Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs
Every Veteran Counts!
Vol.1, No. 6 WWW.KCVA.ORG October 2008
This Month’s Interest…..
Commission Notes SW Kansas Veteran Forum Schedule Changes New VA Regional Office Director New VA Veterans Employment Coordinator Honor Flight KU Student-Veteran Works for Progress VA—Presumptive Compensation for ALS Click here to sign up for the KCVA Newsletter Send information for future newsletters here
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
In 1936 the Congress declared that the last Sunday in September each year would be honored as Gold Star Mother’s Day — the 28th of September this year. Formed in 1928 as Gold Star Mother’s Inc., members are US citizens whose sons and daughters served and died in the line of duty in the Armed Forces of the United States of America or its allies, or died as a result of injuries sustained in such service. It is, as they will tell you, “a club no one wants to be eligible to join.” I had the distinct privilege of visiting and addressing the national GSM convention in Wichita in 2007 when Betty Jean Pulliam of Haysville was ending her term as national president. Betty’s son Dale, a Marine, was killed in Vietnam. I was struck by the patriotism of these mothers — and a number of fathers who were with them — as well as the sincere support they gave to each other. Among their ten objects and purposes are: • Inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, State, and Nation. • Assist veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, and other strategic areas and their dependents in the presentation of claims to the Veterans’ Administration, and to aid in any way in their power the men and women who served and died or were wounded or incapacitated during hostilities. • Perpetuate the memory of those whose lives were sacrificed in our wars. • Maintain true allegiance to the United States of America. This is a superb group of patriots who carry an enormous burden. It is an honor to meet and recognize them. GSW
KCVA COMMISSION MEETINGS
The September Commission meeting was held September 26th at Jayhawk Tower, Topeka, KS. The next Commission meeting in October, will be held at the Kansas Soldiers’ Home, Fort Dodge, KS 10 AM, October 24th. The November Commission meeting will be held on November 21st at Jayhawk Tower, Topeka, KS. Any changes to meeting dates/times will be announced on the KCVA website. KCVA Commission minutes of previous meetings can be read at the following website: http://www.kcva.org/ai/dates_locations.shtml
Special Notice:
If you are a veteran in emotional crisis and need help RIGHT NOW, call this toll-free number 1-800-273-8255, available 24/7, and tell them you are a veteran. All calls are confidential.
In Remembrance Long time KCVA veteran service representative Charles Barnes recently passed away following a lengthy illness. Charles joined the KCVA in 1996. He was a VSR in the Wichita American Legion office and then led the Veterans of Foreign Wars office as department service officer in Wichita until his disability retirement in July 2006. He was an Air Force retiree with 21 years of service, including a tour in Vietnam. Charles’ positive spirit and dedication to the veterans he served will be greatly missed.
DATES OF INTEREST
Oct 17: Fort Riley Retiree Appreciation Day Oct 25: McConnell AFB Retiree Appreciation Day Nov 1: Ft. Leavenworth Retiree Appreciation Day Nov 11: Veterans Day
KCVA Monthly
Congratulations to Connie Duncan, retiring after 35 years of service.
LIBERAL AND FORT DODGE SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR VISITS WITH VETERANS Due to scheduling conflicts, Representative Jerry Moran is unable to attend personally his normal veteran’s forums, but Wichita VAMC director Tom Sanders will lead the October meetings, and congressional staff representatives will be present. The Liberal meeting is Friday, October 3rd at 10 am at the Liberal Chamber of Commerce, and the Fort Dodge meeting is Thursday, October 2nd at 7 pm, at Eisenhower Hall.
WICHITA VA REGIONAL OFFICE TO GET NEW DIRECTOR Regional Director Dan Umlauf has moved to take an assignment in Winston Salem, NC, and longtime VA employee Antione Waller (at left) has been selected to lead the Wichita Regional Office. Waller comes from Nashville, TN where he was the regional office deputy director. He began his VA career in 1991as a claims examiner in Baltimore. He has also worked with the VA in Cleveland. A native of Salisbury, MD, Waller served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army from February 1985 to August 1989. The Wichita VA Regional Office is the location where most veterans’ claims filed in Kansas are adjudicated. It oversees a benefits delivery program that awards more than $273 million in compensation and pension benefits annually.
VA APPOINTS NEW VETERANS EMPLOYMENT COORDINATOR MISSION: HIRE QUALIFIED VETS FOR THE VA VA employee Allison Wilson has been assigned as the regional veterans employment coordinator for a six-state area, which includes Kansas. Her primary mission is to recruit veterans for employment into the VA system. The new program is particularly interested in recruiting severely wounded or injured veterans returning from the Global War on Terrorism. Based in San Antonio, Ms. Wilson has a challenging duty. Her bottom line message to the KCVA on what she wants to accomplish: “Get Kansas vets hired!” The mission of the VA’s Veterans Employment Coordination Service includes: ♦ Attracting, recruiting, and hiring qualified vets into the VA system (particularly severely injured vets) ♦ Opening opportunities for veterans employment ♦ Ensuring VA managers and supervisors are thoroughly familiar with the use of special hiring opportunities ♦ Promoting VA career opportunities ♦ Conducting outreach to vets, particularly severely injured vets from Iraq and Afghanistan ♦ Having a presence at military career fairs and transition assistance centers ♦ Coordinating with local veterans employment centers In addition, Wilson’s program requires collaboration with vocational rehabilitation and employment centers, the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, the Army Warrior Transition Program, various veteran service organizations, and other veterans stakeholders. The KCVA has assisted her in contacting the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Riley as well as the state’s veterans employment coordinator in the Kansas Department of Commerce. Information on the program can be found online at: www.va.gov/vecs. She can be reached at Allison.Wilson@va.gov or (210) 273-8034.
KCVA Monthly
HONOR FLIGHT HELPS KANSAS VETS VISIT THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
A group of 102 veterans flew from Salina to Washington, D.C. on September 10th aboard a chartered plane to see the WWII Memorial on the National Mall. During the one day trip, the group also visited the Arlington National Cemetery and observed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Honor Flight Network began several years ago by volunteer pilots who wanted to help World War II veterans visit the new memorial. It now operates in 30 states. After learning about the project from Representative Jerry Moran at a town hall meeting, Rooks County commissioner Pat Hageman spearheaded the initiative to raise more than $80,000 to send these veterans to the Nation’s capital. Besides the honored veterans, 35 students and several other supporters from Rooks county served as guardians. Rep. Moran and former Senator Bob Dole met the group and escorted the veterans at their memorial.
World War II veterans prepare to board their flight in Salina. (Courtesy of Ryan Christner, Hayes Daily News)
Congressman Jerry Moran and former U.S. Senator Bob Dole with Pat Hageman of Plainville. Pat helped organize the Honor Flight.
Amanda Casey of Plainville High School helps Marvin Dechant, Ness City, at the WWII Memorial. (Courtesy of Ryan Christner, Hayes Daily News)
Former Senator Bob Dole greets his fellow Kansas WW II veterans. (Courtesy of Ryan Christner, Hayes Daily News)
Vets share thoughts at the Memorial
Honor Flight is a not-for-profit organization staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Commercial and chartered flights are arranged for one-day, expensespaid trips for the veterans. Other trips have been arranged for Kansans; in addition to flights on October 2nd and 7th (which are full), Central Prairie RC&D of Great Bend is organizing a trip October 21-23. Those interested in participating or donating can contact Dan Curtis of Great Bend (620-792-6224) or Dave Warnken of Hutchinson (620-662-7524). Veterans will spend the night before and the night of return at Fort Leavenworth, visit the Memorial on October 22nd, and return to central Kansas for a welcome-home ceremony on the 23rd. Information about the program, including applications and donations, can be found at: www.honorflight.org.
92-year-old retired Army Staff Sergeant Ray Moran, a WW II veteran from Plainville, stands with his son, Congressman Jerry Moran. The older Moran fought in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.
KCVA Monthly
WAGING ANOTHER BATTLE: KU STUDENT-VETERAN WORKS FOR PROGRESS
This past summer marked a historic milestone for young people who have taken on enormous sacrifices to serve our country in the post-9/11 world, yet few are aware that a student-veteran at the University of Kansas helped make change possible. The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act was signed into law on June 30, 2008, effectively creating the so-called “Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.” The new bill is a dramatic improvement from the current Montgomery G.I. Bill, which has been in effect since 1985. However, support for the bill might not have been as great without the efforts of young veterans like Dan Parker, Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and cofounder of the KU Collegiate Veterans Association. Parker, 26, was deployed to Iraq with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2003 and the HML/A-167 in 2004. When he returned home to pursue his studies at the University of Kansas, he quickly realized the practical and administrative shortcomings of the current Montgomery G.I. Bill. “The G.I. Bill only increases with inflation, while tuition has outpaced inflation,” he said. Problems like these inspired Parker to organize the KU Collegiate Veterans Association, a “non-partisan group of college-based military veterans and supporters dedicated to supporting military veterans and their families,” according to the KUCVA website. Over the past couple of years, the group’s membership has grown to “about 65 members,” Parker said. Parker and the KUCVA got to work streamlining some of the administrative burdens faced by campus veterans. They worked with the university to establish interest-free book purchase and tuition payment plans, because student-veterans usually don’t receive their first G.I. Bill installments until after the beginning of the semester. Yet the timing of bill payments seemed to pale in comparison to the sheer inadequacy of the G.I. Bill in meeting their needs. At KU, the total “sticker price” of one year’s education--which includes tuition, room, and board--has almost tripled over the past decade, while the Montgomery G.I. Bill rates have only doubled. Parker sought to address these inequities by helping craft legislation for what would later become the Kansas Military Scholarship Program, which currently provides assistance to post-9/11 veterans attending Kansas educational institutions. Still, the problems faced by Kansas student-veterans only reflected the nationwide situation, and proposals for a new G.I. Bill soon appeared in Congress. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) led the charge for the new legislation, which was signed into law by President Bush this summer. The new bill, which will take effect in August, 2009, provides full tuition, housing and textbook allowances, and a monthly stipend to veterans who have at least three years of honorable active service after September 10, 2001. Those who served for a lesser period after this 2001 date will receive proportional benefits. Details are explained in the August 2008 KCVA e-Newsletter. Parker and the KUCVA did whatever it took to drum up support for the new bill. They attended events in Topeka with Rep. Nancy Boyda, gave interviews to regional and campus newspapers, and appeared on an MTV.com segment. Overall, Parker is pleased with the progress his organization helped make possible. He hopes to graduate in 2009 with a degree in political science and currently serves as the KUCVA’s vice-president alongside the group’s president, Felix Zacharias, also an OIF veteran. Although the timing of his military service won’t allow him to take advantage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, he still plans to continue his service to KU’s student-veteran population. “My goal now is to get a resource center for non-traditional students established,” he said. The KUCVA is a nationally recognized chapter of the Student Veterans of America: www.studentveterans.org . Kansas State University is the other Kansas post-graduate institution in the SVA. Contact information is:
University of Kansas KUCVA at: kucva@ku.edu KU Collegiate Veterans Association 1301 Jayhawk Blvd Kansas Union, Room 400, Box 188 Lawrence KS, 66045
Kansas State University POC: Tom Reust e-mail: tomreust@ksu.edu phone: 620-755-5602
KCVA Monthly
VA ANNOUNCES PRESUMPTIVE COMPENSATION FOR ALS DUE TO MILITARY SERVICE In a major policy decision, VA Secretary James Peake announced that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active service in the military. This means that the VA will provide much-needed support for stricken veterans and their families. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a fast developing disease once diagnosed. Secretary Peake wants to ensure that stricken veterans will get care immediately and not have to wait through long periods of claims development. New and pending claims will automatically be covered under this policy change. The VA will seek to identify and locate veterans whose ALS claims were previously denied under the old rules so that they may be covered as well. KCVA veteran service representatives are standing by to assist and would welcome information on vets who have been previously denied. The decision comes in part from a recent review titled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Veterans: Review of the Scientific Literature. It concluded that "there is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS." More information can be found at: www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-21998_PI.pdf BUSINESS CONTRIBUTIONS SOUGHT TO MAINTAIN MEMORIAL The All Veterans Memorial in Topeka, adjacent to the Great Overland Station, was formally dedicated in September, 2006 . Since then, it has been a rallying point for veterans in northeast Kansas. The memorial has flags for each state as well as an avenues of flags for our national colors. Kansas wind takes its toll on these 101 flags, so the supporters are asking Shawnee County restaurants to donate a percentage of their sales on Veterans Day, November 11, 2008, for maintenance upkeep. For donations or assistance, AVM Committee Chair Mike Welch can be contacted at 785 232 1245 or MikeWelch@brbcontractors.com.
FORT RILEY CEMETERY TAKES SHAPE
Recent photos show the administration and maintenance buildings looking east from near the committal shelter (L-top), the entrance from Wildcat Creek Road (L-bottom), and emplacement of vaults which will be covered with soil once set (above). The KCVA Monthly is an electronic publication of the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs. All information contained in this document is believed to be reliable at the time of publication but could be subject to change. If you have any questions or comments, you can access the KCVA Website at http://www.kcva.org/comment_form.shtml and leave your comment there. You may also send an email to Wroth@kcva.org or call 785-296-3976 for all inquiries. Forwarding is authorized. KCVA Monthly