Arlington National Cemetery Filling Up & New Medicare Cards

By John J. Guglielmi

Arlington Cemetery Running Out of Space to Bury Iraq, Afghan Veterans

If you are planning on being buried at Arlington Cemetery, you better act soon.

Section 60 of our National Cemetery, where Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are laid to rest, will soon have to close to new burials unless eligibility rules are restricted or the grounds are expanded, Army officials said Thursday. "We are filling up every single day" at the 154-year-old historic site across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries.

 "Within the next few years, Section 60, known for the recent wars, will be closed. This is on our mind every day," Durham-Aguilera told a hearing of the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel.

Section 60 would be the first to close to new burials. Projections are that the entire cemetery will have to close to above and below ground interments in the 2040s, said Katharine Kelley, the cemetery's superintendent.

Each week about 150 burials take place at Arlington. Last year, there were more than 7,100. The possibilities for expanding the cemetery's grounds are severely limited. Currently, most honorably discharged veterans may request Arlington as their final resting place, but the eligibility rules are lengthy. The rules can be found on these websites: www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Eligibilty-FactSheet-20170701.pdf   or www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/FuneralInformation/EstablishServices.aspx.

Veterans groups are generally opposed to eligibility restrictions to extend the active life of Arlington that would limit burials to those killed in the line of duty; recipients of the Medal of Honor and other high awards; and prisoners of war.

Forrest Allen, associate director of government relations at the Military Officers Association of America, said current eligibility rules should be maintained while options for expanding the grounds are explored.

Arlington National Cemetery

 "It is important to respect end-of-life plans for currently eligible veterans and take reasonable steps to extend the cemetery for future service members," Allen said.

 More than 400,000 veterans have been interred at Arlington since the Civil War, but "unfortunately, the cemetery is rapidly running out of space. If nothing is done, in a matter of 23 short years, the cemetery will be closed for new burials.

Shiny new Medicare Cards on their way, but not until June.

 Indiana veterans and seniors who are Medicare Recipients will receive new cards after June 2018. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services are removing Social Security Numbers from Medicare cards in order to prevent fraud and identify theft. New cards will be mailed out in phases based on geographic location, with Indiana residents getting their cards sometime after June 2018. There will be no charge for the new cards and the new card will not change your benefits. If your address is up-to-date, you do not need to do anything to receive your card. If you need to update your mailing address, you can call 800-772-1213 or visithttps://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. You can also update your address in person at your local Social Security office. You can find the address at http://indianapop.org/.

Discharges: No One Should Be Without Theirs

Where is your Discharge?

   On a sunny wind blown morning in 1966, I stopped by the administration building at Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico to process out of the Air Force. A clerk pulled my records and starting typing. Within half an hour, I was loading my belongings into my English Ford and driving off the base for the last time. In my possession was my honorable discharge. Proof that I had served four years in the US Air Force. 

   A discharge is the most important piece of paper a veteran should have in his or her possession. You can't file a disability claim, get health care, apply for a VA mortgage or sign up for the GI Bill without it. That DD-214 or discharge is the key that will unlock the door to many benefits. If you already have your discharge, have certified copies made and store them away safely. You can go to you county recorders office and have them copy the discharge. If you need more copies, go back and the recorders office can issue certified copies.

   If you misplaced or had your discharge destroyed, have no fear. You can go online at www.archives.gov and apply for another one. This is the National Archives in St. Louis. When you fill out the request, you will end up printing out a form that must be signed and sent to St. Louis. All fax and mailing information is on the form.

Sample of a DD-214

   Indiana National Guard members can contact National Guard HQ in Indianapolis where discharges are stored. 

   You can also have a Veteran Service Officer help you fill out and send the request. VSOs are county employees and do not work for the VA. Every county in the Indiana has such an office. Check with the courthouse in your area.

   That discharge is the key that will unlock the process of applying for VA benefits. 
  A discharge can also be a tool to discover a father, grandparent, or great-grandparent's past history. When a relative was in the service, where they served, what battles they were in, the ship or ships they served on and what awards and decorations they earned. 

   Ask relatives if they have a copy of their discharge. If they don't, offer to obtain a copy for them. 

   Our offices work with regional VA offices to help veterans file claims of all types and help vets sign up for the VA Healthcare System.

   Please call me at 765.529.4305 or email you questions to jguglielmi@henryco.net.