Veterans Administration Contact info...

[Canis-Lupus]

The American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide.

For Servicemembers, their families, Veterans new to the way of life or been part of it for decades,
this is pulled from Veterans Today ©, and links to a download called:
"The American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide."
A sampling of what you will find inside follows:
What you will find in the new Survival Guide includes:–Chapter 3, “Service-Connected Compensation,” which provides indispensable guidance for those suffering from PTSD and other psychological wounds and have questions or concerns about what they’re owed by the military.–Chapter 11, “Employment, Self-Employment and the Small-Business Administration,” covers the issues for those veterans looking to establish a business or get a job. –Chapter 20, “Advice for Families and Caregivers of Wounded Servicemembers and Veterans,” is a vital resource to family members and the wider community about how to better take care, and honor, our veterans and wounded troops.
It links into 4 Adobe PDF area-specific downloads:
The American Veterans’ and Servicemembers’ Survival Guide
The Veterans’ Self-help Guide on VA Claims
The Self-Help Guide for Veterans of the Gulf War
Self Help Guide on Agent Orange
Link Removed
The new Survival Guide is a follow-up to the 1985 national bestseller: The Viet Vet Survival Guide. Just as the earlier book was a must-read for Vietnam veterans, the new book will prove an invaluable resource for the 1.7 million servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the 24 million veterans of past conflicts, and the families of all our troops and veterans. Unlike the earlier guide, the new Survival Guide is free.
That is worth a look if you are a Vietnam-era Vet or right out of 'Walter-Wonderful' wondering about how you may prove service-connection to the problems (if any) the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may have left you facing. IMHO this may be one of the better links/downloads to come out of Veterans Today in a while.

Canis-Lupus

 

[Canis-Lupus]

Search for 11,000+ Eligible Survivors Continues.

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has identified nearly 11,000 surviving spouses of deceased veterans who will receive a lump-sum payment before the New Year to correct an error in their VA benefits. Also documented were more than 73,000 who had been previously paid. VA officials are still tracking down eligible survivors. “I am pleased that our task force working to correct this problem has been able to identify this first group this week,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “We understand the difference these funds can make for these surviving spouses, especially during the holiday season.” Payments will be released to these survivors on Dec. 29. The total value of the payments is about $24 million. At issue is a 1996 federal law that makes a surviving spouse eligible to receive the veteran’s VA compensation or pension benefit for the month of the veteran’s death. VA failed to properly implement that law in all cases. Most likely to have been affected by this problem are surviving spouses who never applied for VA survivors’ benefits following the death of a veteran. Eligible for the payment are surviving spouses of veterans who died after Dec. 31, 1996. The Department doesn’t have current addresses for many of them, which makes the process of contacting them difficult.
VA has established a special Survivor Call Center (1-800-749-8387) for spouses who believe they may be eligible for this retroactive benefit. The Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Central Standard Time. Inquiries may also be submitted through the Internet at VA to Provide Payments to Eligible Surviving Spouses.
Time is short, I only found this today, released on December 24, 2008 thru Veterans Today ©. If you know of the beneficiary/spouse of any deceased Veteran who never applied for this benefit and who may be eligible for this payment, please FWD the above information to them in full ASAP. Please be tactful, respecful and please only contact those who did not receive this back-payment already. No guarantees they are on the 11K awaiting payment list. I am not the POC for this post, a toll free # and web-link is.
Thanks,

Canis-Lupus