“According to the Alaska-based newspaper Alaska Star, a new non-profit organization has proposed the construction of a “Veterans City” at the old Eklutna Lodge, approximately midway between the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage. This city’s mission would be to house the area’s homeless veterans (and others) and help them start down the path to a more stable lifestyle. As it stands now, the plan would be to provide housing on an ‘honor-farm’ system for about 400 homeless people, with priority given to homeless veterans. An ‘honor farm’ is a situation where residents contribute their labor in exchange for room and board, as well as a variety of other services. This new plan, which is still in its infancy and has yet to address the financial demands of such an undertaking, grew out of dissatisfaction with the way Anchorage is handling the problems both faced and posed by the area’s most vulnerable community members.”
You may find the following information useful as you work towards receiving benefits from VA:
New Hampshire State Office of Veterans Services
1-800-827-1000.
TDD: 1-800-829-4833
Regional Office(s):
Manchester VA Regional Office
Norris Cotton Federal Building
275 Chestnut Street
Manchester, NH 03101
New Hampshire has a number of services available to veterans, including:
Contact the New Hampshire State Office of Veterans Services to find out what they can do for you!
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services may also be able to help you as you go through your claims process. Find important services such as food stamps, food assistance, or fuel assistance here.
If you are in need of medical treatment, please don’t wait. Although an average VA claim may take up to one year to be decided, your health comes first. In fact, receiving regular treatment for your service-connected disability may actually help you to win your claim!
Find a VA Medical Center or clinic near you here for any chronic or emergency medical attention you may need.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio veterans who served in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars are eligible for a one-time bonus from the state.
Ohio voters approved the measures in November, authorizing Ohio to spend up to $200 million to give qualifying veterans $100 for each month of service in any of the three wars, up to $1000. Those who served elsewhere are eligible for $50 a month up to $500, and family members of veterans who died during conflicts are eligible for a payment up to $6,500.
Governor Ted Strickland admits that no amount of money is adequate—or perhaps even appropriate—to reward the sacrifices made by Ohio veterans. “But,” he notes, “these checks will help, perhaps, make a mortgage payment, put food on the table, or start a savings account. And these payments will say something clearly and directly to our veterans: thank you.”
An estimated 200,000 veterans can receive the bonus. Applications can be found online, at any Ohio Veterans Service office, or by calling 1-877-OHIO-VET. One slight wrinkle: applications must be notarized and sent in with the requested documentation. Veterans, be prepared to submit proof of current Ohio residency and a DD214, which should show proof of service, proof of Ohio residency at the time of enlistment, service during the three wars, and an honorable or under honorable conditions discharge. Eligibility requirements are listed at the bonus website. Overall, there appear to be a few simple hoops to jump through, but qualifying veterans or their families will find it well worth the effort.
On Monday, the 30th of August, American Legion officials visited with some of the Milwaukee area’s homeless Veterans. During their visit, they toured Vets Place Central at 33rd and Wells streets in Milwaukee. This facility offers transitional housing to more than 70 local Veterans.
During their visit to the facility, Legion officials observed that the need for help is great. According to American Legion National Economic Commission Deputy Director Mark Walker, “We know that everyone needs to be involved — the government, private sector, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations — because this is a problem, and it takes all of us to help this vulnerable community.”
“No veterans should ever be left behind. It’s important they be given a hand to fully reintegrate because of sacrifices they made for us and all Americans in the defense of our liberties and freedoms,” Center for Veterans Issue CEO and President Robert Cocroft said.
To learn more about the Center for Veterans Issues and Vets Place Central, please visit www.cvivet.org/housing.htm.
Seroquel, manufactured by the drug maker AstraZeneca, is second only to the blood-thinner Plavix in the amount of money spent on a prescription drug by VA since 2007. In 2009, VA spent $125.4 million on Seroquel, whereas it had only spent $14.4 million on the drug in 2001. Similarly, the DoD’s spending on Seroquel has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, resulting in $8.6 million spent last year.
Seroquel is most commonly prescribed to veterans and soldiers suffering from PTSD to ease insomnia; however, it has not been approved by the FDA to treat insomnia or PTSD. The FDA has approved the medication to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. The prescribing of drugs for uses other than those they have been approved for is a practice termed “off-label” prescribing. Drug manufacturers cannot advertise use of their products in ways not approved by the FDA. The VA states that Seroquel is only prescribed as the 3rd or 4th option for PTSD patients who are not responsive to other insomnia medications. There are currently only 2 drugs approved by the FDA for treating PTSD – Paxil and Zoloft – which do not work for all patients.
Seroquel’s side effects include diabetes, weight gain, uncontrollable muscle spasms, slurred, speech, disorientation, and tremors. Approximately 26,000 lawsuits have been brought against AstraZeneca because of Seroquel’s side effects. Recently, the company settled many of these lawsuits by agreeing to a multi-million dollar payment. Sequerol was the pharmaceutical’s 2nd best seller last year after the ulcer treatment drug Nexium.
A study by Vanderbilt University, published in the January 2009 New England Journal of Medicine, raised the possibility of a new risk from the drug – heart failure. Both AstraZeneca and the FDA are reportedly reviewing the study, noting it was of limited scope. The Associated Press reports that the only published study on the use of Seroquel for insomnia due to PTSD involved only 20 patients, lasted for only 6 weeks, and was funded by AstraZeneca.
For more information, see:
The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) was recently awarded nearly one million dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Services to help combat inner-city homelessness.
SAHA was the recipient of a HUD grant amounting to $580,500 to support their Shelter Plus Care Program, a program that provides rental assistance to homeless and severely at-risk families. The Shelter Plus Care program also provides helpful services for disabled homeless people, such as those suffering from mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse problems.
SAHA also received a grant amounting to $385,872 to help them support their Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. The money will be used to finance an additional 100 vouchers for homeless veterans. Those who participate in this program will also receive rental assistance along in addition to case management services. SAHA works closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans are being provided with high-quality clinical services.
According to SAHA President and CEO Lourdes Castro Ramirez, “We are committed to reducing homelessness in San Antonio. These grants allow us to provide affordable, quality housing for families while working with them on issues that affect their quality of life.”
Admiral Mike Mullen made a point to challenge businesses today to hire more veterans to help stem the growing issue of veteran homelessness and unemployment.
Mullen, the chairman of President Barack Obama’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, is not known for occupying the spotlight but did make a rare public appearance at a lunch held at the Detroit Economic Club. His talk centered on the needs of the unemployed and homeless veterans returning from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to encouraging businesses to consider hiring more veterans, Mullen took questions from the audience on everything from our national debt to our policy in dealing with Iran.
“The biggest threat to our nation’s security is our debt,” Mullen said, noting that the U.S. federal government will pay roughly $600 billion in interest on its debt next year. His commentary on the national debt comes at an interesting time for the White House. The president is undoubtedly desirous of Congressional Democrats being able to walk the fine line between putting money behind programs to stimulate the slowed economy and being able to effectively respond to concerns from fiscal conservatives worried about our nation’s mounting deficit.
Those who have served and sacrificed for our country deserve special honor and recognition. One way these sacrifices are recognized is through the awarding of military medals and decorations. Sadly, sometimes individuals who have not earned these honors falsely pretend to have done so. In response to this issue, the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 was passed and became effective in December 2006. It is a federal offense for individuals to claim verbally or in writing to have received any military award that they have not. This offense is punishable by a fine and/or up to six months in jail, double if the offense involves valor awards or the Purple Heart. Since the law’s enactment, courts have been prosecuting individuals under this law.
In a recent California case, an individual was prosecuted for falsely claiming to be a Medal of Honor recipient at a public meeting. He was fined $5,000 and sentenced to community service at a veterans’ hospital. He appealed his conviction on the grounds that it violated his First Amendment free speech rights. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. The majority found that there was no evidence that the lies harmed anyone, and no compelling reason for the government to ban such lies. The dissenting judge pointed out that Supreme Court precedent indicates that false statements are not entitled to First Amendment protection. While this case arguably did not involve harm, there have been Stolen Valor prosecutions involving fraud, such as another California case in which a man posed as a military officer and sought donations which he fraudulently claimed were to help wounded veterans.
For an article on this issue with related links, please see: www.militarytimes.com/news/2010/08/ap-military-stolen-valor-act-unconstitutional-again-081710/. To see a text of the Stolen Valor law, go to: ftp.resource.org/gpo.gov/laws/109/publ437.109.pdf
As back-to-school time is here, it’s a good time to note that eKnowledge donates their SAT and ACT college preparation programs to military service members and their families. The standard programs are free, and the premium programs are offered for a significantly-reduced fee. (Their college prep programs normally cost a few hundred dollars.) Those eligible include: 1) active duty, guard, and reserve service members from all branches of the military; 2) military retirees; 3) veterans; 4) DoD employees and civilians performing military support; and, 5) the dependents of those who qualify for groups 1-5. You can find out more through www.eknowledge.com/MIL or by calling 951-256-4076 or by calling 951-256-4076.
On Thursday, August 19th, hundred of World War II Veteran from Iowa boarded the last planned Honor Flight to Washington D.C. The Honor Flight program has helped about 2,000 World War II Veterans visit the national memorial to their war. The trips are free to senior and terminally ill Veterans.
Bill Knapp, an 84-year-old Iowa Veteran who survived the battle of Okinawa, wrote a check for $250,000 to help fund the expedition. Mr. Knapp has given millions to other causes in the past, but this venture is particularly dear to him. He has remarked, “It’s just a great honor for me to be able to do it. You can do a lot of things, but when you can do something that touches these people the way it has, this memorial to them has been so long coming.”
For more on this story, click here.
