Veterans Report - Week of March 11, 2013

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Veterans Report - Week of March 11, 2013

Sequestration Impacts Fed Employees
Because of sequestration, the Department of Defense will soon initiate furlough for its 800,000-plus civilian employees. Congressional notification is required at least 45 days from a planned furlough, with implementation anticipated for late April. Civilians will be furloughed for no more than 16 hours per pay period. Furlough will also affect benefits. Civilians must also be aware of the impact on leave accrual, benefits and Thrift Savings Plan contributions, particularly if they are planning vacations or nearing retirement. For more furlough information, visit the Office of Personnel Management website at (http://www.opm.gov/) www.opm.gov.
To keep up with the latest sequestration news and how it affects the military, visit the (http://www.military.com/topics/sequestration) Sequestration section on Military.com.


SVA Surveys College Graduation Rates
A leading student Veterans group, Student Veterans of America, has taken a look into the graduation rate for student veterans. The survey reported that approximately 68 percent of veterans who responded reported they received the degree or certificate for which they were receiving VA educational benefits. To learn more, read the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) (http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/8876/sv ... ion-rates/) VAntage Point Blog.
For more on military education benefits and programs, visit the (http://www.military.com/education) Military.com Education Center.


VA Bill Introduced in Congress
Representative Jeff Miller (FL-01), Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and Ranking Member Mike Michaud (Maine-02) recently introduced the Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013. The bill would require Congress to fully fund the Department of Veterans Affairs' discretionary budget a year ahead of schedule, ensuring that all VA services will have timely, predictable funding in an era where continuing resolutions and threats of government shutdowns are all too frequent. Currently, Congress funds the medical care portion at the beginning of each fiscal year. Providing the remainder of the discretionary budget -- roughly $8 billion -- up front would make it easier for VA to plan for key investments and give Congress a greater level of oversight on multi-year funding proposals. The text of the House bill is available (http://veterans.house.gov/sites/republi ... s/Veterans funding first.pdf) online.
For complete guides on veteran benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.


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Army Also Suspends Tuition Assistance
Earlier last week the Marine Corps moved to halt tuition assistance for new enrollees in response to the sequestration. On Thursday, March 7, 2013, the Army announced they will also halt all tuition assistance enrollment. The Army sited the current fiscal challenges as the reason the Secretary of the Army approved the suspension of Tuition Assistance (TA) effective 1700 EST Friday, March 8, 2013. The suspension applies to all components and will remain effect until the fiscal situation matures.
(http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2 ... ssistance/) Visit the Military Advantage blog to see an excerpt of the Army Announcement.
(http://www.capwiz.com/military/issues/a ... 21&type=ML) Let your elected officials and the DoD know how you feel about this decision.


Top Tax Tips -- Military.com Tax Center
With the start to the new year behind us, it is time to once again plan ahead for tax season. With the exception of those serving in combat zones or stationed outside the U.S, most military personnel and their families must file taxes by the traditional April 15 deadline. (http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;266811177 ... RC=mrvr.nl) Read top tips in the Military.com tax center.


The American Legion Aids Baltimore VA
Several accredited representatives and members of The American Legion's national staff visited the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office in Baltimore recently providing guidelines and training for the processing of fully developed disability claims from veterans. The visit is part of the Legion's annual nationwide Regional Office Action Review (ROAR) program. Visits to other VA regional offices are planned for later this year. For more information on ROAR, visit the (http://www.legion.org/magazine/93799/ro ... nal-office) American Legion website.
For complete guides on veteran benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.


VA Changes Review Policy
To speed eligibility determinations of veteran-owned small businesses for Department of Veterans Affairs' "Veterans First" contracts, VA will allow applicants the opportunity to correct minor deficiencies before an initial denial is issued. Starting May 1, VA will begin providing preliminary findings to applicants before completing a comprehensive review of their submissions. This is expected to greatly reduce the number of VA's initial denials and subsequent requests for reconsideration from companies. The next generation Verification Case Management System (VCMS) is currently under development, with an estimated contract award for a new system in May 2013. VA encourages feedback on the process and will post additional information and the listing of easily correctable issues on the VetBiz.gov website at (http://www.vetbiz.gov/) www.VetBiz.gov.
For complete guides on veteran benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.


Valor Website Adds Recipients
The names of Medal of Honor recipients recognized for their battlefield valor before Sept. 11, 2001, now are listed on the Defense Department's valor website at (http://valor.defense.gov) valor.defense.gov. Officials plan to complete a similar expansion of the Service Cross lists on the website by March 31, 2013. The website lists the name, rank and conflict of recipients of the most prestigious U.S. Military awards for valor: the Medal of Honor, Service Crosses and Silver Star Medals. For more information, visit the Military Awards for Valor--Top Three website at (http://valor.defense.gov/) valor.defense.gov.
For more on military medals and awards, and how to replace them, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/record ... tions.html) Military.com Medals page.


Vintage Part of the Memphis Belle Comes Home
Airman Ralph Barrett was cleaning out his tool box at home when he found again the part that he had found by chance four decades earlier. The part turned out to be the Memphis Belle's engine primer knob from the co-pilot's side panel - something the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force had been searching for in their efforts to restore the aircraft. Barrett returned the lost knob to the Museum and encourages those who may also have original parts from the aircraft to give them to the Museum. For more information or to donate an item, e-mail the Restoration Division Chief at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (mailto:nationalmuseum.usaf@wpafb.af.mil) nationalmuseum.usaf@wpafb.af.mil or visit the Museum's website at (http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/) www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. For more information on the airplane, visit the (http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsh ... sp?id=6740) Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle Fact Sheet.


Marines Sequester Tuition Assistance
The Department of the Navy released the following message outlining the immediate impact sequestration will have on Navy and Marine Corps operations and support activities. In addition to deferring ship maintenance, deployment cancellations and civilian furloughs, paragraph 3E of the message states that the Marine Corps will cease processing new tuition assistance requests. To date, this is the first benefit cut to be announced in response to the sequestration
Read more on the (http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2 ... ssistance/) Military Advantage blog.
(http://www.capwiz.com/military/issues/a ... 21&type=ML) Let your elected officials and the DoD know how you feel about this decision.


Remembering the Air Force's First Woman
Staff Sgt. Esther McGowin Blake has the distinction of being the "first woman in the Air Force." Blake originally enlisted in March, 1944 in the Army Air Forces, served one year and was discharged in November, 1945. She joined the Women's Army Corps when she found out her eldest son, Lt. Julius Blake, was reported missing, a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot shot down over Belgium. At the time, Blake said that her reason for joining the WACs was the hope of helping free a soldier from clerical work to fight, thus speeding the end of the war. She reenlisted in April 1947. She then enlisted in the first minute of the first hour of the first day regular Air Force duty was authorized for women on July 8, 1948. She remained active with the Air Force until 1954 when she separated and went to work with the civil service. For more information, read the (http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/ ... =123138026) Air Force Enlisted Heritage article on Staff Sgt. Esther McGowin Blake.
For more on military history, visit the (http://www.military.com/history) Military.com History Center.


Service Officers Receive More Training
The American Legion and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are emphasizing the development and submission of more fully developed claims (FDCs) by veterans, since they usually move through the claims processing system much faster. American Legion service officers are receiving more FDC training. The American Legion has about 2,600 service officers nationwide. American Legion service officers can help a veteran track down her records and make sure the claim submitted has all the necessary documentation. To locate the nearest American Legion Service Officer near you, visit the American Legion website at (http://www.legion.org/serviceofficers) www.legion.org/serviceofficers or download the Legion's Claims Coach mobile application from Google Play or the Apple iTunes store.
For complete guides on veteran benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.


Get a List of 2013 Military Benefits
The Military.com Benefit Calculator is designed to quickly and easily connect you with your benefit information based on your military service and status. Get a list of Federal Benefits, State Benefits, National Guard State Benefits, Special Military Discounts and more. (http://benefits.military.com/reg/Vetera ... RC=mrvr.nl) Find Your Benefits Now.


A Loan Limits for High-Cost Counties
The VA loan guaranty program does not impose a maximum amount that an eligible veteran may borrow using a VA loan but limits the maximum guaranty amount to $417,000 for 2013. However, if you live in a high-cost county the maximum changes. (http://www.military.com/money/va-loans/ ... RC=mrvr.nl) Get a full chart to determine the VA's maximum guaranty in your county.
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Sequestration Affects DoD Schools, Commissaries
Civilian personnel at Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools and the Defense Commissary Agency will be affected by sequestration. Teachers and support personnel at DODEA schools will be subject to the furlough. DoD civilian personnel will be furloughed one day a week from April through the end of September, unless Congress intervenes. Also, 247 commissaries worldwide will be forced to close one additional day each week, and commissary workers will also be furloughed. The furloughs will probably begin at the end of April. For more information on furloughs, visit the (http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversigh ... e-Furlough) OPM website, the (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013 ... oughs.html) Military.com website, the (http://www.dodea.edu/Budget/index.cfm) DODEA website, and the (http://www.commissaries.com/press_room/ ... _19_13.cfm) Commissaries.com website.
To keep up with the latest sequestration news and how it affects the military, visit the (http://www.military.com/topics/sequestration) Sequestration section on Military.com.


Hertz Committed to Hiring Veterans
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Museum Showcases Contributions
The exhibits at the Museum in the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery depict the past, present and future of military women on active duty, in the reserves, the National Guard and U.S. Public Health Service, in addition to the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Civil Air Patrol. A signature feature of the museum is the Register, a computerized database of information on about 3,500 former military and current active-duty women who voluntarily registered. Veterans, active-duty, National Guard and Reserve servicewomen are invited to register along with cadet nurses and service organization employees who served overseas during a war. For more information, visit the (http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/ ... =123142337) Women in Military Service for America Memorial Fact Sheet and the Memorial's website at (http://www.womensmemorial.org/) www.womensmemorial.org.
For more on military history, visit the (http://www.military.com/history) Military.com History Center.


Women in the Air Force
March is Women's History Month. In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) took the unheard-of step of forming and employing two women's aviation units. That same year, a unit of flight nurses who had not yet quite finished their training, were sent into North Africa on Christmas Day following the Allied invasion in November of that year. In mid-1942, an increased need for World War II combat pilots favored the use of experienced women pilots to fly aircraft on non-combat missions. Two women's aviation units were created to ease this need. These two units were merged into a single group, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program in August 1943. For more information on the history of women in the Air Force, read (http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123338169) the article on the Air Force website.
For more on military history, visit the (http://www.military.com/history) Military.com History Center.


The American Legion Updates Claims App
The American Legion's free Claims Coach mobile app was launched last November to provide a step-by-step guidance to help veterans and their families connect with a service officer and navigate the VA claims process. After feedback from users, a new version of the app was recently launched and is now available. The app can be downloaded from the (https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZS ... 27613&mt=8) Apple iTunes store or (https://play.google.com/store/apps/deve ... QxMzkxNyJd) Google Play. The new Claims Coach app includes a self-updating directory of accredited American Legion service officers nationwide.
For more news and reviews of military apps, visit the (http://www.military.com/topics/best-apps) Military.com App section.


Website Improves VA Information Sharing
The (https://www.sep.va.gov/) Stakeholder Enterprise Portal (SEP), a secure Web-based entry portal for veterans service organizations (VSOs), business partners, stakeholders and customers who provide services to Veterans or conduct business with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is now available. SEP is a project under Veterans Relationship Management (VRM), a VA initiative charged with improving the speed, accuracy and efficiency with which information is exchanged through technology among veterans, VSOs, external business partners and VA. The goal of SEP is to overcome the current time-consuming, paper-driven processes external stakeholders utilize to conduct business with VA. For more information on SEP, visit the SEP website at (https://www.sep.va.gov/) www.sep.va.gov or e-mail (mailto:vrmsep.vbaco@va.gov) vrmsep.vbaco@va.gov.
For complete guides on veteran benefits, visit the (http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-benefits) Military.com Benefits Center.


Army, Marines, and Coast Guard Cut TA
The Army, Coast Guard, and Marines have all announced they are suspending future tuition assistance program enrollments. In addition, Military.com is reporting that the Air Force may soon follow suit. To date, the Navy has not made an official announcement on the subject, but many expect that announcement soon. According to reports, Congress is planning to introduce legislation that would effectively block the services from suspending tuition assistance. The legislation may be introduced sometime this week.
(http://www.capwiz.com/military/issues/a ... 21&type=ML) Let your elected officials and the DoD know how you feel about suspending TA.
(http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2 ... -dominoes/) Read the Military Advantage Blog for more details and future updates.