The 35th George C. Duggins Region 3 Conference was held at the Double Tree by Hilton, Asheville-Biltmore, 115 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, North Carolina from February 27, 2024, thru March 1, 2024. According to Liz Cannon, The North Carolina State Council President, there were about 80 VVA Members in attendance at the Conference. The number of Attendees only account for VVA Members signed up for the Conference and does not include Staff from Charles George VA Hospital (Guest Speakers); Our VVA Native American Brothers from Cherokee, NC; Other Guest Speakers; and VVA Members from North Carolina who volunteered to work behind the scenes to ensure a proper Conference was held. VVA Members who attended Conference were from SC, NC, VA, WV, MD, KY, and TN. Every State in Region 3 had Members in attendance. Also, Representatives from Our National VVA from Silver Spring were in attendance; IE: President Jack McManus, VP Tom Burke, Treasurer Wayne Reynolds, Region 9 Director Dick Southern, Constitution Chair Leslie DeLong, plus all VVA Region 3 Directors to include Region 3 Director Rossie Nance Jr.
The Guest Speaker was Susan P. Hunter (an Author) who has written several books about Vietnam Veterans. She provided a challenge coin to those in attendance and offered a book she wrote "77 Letters, Operation Morale Booster Vietnam. She has a web site: "Honor Your Veteran.com", She also has an Agent Orange Medal that she offers, a very nice Medal that she pays for and gives to Vietnam Veterans, which you can go online at "orange heart medal.org" You can go on this site, fill out the brief paperwork and she will send you your medal. I will also have the forms with me when We attend Our next State Council Meeting in June.
Dick Southern from National VVA spoke about the newer New Member Application form that Chapter Secretaries should be using dated September 22. He also spoke about a new PO Box # that is to be used for submittal of New Membership Applications (he said it was on the VVA.Org Site) He also spoke about Chapters gaining new Members monthly, and how Chapters can contact their State Councils to get Names of Members in the Chapters Regions who are At Large and not in a Chapter. He spoke about the Election Reports and Financial Reports having to be sent in ASAP once Chapters have held their Elections and completed their Financial Reports to National VVA. Forms are available on the National VVA site at VVA.Org.
Wayne Reynolds (National VVA Treasurer) spoke about budget year 2025 as being the last year that funding to support States and Chapters with the present $ amounts per Member IE: $9 per Member for Chapters and $11 per Member for States. Wayne said that the National VVA Leadership needs to figure out how the National Organization will continue to support the States and Chapters. He was pretty sure that some $ support would continue after 2025, but it currently has not been decided as of yet. Wayne also informed us that "ALL" the National VVA Attorneys have been let go, saving the National VVA approximately $500,000 a year. The Attorney Firm of Bergmann & Moore have been hired and used on a as needed basis, saving several thousands of $ per year.
The VA now has recognized that there is another type of PTSD called PTSD 2, which is a Veterans Spouse most likely has PTSD as well from living with their Veteran. The VA is working on what type of Service or Help that might be provided to the Veterans Spouse in the future!! This should have been thought about many years ago! Plus, it's going to help the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
Rossie Nance, Region 3 Director talked about a fluke worm that he contracted while in Vietnam and passed on to his Wife years later. Urging all Vietnam Veterans if they feel ill for no reason, be tested at a VA Hospital to ensure they do not have this fluke living in their bodies. Medicine will help get rid of it. Another problem that was never thought about or maybe it was but no one ever said anything !
The Veterans Treatment Court was discussed by Honorable Judge Marvin Pope and His Director Kevin Rumley from Asheville, NC and how Judges that are willing to help Veterans who have gotten into trouble with the Law now have a program whereby Veterans can enter a guided program and between the Judge and the Director, they provide support for the Veteran through helping find work, places to live, guidance and Counselling etc. This program is new and not all areas and or States have adopted it as of yet.
Caregivers Support for Veterans is available at caregiver.va.gov, va caregiver support line is 855-260-3274, also contact your VA Primary Care Giver Dr. and there is a Primary Care Social Worker assigned to each Primary Care Giver Dr., who works with the Primary Care Dr. and You to help support the Veteran. VA Form 10-10CG
The Attorney Firm of McGuire, Wood & Bissette Law Firm, Attornies Andrew Atherton and Phoebe Bulls talked about Aging Veterans and their Families should begin to think about Estate Planning, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Elder Law for aging Veterans. This Firm is in Asheville, NC and will travel to do a presentation at your Chapter or State Council Meeting.
It was discussed, voted upon and decided that The Region 3 Conferences would continue with the State of Virginia being the next State VVA to hold the next Region 3 Conference.
The above notes were taken by Larry Miller 1st Vice President SC State Council Also President of Chapter 1049, some remarks edited by Charlie Davies which are underlined.
Veterans Benefits Administration Image: Brick wall background, letters VASRD, some with images. Text: VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities Update Sleep Apnea, Mental Health, Tinnitus Dear Veteran, The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing changes to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities specifically pertaining to the respiratory, auditory and mental disorders body systems. The proposed updates to the rating schedule for these conditions will enable VA to incorporate modern medical data and terminology to provide Veterans with more accurate and consistent decisions. Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition in these body systems will not have their disability rating impacted when the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities is updated. Updating the rating schedule allows Veterans to receive decisions based on the most current medical knowledge relating to their condition. By incorporating modern medical data in the assessment of disabilities and how they impact earning capacity, Veterans will receive evaluations which more accurately compensate them for their service-connected disabilities. Proposed updates include: Modernizing the evaluative rating criteria for sleep apnea, using developments in medical knowledge to evaluate it based on its responsiveness to treatment, bringing the rating criteria for sleep apnea more closely in line with the stated purpose of the rating schedule. Evaluating tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a symptom of the underlying disease which causes it, rather than as a stand-alone disability. Evaluating mental health conditions based on a more robust and holistic approach that assesses how impactful the disability is to cognition, interpersonal relationships, task completion, life activities and self-care. Additionally, the proposed evaluation criteria include a 10% minimum evaluation for having one or more service-connected mental health conditions and will no longer require “total occupational and social impairment” to attain a 100% evaluation. No change to a Veteran’s current rating would occur due to these proposed changes. If the proposed changes are finalized, Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition can apply for increased compensation, but no reductions shall be made unless an improvement in the Veteran’s disability is shown to have occurred. The public has 60 days to provide comments to VA regarding the two proposed updates via the Federal Register notices located here and here. Thomas J. Murphy Director, Northeast District Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits .
If you are interested!! As part of the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, each of the 58,281 names on The Wall will be read between November 7 – 10, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Learn more about "The Reading of the Names" go to the following link https://www.vvmf.org/ROTN) If you are interesting in volunteering to read names during that time in Washington, D.C., you can now register for specific names or times to read this November. Before signing up, you will need to do the following: Confirm that you will be in-person in Washington, D.C. during that time A valid email address to sign-up with Go to the link below to search by a specific name or time to register. While you may register for a single specific name, each reading slot will include 30 names to read. go to this link: https://www.vvmf.org/reading-of-the-names-2022/ Please note that the registration period will close on August 1st. After the registration is closed, we will work to confirm reading slots as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience as we work through any conflicting requests. This event relies heavily on volunteers like you to make sure that each of the 58,281 names are read and properly honored. We thank you in advance for your support of this special 40th anniversary commemoration.
The South Carolina State Council has approved and made an official challenge coin to represent all VVA Veterans within the State of South Carolina. State Council sent out notices to Chapter Members to contact their Chapter Presidents if they wish to purchase one or more coins at a cost of $10, If the coins are mailed there will be a shipping and handling charge. The Chapter Presidents will contact one of us State Council members as to the number of coins needed. Charles Davies, tazzcd@aol.com, will be the contact person for Chapters 780 Charleston, 925 Myrtle Beach; Jay Reynolds jayreynolds45@gmail.com, will be the contact person for Chapters 303 Columbia, 1145 Aiken, 960 Manning, 828 Salkehatchie; Larry Miller miller.larry33@gmail.com, will be the contact person for Chapters 523 Greenville, 644 Piedmont (Union), 1017 Walhalla, 1049 Spartanburg. Should there be any questions contact one of the members listed in your area
Back in July 1973 a Fire broke out in the National Personnel Records, St Louis which created disaster for many Service Personnel. For years many of the Vietnam Veterans records were missing which contained important information pertaining to their service enlistment. I do not how many Vietnam Veterans received metals but was not listed on their service records. A Fellow Vietnam Veterans sent the two articles listed below, Interesting reading!
conditions.VA has screened 5 million Veterans for toxic exposures, paving the way for early detection and treatment of health conditions .
A key component of the PACT Act and President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation, these toxic exposure screenings begin an important conversation about exposure health risks between Veterans and their medical providers
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has screened 5 million Veterans for toxic exposures — a critical step to detecting, understanding, and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions. Of the 5 million Veterans who have received the screening, 2.1 million (43%) reported at least one potential exposure.
The screening takes five to 10 minutes and begins with VA health providers asking Veterans if they believe they experienced any toxic exposures while serving in the armed forces. Veterans who answer yes are then asked follow-up questions and offered connections to information on benefits, registry-related medical exams, and other clinical resources, as indicated. Their responses to the screenings are then added to their VA medical record to be included as part of their future care.
This milestone comes just 13 months after the screening launched at VA medical centers and clinics nationwide as a part of the PACT Act. The PACT Act expanded VA health care and benefits to millions of Veterans, paving the way for VA to deliver more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in 2023.
“By screening Veterans for toxic exposures, we can improve their health care and detect potential health challenges as early as possible,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “This leads to better health outcomes — and better quality of life — for these heroes who were exposed to toxins while serving our country.”
“We have made significant progress toward our goal to screen all Veterans enrolled in VA health care for toxic exposures at least once every five years,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. “But most importantly, this milestone means we’ve had 5 million opportunities to provide Veterans with the exposure-informed care they deserve.”
The screening covers a variety of different types of toxic exposures, but the two most reported exposures are burn pits and Agent Orange, which together make up more than 60% of Veteran responses. More than half of the Veterans screened (2.6 million) are 65 years old or older, with Veterans under 45 making up just over 900,000 of those screened. Of the nearly 650,000 Women Veterans who regularly use VA care, more than 535,000 have been screened for toxic exposures.
While the toxic exposure screening does not play a role in determining disability compensation, it does provide an opportunity to connect Veterans with the resources they need to file a claim. Each Veteran who reports a potential exposure receives a letter with information about how to apply for benefits.
To fulfill the goal of screening every Veteran enrolled in VA health care at least once every five years, VA is exploring new and innovative ways to reach out to Veterans, including those who are vulnerable or don’t routinely access VA care. The Department is also in the pilot stages of developing a self-screening tool that will make the initial question of the screening even more easily accessible to Veterans with access to web-based electronic communications.
The PACT Act has expanded and extended access to VA health care for Veterans. Thanks to the PACT Act and other new laws, many groups of Veterans are now able to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits – including World War II Veterans, Vietnam Veterans, Gulf War Veterans, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone and transitioned out of the service less than 10 years ago, and more. As President Biden directed, all remaining toxic-exposed Veterans will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care next year under the PACT Act – including any Veteran who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other combat zones during the Persian Gulf War or after 9/11. Veterans who aren’t currently enrolled can submit an application and receive their toxic exposure screening after enrollment.
The PACT Act also expanded VA benefits for millions of Veterans, making more than 300 health conditions “presumptive” for service connection. This means that if an eligible Veteran has one of these health conditions, VA automatically assumes that the condition was caused by the Veteran’s service and provides compensation and care accordingly. VA encourages Veterans and their survivors to apply for these benefits now at VA.gov/PACT.
For more information about how the PACT Act is helping Veterans and their survivors, visit VA’s PACT Act Dashboard. To apply for care or benefits today, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411.
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