Information of interest!

 

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**     WI NATIONAL GUARD RELEASE: Holiday greetings from Wisconsins governor and adjutant general

CONTACT: Capt. Joe Trovato | ngwi.pao@mail.mil| 608-242-3048

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

MADISON, Wis.  Gov. Scott Walker and Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, Wisconsins adjutant general, shared a holiday message to the Soldiers and Airmen of the Wisconsin National Guard as well as all others who wear the uniform this holiday season.

Whether you are at home with family or deployed overseas this year, happy holidays and best wishes for a happy, healthy 2018.

Link to Video for download: Caution-https://vimeo.com/248018360/ab5dba63df

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To see this content online, copy the following link and paste in your browser: Caution-http://dma.wi.gov/DMA/news/2017news/17192

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**     Veterans can now go online and order their new identification cards, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, announced today.

Buchanan, author of the Veterans Identification Card Act, said official ID cards are now available to all veterans free of charge by visiting the Department of Veterans Affairs website at www.vets.gov

"Every veteran - past, present, and future - can now prove their military service without the added risk of identity theft," Buchanan said, noting that millions of veterans have been unable to document their service without carrying around official military records.

"These ID cards will make life a little bit easier for our veterans and serve as a constant reminder that our brave men and women in uniform deserve all the care and respect a grateful nation can offer."

To request an ID card, veterans must visit www.Vets.Gov , click on "Apply for Printed Veteran ID Card" on the bottom left of the page and sign in or create an account.

When ordering online, veterans will need to upload a copy of a valid government issued ID (drivers license/passport), a copy of a recent photograph to be displayed on the card and will need to provide service-related details. Once ordered, the Veteran ID Card will be printed and mailed directly to the veteran.

Veterans can also call the Vets.Gov Help Desk at 1-855-574-7286 if they are having difficulties with the online process.

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**  Attached is updated information pertaining to transportation options for veterans for their VA healthcare needs.

 

Please share this information with veterans and other advocates.

*         Map – Shows DAV and CVSO resources
*         DAV Van Route – As of April 2017; most recent DAV pickup and drop off information
*         Public & Private Transportation Services for Veterans
*         Map showing location of VA’s, CBOCs and Vet Centers

Any updates/discrepancies please forward to me.

Thank you

KENNETH G. GRANT
ADMINISTRATOR – DIVISION OF VETERAN SERVICES
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

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**    Please share with the Veterans Community.

 

Caution-https://www.biztimes.com/2017/ideas/educationworkforce-development/wisconsin-veterans-offered-free-entrepreneurship-training/ < Caution-https://www.biztimes.com/2017/ideas/educationworkforce-development/wisconsin-veterans-offered-free-entrepreneurship-training/ >  

 

Veterans seeking entrepreneurship training can now get up to $500 to fund the costs for the Wisconsin SBDC Network’s Entrepreneurship Training Program.

 

KENNETH G. GRANT

ADMINISTRATOR – DIVISION OF VETERAN SERVICES

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office: 608-267-7207 Cell: 608-669-5693

 

**    The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, with funding from the Foundation for Financial Planning, is offering Financial Front: One-On-One Financial Planning for Military Connected and Family Members.Military connected and family members from the campus and southeastern Wisconsin are invited to sign up for free financial planning-a service worth around $300-through the following portal:https://form.jotform.us/71524396782162.

 

Please find our flyer above. I've also attached our press release.Thank you for you help getting this out.  We've got kind of a split audience here--the financial planners should be helpful to people who are struggling with credit card debt but also to people who are doing well and want to take the next step.thank you!

 

Dr. Lauren Smith

Director of Adult Learning

UW-Whitewater

262-472-6237

 

**     Congressman Ron Kind supports and signed on as a cosponsor this week to the Caregivers Expansion and Responsible Access (CARE) for All Veterans Act. The bill would increase access to the current VA Caregiver Support Program to all service-era veterans. The CARE for All Veterans Act treats veterans of all service-eras equally by gradually granting access to pre-9/11 veteran caregivers and prioritizing the veterans most in need.Currently, the VA Caregiver Support Program is limited to post-9/11 veterans and excludes all members who have served in previous service-eras. This legislation would grow the program to create an equitable system for our nation's veterans. If signed into law, it would provide additional assistance to primary Family Caregivers of eligible pre-9/11 veterans.

 

The following veterans would be eligible for the VA Caregiver Support Program:

*       Veterans eligible for this program are those who sustained a serious injury - including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma or other mental disorder - incurred or aggravated in the line of duty

*       Veterans eligible for this program must also be in need of personal care services because of an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living and/or need supervision or protection based on symptoms or residuals of neurological impairment or injury.

*       To be eligible for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, Veterans must first be enrolled for VA health services,if not enrolled previously.

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**   Secretary Shulkin Delivers His First ‘State of the VA’ Address WASHINGTON —

 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin delivered his first “State of the VA” address today, highlighting the activity and direction of the agency since his appointment in February. In his address, Secretary Shulkin stated that he wanted to update Veterans on the progress the agency is making while also acknowledging the shortcomings that the VA has identified and will address in the upcoming months.“As a physician, I tend to look at things in terms of the way I was trained — assess, diagnose and then aggressively treat the patient,” Secretary Shulkin said. “Though we are taking immediate and decisive steps, we are still in critical condition and require intensive care.”

 

The address covered a wide spectrum of issues within the VA, including Access to Care; Community Care and Choice; Accountability; and the quality of care provided to Veterans. Secretary Shulkin identified multiple priorities, such as reducing backlogs and getting more Veterans access to mental health care and suicide prevention programs.Addressing improvements in accountability and VA administration, Secretary Shulkin stated that while he was able to initiate the Executive Order establishing the Accountability and Whistle blower Protection signed by President Trump, “further legislation is needed and needed now.”The goal, the Secretary said, is to “turn the VA into the organization Veterans and their families deserve, and one that America can take pride in.”

 

A fact sheet highlighting some of the elements of Secretary Shulkin’s address as well as the text of his address can be found at: Caution-http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/StateofVA_FactSheet_5-31-2017.pdf < Caution-http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcwNTMxLjczOTk5NDQxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MDUzMS43Mzk5OTQ0MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3OTgxNTI2JmVtYWlsaWQ9Y2F3YWxrZXIwMTBAY2hhcnRlci5uZXQmdXNlcmlkPWNhd2Fsa2VyMDEwQGNoYXJ0ZXIubmV0JnRhcmdldGlkPSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&Caution-http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/StateofVA_FactSheet_5-31-2017.pdf >

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