Read the March 2022 Newsletter from the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium to stay informed about events and issues happening in the area.
Do you have news to share or upcoming events? Please share!
The newsletter is published monthly as part of DVVC’s efforts to connect, collaborate, and communicate in service to Veterans throughout our region. Send your updates and questions to dvvcinfo@gmail.com.
Member Organizations: To submit articles to the newsletter please email Fern.Billet@va.gov by the 25th of the month with your news.
To submit news to DVVC social media sites please email Lynne Williams at Director@greatcareersphl.org with “For DVVC Social Media” in the subject line.
News from the Executive Committee
Take a moment to read the comments from Tammy Cartagena the end of this newsletter.
Honor your hero. Be a hero. Donate Blood.
The Norristown Vet Center is sponsoring a blood drive on Friday, March 4 from 10 am-3 pm. Location for the blood drive is Montgomery County HumanServices Building, 1430 Dekalb Street, Norristown. Please call the Norristown Vet Center to schedule: 215-823-5245 and ask for Chanel.
Or visit redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code: norristownva or Click here to schedule an appointment
Or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Do you know a Widow of a Vietnam Veteran?
The American Legion, Department of Pennsylvania, kicked off a campaign in late December 2021 to identify widows of Vietnam Veterans who may not be aware they are eligible for benefits from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
So much has changed since Public Law 102-4, The Agent Orange Act was approved in 1991 creating presumption of service connection for Veterans who served in the Vietnam War. Congress has added conditions to the presumptive list, loosened up the rules on remarriage, and added the Blue Water Navy Act of 2019. We feel there are hundreds, if not thousands of Pennsylvania widows who may be eligible for a program called VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC) and may not be aware they are even eligible. Basically, if you know a widow of a Vietnam Veteran who died of what is now a presumptive condition for Vietnam Veterans, and they are not receiving VA DIC, they should contact an American Legion Department Service Officer to start the process. VA DIC pays a monthly tax-free compensation payment and could provide health care for free for life. Current compensation rates start at $1437.66 monthly. If their loved one died from a recognized condition and they served on the ground in Vietnam, in the inland water ways (Brown Water), or in the offshore waters within 12.1 nautical miles (Blue Water) of the Republic of Vietnam or Cambodia, or who may have had service in the Korean Demilitarized zone (DMZ) they may be eligible for this benefit.
Conditions related to presumed herbicide exposure are:
| Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis | Porphyria cutanea tarda |
| Ischemic heart disease | Prostate cancer |
| All chronic B-cell leukemia’s | Respiratory cancers (cancer of lung, bronchus, larynx or trachea) |
| Parkinson’s Disease | Soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, mesothelioma) |
| Early-onset peripheral neuropathy | Type 2 diabetes |
| Hodgkin’s disease | Parkinsonism |
| Multiple myeloma | Bladder cancer |
| Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | Hypothyroidism |
The issue of remarriage is complicated for some but basically if remarried after Oct 1, 1998, and whose remarriage was terminated by death, divorce or annulment remains eligible for DIC and a surviving spouse who remarries after the age of 57 is still eligible for DIC benefits.
Contact your nearest supporting American Legion Service Officer Location for help. There is never a charge for our assistance.
Erie Office – 814-864-4240
Harrisburg Office – 877-720-8387
Pittsburgh Office – 412-395-6230
Philadelphia Office – 215-381-3032
Wilkes-Barre Office – 570-821-2526
Email the DIC Help Line: DICHelp@pa-legion.com
Career Support Available from Great Careers Groups
Join in on the adult career online education topics and networking in March 2022 at the Great Careers Groups. Visit the EVENTS page to register for events and the CONTACT US page to connect on social media, join the meetup, and subscribe to the weekly newsletter.
Subject matter expert speaker topics this month include lots of “how to” topics:
- Five Different LinkedIn Workshops – Individual Profiles & Company Page
- LGBTQ+ OUTstanding Careers Group
- Get Hired Faster with Networking & LinkedIn
- Executive Networking
- Career Panel
- Tell Me About Yourself
- Interview Techniques
- Advantages of Rejection
- What to Do BEFORE You Quit or Resign from Your Job
- Career Success Group Job Seeker Accountability & Networking
- And more!
Any meeting with a $5 fee is free for unemployed Veterans by arranging in advance that you want to attend – director@greatcareersphl.org
Team RWB Is Asking for your Assistance
Team RWB is forging America’s leading health and wellness community for Veterans. Data shows us that the more engaged Veterans are with Team RWB, the greater improvements they see with their health, relationships, sense of purpose, and service to others.
Does this have you wondering about your own well-being? Complete your own enrichment check-up by taking the Enriched Life Scale (ELS) survey. The survey is 40 questions, will take about 5-7 minutes to complete, and will generate an honest assessment of your general well-being to help you explore Team RWB programs and events that may be a good fit for you.
Your participation helps Team RWB evaluate and identify the impact of our programs and needs of our members.
Please note: You may hear from someone on the team about special opportunities, based upon how you respond to the questions. Your personal information will not be shared outside of Team RWB without your permission.
Thank you for being part of Eagle Nation!
TAKE SURVEY
TMF Shares Mental Health Check
| TMF remains committed to the mental health and well-being of our members. Are you or someone you know experiencing an unmet mental health need? Our partners at the George W. Bush Institute have created a critical tool called Check-In to connect Veterans experiencing challenges with their mental or brain health to high-quality, clinical care. To speak to a specially trained advocate, please complete the survey at the button below. Within 72 hours of submitting the survey, a Check-In Veteran advocate will contact you and connect you with the appropriate resources. Request Help Through Check-In Don’t forget – TMF’s Spartan Development Center is also available 24/7 if you’re looking for well-being and personal development resources online. These resources take a holistic approach to well-being and are designed to cover an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Explore these self-development resources today and we encourage you to share them with friends and family. Explore the Spartan Development Center |
VA UPDATE
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and The Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinators (CEPC) for Suicide Prevention
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s public health strategy combines partnerships with communities to implement tailored, local prevention plans while also focusing on evidence based clinical strategies for intervention. Our approach focuses on both what we can do now, in the short term, and over the long term, to implement VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide.
The Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinators (CEPC) for Suicide Prevention are tasked with building Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention (CBI-SP) through partnerships and coalitions for Veterans, Service Members, and their families.
The goals of the partnerships and coalitions are to mitigate risk factors and support social determinants of health which can increase protective factors for Veterans.
VA has 3 priority areas for reducing risk factors which include:
- Identify Service Members, Veterans and their Families and screen for suicide risk
- Promote connectedness and improve care transitions
- Increase lethal means safety and safety planning
For more information, contact CEPC Shardae Wescott, LCSW, 610-384-7711, ext. 5215 or 484-744-3269, at the Coatesville VA supporting Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties. For Philadelphia and Bucks Counties, contact Rhonda Hart, LCSW, 215-823-5800, ext. 203932 or Rhonda.Hart@va.gov for the Crescenz VA Medical Center.
News from the Executive Committee
March 2022
Hello Friends,
As the world once again faces turmoil, and our military and their families are called upon to serve, it really pushes home the reason why I want to serve on DVVC. Every organization, every person on this committee, is serving those who serve this country, connecting our military and Veterans to resources that they would not know existed.
As a retiree, and an Iraqi war vet, I can appreciate all of the organizations that support DVVC. The outreach is incredible. I truly believe this committee has resources that can resolve any issues faced by a military member.
The biggest frustration I have is when I hear from service members, “I did not know, or I did not think, that I was eligible for this benefit or that benefit.” In my job, I work for one of the Tricare options, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that phrase. One retiree told me he paid $1,200. a month for 22 years for his family to have health care. He could have been paying $50. a month. In his words – that could have been his kids’ college tuition.
Working with DVVC, I was introduced to the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic. If you are not aware of this resource, then you really need to read up on it. They are a phenomenal organization that is truly needed at this time.
VA benefits are also way underutilized. Many service members are too proud to say that they need the assistance. Or they think that the VA is not for them. Or they just don’t know how to get to use the resource. Many think that they must file a claim in order to use the VA. Did you know that VA health care is a separate application process than applying for a VA disability?
I absolutely love using my VA benefits. Not because there is little cost – but because in the past (pre-Covid-19) when I would go to the VA – I would be greeted at the registration area by those who served before me, Vietnam Veterans, and I am asked if I know where I am going? I would say no – and then would be assigned an escort. My escort would walk me to my appointment, and as we would walk, he or she would tell their story.
This is what DVVC is all about. You are our escorts to our service members and Veterans. You can show them the way. No matter which organization it is – you can make a difference in the lives of our military and Veterans, by assisting them with finding resources that they need; assist them in finding all the benefits for which they are eligible, and the resources to help them face the turmoil that we are facing today.
Thank you for serving those who serve,
Tammy Cartagena
This newsletter serves DVVC member organizations by providing information to share with Veterans they serve. You can read our previous newsletters here.
Member organizations can also use our LinkedIn group, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12177627/ and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/dvvcorg, to get the word out! Let us know how we can help!
