A message from veterans collectibles
60% off ALL Merchandise
VVA’s Veterans Collectibles is having a one-time-only closeout sale. All merchandise is half price and all sales are final. There will be no refunds, returns, or exchanges. This 60% sale applies only to merchandise on hand; we cannot back order any item. Regular shipping charges do apply.
The reason for the sale: Veterans Collectibles is being completely re-organized. In January, we will re-open for business with a full line of merchandise under a new name.
Meanwhile, place your orders today by mail, fax, or email. Contact: VVA, P.O. Box 17416, Baltimore, MD 21297; email emitchell@vva.org, or fax 888-919-8387. Sorry, no phone orders will be accepted.
Serving veterans promptly
Veterans Affairs Department should speed up processing of
disability claims and appeals
Mon, Dec 22, 2008 (2:06 a.m.)
Once in a while a judge will express sympathy for a plaintiff,
only to rule against that individual or group because of
lack of jurisdiction. That’s what happened Wednesday
when U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington turned
down a claim from two veterans groups that think the Veterans
Affairs Department drags its feet when it comes to processing
disability claims.
Walton recognized the plaintiffs, Vietnam Veterans of America
and Veterans of Modern Warfare, have a legitimate complaint
against Veterans Affairs. “As much as I as an individual
would like to see claims expeditiously concluded, I just
don’t see how I could provide the relief,” he
said in court. “If I did, I would be reversed in a
heartbeat.”
[ read
the full article ]
Media Advisory: DEC 17th U.S. DISTRICT COURTHOUSE RALLY
VETERANS WILL GATHER TO FIGHT FOR FASTER DISABILITY BENEFITS DECISIONS
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIR
WHAT: Hundreds of thousands of America’s heroes are facing irreparable financial and personal hardship because the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking a year, and in many cases more than four years, to provide decisions on their disability claims. Veterans will gather at the U.S. District Courthouse to show support for a lawsuit filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and Veterans of Modern Warfare (VMW) against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Court is holding a hearing on December 17 to hear arguments from the VVA and VMW and the VA.
The lawsuit filed by the VVA and VMW on behalf of thousands of American veterans seeks 90-day decisions on initial claims for disability benefits, and a 180-day period to resolve appeals of those decisions. If the VA cannot meet these standards, the VVA and VMW are asking for equitable relief in the form of interim benefits, which will provide veterans with a lifeline of support when it is most needed most.
Veterans sharing stories of their arduous battles with the VA to receive the benefits to which they are entitled and representing the hundreds of thousands of veterans who are still waiting for resolution on their claims.
WHEN: 10 AM, Wednesday, December 17, 2008
WHERE: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
MORE:
- The VA takes a year or more to deliver initial benefits decisions, and on average, appeals take more than 4 years.
- The VA has a backlog of more than 600,000 benefit claims. This number will increase as the 1.6 million troops that served in Iraq and Afghanistan become eligible for benefits.
- A soldier’s transition to civilian life is challenging. Delayed disability benefit awards create an additional and, in many cases, unmanageable stress for an already suffering population. According to the VA, the suicide rate among individuals in the VA’s care may be as high as 7.5 times the national average, and every night more than 150,000 American veterans are homeless.
- Delays of benefits result in lost homes, lost jobs, broken families and destroyed lives.
For more info go to: www.veteransnewsroom.com
In Memoriam
Our VVA and AVVA membership both past
and present are utmost important to our organization and
the rich history they bring. Our members who have died have
not been forgotten and remain as integral part of the history
of Vietnam Veterans of America and Associates of Vietnam
Veterans of America. These men and women have made what VVA
and AVVA is today and continues to be. It in this vein, that
we want to honor their memory and legacy by publishing their
obituary narratives as they have been collected and written.
Some are more complete than others depending on the information
that was provided to the National Chaplain. It is the intent
of this site to post all the narratives that have been collected
since we started publishing the TAPS column. Please note
that we did not start TAPS column at the beginning of our
organization but only many years later and there will be
many whose names will not appear but their memory nevertheless
lives on. Please remember these men and women who have given
so much to make VVA and AVVA what it is today – “one
generation of Veterans not leaving another behind.”
Father Phil Salois, M.S.
VVA National Chaplain
[ visit the TAPS section on vva.org
]
“You can’t take it with you,” the old
saying insists, and it’s true, of course. But there’s
another way to look at the things you can’t take with
you. The things you leave behind can express the priorities
of your life, and how you want to be remembered. Leaving
those things to the people and causes you care about can
be one of the defining acts of your life.
And if you don’t do it yourself, a government bureaucracy
will do it for you.
To avoid that sad fate, many Vietnam members are creating
detailed wills. Vietnam Veterans of America is offering a
free Will Planning Guide, with a helpful Will Planning Checklist
to take the mystery out of the process. VVA has also recently
created a program called the Lasting Legacy Society to recognize
those veterans who include VVA in their wills.
VVA members and friends who remember
VVA in their will become members of VVA’s Lasting
Legacy Society and as a token of VVA’s appreciation
will receive a finely crafted clock of genuine black marble,
solid brass, and select American walnut. This handsome
timepiece stands 9” tall and will be a welcome addition
to any bookcase or fireplace mantel. VVA will proudly welcome
members to the Lasting Legacy Society and ship the exclusive
VVA Society clock to those who provide evidence, such as
a copy of the will or letter from their attorney, that
VVA is named as a beneficiary of their estate.
[ click to learn more and
to request the free VVA will planner & checklist ]
The VVA Self-Help Guide to Service-Connected Disability Compensation for Exposure to Agent Orange
Click on the cover (above) to go to the guide.
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The Wall 25th Anniversary Commemorative book
To commemorate the anniversary and memorial events, Vietnam Veterans of America has teamed up with Boston Publishing Company, known to most of our members as the publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book series, The Vietnam Experience.
[Order The Wall Book] |
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