By Edward Aulman; Director, Nassau County veteran’s Service Agency

 

TRICARE Sets Gray Area Retiree Premiums

Last year, Congress approved the creation of the TRICARE Reserve Retired program, a premium-paid TRICARE Standard coverage plan for "gray area" Reserve retirees. The program is planned to start in October. The Premium rates were unveiled on Aug. 6. The premiums -- $388.31 per month for single coverage and $976.41 a month for family coverage -- have been set high enough to cover the full cost of the program because the benefit is not subsidized by the government.

 

VA Eases PTSD Claims Process

In July the Veterans Affairs Department published a final regulation intended to ease the claims process and improve access to health care for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Under the new rule, VA no longer will require substantiation of a stressor tied to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity if a VA psychiatrist or psychologist can confirm that the experience recalled by a veteran supports a PTSD diagnosis and the veteran’s symptoms are related to the stressor. The Veterans Affairs Department has posted a fact sheet including questions and answers about the new rule governing PTSD claims on the VA website (www.va.gov/PTSD_QA.pdf)or call the VA’s toll free benefits number at 800-827-1000.

 

New Korean War Exhibit

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force recently opened its renovated Korean War exhibit in the museum’s Modern Flight Gallery. The 42,000-square-foot exhibit commemorates the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War and features 14 of the most important aircraft of the conflict. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Street, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Website at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/.

 

Museum Spotlight: Fort Eustis Museum

The U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia is spotlighting the achievements of The U.S. Army Transportation Agency (White House) with an exhibit showcasing the unit's 100 years of faithful support to the President of the United States. The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is devoted entirely to the history of U.S. Army transportation from colonial days to the present. The Museum artifact collection numbers just under 7,000 objects and includes planes, helicopters, tugboats and landing craft to trucks, jeeps, hovercraft and trains. For more information, visit the U.S. Army Transportation Museum Website at

www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/museum/museum.htm.

 

Vietnam Statue Restoration

The newly refurbished Three Servicemen Statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled in late July after six weeks of restoration. The statue was created by sculptor Frederick Hart. Nearly 26 years after its original unveiling in 1984, weather damage and age had taken a toll on the statue. The restoration was done in place, and it repaired oxidation damage and added a new patina coating and wax. The statue sits on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in Washington, D.C. about 200 feet away from and facing the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. The restoration project is part of a maintenance and restoration program by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to assist the National Park Service in site upkeep. For more information, visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Website at www.vvmf.org/552.cfm.

 

VA Ordered to Release Agent Orange Rule

A coalition of veterans' service organizations won their case to force the VA to issue a final regulation authorizing payment of claims for ischemic heart disease, Parkinson's disease, or B-cell leukemia for any veteran who stepped foot in Vietnam during the war, or their survivors. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit instructed VA to issue the rule by Sept. 1. Full story at www.military.com/features/0,15240,218379,00.html?ESRC=vr.nl.

 

Navy Ships Agent Orange Exposure List

The Department of Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension Service has issued two lists of naval vessels it has verified conducted operations on the inland “brown water” rivers and delta areas of Vietnam. The lists also identify certain vessel types that operated primarily on the inland waterways. If a veteran’s service aboard one of these ships can be confirmed through military records during the time frames specified, then exposure to herbicide agents (e.g., Agent Orange) can be presumed.

The lists include all vessels of Inshore Fire Support Division 93; all vessels with the designation LST, LCVP, PCF (Swift Boats), and PBR during their entire Vietnam tour; all Coast Guard WPBs and WHECs during their Vietnam tours. Several other vessels and time frames of operations are included in these lists. See www.naus.org/news/documents/VA_CP_BulletinJan10.pdf) and www.naus.org/news/documents/AgentOrangeShipsListAdd6-10.doc.

If you served on any of these mentioned ships and you have had a claim denied, you should reapply citing the VA list as the source for your reapplication. National Association of Uniformed Services has been told the VA is already working on a third list that will have more ships listed. If you have a claim and evidence the ship you served on was in Vietnamese waters and/or actually tied up to a dock there, make sure you include that with your claim.