Thus far, 2021 hasn’t been a very kind year as we’ve lost three very close and dear friends, Vince Acosta, Adrian Tworek and Larry Harris.
Vince Acosta
The first of the three to pass on, was Vince Acosta who served with the 70th in A Company in 1969. Roger and I had kept in close contact with Vince and Gail over the years and when traveling through Las Vegas to one place or another, we always included time in our schedule to spend time with Vince and Gail. A home health worker brought COVID19 into their home and while Gail, a cancer survivor, overcame the virus, Vince, who had a number of health issues, wasn’t strong enough to overcome it. Vince passed away on January 10, 2021.
Adrian Tworek
If you’ve been to one of the Battalion reunions, you like met Adrian and got to share a number of stories. After being locked up for a little over a year avoiding COVID, we’d finally headed out in our coach to attend a rally and while there, got a call from his wife Jane letting us know that he’d been out working in the yard when he’d rung the doorbell and she found him sitting on the porch. He’d suffered an aneurism and while he survived the surgery to repair the damage, he passed away the next day on Friday, May 21, 2021. Adrian served in HQ company 1966-67.
Larry Harris
This morning, we learned that Larry Harris, who served with the 70th in HQ Company from 1966-68 before moving on to 1st CAV in Vietnam, passed away on May 2, 2021. In all, Larry received 5 purple hearts throughout his multiple tours in Vietnam. He’d pretty much dropped off the face of the earth a while back and try as we did to keep in touch we’d been unable to reach him. Roger finally made contact with one of his local friends this morning and learned of his passing. He had been suffering from heart-related issues for some time.
May they all now rest in peace. In the interim, ’til we meet again on the other side … we will sorely miss their presence.
He was a devoted father and family man, a loyal friend, and an engaging conversationalist who always sought to put others at ease. He loved travel, leading many family travel trailer adventures all across the country on the way to the next assignment or down to Florida to visit his parents. He valued friends and family and greatly enjoyed spending time visiting with them through all his years.
Born in Woodbury, Georgia on April 30, 1931 to Ed Lee Ayers and Elizabeth Garrison, he grew up in Bradenton, Florida. He attended the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating with the class of 1953, and subsequently attended California Institute of Technology. On June 4, 1960, he married Harriett Ann Mahle of Baltimore, Maryland.
He served in the Army Corps of Engineers, rising to the rank of Colonel, and retired in 1981 to work for Brown and Root in Houston, Texas. He grew out his hair and adapted to corporate life, rising from Project Manager to Vice President of the Brown and Root Services Corporation he helped to found, and then on to Program Director of KBR Services. He retired from corporate life in 1999, and aside from occasional consulting jobs, enjoyed many years of camping, fishing, and visiting with family and friends before and after his wife, Harriett, passed away on their anniversary in 2006.
Bob is survived by daughters; Jennifer Ayers of Austin, Texas and Elizabeth Ayers who, with her husband. Philip Wattenbarger lives in Houston, Texas, with granddaughters; Marisa, Tamara and Evelyn. He is also survived by brothers; Capt. William Ayers of Seguin, Texas, Cicero Ayers of Tampa, Florida, and Ed Lee Ayers of Brownsville, Texas.
James Howard Seago, Sr., 87, of Sarasota, FL, formerly of Atwater, IL, died at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, FL on Monday, June 3, 2019 at 6:25 pm. He was born July 31, 1931, in Atwater, IL to Charles Seago & Evia (Jackson) Seago. He married Norma Jean (Karrick) Seago. She preceded him in death on September 29, 2006. He then married Wanda (Winfrey) Blackburn Seago. He was retired military after having served with the Army as an E7 during Vietnam. He was also a retired supervisor from the US Postal Service. James loved playing the violin and telling people about the Lord and leading them to Christ. He is survived by his spouse Wanda (Winfrey) Blackburn Seago, children, James (Leigh) Seago Jr., Deborah (Charles) Crump, Kimberly Richardson, Rebecca (Steve) Brown, Belinda (Dan) Cooper, Jenni (Marvin) Kuentzel, Kim (Terry) Walker, Mary (Cathy) Blackburn, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren and brother, Charles Seago. James was preceded in death by his parents, first spouse, daughter, Kathleen Gail Seago, grandson, James Kallis Richardson, great grandson, Jeffrey Black, sibling, Orville, Truman, Clara, Bernice, Mayme and Paul. Friends may call on Sunday, June 16, 2019 at Kravanya Funeral Home in Gillespie, IL from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm. Funeral services are Monday, June 17, 2019 at 10:00 AM at Kravanya Funeral Home in Gillespie, IL. Burial will be at Bethel Ridge Cemetery, Atwater, IL. Memorials are suggested to CEF of Alaska and National Veterans Golden Age Games. Anyone wishing to send an online condolence may do so at www.kravanyafuneral.com. Kravanya Funeral Home, Gillespie, IL is in charge of the arrangements.
This is the update I never wanted to write. Yesterday (5-13-2019), we lost dad.
We lost him from this earth, but never from our hearts and we know he has another reunion he attended yesterday beyond the veil.
We want to thank everyone for all the help, the visits, texts, cards, everything.
All we take with us is the experiences and love we have gained and he was more than loved. He was beloved.
Here are the details for the funeral:
Viewing is Friday, May 17th (5:30-7:30 pm) at Zeyer’s Funeral Chapel located at 83 N. Midland Blvd. In Nampa.
Funeral is Saturday, May 18th (10:30am) at the LDS church located at 7809 Deer Flat Road in Nampa.
Burial will follow at the Melba cemetery which is about 10 minutes from the church. He will be honored with a 21-gun salute from the Legion Hall in Meridian and the Gowen Field Honor Guard will do a flag presentation and TAPS.
Following internment, lunch will be provided at the Melba Senior Center (arrangements pending) and food will be provided by my church.
There will be a short open mic portion in the funeral program to allow the sharing of brief memories. However, if you are more comfortable sharing pictures or stories/memories on here, we will include them in the videos and someone is doing a life sketch and will be sharing stories from others.
OBITUARY
Harold D Guy Jr. was born on November 25, 1945 in Ontario, Oregon to Erma and Harold Guy. He spent his younger years and school time in Midvale. This hometown is where he gained life-long friendships and learned his well-respected work ethics. While there he enjoyed participating in football, FFA, and rodeo life when rodeo was more than just a sport.
Midvale is also where he joined the military. First, he joined the air guards and then he went active duty in the army before being deployed to Vietnam. He later served in the Idaho National Guard including serving for a time with his son Robert. The military and the friendships he made there remained a big part of his life.
When he returned from Vietnam in 1969, he married Linda (Lyda) Tucker. They shared a love of dancing, music, and family. This December would have been their 50th wedding anniversary.
Their first home was in Fort Hood, Texas where Harold was stationed. From there he was transferred to Fort Wainwright, Alaska. From there he returned to Idaho and civilian life with three children he would adopt and call his own from Linda’s first marriage, and with a baby Eskimo girl they adopted while in Alaska.
Their life in Idaho saw more traveling as Harold worked for Western Construction as a heavy equipment operator. He worked on major roadways from Elmore County’s Great Wall and the Mesa Hill, to Soda Spring and Oregon.
In 1975 he moved his family to Glenns Ferry, Idaho where they remained for 17 years. While here Harold continued working in construction but also became a volunteer EMT which began his new love. From Glenns Ferry they moved to Payette where they remained for 26 years and where Harold worked with United Ambulance out of Payette County and then Treasure Valley Paramedics out of Ontario. Here he acquired a whole new family who continued to visit him as he and Linda moved to Caldwell this past year to be closer to family as Harold’s health and the effect of Agent Orange took its toll. Through it all, he never stopped smiling, joking, and loving everyone. He was a well-loved man who touched so many lives. Harold was preceded in death by his parents, Erma and Harold; his sister, Marlene Maxwell; and his brother, Dennis Reynolds. He is survived by his wife, Linda (Tucker); his sister, Donna Howard; and his children: Sonja Weeks, Laurie (Greg) Kiester, Robert Guy, Carrie (Dean) Kaiser, Melissa Osborn. He also has 22 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, May 18 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 7809 Deer Flat Rd in Nampa. A viewing will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, Friday, May 17, at Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N Midland Blvd, Nampa. Burial at Melba Cemetery where Harold will be honored with a 21 gun salute and flag presentation for his military service. Condolences may be expressed at ZeyerFuneralChapel.com. 208-467-7300
Roland E. Morin of Saco passed away on April 25, 2019 at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough after a courageous battle with cancer.
He was born in Lewiston, the son of Irene and Edmond Morin; he attended Lewiston schools and graduated from Lewiston High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968 and served a tour in Vietnam from 1968-1969 as a combat engineer in Company A-70th Engineer Battalion. When he returned from Vietnam, he served in Company B- 17th Battalion-5th Brigade as the personnel specialist in Fort Knox, Kentucky until 1971. Roland was very proud of his service and enjoyed discussing his service with anyone but really got joy discussing military service with other veterans.
After his service in the Army, he enrolled in USM and began working at the Department of Human Services (DHS) where he met his wife of 45+ years. Roland spent over 30 years at DHS mostly as a caseworker in the Aspire program, where he helped countless clients. He was also a valuable peer to his coworkers assisting and offering advice to further their careers. Those that worked with “Rolie” got to see firsthand, his dedication to his work while maintaining a light-hearted and fun attitude towards life. After retiring from DHS, Roland worked as a job coach, helping those with disabilities in the workplace, showing his compassion in helping others. He retired from job coaching in 2016 and began working at Xuron in Saco, crafting the tools that he used regularly when building models.
Roland was an expert scale model builder, winning countless awards for the models he built. He was known for the extra fine detail of the dashboards and wiring of engines in the models he built and specialized in military armor, classic cars and rat rods. He was a proud member of the Southern Maine Scale Modelers club; he had many close friends and fellow modelers that he thoroughly enjoyed spending time with and learning tips and tricks on building models.
Roland was known for his quick wit, snide comments/remarks, and overall laidback fun demeanor. He is known for using acronyms and had one for just about any situation, his favorites were PITA and WAFM. He enjoyed camping and was easy to spot at local campgrounds by looking for the most elaborate campsite setup including a very large (Taj Mahal-sized) tent and several canopies covering the “kitchen” and “living room” of the campsite. He also enjoyed music; mostly oldies and classic rock, his favorite song of all time IN A GADDA DA VIDA, where he showcased his air guitar and air drums skills.
Roland is survived by his wife, Joanne of Saco; cats Max and Alice; son David and his wife Jessica of Portland; grand puppies Belladonna and Pennylane; sister Diane Morin-Berman and her husband Larry of Mashpee, Mass., brother Raymond Morin and his wife Jackie of Sanford, N.C., nieces and nephews; and many very close friends.
The Morin family would like to especially thank the doctors and staff of Maine Centers for Healthcare, Maine Medical Center Gibson Pavilion and the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough for their expert care and compassion for both Roland and his Family during the past nine months. A special thank you to Scott Chase for providing Roland and Joanne with a special afternoon ride, one that none of us will ever forget!
A Military Honors Ceremony will be held on June 28th at 2 p.m. at the Southern Maine Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Springvale.
Paul Kentes III, 72, of 700 E. Main Street, Elizabeth City, died Friday, March 29, 2019 at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center. Paul served with Company B from 1967-68.
He was born May 8, 1946 in Preston, England to the late Michael Kentes and Gladys Curran Kentes and was the husband of Diane DeMedio Kentes. A Vietnam veteran, he served his country honorably in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. After his military service he entered the field of telecommunications and retired from an executive position after many years. He enjoyed golf, adored his wife and family and loved being a Dad to his daughters and PaPa to his grandchildren.
In addition to Diane, his wife of fifty plus years, he is survived by two daughters, Christine A. Zell and husband, Bryan and Jillian A. Shifflett and husband Mike all of Bristow, VA; and four grandchildren, Abigail, Jake, Drew and Luke. He was preceded in death by a brother, Michael Kentes.
A memorial service will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.
Shortly after Christmas … emails went out to those for whom we have email addresses. Snail mail will likely be sent by week end. Below is a copy of the flyer going out as snail mail.
News Release— US House Committee on Veterans Affairs:
Reps. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively, along with Reps. Mike Bost (R-Illi.) and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, respectively, released the following statements after the House passed bipartisan legislation to modernize the appeals process at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):
“When a veteran files an appeal for disability compensation, they deserve to have their appeal decided in a timely manner,” said Roe. “It’s unfair to the men and women who have been injured as a result of their service to have their claim for benefits stuck in the appeals backlog for years on end. I am grateful to Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Esty for their leadership in addressing this issue, and I’m proud that this bipartisan legislation was sponsored by every single member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.”
“Today, members on both sides of the aisle came together to pass important legislation that will modernize the VA appeals process while significantly reducing the appeals backlog,” said Walz. “There is no doubt in my mind that this overdue fix will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country, and I applaud Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Esty for their bipartisan leadership in championing this critical legislation. Ensuring every veteran’s claim is processed in a timely and transparent manner has been one of our highest priorities on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and this commonsense legislation takes us one major step forward in accomplishing that goal.”
“I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this long overdue legislation to help fix the VA’s broken appeals process and backlog,” said Bost. “Our heroes deserve rapid access to quality care, and that begins with having their appeals decided in a timely manner. I encourage the U.S. Senate to take up this legislation as soon as possible.”
“Because of the enormous appeals backlog, veterans in Connecticut and across the country are routinely made to wait more than five years to receive the benefits they earned,” said Esty. “That’s just not acceptable. Our bill to cut down on these delays is the result of thoughtful collaboration among Republicans, Democrats, veteran service organizations, and the VA itself. It’s heartening to see our bill pass the House with overwhelming, bipartisan support. Today, we are one step closer to providing all veterans with the timely compensation they deserve for the injuries they sustained in service to our country.”
Background:
HR 2288,The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 would create three “lanes” for veterans’ appeals, including the “Local Higher Level Review Lane” in which an adjudicator reviews the same evidence considered by the original claims processor; the “New Evidence Lane,” in which the veteran could submit new evidence for review and have a hearing; and the “Board Lane,” in which jurisdiction for the appeal would transfer immediately to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
The bill would give the Secretary the authority to test the new system prior to full implementation and would allow some veterans already going through the appeals process to opt into the new system. It would also require VA to provide a comprehensive plan for how the new system will be implemented and a subsequent certification by the Secretary that the department is prepared to roll-out the reform. Lastly, the bill would require the Secretary to submit periodic reports to Congress, including information on how many appeals are pending in both the modernized system and the legacy system.
Veterans-Related Legislation passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Last Week
Chairman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed seven bills this week to improve veterans’ access to quality health care, instill accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and provide a cost-of-living adjustment for disability compensation:
“This week, members of the House passed seven pieces of bipartisan legislation to help our nation’s veterans. These important bills will expand access to care, provide benefits for veterans and their dependents and bring greater accountability to VA.
“As we observe Memorial Day, there is no better way to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice than by caring for those they have left behind. I’m particularly proud of the House’s efforts to provide a cost-of-living adjustment for disability compensation so that survivors of certain disabled veterans can receive the increased benefits they deserve. I applaud my colleagues for coming together to put our veterans first, and I look forward to getting these important pieces of legislation to the president’s desk without delay.”
Background:
H.R. 467, The VA Scheduling Accountability Act (Recorded Vote #278), introduced by Rep. Jackie Walorski, would require VA medical center directors to certify annually that their facility is in compliance with the scheduling directive (or any successor directive that replaces it), prohibit VA from waiving certification, and require VA to report to Congress on individual medical facilities’ compliance.
H.R. 1005 (passed via voice vote), introduced by Rep. Lee Zeldin, would direct VA to enter into an agreement or a contract with state veterans homes to pay for adult day health care for a veteran eligible for, but not receiving, nursing home care.
H.R. 1162, The No Hero Left Untreated Act (passed via voice vote), introduced by Rep. Stephen Knight, would require VA to carry out a one-year pilot program at up to two VA medical facilities to provide access to magnetic EEG/EKG-guided resonance therapy to veterans with PTSD, TBI, MST, chronic pain or opiate addiction for up to 50 veterans. Click here for more information.
H.R. 1329, The Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2017 (passed via voice vote), introduced by DAMA Chairman Mike Bost and Ranking Member Elizabeth Esty, would increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities as well as the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans as of December 1st, 2017.
H.R. 1545, The VA Prescription Data Accountability Act (passed via voice vote), introduced by Rep. Annie Kuster, would clarify current law to stipulate that VHA is required to disclose information to state controlled substance monitoring programs for anyone — veteran or non-veteran — who is prescribed these medications through VA.
H.R. 1725, The Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2017 (passed via voice vote), introduced by Ranking Member Walz, as amended, seeks to reduce the number of unnecessary disability examinations by requiring additional information be provided to Congress regarding VA’s use of private medical evidence in support of claims for disability compensation.
H.R. 2288, The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (Recorded Vote#273) would create three “lanes” for veterans’ appeals, including the “Local Higher Level Review Lane” in which an adjudicator reviews the same evidence considered by the original claims processor; the “New Evidence Lane,” in which the veteran could submit new evidence for review and have a hearing; and the “Board Lane,” in which jurisdiction for the appeal would transfer immediately to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. The bill would give the Secretary the authority to test the new system prior to full implementation and would allow some veterans already going through the appeals process to opt into the new system. It would also require VA to provide a comprehensive plan for how the new system will be implemented and a subsequent certification by the Secretary that the department is prepared to roll-out the reform. Lastly, the bill would require the Secretary to submit periodic reports to Congress, including information on how many appeals are pending in both the modernized system and the legacy system. This legislation was sponsored by every member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
VA NEWS RELEASE — In his fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget, President Trump is proposing $186.5 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The budget request will ensure the nation’s Veterans receive high-quality health care and timely access to benefits and services. The budget also supports the continued transformation of VA to rebuild the full trust of Veterans as a premier provider of choice for their services and benefits.
“The 2018 budget request reflects the strong commitment of the president to provide the services and benefits that our nation’s Veterans have earned,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “VA has made significant progress in improving its service to Veterans and their family members. We are fully committed to continuing the transformation across the department, so we can deliver the standards of performance our Veterans expect and deserve.”
This year’s budget request includes 82 legislative proposals that will help enable the department to better serve Veterans.
Highlights From the President’s 2018 Budget Request for VA
The FY 2018 budget includes $82.1 billion in discretionary funding, largely for health care, and $104.3 billion in mandatory funding for benefit programs, such as disability compensation and pensions, and for continuation of the Veterans Choice Program (Choice Program).
The discretionary budget request is $4.3 billion (5.5 percent) above the 2017 enacted level, including nearly $3.3 billion in medical care collectionsfrom health insurers and Veteran copayments.
The budget also requests $74 billion, including collections, for the 2019 advance appropriations for medical care, an increase of $1.7 billion and 2.4 percent above the 2018 medical care budget request. The request includes $107.7 billion in 2019 mandatory advance appropriations for Compensation and Pensions; Readjustment Benefits; and Veterans Insurance and Indemnities benefits programs in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).
Health Care
With a total medical care budget of $75.2 billion, including collections and new mandatory funding for the Choice Program, VA is positioned to continue expanding health-care services to over 7 million patients. Health care is being provided to more than 858,000 Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn/Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
Major categories funded within the health care budget are:
$13.2 billion for community care;
$8.8 billion for long-term care;
$8.4 billion for mental health care;
$1.7 billion for programs for homeless and at-risk Veterans;
$751 million for Hepatitis-C treatment;
$604 million for Caregivers’ benefits; and
$316 million for treatment of traumatic brain injuries.
Expanding Access
The president’s budget ensures that care and other benefits are available to Veterans when and where they need them. Among the programs
that will expand access under the proposed budget are:
$13.2 billion for community care, compared with $11.2 billion in 2017, a 13 percent increase;
$505 million for gender-specific health-care services for women, an increase of 7 percent over the 2017 level;
$862 million for the activation of new and enhanced health-care facilities;
$855 million for major and minor construction projects, including a new outpatient clinic at Livermore, California, and expansion of cemeteries at Calverton, New York; Sacramento, California; Bushnell, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Bridgeville, Pennsylvania; and Elwood, Illinois.
Disability Compensation Claims Backlog and Appeals Reform
VBA has continued aggressive efforts aimed at bringing down the disability compensation claims backlog, completing a record-breaking 1.3 million claims in 2016 and reducing the claims backlog by 88 percent, cumulatively, from a peak of 611,000 claims in March 2013 to 71,690 on Sept. 30, 2016. In 2016, Veterans waited, on average, 203 fewer days for a decision than four years ago. In 2018, VBA is projected to complete 1.4 million claims, and the number of claims pending longer than 125 days is anticipated to remain at about 70 thousand claims. This pending
claims status may change as the volume of claims receipts increases or decreases, and as claims processing becomes more efficient. VBA’s success in reducing the rating claims backlog has also resulted in a growing appeals inventory.
From 2010 through 2016, VBA completed more than 1 million disability compensation rating claims annually. Approximately 11 percent to
12 percent of VBA decisions are appealed, with nearly half of those being formally appealed to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (the Board).
While the appeal rate has remained steady over the past two decades, the appeals volume has increased proportionately to the increase in claims decisions. The average processing time for resolving appeals in 2016 was three years. For those appeals that reached the board, average processing time was six years, with thousands of Veterans waiting much longer.
VA has worked with Congress, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and other stakeholders to develop a legislative proposal to reform the appeals process. The appeals process under current law is ineffective and confusing, and Veterans wait much too long for a decision on appeal.
The new process will:
establish options for Veterans,
provide early resolution and improved notifications as to best options,
eliminate the perpetual churn of appeals inherent to the existing process,
provide Veterans feedback loops to VBA, and
improve transparency of the process by clearly defining the roles of VBA and the board throughout the appeals process.
Appeals reform is one of VA’s top legislative priorities, and the department will continue to work with Congress and the VSOs to ensure Veterans receive the best possible service.
Improving the Veteran Experience
National Call Centers (NCCs): In 2018, VA expects the NCCs to sustain the average speed of answering in 30 seconds or less, while maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction.
National Work Queue (NWQ): In 2017, disability compensation claims are moving through the process faster than before implementation of the NWQ process — on average, claims are ready for decision 14 days faster. In 2018, NWQ will be expanded to other key VBA priorities such as the nonrating and appeals workload distribution.
Veterans Claim Intake Program (VCIP)/Centralized Mail: By the end of 2018, VCIP will relocate the entire file banks of remaining Regional Offices and convert the documents electronically, an integral element of VBA’s comprehensive transformation and modernization strategy.
In 2018, Centralized Mail will build upon sustained progress in disability compensation and expand to additional stakeholders, to include the
Board of Veteran Appeals, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, Fiduciary Service, Support Services Division, Debt Management Center
(DMC) and Loan Guaranty.
Veterans Homelessness
The budget requests $1.7 billion for programs to prevent or reduce Veteran homelessness, including:
$320 million for Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) to promote housing stability;
$543 million for the HUD-VASH program, wherein VA provides case management services for at-risk Veterans and their families and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides permanent housing through its Housing Choice Voucher program; and
$257 million in grant and per diem payments that support transitional housing provided by community-based organizations.
Veterans Choice Program—Community Care
VA is requesting a total of $13.2 billion in 2018 for Veterans Community Care. This consists of a request for $9.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Medical Community Care account, plus an additional $2.9 billion in new mandatory budget authority for the Choice Program.
When combined with $626 million in estimated start-of-year unobligated balances from the original Choice Program appropriation, the total Community Care funding level is $13.2 billion in 2018. The budget also requests $3.5 billion in mandatory budget authority in 2019 for the Choice Program. This additional funding will allow VA to continue increasing Veterans’ access to health-care services by allowing them to choose VA direct care or community care.
Other Key Services for Veterans
$306 million to administer VA’s system of 136 national cemeteries, including funding for the activation of three new cemeteries that will open in 2018 and 2019. Funds are also included to raise, realign, and clean headstones to ensure VA national cemeteries are maintained as shrines.
$4.1 billion for information technology (IT), including investments to strengthen cybersecurity, modernize Veterans’ electronic health records, improve Veterans’ access to benefits, and enhance the IT infrastructure; and $135 million for state cemetery grants and state extended-care grants.
Enhanced Oversight of VA’s Programs
The 2018 budget requests $159.6 million for the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to enhance oversight and assist the OIG in fulfilling its statutory mission of making recommendations that will help VA improve the care and services it provides
That’s the “Good News” — Here’s the “Bad News”
The Administration proposed FY2018 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs includes legislative language that would cap the Individual Unemployability Benefits (IU) for veterans rated at 60 to 100 percent disabled at age 62, thus eliminating the IU benefit for veterans currently receiving Social Security. Please note — given their disabilities, the amount of their monthly social security benefit is drastically reduced because of their inabilities to “work” and was the entire point of legislating the IU benefit payments in the first place.
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is extremely alarmed by this provision in the budget proposal, because this is the opposite of what President Trump promised veterans.
“This budget proposal would impact nearly every Vietnam-era veteran and his/her family whose survival depends on the income received from these benefits. Since this news broke, we have been contacted by severely disabled Vietnam veterans from all across the country who are concerned about being made homeless if this budget is enacted by Congress … this is the opposite of what President Trump promised veterans.” — John Rowan
According to the budget proposal, this provision would save the VBA Compensation and Pensions account an estimated $3.2 billion in 2018; $17.9 billion over five years; and $40.8 billion over ten years. The saving would fund the Veterans Choice Program, a confusing program which most veterans do not support as they prefer treatment at their designated VA Medical Centers. Please Note — a weakness or loophole in the Veterans Choice Program fails to ensure full medical data is reported back to the VA such that diseases experienced by veterans are harder to link to service exposures.
Representative Mark Takano (D-CA) today questioned Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin regarding provisions of President Donald Trump’s FY2018 budget that would endanger Individual Unemployability benefits for disabled veterans and change funding for veterans who get their care through community providers During the Secretary’s testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Rep. Takano asked two questions, neither of which the Secretary fully answered.
Rep. Takano first asked, “I am concerned about the proposal to terminate Individual Unemployability benefits at age 62 for veterans eligible for Social Security…. If a veteran was provided this benefit because of an inability to maintain gainful employment, particularly at an early age, he or she wouldn’t have been able to pay into Social Security or put savings into a 401(k) or other retirement savings account. If you end the IU payments at age 62 for veterans like this, don’t you risk plunging them into poverty when you shut off the IU payments?”
By terminating benefits at age 62, the budget proposed by President Trump would leave many veterans facing the possibility of lower Social Security benefits and severely reduced income for the remainder of their lives. This would abandon to poverty, veterans who were injured during their service to our nation. Veterans deserve answers from the Trump Administration about why this benefit is being targeted and what support they’ll have if their IU benefits go away.
Rep. Takano’s second question during the hearing was, “Why does the budget propose to extend the current Choice Program with mandatory spending? Was this due to the discretionary caps or does VA eventually intend to fund all VA medical care and services with mandatory appropriations? What’s the rationale here?”
Rep. Takano also referenced concerns voiced by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Paralyzed Veterans of America that the change included in the Trump budget to continue the present Choice Program with mandatory funding threatens funding for other elements of the VA health care system.
“The budget released by the President this week is not only an abandonment of his campaign pledges to protect the voters who supported him last November, it also endangers promised benefits to America’s veterans. These two ill-considered changes, which would cut off unemployability benefits from veterans and lead to a gradual erosion of funding for the non-Choice elements of the VA health care system, must be rejected by Congress. I am disappointed that Secretary Shulkin was unable to offer a rationale for these changes. America’s veterans deserve better than the treatment they would receive under the President’s budget,” said Rep. Takano after the hearing.
Congress is currently in recess. VVA urges you to take action to let your member of Congress know that you are opposed to proposed cuts to the Congressionally mandated Individual Unemployability benefits. Our nation should not be funding government programs on the backs of those who stood in harm’s way in defense of the U.S. Constitution — our veterans.
Vietnam Veterans of America is the nation’s only Congressionally chartered Veterans’ Service Organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA’s founding principle is “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
Rep. Takano is the Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and represents Riverside County, California, which has one of the largest veteran populations in the nation.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking unprecedented steps to increase transparency. Today, VA launched a new Access and Quality Tool that provides Veterans with an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand way of accessing patient wait time and quality of care data. This tool not only provides Veterans with more information about VA services, it increases accountability and ensures VA is held to a higher standard.
“Veterans must have access to information that is clear and understandable to make informed decisions about their health care,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin. “No other health-care system in the country releases this type of information on wait times. This allows Veterans to see how VA is performing.”
The tool allows Veterans to access the average times patients are waiting to be seen in their local area; how Veterans describe their experiences scheduling primary- and specialty-care appointments at specific VA facilities; timeliness of appointments for care needed right away; and the quality of health care delivered at VA medical centers compared with local private-sector hospitals. The Access and Quality Tool is the most transparent and easy to understand wait time and quality data website in the health-care industry.
“This tool is another example of VA leading the way,” said Acting Under Secretary for Health Dr. Poonam Alaigh. “No one in the private sector publishes data this way. This tool will instill a spirit of competition and encourage our medical facilities to proactively address access and quality issues while empowering Veterans to make choices according to what works best for them and their families.”
VA will continue to make improvements to this tool based on the feedback it receives from Veterans.
Robert Ayers
