Agent Orange Medal
To all Vietnam Veterans, if you are interested in obtaining the Agent Orange Medal. Email your request to the address listed on the attached card.
Supporting Veterans in Your Community
SC Department of Natural Resources (Disabled Hunting & Fishing License) Any Disability
Huge benefit change for Veterans with disability. This has been verified with the SCDNR License Specialist.
The SCDNR Hunting and Fishing License for Disabled Veterans is a (3) three-year license. To be eligible you must have a VA Service-Connected Disability and have a rating of 10% or more to apply. That's right! Any percentage of disability, not just for 100% P&T Veterans!!!
Required documents:
- Photocopy of your unexpired SC Driver's License or SCDMV issued ID Card.
- Current copy (dated within the past 12 months) of your disability certification form from the US Department of Veteran Affairs.
- (You can print this from eBenefits or call 800-698-2411 and ask for them to mail/email you a copy).
- Completed and Signed SCDNR Application form dated revision: 03/2024.
You must be a resident of SC for at least 365 days and have been declared disabled and are receiving disability benefits from one of the following agencies you are entitled to a free disability hunting and fishing license:
- Social Security Administration
- US Department of Veterans Affairs
- SC Retirement System
- Federal Civil Service
- Railroad Retirement Board
- Medicaid
The license is valid for Freshwater Fishing, Saltwater Fishing, State Hunting, Big Game, Wildlife Management Areas and the Migratory Waterfowl Permit. We also offer a disability license that is valid for Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing only. A Disability License is valid for 3 years from date of issue. If you are paraplegic or quadriplegic and include a statement from your doctor you will be issued a Lifetime Disability License. Deer Tags: 3 Year Disability License holders will automatically receive the free base set of deer tags each year. Lifetime Disability License holders must request tags one time. After the initial request they will continue to receive tags each year.Turkey Tags: 3 Year Disability License holders must request their turkey tags each year. Lifetime Disability License holders must request tags one time. After the initial request they will continue to receive tags each year. See the link below for information on how to apply for a disabled veterans license.
HAPPY HUNTING AND FISHING!!!
Veterans Health Services
Vets discharges from Military for Misconduct or After Special Court-Martial can now qualify for VA b
WASHINGTON — Veterans who left miliary service with an other-than-honorable discharge or after a special court-martial for misdemeanor offenses will be eligible for the first time for veterans’ health care and benefits following a rule change announced Thursday by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The veterans will be considered for VA care and services under a “compelling circumstances exception,” if they can show that mental health problems, cognitive impairment, combat-related hardship, military sexual trauma or other identified factors contributed to their dismissal, the VA said. Veterans’ length of service and overall performance during military duty also will be considered. Basic eligibility for VA benefits previously was granted only to veterans who left the military service under honorable conditions after successful completion of their military contract or were discharged early due to illness, injury or other factors beyond their control. About 200,000 service members exit the military each year. Slightly more than 2% leave with other-than-honorable discharges. Bad conduct discharges through a special court-martial account for less than 1% of discharges. Veterans with other-than-honorable discharges previously were considered on a case-by-case basis. From 2012-2023, the VA awarded benefits to more than 8,000 former service members who previously were deemed ineligible because of other-than-honorable and bad-conduct discharges. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the agency wants to provide veterans previously denied VA care and services the opportunity to reapply. “Although VA cannot change your discharge status, we want to provide you with any health care or benefits we can,” he said. Veterans with other-than-honorable discharges exit the service for a variety of reasons, including substance abuse, disobeying orders, fighting or other reasons.
The rule change applies to former service members discharged for “willful and persistent misconduct” or “moral turpitude” offenses, the VA said. Willful and persistent misconduct is defined as conscious wrongdoing or engaging in activities known to be prohibited. Moral turpitude generally refers to criminal acts, regardless of whether there was a felony conviction. “This new exception creates a new path for VA to provide benefits and services to deserving former service members,” the VA said. The VA also said Thursday that it will take additional steps to ensure that it is providing full and fair access to health care, disability compensation and other benefits for veterans who discharged because of “homosexual conduct, gender identity or HIV status.” “This move further solidifies VA’s commitment to reducing disparity for these groups in the adjudication process,” the VA said. LINDA F. HERSEY
Source - Stars and Stripes Dated April 24, 2024. By Linda F. Hersey.
For more additional information see the link below.
Honor, Support, and Serve Our Veterans
VA will no longer send veterans’ benefits to multiple bank accounts.
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Veterans will no longer be able to use multiple bank accounts for different Veterans Affairs benefits under new anti-fraud measures being rolled out by department officials over the next two months. The move is expected to affect about 50,000 current GI Bill users who also receive other veterans stipends, but VA leaders are promising they will not cut off benefits to anyone as a result of the changes. Instead, if veterans fail to consolidate their bank accounts by April 20, department processors will begin sending all of the benefits to a single account. Still, such a move could cause significant financial problems for individuals expecting to find the money in a specific account to cover bills and expenses. Officials said they will spend the next two months aggressively contacting the thousands of student veterans potentially impacted by the new rule, and explaining the reasons behind it. “Maintaining a single account for the payment of this benefit provides an added layer of security against the increasing threats of fraud we experience as part of our daily lives,” VA Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs told reporters on Wednesday. “Veterans have earned these benefits through their service to the nation. And ensuring they’re safeguarded from those with malicious intent is a significant feature of this single account initiative.” VA officials said veterans may use different bank accounts for different benefits for a variety of reasons, including ease of bill paying and simply forgetting to update old accounts. But Jacobs warned that such an arrangement makes it easier for fraud or theft, and harder for VA officials to provide oversight of the funds. He said the changes come as “we are working to modernize our payment systems so we can protect the integrity of the veterans benefits” across multiple systems. VA has enacted similar bank account mandates in the past, including in 2017, when Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits were required to be sent to the same place as medical stipend payouts. Veterans impacted by the change can update their bank records or find out more information about the new policy through the department’s website. Article appeared in Military Times by Leo Shane and Jonathan Lehrfeld dated 22 February 2024.