Mr. Gumersindo Gomez EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VA/VVA ACCREDITED SERVICE OFFICER 20 YEAR VETERAN (RETIRED) U.S. ARMY
VA Disability Compensation
What Is VA Disability Compensation?
Disability compensation is a benefit paid to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made worse by active military service. It is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care. The benefits are tax-free.
Who Is Eligible?
You may be eligible for disability compensation if you have a service-related disability and you were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions.
How Much Does VA Pay?
The amount of basic benefit paid ranges, depending on how disabled you are.
Note: You may be paid additional amounts, in certain instances, if:
you have very severe disabilities or loss of limb(s) you have a spouse, child(ren), or dependent parent(s) you have a seriously disabled spouse
Please see the Compensation Rate Tables for specific percentages of disability and the rates paid.
How Can You Apply?
You can apply by filling out VA Form 21-526, Veterans Application for Compensation and/or Pension. If you have any of the following material, please attach it to your application:
Discharge or separation papers (DD214 or equivalent) Dependency records (marriage & children's birth certificates) Medical evidence (doctor & hospital reports)
You can also apply online through our web site at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp.
MGM Resorts "Boots to Business" wants to bring jobs for veterans program to Springfield
Veterans are making the transition from military service to management positions, thanks to the Boots To Businesss program. The 10-week management training and support program is being put on by MGM Resorts International and the American Red Cross.
"We are proud to partner with the American Red Cross in the development of an innovative program that identifies, recruits, trains and supports recent U.S. Military veterans into MGM Resorts as entry-level Management positions," said Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.
"Among post-9/11 veterans nationally, unemployment stands at 9.5 percent and for those who are 24 years and younger, the unemployment rate is 29 percent," said Michelle DiTondo, Senior Vice President of Human Resources from MGM Resorts International. "The Boots To Business Program meets an important societal need, as well as a crucial business imperative to recruit highly-motivated leaders into our Company," DiTondo added.
"Boots To Business answers a need that local veterans have, in that it helps corporations look at the special talents that returning veterans possess, and how to best integrate those skill sets into the corporate structure," says Scott Emerson, Southern Nevada CEO of the American Red Cross. "It allows both the company and the veteran to examine how they can best work with one another to create a relationship of value to one another. It has truly been a pleasure to work with the MGM team to make this program a reality."
To find out more about the program and apply for future classes, go to www.redcrosslasvegas.org, or call 702-369-3038 .
GET YOUR DD-214 ONLINE
DD-214's (UNCLASSIFIED)
Its official, DD-214's are NOW Online.
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online: http://www.vetrecs.archives.gov/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the online web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized.
The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records center's mailroom processing time.
Serving Veterans in the Greater Boston area VVA ACCREDITED SERVICE OFFICER mans the Boston Office assisting Veterans with claims. he center is open Monday thru Friday 9am- 5pm at (617) 778-1310 prvaboston@yahoo.com
The Jorge Oterro Barreto Homeless Veterans Transitional Program 52 Maple Court, Springfield MA 01105 PHONE (413)739-1082 FAX (413) 214-7916
Transitional Home For Homeless Veterans
2 Year Transitional Housing program Sober House
Single Rooms Shared Common Areas Substance Abuse Counseling Career Counseling DVA Services Employment & School Referrals AA/NA In-House Meetings Washer & Dryer available
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
1. Must be a veteran (DD-214 Required) Honorably Discharged 2. CORI is required 3. Must be employed (at least $100.00 per week) or Chapter 115 ready 4. No open cases or probation 5. Must have 30 days sobriety and a willingness to participate in counseling and substance abuse meetings 6. Must have a strong desire to rehabilitate and transition back into mainstream society
A PROGRAM OF THE BILINGUAL VETERANS OUTREACH CENTERS of MASS INC.
Emergency Food Pantry
2460 Main Street [Suite 108 & 108B in the Plaza Del Mercado] Springfield, MA Ph: (413) 737-5353 Fax: (413) 737-4440
Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Contact: Candace Larger, Program Director Email: clarger@openpantry.org
For More Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens & Food Banks Click Here
Rebuilding Together. Springfield
Gumersindo Gomez, Bi-Lingual Veteran's Outreach Center
12 homeless Western Massachusetts veterans got a pleasant surprise. 75 volunteers from the Rebuilding Together organization completely spruced up The temporary Springfield home the vets have been living in. Twelve veterans received a complete makeover to their home in Springfield on Wednesday. "Rebuilding Together" held the event at the transitional housing facility off of Maple Street.
Westover Air Force Base, the Barnes International Guard, and Sears provided many of the volunteers. They tackled everything including painting, plumbing, carpeting, and decorating.
"Yesterday this was a house in need of tender loving care and some repairs. said Colleen Loveless, executive director of Rebuilding Together. By the end of the day it is going to be a complete home. A safe and healthy home for the veterans when they move back in.
Several restaurants at the Basketball Hall of Fame provided food for volunteers. Springfield Open Pantry and Baystate Hospital also collected donations.
Military Report - The Military's Largest Benefits Update
DoD Says Military Pay is Safe Deal of the Week: Military Discounts Cuts to Hit Military School Districts $400k Protection Starting at $26 a Month TRICARE West Region Transition General Dynamics Is Hiring Veterans 3 VA Loan Tips Fed Speeds up Health Record Integration Survey Request: We Need Your Help Applications for Scholarships, Grants Sought TRICARE for Life Basic Allowance for Housing Helps You Get A Loan Paper Checks Ended March 1 Deploying or Returning Home? Get Tips - the Deployment Center The Battle of Iwo Jima Get a List of 2013 Military Benefits Navy Wounded Warrior Safe Harbor MOAA Offers Scholarships Get 2013 Military Pay Charts AF Criteria for New Medal AF Wounded Warrior Pay Policy DoD Program for Secure Mobile Devices AAFES 'Team Spirit' Contest Navy Women's History Month Plans Navy Updates Learning System Operation: Live Well Updating DEERS Information In-Person Sailors, Families Should Review DEERS Print and Post This Week's Military Report Headline Military News
Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts, Inc., located at 281 Franklin Street in Springfield is the only veterans outreach center with a VA/VVA Accredited Service Officer serving veterans and their families throughout Western Massachusetts and is the only known veterans outreach center in Western Massachusetts.
Gumersindo, along with other Vietnam Veterans from Boston founded the Puerto Rican Veterans Association of Massachusetts Inc. on July 1st, 1987 in which today is formally known as Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts, Inc.
The Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts, Inc. is open to any and all Veterans of all Wars, conflicts, peace time service and all Eras. The Center is here to help you and your families in any way we can, we are here for you.
We Serve...Because You Served!
VETERANS CORNER
"VETERANS SUMMIT"
Filmed on the Campus of Western New England University Veterans Summit provides veterans and potential employers to meet, talk, network and enjoy workshops to help veterans find employment...
First Annual Hoof for Roof 5K Run/Walk
Dear Friends,
The Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Mass, Inc. are working to raise money for our homeless Veterans, and we need your help. We are hosting our First Annual Hoof for Roof 5K Run/Walk. This event will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2013 at Springfield's Blunt Park.
Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Mass, Inc. services all Western Massachusetts Veterans and their families from all wars, including Veterans from the Boston Metro area who use our satellite office-The Cpl. Zayas Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center, located at 719 Tremont Street in Boston, MA. We are offering opportunities for profit and non-profit organizations to participate in this exciting event. This opportunity will be a first come first basis. Pro-fit organizations will be charged a $200 fee and non-profit organizations will be a $100 fee. If your organization wishes to provide informational or commercial services to our Veteran, please contact Sgt. Gumersindo Gomez or Mr. Freddie Vazquez at 413-731-0194 to discuss further details.
Your involvement will help assure the success of Hoof for a Roof. If your organization is unable to participate, please consider being sponsor for this event. Enclosed please find more information on this grand event and its sponsorship levels. We are asking for your support to help us to continue to do our duty for our Veterans and hope that we can count on your support.
Respectfully,
Heriberto Colon, Jr. President
Vietnam veterans, families, urged to apply for overdue military bonuses
Possibly 60,000 Vietnam era veterans from across Massachusetts never collected a military bonus when they returned home, a situation that has spurred many advocates to urge veterans or their surviving families to apply now.
The state-funded bonus of either $200 or $300 is still available for eligible veterans from the state Treasurer's office, said Michael P. Perna Jr., chief of the military records rranch. He is among officials urging potentially eligible veterans to apply.
Thomas M. Belton Sr., the director of veterans services in Springfield, said that while he is saddened that so many veterans never collected the so-called welcome home bonus in the past, he feels wonderful by the new outreach effort.
It was like a wonderful Christmas bonus, Belton said. It is our hope that with the increased communication and marketing about the bonuses, that we will see more veterans who are entitled to the bonus in Springfield come through the door.
Veterans who served on duty in Vietnam are eligible for a one-time bonus of $300 if not collected in the past, while those who served at least six months of active duty during the Vietnam Era (between July 1, 1958 and May 17, 1975), outside Vietnam, are eligible for a $200 bonus.
In Springfield, roughly 1,000 Vietnam veterans may have never collected the bonus, according to state estimates. To be eligible, they also had to be residents of Massachusetts for at least six months prior to entry in the armed forces.
The welcome home bonuses were also given to veterans of other wars and conflicts, but the number who never collected the bonus was significantly higher for the Vietnam veterans, officials said.
Some area veteran services directors said many of the returning Vietnam era veterans felt alienated by society and government, and did not bother to find out about the bonus or pursue it.
Some 100,000 discharge records that were missing were found two years ago and then scanned recently into a database, which is helpful to the bonus application process, Perna said.
Those who may be eligible can receive further information and application forms on the state's Web site at: www.mass.gov/treasury/veterans/vet-bonus/.
In addition, those wishing to check their eligibility from any war or conflict period regarding the Welcome Home bonus can call 1-617-367-9333 , ext. 859, officials said.
We welcome it, said Timothy Niejadlik, director of veteran services for Holyoke. It's great. It's their money. They earned it.
Robert Callahan, who oversees the Westfield veterans services department, said he is glad there is an effort to get the bonuses to the veterans.
Some of the veterans may not have realized that a bonus existed and others may not have bothered given the mood when they returned, he said.
The folks who came back during the Vietnam era, a lot of them just wanted to what they had been through behind them, Callahan said. They wanted to get on with their lives, and not think about what they had been through. That's why some of these bonuses were left unclaimed.
Northampton.s Veterans Agent Steven Connor said he conducts information sessions at which he lets veterans know that the bonus is available. Occasionally, a World War II veteran will say he has never heard of the bonus, but it,s more likely to be younger veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that are not aware of it.
There are still a whole lot of young people who haven't heard about it, he said.
Information to assist the veterans is available, he said.
If they never asked for it they can still ask for it, he said.
Belton of Springfield, and Richard Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee, said they served in Vietnam and did collect their bonus after their service.
Tyrell agreed that many of the Vietnam Era veterans either did not know of the bonus, or felt alienated. He personally tells Vietnam veterans, when he first meets them, to apply for the bonus.
I do my best, one on one, Tyrell said.
Gumersindo Gomez, director of Western Massachusetts Bilingual Veteran,s Outreach Association, joined in praising the stepped up efforts, and said his organization has worked to help the veterans apply for the bonus and other benefits.
If they are entitled to it, they should get it, he said. For many of them, $200 or $300, would be paying their rent at the end of the month.
Gomez was not eligible himself because he was a New York resident when he went to Vietnam.
Overdue military bonuses Many veterans in the region never collected a military bonus after their service, particularly for the Vietnam War. The following is a sampling of communities in the region and estimates of Vietnam era veterans that may not have collected their bonus, according to state records. Springfield: 1,006 Chicopee: 306 Holyoke: 293 Westfield: 151 Northampton: 250 Palmer: 69 Belchertown: 49 West Springfield: 57 Agawam: 123
Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Mass Inc. takes on the Veteran Homeless issue in Western Mass
Unemployment major problem for veterans in Western Mass At Stand Down event, vets seek employment
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Unemployment is leading many Western Massachusetts veterans into homelessness and increasing their health care costs.
During the annual Stand Down event at the Greek Cultural Center in Springfield, 57 local, state, and federal organizations gathered to help veterans in need.
Unemployment is the most pressing issue impacting both young and old veterans.
"That's the major problem we are having with our young vets, they are coming with their mental issues from the war, the PTSD, TBI, and other sicknesses and this is hindering them from finding jobs. It's also preventing employers from hiring these people, because they are not sure how these people are going to react on the job," said Gumersindo Gomez, the Chairperson of Stand Down in Springfield.
Unemployment leads to homelessness and health care problems for many veterans.
Health care costs for homeless veterans are three and a half times higher than for those who have housing.
It's something the VA of Central Western Massachusetts in Northampton is consistently working on.
"We're trying to find ways to get vets employed. This will prevent homelessness. This will prevent poverty. I think for vets who are homeless, they are trying to get back on their feet and they're not looking for a hand out, they are looking for a hand up, " said Jim Seney, the Program Manager for Community Reintegration Services at the
Rebuilding Together "Springfield" 52 maple Ct Makeover
SPRINGFIELD - Approximately 125 volunteers - ranging from plumbers and painters to a dirt-smeared master sergeant - gathered Wednesday to renovate and furnish a transitional residence for homeless veterans on Maple Court.
Your Appeal for Veterans Benefits to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Have you recently had an appeal of a claim for VA benefits denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA)? · Because the BVA is the final level of review within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an appeal of a BVA decision must be made to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court), a special court for veterans and their families. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is a separate, independent judicial body and is NOT part of VA. There are many reasons to seek a lawyer's help with your appeal. · < b>Although you are not required to have a lawyer represent you, you will be at a significant disadvantage without one. · The Court has specific Rules of Practice and Procedure that must be followed. You may be unfamiliar with those rules and procedures, as well as with the ever-changing law of veterans benefits. · A lawyer can guide you through the system and help you make the best arguments for your appeal. Neither the Court nor VA will find a lawyer for you. · Finding a lawyer is strictly your responsibility. · We provide free legal counseling and representation to veterans and their families who have cases that should be appealed. The below information describes how to file an appeal and how to obtain legal assistance for your appeal to the Court, specifically, the services provided by the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program. Your Appeal at the Court-Answers to Your Questions How to Appeal Your Claim & FAQs · Filing an Appeal · Finding a Lawyer < span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#505050;">· As Your Case Progresses · The Court's Decision http://www.vetsprobono.org/veterans-family-members/how-to-appeal-your-case-faqs/filing-an-appeal/ Filing an Appeal How do I file an appeal with the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims? You have 120 days from the mailing date of your final BVA decision to file an appeal. The Court cannot usually extend this time, so do not delay! · &n bsp; You can only appeal a final BVA decision that denied some or all of your requests for benefits. · Go to the Court's website at http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/about/how_to_appeal/HowtoAppealWithoutHowtoFile.cfm. · Complete the Court's Form 1 (Notice of Appeal) and send it to the Court. See additional information below regarding mailing of Notice of Appeal. · Submit the one-time $50 fee to file, OR ask t he Court to waive the fee by filing the Court's Form 4 (Declaration of Financial Hardship). * You can download these forms from the Court's website at http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov; you can request them from the court at the address below; or the Pro Bono Program can send them to you. < span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#505050;">· You do not need a lawyer to file the appeal. If time is running out and you cannot get these forms, you may simply print your name, current address, and telephone number on a piece of paper and write: I want to appeal my BVA decision dated ___________. Then sign your name. Don't forget the 120-day deadline for filing. Mail, hand deliver, or fax the completed form(s) or your letter to: Clerk of Court US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims 625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Suite 900 Washington, DC 20004 P (202) 501-5970 FAX (202) 501-5848 * * If the Appeal is faxed to the Court, you must contact the Court to confirm that the Notice of Appeal is received. The Court is not responsible for faxed, but unconfirmed, Notices of Appeal. SEND YOUR NOTICE OF APPEAL FORM DIRECTLY TO THE COURT. DO NOT SEND IT TO THE VA OR THE PRO BONO PROGRAM! · NOTE: It is very important to use the Court's complete address, including Suite 900. VA also has an office at 625 Indiana Avenue, and if the Postal Service delivers your appeal to VA instead of to the Court, you can lose your case before you even get a chance to tell the Court your side of the matter. · A notice of appeal will still be considered to be on time even if the Court does not receive it within the 120-day deadline IF you mailed it to the Court's correct address AND it contain s a legible U.S. Postal Service postmark dated within the 120-day time limit. Regular, first class mail is fine. You do not need to send it express mail, priority mail, or certified mail. (Note that a Federal Express, UPS or other delivery service date stamp, or foreign postal service postmark, does not count, and if you send your Notice of Appeal in any of these ways, the date the Court actually receives your Notice of Appeal will be your filing date.) Finally, please note that there are two parties to every appeal to the Court. You will always be the appellant in the case, while the opponent in every appeal is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Secretary will always be referred to as the appellee.
Veterans Transitional Home Gets Makeover From Rebuilding Together - Springfield
12 homeless Western Massachusetts veterans got a pleasant surprise. 125 volunteers from the Rebuilding Together organization completely spruced up The temporary Springfield home the vets have been living in. Twelve veterans received a complete makeover to their home in Springfield on Wednesday. "Rebuilding Together" held the event at the transitional housing facility off of Maple Street.
Westover Air Force Base, the Barnes International Guard, and Sears provided many of the volunteers. They tackled everything including painting, plumbing, carpeting, and decorating.
"Yesterday this was a house in need of tender loving care and some repairs. said Colleen Loveless, executive director of Rebuilding Together. By the end of the day it is going to be a complete home. A safe and healthy home for the veterans when they move back in.
Several restaurants at the Basketball Hall of Fame provided food for volunteers. Springfield Open Pantry and Baystate Hospital also collected donations.
Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance has ahieved a significant milestone!
Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance is announcing that the offices of the Honorable Pedro Pierluisi, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, and Representative Bill Posey (Central-Eastern Florida) have officially confirmed that they will begin drafting legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment Borinqueneers with the intent of co-introducing the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives very soon.
This is a remarkable milestone in our efforts. Please contact your one local U.S. House of Representatives member and convince them to Co-Sponsor the upcoming 65th Infantry Regiment Borinqueneers CGM Bill. They can then contact the offices of Rep. Pierluisi and Rep. Posey for further coordination and guidance.
All additional and future U.S. House of Representatives efforts will serve to Co-Sponsor the upcoming 65th Inf. Reg. Borinqueneers CGM Bill and help to achieve our goal of obtaining 290 Co-Sponsors in order for bill passage in the House of Representatives. IMPORTANT NOTE: A Co-Sponsor is not the same as a floor Vote, so please ensure there is no confusion. We need Co-Sponsors!
Once the 65th Inf. Borinqueneers CGM Bill is officially introduced, we will broadcast the respective U.S. House of Rep's Bill number for reference.
In the U.S. Senate Chamber, we are still searching for a US Senator(s) to introduce the same CGM legislation. Please help us in advocating your two U.S. Senators to introduce a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal for the 65th Inf. Reg. Borinqueneers. Please check out our website/Facebook page for a template Congressional Support Request letter and reference/promotional materials you can utilize.
We are getting closer to the finish line, let's keep reaching out to our Congresspersons and urge them to Co-Sponsor the impending 65th Inf. Reg. Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal legislation!!! Muchas Gracias from Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance!
Mass. officials pay tribute on Veterans Day Nov. 11, 2012, 3:56 p.m. EST AP
World War II Female Veterans from Harlem New York
BOSTON (AP)" Massachusetts officials paid special tribute Sunday to women who've served in the military during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Statehouse in Boston.
The tribute was led by Col. Andrea Gayle-Bennett, a physician's assistant who has served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard for more than 28 years. She is the recipient of the Massachusetts Women Veteran Network's 2011 Deborah Sampson Award, which honors the outstanding female veteran of the year.
Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and Department of Veterans' Services Secretary Coleman Nee were among the state officials who honored past and present members of the military on Sunday.
"Today we express our gratitude, pride and support for the Massachusetts military personnel who protect our interests around the world," Patrick said. "This Veterans Day we acknowledge all veterans' dedication and service as we reinforce our commitment to making opportunities and resources available to the Massachusetts men and women who have served and continue to serve us."
State officials said Massachusetts leads the nation in providing benefits and services to veterans and their families. The state sets aside more than $60 million a year to help veterans and their dependents with food, shelter, medical care and other services. It also provides $21 million more in annuity payments for disabled veterans and Gold Star families.
Homeless women vets struggle for aid
Women vets are fastest growing in homeless population.
Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the military and they're also the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
The Soldier On home in Northampton on the campus of the VA Medical Center is a second chance for the 12 women who live there.
Constance Zamora, an Air Force Veteran, told 22News, It's literally saved my life. it's changed my life."
The women are all veterans and each ended up homeless after serving their country.
Denise Jefferson, an Air Force Veteran, told 22News, "I went into the service because my father was in the service and my grandfathers and I was keeping up the stuff."
Jefferson said, I was literally on the street. When I walked in here I had a paper bag.
Some were sexually assaulted during their time in the service, many suffer from mental illness and substance abuse.
Dawn Lehouiller, an Army Reserve veteran, said, I ended up committing crimes to support my drug habit I did some time in jail."
With few resources for women veterans and an overwhelming stigma towards their issues, it took these women years to find the help they need.
Katie Doherty with Soldier On's Women Program said, Women are not served the way that men are served."
This inequality something that isn't lost to the Veterans Administration, but change has come slowly.
Jim Seney, a program manager at the VA of Central and Western Massachusetts, said, In a real male dominated culture we've really come a long way. There's this misconception that women don't go to the front lines but they are supplying to front lines so they are right there they are experiencing military trauma that is a misconception that they don't have, they do and the after effects of that can be just as devastating for women as for men."
The VA has hired a women's veteran care coordinator and is pushing for more funding to address the issue.
Soldier On, which is a non profit organization, plans to add 16 more beds to its program for women and open up their units to veterans with children.
Lehouiller said, "I think the stigma with women is that especially in the military is that women are supposed to be responsible not supposed to have problems we're not supposed to be homeless we're supposed to be well put together and they don't realize we're people too things happen and we need help too."
The Army Doesn't Want You to See the Results of Its Shady PTSD Probe
Alexander Abad-Santos 6,718 ViewsFeb 28, 2013 This past fall, the Army found out the results of a probe meant to determine if psychiatrists were reversing soldiers' PTSD diagnoses to save the government money by denying them medical retirements. Months later, they still don't want anyone knowing what's in those files. The Army has refused to release the results of the so-called Madigan inquiry, and attempts to get the report through Freedom of Information Act requests have all been denied. "George Wright, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, told NBC News that 'concerns brought up in the Madigan matter will be addressed' in a separate forthcoming report by the Army's Task Force on Behavioral Health," reports NBC News's Rebecca Ruiz. ("Madigan" is the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.) According the same report, three Seattle-based news agencies have been denied Freedom of Information Act requests on the inquiry. That's troubling because the Madigan inquiry was an internal probe into whether forensic psychiatrists at Madigan Army Medical Center were reversing PTSD diagnoses to save the federal government money. This group of forensic psychiatrists had reversed more than 300 diagnoses, suggesting these were more than just cautious second opinions. The evidence: "Rubber Stamping" PTSD. In memo obtained by the Seattle Times, a Madigan psychiatrist told his colleagues during a lecture that a soldier diagnosed with PTSD could eventually receive $1.5 million. He warned his colleagues to be discerning when diagnosing PTSD. "He (the psychiatrist) stated that we have to be good stewards of the tax payers dollars, and we have to ensure that we are just not 'rubber stamping' a soldier with the diagnoses of PTSD," reads the memo, which was published by the Seattle Times on February 6, 2012. The Only Hospital to Use Forensic Psychiatrists as Screeners. Forensic psychiatrists were involved in the screening of the patients at Madigan and Madigan was the only hospital that used forensic psychiatrists this way, the Army said on February 4, 2013. "A subsequent review of 431 Madigan cases" some of which had been overturned" led to PTSD diagnoses for 150 soldiers by last October," reports Ruiz, using information given to her by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash). Retaliation? On February 18, 2013, Dr. Russel Hicks was suspended by the Madigan Army Medican Center, and action that he believes was "in retaliation for information he offered Army investigators who last year examined diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the hospital." Secrecy. The Seattle Times, The News Tribune of Tacoma and KUOW, a Seattle public radio station, were all denied FOIA requests, and have exhausted all of their appeal options. The Army says its because it contains confidential health information, but it also means no one can know how the diagnosis decision were arrived at. Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aabadsantos@theatlantic.com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
GI Bill pays a housing stipend
Effective October 1, 2011, the Post-9/11 GI Bill pays a housing stipend to students enrolled solely in online classes. The stipend is half the national average of BAH for an E 5 with dependents $673.50 per month for 2011.
In addition, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides up to 100% Coverage of Tuition and Fees. Take the next step and find Schools with VA Approved Programs It's important to compare schools to find the one that best meets your specific needs. VA Approved Programs
Traumatic Injury Benefits
Retroactive Traumatic Injury Benefits No Longer Just For OEF/OIF Injuries
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to Servicemembers who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred. More information
VA FOR VETS SEMINAR ANNOUNCED TUESDAY, 9 APR 2013
A seminar to provide information on the VA for VETS program will be held Tuesday, April 9, in The Learning Center, Northampton campus, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. VA for VETS Coordinator Henry McCaffrey from the Veterans Benefits Administration in Philadelphia will review the program and answer questions. VA for Vets facilitates the reintegration, retention and hiring of Veteran employees in VA and other federal agencies. The program offers career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment in the federal government, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Luz E. Marcano, MSW, LICSW HUD/VASH Social Worker Springfield VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic 25 Bond Street Springfield, MA. 01104 Telephone: (413) 731-6000 extension 6114 Blackberry: (413) 588-4258 Fax: (413) 788-4617 Email: luz.marcano@va.gov
Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center of Mass Inc., 281 Franklin Street, Springfield, MA 01107 • PHONE: 413-731-0194 • Fax: 413-736-2008
Cpl. Zayas Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center, 719 Tremont Street, Boston MA • PHONE (617) 778-1310
Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center of Mass Inc., All Rights Reserved.
