Caring Veterans Members, Board of Directors & Friends

MEETING:
Please make a note, the Caring Veterans meeting is held once a month; every third Tuesday at Marie Callender’s Restaurant, 1910 East 20th, Chico, CA, 345-8800. We meet at 5:00 PM for dinner or beverages and the meeting begins between 6:00 and 6:30 PM. Please call 530-228-2412 if any questions or concerns. The meetings will also include the progress of our Women's Auxiliary and their vision for our veterans for 2011. Also, check the calendar of events to confirm dates and times.

Vets Mark 20th Anniversary of Gulf War! - Twenty years ago today, American aircraft and other forces began bombing Iraq, the opening salvos in an American-led coalition to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi military. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein promised victory in "the mother of all battles." A month later, his soldiers were surrendering en masse.  

Committee Advances Veterans Bill! - The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, led by Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), recently approved two bills. H.R. 3949 -- the Veterans Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act of 2009-- (1) would include amending the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to improve the equitable relief available for servicemembers called to active duty, including allowing greater flexibility for family cell phone plans, rental leases, and motor vehicle leases when a servicemember has changed duty stations or been deployed. H.R. 1168 would authorize living stipend and moving assistance to veterans who have been unemployed for at least 4 months, who are not eligible for training or education under VA, and who are enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor re-training program.  

Plain Talk About Your Benefits! - We know that understanding your military benefits can be a difficult thing to accomplish. The kids are screaming, you're packing up for deployment, you just don't have time to read the "handbook" and figure out the jargon. Terry Howell, Military.com's benefit expert, has written "The Military Advantage, 2010 Edition: The Military.com Guide to Military and Veteran Benefits" in plain English and organized in a way that makes sense to you..

Expediting Fully Developed Claims: On December 17, 2008, VA began a one-year pilot program at 10 regional offices to assess the feasibility and advisability of processing within 90 days after receipt fully developed compensation and pension claims. A Certification of Fully Developed Claim should accompany each claim submitted under this pilot program. For additional details, please see the news release VA Announces Pilot Program To Expedite "Fully Developed" Claims. For further information please go to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web Site and click of ‘Veterans Benefits & Compensation’.

News from Caring Veterans - 2008 - VA Increases Travel Reimbursement - Department of Veterans Affairs | January 31, 2008

Peake: Disabled Veterans Earned Increase

WASHINGTON - Over a million eligible veterans will see their mileage reimbursement more than double starting tomorrow, for travel to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities.

"This increase helps veterans -- especially those living in rural areas -- offset some of the gasoline costs as they travel to VA's world-class health care," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Increasing the mileage reimbursement is one more step by VA to help veterans access the health care they deserve."

The 2008 appropriations act provided funding for VA to increase the beneficiary travel mileage reimbursement rate from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile. The increase goes into effect on Feb. 1.

After little more then a month on the job, Secretary Peake used his authority to establish the first increase in the mileage reimbursement in 30 years, fulfilling a pledge he made during his Senate confirmation hearing last month.

While increasing the payment, VA, as mandated by law, also equally increased the deductible amounts applied to certain mileage reimbursements. The new deductibles are $7.77 for a one way trip,$15.54 for a round trip, with a maximum of $46.62 per calendar month. However, these deductibles can be waived if they cause a financial hardship to the veteran.