The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has once again turned down an effort by Navy veterans to get compensation for possible exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. In a document released 12 August, the VA said it would continue to limit benefits related to Agent Orange exposure to only those veterans who set foot in Vietnam, where the herbicide was sprayed, and to those who were on boats in inland rivers. The VA compensates these veterans for a litany of associated illnesses, including diabetes, various cancers, Parkinson’s disease,
peripheral neuropathy and a type of heart disease.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims last April struck down VA rules that denied compensation for sailors whose ships docked at certain harbors in South Vietnam, including Da Nang. Those ports, the court determined, may have been in the Agent Orange spraying area. The court ordered the VA to review its policy. But on Friday, the VA largely stood by its old policy and once again asserted that there’s no scientific justification or legal requirement for covering veterans who served off the coast. “Environmental health experts in VA’s Veterans Health Administration have reviewed the available scientific information and concluded that it is not sufficient to support a presumption that Blue Water Navy Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange,” the VA said in a fact sheet.

Please Scroll down and look at the bill numbers and ask our Oklahoma elected officials to SUPPORT THEM……PLEASE make YOUR VOICE HEARD….Let them know who elected them…….

When Congress returns to Washington after Labor Day, they will have less than four weeks to deal with unfinished legislative matters prior to the November elections.  There may even be less time if one chamber of Congress decides to leave earlier than currently planned.

With the number of legislative days dwindling, key legislative priorities of the DAV have yet to be passed by Congress.

Women Veterans: DAV’s special report-Women Veterans: The Long Journey Homeidentified gaps in benefits and services across the federal landscape for women service members and veterans.  Congress must act to improve services for women veterans and ensure their unique transition needs are met. Several bills are pending in both the House and Senate to aid women veterans.

Caregivers: Today, only veterans severely injured on or after September 11, 2001 are eligible for comprehensive VA caregiver supports and services.  Congress must pass legislation to expand the eligibility for VA’s Caregiver Support Program to veterans of all eras.

Appeals Reform: Because VA’s inventory of appeals continues to outpace its processing capacity, passing of reform legislation is needed to correct this unacceptable situation and modernize VA’s appeal process.

Several bipartisan legislative measures are awaiting Congressional consideration that would address these problems.  With elected officials now back in your home state, now is the time to call your elected representatives’ district and state offices.

You can find your elected officials’ district telephone numbers by entering your zip code here. Please call them with this message:

Ask for their commitment to pass legislation: 1) to ensure VA meets the unique needs of women veterans, including H.R. 1356 and S. 471; 2) to expand access to VA’s comprehensive caregiver support program, H.R. 2894 and; 3) to modernize VA’s appeal process, H.R. 5620. Also, please press for passage of S. 2921, the Veterans First Act, which contains many of these same provisions.

As always, DAV appreciates your advocacy and participation in the Commander’s Action Network. Your grassroots activism makes DAV more influential in promoting policies and programs to aid injured and ill veterans.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/7nuSk5zoBvSkxl0PPLOYHQ

Fraud Alert

From State Adjutant

There are two gentleman using first names of Stan and Kevin conducting a fundraiser selling small hunting permit stickers for $5.00; who are falsely stating they are representing/raising money for the DAV. THIS IS NOT an authorized fundraiser for the DAV. They are currently operating in the Tulsa and Wagoner County area. Local authorities in Wagoner County have filed/taken reports on these two individuals and appropriate complaints will be filed by the DAV with the State Attorney General’s Office. Should any member be contacted/solicited by these individuals please contact the State Commander or Adjutant immediately.

According to an August 16 Military Times article by Karen Jowers, plans are progressing to extend online military exchange shopping privileges to all honorably discharged veterans. The Defense Department’s Executive Resale Board voted unanimously August 9 to recommend the policy change, sources said. Extended shopping privileges would apply only to the exchange system’s online stores, and not the brick-and-mortar facilities located on military installations.
The Defense Department’s Executive Resale Board voted unanimously Aug. 9 to recommend the policy change, sources said. Extended shopping privileges would apply only to the exchange system’s online stores — not brick-and-mortar facilities located on military installations

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it is piloting a protocol to implement veterinary health benefits for mobility service dogs approved for Veterans with a chronic impairment that substantially limits mobility associated with mental health disorders.
Service dogs are distinguished from pets and comfort animals because they are specially trained to perform tasks or work for a specific individual with a disability who cannot perform the task or accomplish the work independently. To be eligible for the veterinary health benefit, the service dog must be trained by an organization accredited by Assistance Dogs International in accordance with VA regulations.
The VA veterinary service benefit includes comprehensive wellness and sick care (annual visits for preventive care, maintenance care, immunizations, dental cleanings, screenings, etc.), urgent/emergent care, prescription medications, and care for illnesses or disorders when treatment enables the dog to perform its duties in service to the Veteran

The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new site titled “Information for Veterans.” The page is designed to provide timely, federal tax-related information to veterans about tax credits and benefits, free tax preparation, financial education, and asset-building opportunities available to veterans.
IRS and US Department of Veterans Affairs entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in 2015. The primary focus of the MOU is to provide free tax preparation services to Veterans and their families.
Partnering organizations prepare tax returns free for those whose incomes are low to moderate. Also check out the partner Outreach Corner for links to newsletter articles, podcasts, widgets and other electronic products to help reach out to customers with timely tax news they may need. If you represent a Veteran organization that assists other Veterans, why not look further to see how you can become involved?

Congress stepped this week into a sensitive issue that’s been quietly roiling the already-challenging hiring system for federal jobs. The Senate version of the vast military policy bill that now heads to conference with the House would knock out one of the advantages veterans enjoy when they apply for federal work. They would continue to get a leg up over non-veterans to get a foot in the door. But once they’re in government and want to be considered for another federal post, they would no longer go to the head of the hiring queue.
The change, approved on Tuesday by the Senate as part of its annual defense policy bill, would apply across government and affect thousands of veterans and their close relatives, who also are able to jump the line over non-veterans.

A senior Veterans Affairs official said issues that used to plague veterans’ access to health care are being addressed and improving both here and nationally.
Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson said his visit Thursday to the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center provided him with a “firsthand sense of what’s going on here at the helm.” Gibson said he liked what he saw.
Gibson said Mark Morgan, the recently appointed director at the center, is “focused on the right stuff.” That “stuff” includes better access to care, improved health-care outcomes, and further development of relationships with stakeholders.
“All indications from everyone is that Mark is visible, open, approachable and receptive,” Gibson said. “But he’s also insisting on performance.”
During his second visit to the facility this year, Gibson praised the medical center for scheduling appointments and providing services within 30 for 95 percent of its veterans. He said 88 percent of veterans were provided health care services within 14 days, and 80 percent had an appointment scheduled within seven days of their initial request for services.
Average wait times for specialty care is seven days, Gibson said, and the wait time for primary care and mental health care has been reduced to an average of five days.