington – Powerful scans are letting doctors watch just how the brain changes in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and concussion-like brain injuries – signature damage of the Iraq (web | news) and Afghanistan wars. It’s work that one day may allow far easier diagnosis for patients – civilian or military – who today struggle to get help for these largely invisible disorders. For now it brings a powerful message: Problems too often shrugged off as “just in your head” in fact do have physical signs, now that scientists are learning where and how to look for them.

“There’s something different in your brain,” explains Dr. Jasmeet Pannu Hayes of Boston University, who is helping to lead that research at the Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD. “Just putting a real physical marker there, saying that this is a real thing,” encourages more people to seek care.

Up to one in five U.S. veterans from the long-running combat in Iraq and Afghanistan is thought to have symptoms of PTSD. An equal number are believed to have suffered traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs – most that don’t involve open wounds but hidden damage caused by explosion’s pressure wave.
ABC 7 Talkback:
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Many of those TBIs are considered similar to a concussion, but because symptoms may not be apparent immediately, many soldiers are exposed multiple times, despite evidence from the sports world that damage can add up, especially if there’s little time between assaults.

“My brain has been rattled,” is how a recently retired Marine whom Hayes identifies only as Sgt. N described the 50 to 60 explosions he estimates he felt while part of an ordnance disposal unit.

Hayes studied the man in a new way, tracking how water flows through tiny, celery stalk-like nerve fibers in his brain – and found otherwise undetectable evidence that those fibers were damaged in a brain region that explained his memory problems and confusion.

It’s a noninvasive technique called “diffusion tensor imaging” that merely adds a little time to a standard MRI scan. Water molecules constantly move, bumping into each other and then bouncing away. Measuring the direction and speed of that diffusion in nerve fibers can tell if the fibers are intact or damaged. Those fibers are sort of a highway along which the brain’s cells communicate. The bigger the gaps, the more interrupted the brain’s work becomes.

“Sgt. N’s brain is very different,” Hayes told a military medical meeting last week. “His connective tissue has been largely compromised.”

There’s a remarkable overlap of symptoms between those brain injuries and PTSD, says Dr. James Kelly, a University of Colorado neurologist tapped to lead the military’s new National Intrepid Center of Excellence. It will open next year in Bethesda, Md., to treat both conditions.

Yes, headaches are a hallmark of TBI while the classic PTSD symptoms are flashbacks and nightmares. But both tend to cause memory and attention problems, anxiety, irritability, depression and insomnia. That means the two disorders share brain regions.

And Hayes can measure how some of those regions go awry in the vicious cycle that is PTSD, where patients feel like they’re reliving a trauma instead of understanding that it’s just a memory.

What happens? A brain processing system that includes the amygdala – the fear hot spot – becomes overactive. Other regions important for attention and memory, regions that usually moderate our response to fear, are tamped down.

“The good news is this neural signal is not permanent. It can change with treatment,” Hayes says.

Her lab performed MRI scans while patients either tried to suppress their negative memories, or followed PTSD therapy and changed how they thought about their trauma. That fear-processing region quickly cooled down when people followed the PTSD therapy.

It’s work that has implications far beyond the military: About a quarter of a million Americans will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Anyone can develop it after a terrifying experience, from a car accident or hurricane to rape or child abuse.

More research is needed for the scans to be used in diagnosing either PTSD or a TBI. But some are getting close – like another MRI-based test that can spot lingering traces of iron left over from bleeding, thus signaling a healed TBI. If the brain was hit hard enough to bleed, then more delicate nerve pathways surely were damaged, too, Kelly notes.

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EDITOR’S NOTE – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Health, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Events, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Upcoming Veterans Forum/ Himmel Park Library

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On Thursday, November 19th, 2009 from 5:45pm to 7:45pm at Himmel Park Library, located at 1035 N. Treat Ave, near Tucson Blvd. and Speedway, there will be a Forum for dialogue with the community about veterans of war returning home. The topic is:

VETERANS OVERCOMING TRANSITION ISSUES OF EXITING WAR AND ENTERING POLITE SOCIETY

Join us in a “Coming Home” dialogue that intends to inform and engage the whole community in learning new ways of viewing the veterans you know and love. This is the first in a series of panel discussions and is intended for veterans of all ages and families from all generations. An extensive question and answer session is scheduled.

For information call Sue Parker at Himmel Library 520-594-5305 ext.3

Alternative Care, Politics, Uncategorized, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

The Other Insurance Issue; The Sad Hypocritical One

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Following is a letter forwarded to me by a local combat veteran of the Marine Corps. His name has been deleted, but he has given permission to publish his petition for explanations for the declination of life insurance as a result of having a PTSD diagnosis. ( Note. Since this was posted the author has elected to share his name. It is Pete Bourret. He is a combat veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam.)

I am familiar with this very sad fact of life. I am equally conversant with its prevalence and the gross lack of justice involved. The impunity embedded in our nations Insurance industry is soon to become a national disgrace. The irony of the fact that a warrior can defend his/her nation and its system of capitalism and in turn not be qualified for life insurance, is beyond comprehension.

Someone, somewhere, has created some bogus science that states that Post Traumatic Stress shortens ones life span. This veteran is asking to see proof of this assertion. I am asking to see studies, from either the National Institute of Health or the VA, that indicate this confabulation.

Can you imagine the impact on a young soldier with a family when they learn that the mental health care they received on the heels of war is preventing them from protecting their very own family’s finances. I see rage on the horizon. I see class action law suits. And worse, I see the myriad of caring outreach programs at Vet Centers and VA clinics backfiring when the word travels that you are sealing off your future financial options. Who do these folks think they are? Maybe we should just draft all executives in the insurance industry first.

So the citizen soldier who is wounded in war is rendered incapable of being a full citizen in the country they just upheld. Is there a more poignant hypocrisy to be found?

We will be re-visiting this open wound in the veteran community over the next several months. Possibly, the parent company of the Citizen, Gannett, can help us out with a feature article in USA Today, which is known for its veteran and military coverage. Or are they too owned by the Insurance Industry?

November 11, 2009

Pruco Life
PO Box 8660
Philadelphia, PA 19176-8660

Denise Holmgren
Vice President, Underwriting:

This letter is in response to your companies response to my request for specific information, which I have requested on multiple occasions yet have failed to receive; a copy of your original letter will not suffice.

Please advise me if I should conclude that your determination of my uninsurability was based on my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis in general. I ask this because I have repeatedly requested the specific information (three times) that you utilized in your determination; however, I only received several hundred pages of my VA mental health records without any specific details. Let me be as clear as I can be: I expect you to submit to me the specific language that caused your organization to draw the conclusion that I am not an appropriate candidate for life insurance.

This is my last request for this information that you have an obligation to provide to me in a timely manner. I find it ironic that I am writing this letter to your organization on Veterans’ Day, yet it seems that your company fails to honor veterans who served and became casualties of war. The fact that your organization believes that a veteran with a PTSD diagnosis is a poor candidate for a life insurance policy shows that there is great ignorance about this diagnosis within your organization. Had you bothered to check with my psychiatrist because of a concern, you would have discovered that I am much more than the basic notes that he wrote. You were too busy to do that because we know that the business of American business is the bottom line. For veterans like myself, when I volunteered to serve as a combat Marine in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, my bottom line was to defend your freedom and to protect my fellow Marines. I guess our values do not coincide.

In closing, I ask you to re-evaluated your process for determining insurability in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Regardless, it only makes sense that potential recruits to the Armed Forces should be made aware through full disclosure that serving is also hazardous to their insurability should they be traumatized by of combat. As a retired English teacher with too much time on his hands, I will gladly set the educational process in motion. I think it is time that people learn how your organization actually “supports” the troops.

Happy Veterans’ Day,

Peter Bourret/USMC