Gems of Information in a Military Dscharge.

Not a week goes by where someone doesn’t stop in my office asking where they can get military information about their father, uncle, aunt, grandfather, etc. You get the idea. The obvious thing to do, if they are alive, is to ask them. Many older veterans have never talked about their experiences and younger ones are trying to forget. This is very common if they were in combat situations.

If the veteran’s not available, talk with his widow, children or other relatives. The family might even have a box of newspaper clippings, photographs, letters home, discharge papers or medals tucked away in a closet or basement somewhere. Photos can reveal what unit a person was assigned to, what their job was and even where the photo was taken. If there are notes on the back of the photos, all the better.

The crown in this collection would be a discharge. Early discharges had a variety of numbers and letters associated with them. These numbers are on the lower left hand corner. The DD Form 214 has been issued by all military services since January 1, 1950. Before 1950, a variety of designations were used by the military services. If the designation is NG, then the veteran was in the National Guard.

What can a keen observer learn from a discharge? Many things you knew and surprising things you had no idea about. 

Obvious items on most discharges are name, birthdate, place of birth, and social security number. Many are surprised where a veteran was born. “Grandma said grandpa was from Kentucky. I didn’t know he was born in Missouri.” In rural community years ago, many babies were born at home. But a week or two might pass before the birth was recorded with the county. That is why there might be a disparity between actual and recorded birth dates.

The type of discharge a veteran was granted says a lot about their military service. Honorable is the word you want to see. It is often listed in a box titled Character of Service. Some other types of discharges are General, Under Honorable Conditions, Medical and Dishonorable. Some of these can be upgraded but it rarely happens. Depending on the branch, time period and issuing authority, the type of discharge could be anywhere on the form.

The date and place the veteran enlisted or was drafted and when and where they were discharged from the military are listed. What rank they were when discharge and when they obtained that rank. E-3, ADEJ-3, SP-4 are examples of rank. If you don’t understand rank, you can Google and there are sights that will explain ranks for all the services. Being an old Air Force vet, the US Navy ranks are the most mysterious to me. 

If they were assigned oversea, it should tell where they went, how long they were there and when they came back.  WW II discharges often have detailed information as to battles a vet was involved in: North Africa, uam, Philippines, Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, Sicily, etc.

The discharge also lists the schools and training they had. I went to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. for Electronic Intercept Training, as an example. I knew vacuum tubes inside and out, learned to read schematics and could wire a circuit board before the end of class.

A small important section of a discharge is the awards and decorations. Many times I have had people debate what medals their relatives were awarded. “I’m sure he received a purple heart. Or maybe it was a silver star. I know it was pretty fancy” In reality the vet was awarded a good conduct medal and a marksmanship medal. Never saw combat.

Some discharges will describe physical characteristics: height, weight, color of eyes and skin. You might be surprised grandpa Miller was only 5 foot 4 inches tall with blue eyes.

If you didn’t find a discharge in that musty pile of papers, there are a few place you can look. The Recorders office in your county is a good placed to start. The Department of Defense sent copies of WW I and WW II discharges to the county of residence. Many vets dropped off their discharges to be copied and recorded in those same offices. The Indiana Archives in Indianapolis has thousands of records. Phone 1 317 591-5222 and ask for military records. You can submit a request online at www.archives.com and follow the prompts. It usually take three to four weeks to get copies. Happy hunting.

FYI:

Veterans Now Able to Enroll for VA Healthcare by Telephone:  Effective immediately, VA has amended its enrollment regulations to allow veterans to complete enrollment applications for enrollment in VA health care by telephone without the need for a paper signature. By adding this telephone application option to VA’s regulations with this amendment, VA will now offer three ways to enroll for VA health care services. This option provides veterans a convenient third enrollment option in addition to the paper VA Form 10-10 EZ and the online health care application. To apply, call 1-877-222-VETS (8387), Mon-Fri between 8 am and 8 pm, EST.

An eBenefits Accounts Is A Plus

Dealing with the VA or any federal government organization can have its moments. There are rules, regulations, updates, forms, certified documents, wet signatures, DD-214s, evidence and a myriad of other hoops you have to jump through. Oh, wet signatures you ask. They are original signatures. Not copies, reproductions or electronic signatures.

When becoming involved with the VA, an eBenefits account is a good way to keep track of a multitude of things. Any veteran can create an eBenefits account. If you file a claim for disabilities or pension, you can follow the progress of your claim. You can add evidence to your claim. You can add or subtract dependents to your claim.

When you claim is approved, you can track your monthly payments. Which are tax free by the way. Change your address, update your bank account information, print out an VA Award letter (a letter from the VA stating what percentage you have been awarded depending your disability). If you want to apply for a VA mortgage, you need a COE (certificate of eligibility) to go with your application. Print it from eBenefits.

Want to use your GI Bill to go to school? The steps and forms are available here. How about batteries for hearing aids or set up an appointment for eyeglasses.

How about health care? Besides my family doctor, I have been going to the VA for healthcare for about three years. I can check my appointments, ask for prescription refills, read notes from my VA doctor's visits and print out a complete list of my blood tests. I give my family doctor a copy of all this information.
Go to www.ebenefits.va.gov <http://www.ebenefits.va.gov>  to get started. The home page will give a nice rundown of all the information you can access. Click the Register button and you are asked a series of questions. 

Questions are:

Select registration method:
I have a Common Access Card (CAC) with accessible card reader. 
I have a Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) myPay account. 
None of the above conditions apply, however at least one of the following conditions is true:

I am a Veteran
I am a Dependent of a Veteran
I am a Survivor of a Veteran
I am registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)

Just follow the prompts and account you too can have your very own eBenefits account. It is well worth the time and effort.

For questions or information contact me at 765-529-4305 or jguglielmi@henryco.net. My office hours are 7 am till noon, Tuesdaythrough Friday room 114 in the old Henry County Courthouse.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is approaching quickly and activity has been picking up in my office as American flags are picked up by service organizations and individuals. Henry County makes available the funds to purchase over 5,000 graveside flags. Every veteran grave in Henry County has a flag placed beside it before Memorial Day. This is just one way our veterans are honored.

Many schools invite veterans to attend Veterans Day programs. Restaurants give veterans discounts or free meals. Stores give discounts on purchases with proper ID.  A military Honor Guard is present at most veterans funerals.  These are just  a few ways that our veterans are remembered.

But what makes a veteran?  He is the teenager that crossed the ocean in the bowels of a transport ship to fight the Germans during WW II.  The young lady that cared for wounded soldiers at the battle front as they were brought into field hospitals. The young B-25 belly gunner who had his canopy shot from under him by German fighters planes and ended up hanging under the plane in his harness. The bomber continued to the target and returned to its airfield in England safely. The young lieutenant who led his platoon through the jungles and swamps of Vietnam looking for Viet Cong.

The young woman Marine who traveled across Iraq from village to village promoting good will and handing out soccer balls to children. The Air Force crew chief  who flew aboard bombers that dropped atomic bombs during Operation Teapot in the 50's. The teenage sailor who was aboard a warship that was sunk during a WW II sea battle in the Pacific.  Was rescued, assigned to another ship that was torpedoed. Survived still again, and yes, his last ship was sunk. All these veterans are Henry County residents and have done things a non veteran can't imagine. 

Not all of us were involved in combat but were an important element that supported the troops in harms way: supply, medical, training, intelligence, finance, chaplains, flight crews, electronics, mechanics, judicial, munitions, technicians, etc. The list goes on and on.

The young mother of two in the checkout line, or the elderly gentleman sharing coffee and conversation with friends at a local restaurant just might be veterans. Think about that this Memorial Day and everyday.
_____________________________________________________________________

A documentary about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is coming to Indianapolis  on Tuesday May 24 at 7 p.m. for one night only. "Soledad O' Brian Presents: The War Comes Home - The New Battlefront." This film follows two veterans on the edge of suicide as they attend a life-changing boot camp. Healing, meditation and team-building exercises are part of the treatment over the course of five days, with the cameras recording their recovery.

The documentary will be shown at AMC Indianapolis 17 at 4325 South Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN. Call (317) 784-0989 for ticket information.

Find A Veteran Service Officer to File Claims

Trying to comb through the claims process with the VA is daunting enough. If you try to go it alone, you might end up dazed, confused and waste valuable time. Seek out a Veteran Service Officer in the county you live in. We are trained and accredited by the VA to help veterans check what benefits are available, help complete the proper forms, gather the evidence needed and submit the claims through an accredited service organization. The American Legion, DAV, VFW and the Marine Corps League are just a few that serve veterans. To find a VSO you can go to www.va.gov or www.nacvso.org.

The following is an NPR story about Veteran Service Officer Bob Kelly in Indiana and the work he does for veterans.

Grant County Veterans Service Officer Bob Kelley, right, works with World War II Army veteran Frederick Kern at the Grant County Government Building in Marion, Ind., on Monday.

Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR

NPR — along with seven public radio stations around the country — is chronicling the lives of America's troops where they live. We're calling the project "Back at Base." This story is Part 2 of a three-part series about veteran benefits.

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs show Indiana — which has the 35th highest number of veterans in the U.S. — receives $4,935 per veteran each year. If they received as much as Utah — which has the 35th highest return — Indiana vets would receive on average another $558. And if they received the national average of $6,088, that's another $1,153.

Retired Brig. Gen. Jim Bauerele has spent years working to match veterans with their benefits.

"I think Indiana has neglected veterans," he says. "I think veterans are uneducated as to what their benefits are, and there has been little effort undertaken to communicate and get that to veterans."

Source: NPR analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs data

Credit: Robert Benincasa and Alyson Hurt/NPR

Back in 2010, a VA survey found that nationwide fewer than half of veterans understood their benefits, whether it was medical care, college tuition or pension and disability payments.

There are all sorts of reasons why veterans in one area may not receive as many benefits as veterans in another. Veterans from different eras, such as Vietnam or Iraq, can receive different amounts. Older vets might receive more benefits.

VA applications are also notoriously difficult to complete. Vets don't always get the help and guidance they need.

Bauerele says one reason for the poor showing in Indiana can be traced to what are called veterans service officers (VSOs). County-level VSOs are part of a system operating in 28 states, and they're supposed to help vets get the benefits they've earned. Some VSOs operate on the state level, and veterans groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars have their own VSOs, which operate in most states.

Some county-level VSOs in Indiana operate on a shoestring.

"Some counties have an officer who is part-time, works three days a week, part-time and doesn't even have an office or a computer," Bauerele says.

So depending on where they live, one vet might find an office with a full-time staff trained to file paperwork with the VA, while another might find a closed office, or a VSO who can't navigate the system.

And without help, filing a VA claim can be tough.

Tom Nichols, a 29-year-old Indiana National Guard veteran, has struggled to file his disability claim. After returning from Iraq in 2010, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. Eventually, he landed in treatment for PTSD.

Not only does Nichols not understand his benefits — he doesn't really know the best way to get them, either. He hasn't tried a VSO because he says it's too much trouble.

"I've got to go to some VFW to track down this guy, and it's only the first Thursday of every month," Nichols says.

Pamphlets detailing services available to veterans are displayed in VSO Bob Kelley's office in Marion, Ind.

Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR

So he filled out the paperwork himself. To some of the medical questions, he just wrote "ask my doctor," which could be part of the reason his claim didn't go through. Advocates say the VA rejects claims for reasons as simple as using an outdated version of the form.

"It's basically on me to go out there and receive this," Nichols says.

But a trained VSO can cut months and years off the time it takes veterans to receive benefits from the VA.

"You never want to apply for benefits on your own, unless you have some experience with it," says Bob Kelley, the VSO for Grant County, one of the Indiana counties receiving the most from the VA.

The VA's own data show vets who give VSOs power of attorneyreceive more than double the disability benefits of vets who file their own claims.

BACK AT BASE

VA Data Show Disparities In Veteran Benefits Spending

David McLenachen, acting deputy undersecretary for disability assistance for the VA, agrees that VSOs routinely help the system work.

BACK AT BASE

Women Sweat The Test To Show Marines They're Combat-Ready

"It can be overwhelming for somebody to prepare a claim and submit it," he says. "The VSOs can be very successful at helping with the claim process."

Kelley also goes to nursing homes and Veterans of Foreign Wars halls to tell veterans about their benefits, often on his own time. He would do more, but his county won't pay for an assistant until January.

"It's not a career," Kelley says. "In the state of Indiana, it's not a career. When I retired from the military after 25 years, I was hired on at $28,000, and that's the average salary."

But the state is trying to give VSOs more resources in order to ensure all veterans have access to them.

For Veterans

Veterans Coming Home, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is a collection of resources and public media stories aimed at helping veterans returning back to civilian life.

Looking for a veterans service officer? Visit theNational Association of County Veterans Service Officers to find links to yourstate VSOs and state benefit resources. Ordownload a directory from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In the past year, the state paid for software and training so county VSOs could file claims electronically. And for the first time, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs set up workshops to explain federal benefits to vets.

Bauerele is part of the Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana, which is pushing to reform the system in Indiana. He'd like to see better pay for county officers, and he wants the state to offer more help. VSOs like the American Legion already process thousands of VA claims.

"Every dollar you give a veteran is new money from outside the state coming into the state," Bauerele says. "That'll pay for a lot of Cadillacs, a lot of homes."

VA Expands Patient-Centered Community Care

VA Expands Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) Contracts to Provide Access to Primary Care

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that primary care has been added to the services available to Veterans through VA’s Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) contracts, a key and evolving part of the non-VA medical care program.  Eligible Veterans are already able to access inpatient specialty care, outpatient specialty care, mental health care, limited emergency care and limited newborn care for female Veterans following childbirth under PC3.

“With the addition of primary care services, VA Medical Centers can now use PC3 to provide additional types of care in order to reduce wait times,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald.  “This modification is another example of how we are working to ensure Veterans get the care they need, when they need it and where they want to be seen.”

This modification supports VA’s Accelerated Care Initiative, helping to move Veterans off of waitlists and into care. Additionally, reduced commuting standards will require that contracted providers schedule appointments closer to the Veterans’ homes.

The initial PC3 contracts were awarded in September 2013 to Tri-West and HealthNet and have been used as part of the non-VA medical care program to purchase care in the community.

“PC3 is part of the overall non-VA medical care program,” said Dr. Carolyn A. Clancy, VA’s Interim Under Secretary for Health.  “We look forward to expanding our ability to provide timely access to health care services to our Veterans.”

VA Medical Centers have the ability to purchase non-VA medical care for Veterans through contracted medical providers when they cannot readily provide the needed care due to geographic inaccessibility or limited capacity. This additional option is available to purchase non-VA medical care when required Veteran care services are unavailable within the VA medical facility, or when Veterans benefit from receiving the needed care nearer to their homes. In addition, VA is reviewing how PC3 may be used to help implement the newly enacted Veterans Choice, Access, and Accountability Act of 2014.

Through PC3, Veterans can expect to receive high-quality health care that is coordinated with their VA providers. For more information on PC3, visit http://www.nonvacare.va.gov/PC3/index.asp.

Crisis Line for Veterans Who Need Help Fast

    When as veteran in a crisis situation and needs help, there is a place to turn. The VA has established the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 PRESS 1. You can also send a text message to 838255.  This service is available 24/7 365 days a year.
 
   The Veteran Crisis Line is staffed with well trained  counselors - many are Veterans - who understand what Veterans have been through and the challenges they face coping with day to day survival.
 
   Depressed, homeless, can't find work, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress, this is the number to call for help. All calls are confidential and there is even support for the deaf and hard of hearing. If you have a computer available, log into www.veterancrisisline.net. You can start a chat online.
 
   What help is available through these numbers? The beauty of the service is that whatever the problem is, there are resources available. PTSD, depression, thoughts of suicide, these are problems that people don't understand unless they have been there. That is why the Crisis Line is so valuable. Call and talk to someone who understands.
   
   Can't find a job? The Crisis line will point you in the right direction. Also your state's Dept. Of Veterans Affairs and Employment Offices should have a staff members that specialize in helping vets find employment. A goal of the VA and state DOV's  is to find employment for as many Veterans as possible.
     
   Homeless and can't find a place to live. The counselors can connect you with resources in your area that can help you obtain aid and housing. The Natl. Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 1-877-424-3838 is another resource that can help vets and their families with housing and medical help. Federal, state, community partners, local agencies and county veteran service officers partner to get Veterans the help they need.
   
   Remember:
               Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 PRESS 1
               Natl. Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 1-877-424-3838

   I highly recommend that if you are not in the VA Health Care system, apply as soon as possible. It is simple. Complete a 10-10EZ (a two page form) and have a copy of your discharge. You can mail them to:                                    
                                     Health Eligibility Center
                                     2957 Clairmont Road, Suite 200
                                     Atlanta, GA 30329
   Or take the form and discharge to your closest VA medical facility for processing. You can find the addresses on www.va.gov.                                  
 

If you feel lost and don't know where to turn, call. You have to start some place. Veteran families and friends are encouraged to also call to help their loved ones.

   If you have questions, feel free to email me. jguglielmi@henryco.net






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