VA URGES VETERANS TO SIGN UP FOR DIRECT DEPOSITS
Treasury Publishes Final Regulation to Phase Out Paper Checks by 2013
WASHINGTON – The Department of the Treasury announced a new rule that will extend the safety and convenience of electronic payments to millions of Americans and phase out paper checks for federal benefits by March 1, 2013. Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urge Veterans to sign up for electronic payment of their benefits.
“Receiving VA benefits electronically will increase the security, convenience and reliability of these vital payments,” READ MORE »
STUDY: MILITARY TEENS HAVE MORE STRESS
Jordan Pittard, 14, remembers feeling anxious about his father being deployed with the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2006 to 2007. His mother, Lucille, a teacher, admits struggling to have enough time to work, take care of the house and talk enough to her kids.
“There was nobody big to look up to,” Jordan said. “Sometimes when my mom was away, there wasn’t anybody else to help me with my homework, something personal like that, or throw a football with me.”
The mother and son participated in a new study that suggests youth from military families may have higher stress levels and emotional problems than other adolescents and teens. READ MORE »
STOP LOSS ALLOWANCE DEADLINE EXTENDED — AGAIN
Concerned that fewer than half of the people eligible for a $500 per month stop loss allowance have applied for the money, the House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday to extend the application deadline for the payment to Sept. 30, 2011.
The proposed extension is included in HR 3082, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 that passed the House on Wednesday and is on its way to the Senate.
Just last Friday, Congress extended the stop loss allowance application deadline until midnight, Dec. 18, as part of another federal funding bill. READ MORE »
FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION EXPANDING HOMES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES
Minneapolis — A program that provides relatives of military service members receiving medical treatment a free place to stay is expanding to help more families at the Minneapolis VA hospital.
When a service member is injured, family members may have to stay for weeks or months at the hospital bedside far from home. Staying in hotels is an added expense at a difficult time.
The non-profit Fisher House aims to make the experience a little easier by providing these families with no-cost housing near military and VA medical facilities around the country. READ MORE »
WOMEN VETERANS FACE UNIQUE OBSTACLES (PBS)
PBS NEWS HOUR
Video/Transcript
JIM LEHRER: For those stations not taking a pledge break, the NewsHour continues with the challenges female veterans face after returning from war. It’s part of our series NewsHour Connect, which showcases public media reporting from around the nation.
Tonight’s story comes from Scott Schafer of KQED San Francisco.
SCOTT SCHAFER: Star Lara grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, and was on her way to managing a fast food restaurant. But a conversation with a friend changed all that. READ MORE »
DONOR’S MILLIONS FOR MILITARY CAUSES DRYING UP
The four Else children of Waukesha, Wis., saw their Marine Corps father off to war in Afghanistan again this year. But this was the first year they learned they were not the only kids to lose a parent to combat duty.
The children — Julie, 16, Christopher, 12, Waren, 12, and Nica, 8 — spent seven days in July at a northern Wisconsin camp immersed in outdoor activities with scores of other military kids with deployed parents. They learned, says their mom, Kim, “to have fun and smile and not worry all the time.”
About 10,000 military children have flocked yearly to these camps run by the National Military Family Association.
Now, much of their good times could come to an end. READ MORE »
