Base Cleveland Veteran News
31 Mar 17
Prepared and distributed monthly to Veterans and supporters of those who served
Special Events
- Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center Events Calendar
http://www.cleveland.va.gov/calendar.asp
- Ohio Veterans Memorial Park Events Calendar
- Cleveland Senior Day
The Cleveland Department of Aging presents the 28th annual Senior Day Wednesday, May 24, 2016 at Cleveland Public Hall. For more information,
- Cleveland Tank Plant Homecoming Military Show and Swap Meet
The International Exposition (I-X) Center and the Military Vehicle Preservation Association announced the 42nd annual MVPA International Convention will be held in conjunction with the Cleveland Tank Plant Homecoming Military Show and Swap Meet June 22-24, 2017 at the I-X Center.
- Annual Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade
The City of Cleveland will partner and host the annual Veterans Day ceremony and Parade on Friday, November 10, 2017
News
$6.5M Fisher House at Dayton VA preparing to break ground
Fundraisers have the money they need to build a new house at the Dayton VA where veterans and their families can stay while they receive care. TheFisher House, a two-story 13,500-square-foot building planned on the campus of theDayton VA Medical Center, will have 16 bedrooms for veterans who are receiving care at the medical center. The project is ready to move ahead with $6.5 million raised for its construction, as well as another $634,000 for its operation, saidChris Stanley, executive director Fisher/Nightingale Houses Inc.
A $6.5 million Fisher House will be built at the Dayton VA Medical Center to house…more
VA’s rule establishes presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure to contaminants in water supply at Camp Lejeune
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases associated with exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, are effective as of today.
“Establishing these presumptions is a demonstration of our commitment to care for those who have served our nation and have been exposed to harm as a result of that service,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. David J. Shulkin. “The Camp Lejeune presumptions will make it easier for those Veterans to receive the care and benefits they earned.”https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2869
Military exchanges will be open to honorably discharged veterans
Starting in November, honorably discharged veterans will be able to access the online stores of military exchanges like the one on Redstone Arsenal. The new benefit will not apply to the actual brick-and-mortar stores, but veterans will be able to shop at any service's exchange website. The online benefit will be available on Veterans Day, November 11.
“AAFES is honored to offer this well-deserved benefit to those who raised their right hands, took the oath and served our Nation with honor,” said AAFES Director/CEO Tom Shull. “There are many generations of service members who have not been properly recognized for their sacrifices. The Veterans Online Shopping Benefit (VOSB) acknowledges their service and welcomes them home.”
The exchanges will use information provided by the Defense Manpower Data Center to verify whether or not a veteran is eligible. According to AAFES, if a veterans records are incomplete, they will need to register through the VA.
While an honorably discharged veteran will be able to use the benefit, there are no plans to extend it to their dependents. The benefit was the proposal of AAFES Director/CEO Tom Shull in 2014.
“AAFES, along with its sister exchanges, is ensuring America’s veterans are honored for their service and recognized as Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors for life,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming our veterans home this Veterans Day and every day thereafter.”
VA Fixes Veterans Crisis Line
In response to the recently released VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that reviewed processes from June 6 through Dec. 15, 2016, of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released the following statement: “The Department of Veterans Affairs is proud to announce that the challenges with the Veterans Crisis ......
VA claims its suicide hotline problems are now fixed
WASHINGTON -- Veterans Affairs officials say 99 percent of calls to the department’s suicide hotline are now answered by trained veterans specialists, a dramatic turn-around from just a few months ago. Earlier this week, officials from the VA Inspector General’s office released a report saying nearly 30 percent of calls to the Veterans Crisis Line were being routed to backup call centers because of deficiencies in the department’s systems. While suicidal callers are still handled by trainedRead the full story
VA Fixes Veterans Crisis Line
On March 21, the VA released the following statement in response to the recently released VA Office of Inspector General report that reviewed processes from June 6 through December 15, 2016, of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL):
The VA is proud to announce that the challenges with the VCL have been resolved. Prior to the opening of our new Atlanta call center, our call roll-over rate often exceeded 30 percent. Our current call roll over rate is less than 1 percent, with over 99percent of all calls being answered by the VCL.
To reach a trained VA professional who is specially trained to attend to emotional crises for Veterans and Service members: Dial the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Veterans should choose option 1 to reach a VCL Responder;
Text 838255 and a VCL responder will text back.
B-25 bombers to fly over Ohio to honor historic air raid
DAYTON, Ohio — Seventeen World War II B-25 bombers will fly over the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio next month to mark the 75th anniversary of an air raid by the United States on Japan.
The Dayton Daily News reports the bombers are scheduled to rumble over the Dayton areaon April 18. On that date 75 years ago, 80 airmen, known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, took off from the deck of the USS Hornet to launch a critical strike on Tokyo.
Military seeks new ways to punish bad online behavior
WASHINGTON — Skeptical Congress members on Tuesday pressed senior military leaders to take more aggressive action to prevent and punish inappropriate online activity by service members, including posts of "intimate" images on social media sites. And the military officers said a weeks-old investigation into nude photo-sharing by Marines online now involves all the services and has expanded to other websites, including a Tumblr page that has pornographic photos of people in various military uniforms.
WWII vet wins $300,000 lottery for 94th birthday
Fox News: A World War II veteran receiving the birthday present of a lifetime when he won $300,000 in the Michigan Lottery.Read the full story
To recognize war heroes, Trump resurrects long-neglected 'Medal of Honor Day'
USA TODAY: Trump honors 25 Medal of Honor recipients at the White House.Read the full story
Cleveland Veterans Service Commission office closes after half of staff sick with 'flu-like symptoms'
The downtown Cleveland Veterans Service Commission office has been closed since Thursday because half the staff has flu-like symptoms, limiting services to a point where leadership decided to close the center.Read the full story
BrainGate 2 implants allow paralyzed Cleveland veteran to move limb (video)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Most of us can employ our nerves and muscles to nibble a snack or swig a latte without much effort. But for Bill Kochevar, who is paralyzed below the shoulders, being able to do these things for the first time in years was mind-blowing.
Experimental implants calledBrainGate2allowed Kochevar to grasp a cup for the first time since he suffered a major spinal cord injury in a 2006 bike accident. He was able to take a bite of mashed potatoes and eat a pretzel without help from a caregiver.
"I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't moved my arm in about nine years," said Kochevar, 56, a Navy veteran from Cleveland. "I thought, 'Wow, amazing. I can move my arm again'."
Lawmaker pushes for medal to recognize veterans who served during Cold War
Lawmakers from Maine long have fought to get a medal created for those who served in the military during the Cold War, a time of high political tension between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union that started after World War II and ended when the Iron Curtain fell in 1991.
Read it here
Attention Military Veterans:The Social Security Administration is awarding prior military service men and women credit towards their SSA earnings! You don't get it automatically, you have to apply. For a certain period, you get $300 each quarter of a year you served in active duty or reserve.
Here's the link: Retirement Planner: Special Extra Earnings for Military Service
Frontline Service for Veterans
If you served in the military and you and your family are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we can help.
Are you a Veteran at risk of being HOMELESS?If you have ever served active duty and are at-risk of losing your home, or are homeless?
LET US HELP: 216.674.6700
We know military families have unique needs. If you are a Veteran and struggling with homelessness, we will work with you to develop a plan that meets you and your family’s specific needs and get you quickly into permanent housing or prevent homelessness. We will work with you to find a solution and a home.
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)providespermanent housing for military veterans and their families. In addition to rapid placement into housing, the program provides eviction prevention, short-term rental subsidy, utility connection, furniture, transportation assistance and connection with veteran services and community resources.
FrontLine Service has been operating a Supportive Services for Veteran Families program since 2011. From 2013 – 2015the program hasserved 968 households and less than 1 percent of those served have returned to homelessness. This program utilizes the Housing First Model, focusing on quickly regaining or establishing stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness. The program’s intensive case management services and the ability to effectively connect individuals to community resources and VA supports has helped those served move quickly out of a shelter or living on the streets into permanent housing.
FrontLine partners with other Veteran service organizations to provide this critical program. We look forward to joining our partners in the near future to announce the end of homelessness for Veterans inCuyahoga County.
Did you know ......
Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) is the only member of the United States Coast Guard to have received the Medal of Honor. A signalman first class of the United States Coast Guard, died heroically on Guadalcanal on 27 September 1942. Having volunteered to evacuate a detachment of Marines who were facing annihilation by an unanticipated large enemy force, he succeeded in safely extricating them and in doing so was mortally wounded.
In the engagement in which he gave his life, Munro had already played an important part, having been in charge of the original detachment of ten boats that had landed the Marines at the scene. Having successfully landed them, Munro led his small boat force to a previously assigned rally position. Almost immediately upon his return, he was advised by the officer-in-charge that conditions at the insertion point were not as expected. The Marines were under attack from a larger Japanese force and needed to be extracted immediately. Munro volunteered to lead the boats back to beach for the evacuation.
Commanding the rescue expedition, he brought the boats in-shore under heavy enemy fire and proceeded to evacuate the Marines still on the beach.
Though the majority of the Marines had been loaded into the boats, the last remaining elements of the rear guard were having difficulty embarking.
Assessing the situation, Munro maneuvered himself and his boats into a position to cover the last groups of men as they headed to the boats. In doing so, he exposed himself to greater enemy fire and suffered his fatal wound. At the time it was reported that he had remained conscious long enough to utter his final words: "Did they get off”?
For his heroic and selfless actions in the completion of this rescue mission Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. His other decorations included the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Volunteerism
Here are some great opportunities to put your military experiences to work benefiting others in need.
- Project GreenCare for Troops: a national 10-year old program that provides free lawn, landscape and snow removal services for military families and veterans with a service-related disability needs your support. There are more than 225,000 military personnel deployed in 150 countries and 3.6 million veterans with a service-related disability needing day-to-day household and lifestyle assistance.
Project EverGreen’sGreenCare for Troops and SnowCare for Troops provides complimentary basic year maintenance, and snow and ice removal services to military families and disable Veterans. For more information contact Ki Matsko at 888.611.2955 or
- The American Red Cross’ unwavering commitment to members of the U.S. military, its veterans and their families continues to grow and develop more than a century after Clara Barton first recruited nurses to support the U.S. Army. Today, the Red Cross is meeting the needs of a changing military and expanding services to veterans. Red Cross support of military members and their families enhances morale and contributes to increased operational capability in several ways. New volunteers: visit https:redcross.org/neo Click on “volunteer” tab.
- Cleveland Municipal Court’s Veterans Treatment Docket needs volunteers – preferably military veterans to help Veterans transition to a successful life. If you are interested in volunteering to help our veterans successfully re-enter civilian life, please contact Derek Moore at (216) 664-4712 or via email at or additional information.
- Needed: ‘A few good mentors’: The Cuyahoga Common Pleas Veteran Treatment Court (VTC) is a judge-monitored treatment program for military veterans. A key component of the program is volunteer Veteran Mentors who volunteer their time to help veterans re-adapt to civilian life.For more information visit:
Employment Opportunities / Links
City of Cleveland https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cleveland
Veteran Job Search Assistance: If you know a Veteran or Military Spouse who could benefit from FREE, UNLIMITED job search coaching, please have them visit to schedule a “First Call”.
Ohio National Guard Employment Enhancement Support:
Free, Unlimited Military Veteran Job Search Coaching: provided by
VA JOBS Home:http://www.va.gov/jobs/
Ohio.gov:http://agency.governmentjobs.com/ohio/default.cfm?clearSearch=1
Cleveland:
USAJobs:https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans
MilitaryJobs.com:
Ohio Federal Government Jobs:
Stars and Stripes; Veteran Job Center:
USERRA:The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects service members' reemployment rights when returning from a period of service in the uniformed services, including those called up from the reserves or National Guard, and prohibits employer discrimination based on military service or obligation. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) administers USERRA
- Link to DOJ USERRA website:http://www.justice.gov/crt/military/statute.htm
- Link to the DOJ website:http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/userra_fs.htm
Information Links
Welcome to MyVA.COM. . . . getting it right from the start
Enrolling for VA care is a life-changing decision for Veterans. Choosing your health care provider is a leap of faith that will impact your entire life. “Welcome to MyVA” (W2MyVA) starts that relationship right with a welcoming call from an informed, service-oriented VA representative.
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/30277/welcome-myva-getting-right-start/
Cleveland American Veterans Association:
Veteran Service Commission Meetings – are open to the public. The Commissioners encourage members of the Veteran Community to come and see how the Cuyahoga County Veteran Commission works and the benefits available to our Veterans. The meetings are held at the Commission offices at 1849 Prospect Avenue, Suite 150, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 at 9:30 AM the first and third Wednesday of each month.
Free Parking: The Veterans Service Commission reserved parking spaces in the lot just East of our building (on Prospect Avenue). The lot has signs posted noting they belong to the Veterans Service Commission. This will allow veterans to park for free.
Peer Advisors for Veteran Education:Representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities have come together to learn ways to support student Veterans who face two significant changes simultaneously: transitioning from the military to civilian life and the transition from the military to academia. Neither of these is easy.Read more at www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/29879/new-va-partnership-expands-power-of-peer-support-among-student-veterans/
Get connected with V.E.T.S Program: The Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland is sponsoring a series of job preparedness, career development, financial literacy and computer training workshops. The program is designed to help veterans overcome barriers in order to transition from military life, prepare to compete for jobs in the civilian labor force.