Military veterans of the war on terrorism deserve a memorial. Let’s hope they don’t have to wait as long for it as World War II veterans did theirs. Pittsburgher Andrew Brennan, an Army veteran who flew helicopters in Afghanistan, has been promoting the idea of a national memorial in Washington, D.C., for about three years. Significant obstacles remain. Funding is one of them, but that’s a worry for another day. First, Congress would have to waive a law that permits memorials to be built only 10 years or more after a war is concluded. The war on terror, however, is more nebulous than most. It’s a fight against a concept, a tactic used by non-state actors, not a foreign power. It’s waged on many fronts, not two or three. Unlike other wars, such as World War II, it might never end. But that’s no reason to hold off giving veterans their due.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning regarding a new scam, preying on veterans who are making decisions about their medical care. The VA’s Veterans Choice Program allows eligible vets to use approved health-care providers outside of the VA system. Veterans or families can call the VCP’s toll-free number to verify their eligibility for the program
Scammers have set up a phony telephone line that resembles the VCP’s real telephone number. Con artists are using a phone number that’s almost identical to the real thing, counting on creating confusion. You call and think you’ve reached the VCP. The fake line’s message says you’re entitled to a rebate if you provide a credit card number. But if you give up your account information, they’ll debit your account and you’ll get nothing in return. There is no rebate and you’ll need to cancel your credit card.

VA Secretary David J. Shulkin will decide “on or before” Nov. 1 whether to add to the list of medical conditions the Department of Veteran Affairs presumes are associated to Agent Orange or other herbicides sprayed during the Vietnam War, a department spokesman said Tuesday in response to our enquiry.
Ailments under review as possible adds to the presumptive diseases list include bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson-like symptoms without diagnosis of that particular disease. But hypertension (high blood pressure) and stroke also might be embraced, or ignored, as part of the current review.

There are questions going around that the Caregiver Act should be eligible for all veterans not just post 9/11 veterans. If the change is approve it will require legislative action. If you feel that the Caregiver Act should apply to all veterans you need to let your Senator and member of the House know your thoughts and the reason you think the current law should be changed.

The U.S. House of Representatives on July 23, 2017showed unquestionable, bipartisan commitment to America’s student veterans by voting 405-0 to pass H.R. 3218, the #ForeverGIBill. H.R. 3218 addresses current gaps in Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility and coverage. It ensures more veterans and their survivors have an opportunity to pursue their educational goals, such as Purple Heart recipients who do not have the requisite three years of active service; veterans attending schools that close abruptly through no fault of their own; thousands of involuntarily activated Reservists and Guardsmen; surviving family members; and it eliminates the 15-year use-or-lose limitation, which means veterans truly have a lifetime to use their GI Bill.

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today applauded the bipartisan committee approval of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, legislation to improve veterans’ education benefits and enhance the post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
This bill eliminates the arbitrary 15-year period within which a veteran is required to use their G.I. Bill and instead allows them to use their benefits at any time in their professional career.
Additionally, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017:
•Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists mobilized under selected reserve orders for preplanned missions in support of the combatant commands or in response to a major disaster or emergency;
•Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists undergoing medical care;
•Provides full G.I. Bill benefits for Purple Heart recipients regardless of length of service;
•Extends Yellow Ribbon Program benefits to Fry scholarship recipients; and
•Increases G.I. Bill payments by $2,300 per year for veterans with less than 12 months of active service.

The Department of Oklahoma received the Division 2 Local Veterans Assistance Award in recognition of leading volunteer efforts to serve the interest of veterans and their families.

The juniors were recognized for their efforts in assisting veterans and their families. They should be applauded for their work in helping veterans and the families of veterans.

The members of the Disabled American Veterans, Department of Oklahoma, should be proud of the work they are doing to serve veterans and their families. They also need to recognize the efforts of Department Commander Linda Miller and Department Adjutant, Danny Oliver, for their work in helping veterans and their families.

We have proven time and time again, that the Department of Oklahoma stand tall and proud and that we work as a team

On May 24th, Veterans Affairs officials defended plans to strip ten of thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from elderly veterans as responsible reforms to the department’s growing budget.. Included in President Trump’s $186.5 billion VA budget for fiscal 20185 are plans to dramatically cut the department’s Individual Unemployability program.
Administration officials want to stop those payouts once veterans are eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, arguing that those individuals should no longer qualify for unemployment benefits.
For Oklahoma veterans collecting Individual Unemployability, they would lose state benefits sucvh as the sales tax exemption, property tax reduction, reduced automobile tag fees, and many more.
If you are opposed to this budget cut you need to write your Senator and House member letting them know your feelings. If possible, it helps to also let them know the reason for your objection.
As of June 15, 2017, the proposed Individual Unemployability cut was still in the budget. Sen. John Tester (Mont) stated that he is receiving hundreds of call from veterans objecting to the elimination of the program for veterans age 62 or older.

A new sculpture was installed in Oklahoma City’s Asian District on July 6th and it is designed to honor those who risked their lives during the Vietnam War. Military Park is the new home to the “Brothers in Arms” statue which honors those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The statue depicts an American soldier and a South Vietnamese soldier standing back to back covering each other’s six.

H.R. 2810: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 –
To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military
activities of the Department of Defense and for military
construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such
fiscal year, and for other purposes. The House majority leader
indicated on June 30, 2017 that this bill may be considered as a
whole in the weeks ahead.
S. 115: Veterans Transplant Coverage Act =
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for an operation on a
live donor for purposes of conducting a transplant procedure for
a veteran, and for other purposes.
This bill is scheduled for the following committee meetings: Jul
11, 2017 2:30 p.m. — Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
S. 683: Keeping Our Commitment to Disabled Veterans Act of 2017 –
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to extend the
requirement to provide nursing home care to certain veterans with
service-connected disabilities. This bill is in the first stage
of the legislative process. It was possibly sent on to the House
or Senate as a whole.