Updated information on Veteran Benefits, featured Military Bloggers, the You Served Podcast and various other news and information relevant to Veterans.
You qualify for a higher social security payment because of your Military service, for active duty any time from 1957 through 2001 (the program was done away with 1 January 2002).
Up to $1200 per year of earnings credit credited at time of application – which can make a substantial difference in social security monthly payments upon your retirement.
You must bring your DD-214 to the Social Security Office and you must ask for this benefit to receive it!
This is something to put in your files for when you apply for Social Security down the road. It is NOT just for retirees, BUT anyone who has served on active duty between January 1957 to December 31, 2001.
FYI – this benefit is not automatic, you must ask for it! We’ve all been on active duty between 1957 and 2001 or know someone who has.
Passing on good information for all you military folks when you apply for social security. I know this may be too early for some of you to think about social security but, keep living and you will reach that age.
ANA Col. Rasoul Mohammad talks to Lance Cpl. Eugenio Montanez about the Taliban presence in the Helmand province, the progress the ANA is having against them, working with U.S. Marines and having everyone work for the same goal to aid Afghanistan.
Produced by Marine Lance Cpl. Eugenio Martinez and Marine Sgt. Dean Davis.
This past week on You Served Radio, our guests were rock band Black Sunshine and Veterans Social Justice Founder BriGette McKoy.
Unfortunately, Black Sunshine was on the road and wasn’t able to call in. Lead singer, Matt Reardon, was otherwise busy but we’re working on booking them for a future date. Black Sunshine is opening for another great band we’ve had on You Served Radio, Smile Empty Soul, and has roots in the military. Check out their single “Once In My Life” with an intro by Matt:
Since the band wasn’t able to make it, Marcus and I discussed some current military news and we also asked the HeroMaker, Clayton Murwin, to update us on his project “Untold Stories of Iraq and Afghanistan”. He gave us some VERY good news about the project and even announced the no later than release date of the comic book. To find out when that is, you’ll have to listen to the show! In the meantime, though, PLEASE check him out on Facebook and his blog.
For the second hour, we were privileged to have BriGette McKoy on to talk about her organization, Veterans Social Justice. BriGette and I met at a Vets4Vets event this past weekend and shared contact information. I was so intrigued by what she’s doing, I asked her to come on the show and we were all lucky to have her.
Veterans Social Justice is a peer support group utilizing social media and education to inform, support, and advocate on behalf of veteran women. As we discussed, women are an underrepresented and misrepresented minority in the veteran culture and society. All too often, they are forgotten about and services and benefits aren’t provided to them based on their unique needs. BriGette was a well-informed guest with a heart of gold trying to close that gap and provide a support network for female veterans who may feel like they are suffering alone.
In November 2006, then First Lieutenant Thomas Daly arrived as part of the “surge” in Ramadi, to take part in Operation Squeeze Play, a division-size effort to remove al Qaeda from Anbar province. In this powerful memoir, he describes the successful clearing of southern Ramadi’s Second Officer’s district, the Qatana, and the uprising of local citizens against al Qaeda on the eastern edge of the city (the result of an unlikely alliance between Daly’s company and Thawar al Anbar). From the first patrol to the last in the spring of 2007, he takes you inside the daily successes and struggles of the operation and the stressful challenge of trying to discern who was a terrorist and who was a civilian. He tells the powerful and very human story of a people who want to free their country, yet have no basis on which to trust the American forces in helping them succeed.
Please go and bid on this book, which retails for $25.95 in stores (on Amazon for $17). This is must-have book for anyone interested in reading a first hand account of REAL combat (not that hokey, third person crap from bystanders and observers like Michael Yon) from someone who actually survived it. As of this writing, there is only one bid on this book at $4.99, so you can still get it cheap. Again, 100% of proceeds go to a military charity (in this case Vets4Vets). Check out a video from the author HERE about the book.
If you don’t win the auction, you can buy the book through Amazon, where a portion of sales through this site also go to charity.
Back in April, we were privileged to have Stevie Benton of Drowning Pool on the Your Served radio show. We talked about their newly released self-titled Album, “Drowning Pool”. One of the packages was a special edition “MRL: Music Ready-To-Listen, Individual” package. Today, I got my package and inside was the following personally signed letter from the band:
Thank you very much for your continued support of our music. We are truly honored to be able to share our songs with you, our friends in the military community. We are in constant awe of you and your strength and courage and we support you in everything you do for our country. We hope that our music can inspire you as you have inspired us.
Many of our songs and live performances have been directly influenced by your dedication and bravery, which drives us to give back as much as we can. We hope that this music serves as a reminder of the encouragement and faith we have for you. We sincerely thank you for your valiant efforts and hope to see you on tour so that we have the chance to thank you in person.
Once again, thank you for all you do.
-Drowning Pool
Ryan McCombs
CJ Pierce
Stevie Benton
Mike Luce
Yes, very cool. Check out the band and buy their new album at www.drowningpool.com. Here’s their latest single from the album, “Turn So Cold”.
In alliance with the Department of Defense and supported by patriotic NFL and MLB players, eKnowledge is donating $200 SAT and ACT PowerPrep Programs to military Servicemembers and their extended families. eKnowledge has donated over 142,000 PowerPrep Programs with a value of $32 Million to military families worldwide. Eligible recipients include Servicemembers from all branches of eth military who are active duty, retired, Veterans, Guard, Reserve, DoD employees, and civilians performing military support. Also eligible are relatives and dependants of anyone who otherwise qualifies from the prior list. Research indicates that there are millions of military Servicemembers who are unaware of the donated educational material. For further information, please contact Lori Caputo at mailto:LoriCaputo@eknowledge.com or visithttp://www.eknowledge.com/USA
The Military.com and CinCHouse.com 2010 Spouse of the Year Award, sponsored by Armed Services Mutual Benefit Association (ASMBA) and TriWest HealthCare Alliance, will give away $5,000 to a spouse who has gone above and beyond to serve his/her family, country and the military community. Nominations are open through June 30, 2010. Get contest details and enter today at:http://www.cinchouse.com/Articles/SpouseoftheYear/tabid/8377/Default.aspx?ESRC=vr.nl
On June 4, 2010, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced a $3 million workforce development initiative for military personnel and veterans that will affect those studying allied health occupations at district colleges. Students who have served in any of the Armed Forces will be eligible for college credit for military experience toward degrees in allied health occupations, which are in demand in Texas. Governor Perry contends that the “program will accelerate veterans’ transfer from the military’s top-quality training environment into helping Texans.. The program will fund demonstration grants in San Antonio, Houston and Temple-Killeen, three areas of the state with high veteran populations and help with job search assistance and training for military families., To read this article in its entirety, please go to:http://www.theranger.org/news/governor-announces-new-program-to-fund-health-careers-for-vets-military-1.2272256#5
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is reviewing the Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) program started by Congress in 2005. Like commercial accidental death and dismemberment policies for civilians, it was intended to provide a quick lump sum benefit to help address the financial burdens facing Servicemembers before they start receiving veterans’ benefits. The benefits can range from $25,000 to $100,000 depending on the type of injury. A 2009 GAO audit raised several concerns about how the program is administered and the denial of claims. It found a lack of quality assurance that claims decisions were accurate, consistent and timely, and that the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which both administer the program, lacked reliable data for overseeing claims. Representatives of TSGLI said improvements have been made in reviewing claims. For fiscal year 2009, the overall approval rate is 73 percent, with the Marines, Air Force and Navy rates between 73 and 81 percent. The Army, which files the most claims, has an approval rate of 67 percent. There are no incentives for a branch of service to deny or approve claims. To read this story in its entirety, please go to:http://www.military.com/news/article/insurer-denies-payment-to-wounded-vet.html?wh=news
If your husband, wife, son or daughter was discharged from the military due to PTSD and they got less than a 50% disability rating then they may qualify to claim further benefits, but the statute of limitations is close! Apparently more than 4000 Veterans did not get an accurate rating. Check into it today if you think you may qualify for this claim.
Time Running Out to Claim PTSD Benefits
Excerpt ABC News
WASHINGTON – The U.S. military has agreed to pay millions of dollars to veterans who were discharged from the service for post-traumatic stress disorder with lower disability ratings than they are entitled to. But time is running out for those who are eligible.
The law says that veterans whose PTSD was serious enough to result in discharge from the military are entitled to 50-percent disability, which would give them and their families lifetime medical care, and, if the PTSD is combat-related, tax-free retirement payments, as well. But for some reason, Iraq (web | news) war veteran Ryan Peck and more than 4,000 others did not receive the 50-percent rating.
The Department of Defense (DoD) launched the first, large-scale, longitudinal DoD-wide survey to assess quality of life issues impacting military families during and after deployments. The Military Family Life Project has randomly selected and requested the participation of 100,000 military spouses and 40,000 married Servicemembers from all Services. The goal of the survey is to provide a better understanding of the impact of deployment and to help assess the effectiveness of current policies, programs, and services. Survey participants will be surveyed again a year later. For more information, please go to the following link:http://www.amc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123205841
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between. Join the discussion in our new Spouse and Family section!
