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VA SECRETARY ANNOUNCES MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT RAISE

Posted at 04:22 AM on Friday, November 21, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News in Information Pages

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that eligible veterans will see an increase in the mileage reimbursement they receive for travel to VA facilities for medical care.
 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake announced today that he will use his authority to raise the mileage reimbursement from the 28.5 cents per mile to 41.5 cents per mile for all eligible veterans.
 
“We owe it to our veterans to give them the best care possible,” said Peake. “The increase will once again provide assistance to our veterans, especially in these difficult economic times, to help offset gasoline costs and to assist veterans with access to the VA’s world-class health system.”
Congress, which mandates such increases, recently provided funding to VA to increase the reimbursement rate, which goes into effect on November 17, 2008. Service connected veterans, veterans receiving VA pensions, and veterans with low incomes are eligible for the reimbursement.
“As I have traveled the country and spoken with many of our veterans, they have expressed the need for such an increase,” added Peake. “We are pleased to be able to provide them with the increase needed and we will continue to work with our veterans to ensure they receive the quality care they need.”      
 
While increasing the payment, the current deductible amounts applied to certain mileage reimbursements will remain frozen at $7.77 for a one way trip, $15.54 for a round trip, and capped at a maximum of $46.62 per calendar month.  On January 9, 2009, these deductibles will decrease to $3 for a one way trip, $6 for a round trip, with a maximum of $18 per calendar month.  Deductibles can be waived if they cause a financial hardship to the veteran.
 
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RED CROSS "HOLIDAY MAIL FOR HEROS" PROGRAM

Posted at 12:21 PM on Thursday, November 20, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News

Red Cross “Holiday Mail for Heroes” Program 2008 Guidelines

The American Red Cross is pleased to announce that it will sponsor a national “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program in 2008 as it did in 2007!  Last year the Red Cross reviewed and distributed over 600,000 cards to our wounded servicemembers at hospitals around the country and overseas.  This year we want to expand who is reached with the holiday greeting cards to include not only our wounded warriors, but all servicemembers and their families, as well as veterans.  Our goal is to reach 1,000,000 persons this year to show our appreciation for their service and wish them well over the holiday season and with your help we will!

Start Date of the Program:  Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2008

Mailing Address:  

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD  20791-5456

The Guidelines below should be followed to enable a quick reviewing process as well as to ensure that cards are not offensive in any way to anyone who might receive one:

Please ensure all cards are signed

Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process

Please do not include e-mail or home addresses on the cards as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships

Please do not insert photos, money, religious articles (i.e.-rosary beads, prayer cards, etc), glitter, ‘snow’ or like items in cards as these items will be removed during the reviewing process

Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with cards.  Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to www.aafes.com, scroll down to “AAFES Community Connection” and click on “Help Our Troops Call Home” or “Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops” in order to send such items

No ‘Care Packages’ will be accepted at this address. Those wishing to send care packages should go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com and click under “Homefront Groups” to find out how to send care packages

Participants are requested not to send more than 25 cards from any one person or 50 cards from any one group.

Note-All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums

End Date of the Program:  All cards must be postmarked not later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008.  Mail postmarked after this date will be returned to sender.
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POST ACTION REPORT DATA SUMMARY NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Posted at 09:52 AM on Thursday, November 20, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News in Information Pages

Your Post Action Report submissions are now available to view online.

A new Post Action Reports Summary may be viewed by clicking on the COMMUNITY SERVICE SUMMARIES link found on the main page of all Wisconsin VFW Webcom Blog sites.

All data entered on the new automated Online Report Form through the E-Forms link will appear each time the Summary Report is updated from now on. (At least weekly.)

Post Officers are reminded that the best way to report Post Activities is through the new Online Report Form.

Reports submitted on forms from prior years will not be accepted for filing. Please refer to the 2008/2009 Wisconsin VFW Program Guide for instructions and details on the current form.

Use of the earlier e-Filing version of the 2008/2009 manual form is discouraged. If you downloaded that and continue to use it, please expect significant delay in posting your entries.

Post Action Reports submitted by regular mail using the manual form may take up to 6 weeks for processing. You are strongly advised to designate a member of your Post with computer access to enter your information through the new system.

Thank you for all you do for Veterans and the VFW of Wisconsin. Report your activities promptly and accurately to receive full credit!

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VFW GIFT CARDS --- IT'S TIME YOU CHECKED THEM OUT!

Posted at 10:48 AM on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News

The following article is from the Post 1318 Newsletter, and is by Gundel Metz, Post 1318 Community Activities Chairman
 
Do you go grocery shopping every week?  Do you get gas for your vehicle every week?  Do you go out to eat?  Usually we pay by check, cash, or credit/debit card.  There is another way that you can pay and that is by getting gift cards.  The VFW Gift Card Store program allows our members, family members and VFW supporters to raise money for our state and post simply by buying items we use everyday.  To raise money, just purchase gift cards through their website or over the phone and instead of using cash, use the gift cards.  Each gift card purchased through the VFW Gift Card Store earns a donation to your VFW Post.  When a gift card is purchased through this program the merchant that issues the gift cards provides a donation. 
 
·        VFW Gift Card Store gift cards are the same as those sold in stores, except each card purchased earns a donation
·        Gift cards are sold at face value
·        There are no hidden fees
·        All purchases are made via check or electronic check withdrawal.  (Bank account information is not retained as part of the security measures).
·        All orders are delivered directly to the purchaser’s home within 7-10 days. 
 
HOW TO ORDER
 
There are five easy ways to order gift cards through the VFW Gift Card Store. 
 
·        Online               www.vfwgiftcards.com
·        Phone               800-514-1891 Monday thru Friday 8:30 – 4:00 CST
·        Fax                   608-821-1025
·        Mail                  P O Box 628458
Middleton, WI 53562
·        Auto-Order        Recurring monthly order option.
 
Of the total dollars raised through purchase of gift cards, 50% will go to the individual post that you designate and 50% will go to Department of Wisconsin.
 
Before writing this article, I purchased Woodman’s and Mobil gift cards.  I went on line and looked through their selection of businesses (and they have too many to list) who are participating.  I had no trouble using the Woodman’s and Mobil gift cards.  There are no additional charges.  I was charged the value of the gift card.  How much the Post receives depends on the gift cards you purchase.  Donations are based on percentages and they range anywhere from 1% to 15% of the value of the gift card.  I purchased a Woodman’s $100 gift card and the donation from that is $3.00 as they donate 3%.  This may not seem like a lot.  But stop and think if you spend $100 a week or more for a family on groceries and multiple that by 52 weeks, through your purchase the VFW would receive $156.00 per year.  If every member did this, just think about how much money we can raise.  The VFW Gift Card Store sells gift cards for athletics/sports stores, gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement stores, office stores, pharmacy, restaurants, retail stores, toy stores, entertainment (such as movie theaters), some hotels.  As you can see they have a variety to choose from. 
 
Look them up on the web.  If you do not have a computer, call them and they will send you an order form and a list of businesses to choose from.
 
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HELP OFFERED FOR VETS TRANSITION TO WORKPLACE

Posted at 04:56 PM on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News in Veterans Job Opportunities

American Corporate Partners is a nationwide mentoring program dedicated to helping veterans transition from the armed services to private enterprise through career counseling and networking with professionals from some of America’s finest corporations. 
 
The founding corporate partners include Campbell Soup Company, General Electric, Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCO and Verizon. ACP’s mission is to strengthen the relationship between employees of America’s leading corporations and those who have recently served our country, often at great personal sacrifice. ACP provides a unique career development opportunity to veterans, from former enlisted members and officers to current Reservists and National Guard members, who have served on active duty after 2001. We also welcome into the program the spouses of those service members severely wounded or who died while serving. ACP is not a jobs program – it is designed to assist veterans in their career development.
 
ACP is seeking to recruit a cross section of veterans, but plan to focus on a significant percentage of our efforts on those service members who have deployed in support of OIF/OEF, in particular those who have been severely wounded. To learn more about American Corporate Partners, go to www.acp-usa.org.
 
Gundel Metz
Employment Chair
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MESOTHELIOMA INFO AVAILABLE ON-LINE

Posted at 01:07 PM on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News in Information Pages

A recently-received communication from Briana Huffer, National Awareness Coordinator for the Meothelioma Cancer Center, has spurred our Department to include a link to their website as an information resource for Comrades who may be facing questions regarding this disease.

"Our website is considered one of the Web’s leading resources for veterans affected by asbestos exposure", says Huffer. "As you may know, countless individuals are currently suffering from life-threatening illnesses resulting from exposure to asbestos on ships during their time of service. These are often accompanied by several disabilities, including limited mobility and oxygen dependence. Asbestos was once used because of its fire resistant properties, but is now recognized as a very dangerous substance."

According to Ms. Huffer, the site developers are proud of their massive veteran-specific section, as well as their information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for those who have been affected. "We offer assistance to veterans -free of cost- who are applying for VA benefits", she states. "Additionally, we have been certified by the Health On the Net Foundation (HON), a Swiss based organization which works to preserve the accuracy and integrity of internet based medical information. All of the content on our site has been doctor approved."

CLICK HERE to visit this important site.

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ZABLOCKI CHRISTMAS PARTY NEEDS YOUR $UPPORT!

Posted at 11:57 AM on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Wisconsin VFW News in Special Events

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