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Posts Tagged ‘veterans and their families’
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
When the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reviewed the current vacancy rates of the Port Hudson National Cemetery in Louisiana they estimated that the cemetery would be filled by 2015, prompting quick action to secure new burial sites for our fallen service members. The new site will be known as the Louisiana National Cemetery.
A dedication ceremony for the Louisiana National Cemetery site will be held on March 24 at 11 a.m. CST. When completed in April 2013, the site expects to give burial options to 293,000 veterans and their family members. The first phase will be a 17-acre project and provide 2,500 in-ground crypts and 1,128 regular gravesites as well as a formal entrance, roadways, utilities, and infrastructure.
The second phase will complete the project with an additional 12 acres containing 1,000 columbarium niches and 1,130 cremains sites, as well as the administrative building, maintenance complex, a committal service shelter, and a public assembly area. The water distribution system, landscaping, roads, signage, site furnishings, and utilities will also be completed.
The Port Hudson cemetery will be closed to most new burials starting in July, leaving its gates open only to casketed interments of those with previously buried family members. Interment in the Louisiana National Cemetery will follow general military cemetery guidelines, allowing honorably discharged veterans, their spouses, and qualified dependent children to be buried there. It is also open to active duty military personnel who die in the line of duty, and their spouses and eligible dependents.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: military cemetery, veterans and their families, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Events, Veterans' Resources
Posted in General, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Dependents, Veterans' Events, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
Taking care of our soldiers means taking care of our soldiers’ families. This is the thinking behind a brand new government initiative President Obama recently revealed that will focus on supporting military families. This initiative will use a “whole-of-government approach” to strengthen military families by coupling multiple agencies in order to make new and more resources available.
Agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Education will all work together to meet the requirements of the government’s commitments under this new initiative. Those almost 50 commitments will focus on improving overall quality of life for military families and will range from child care and education to health insurance.
This initiative is more than just a set of commitments, however. President Obama’s entire cabinet put their support behind these efforts. This effort will place military families at the table where federal resources are doled out. At the same time, many of the resources for military families can and will be made available at a community level. Accordingly, there will be a greater push for local organizations to join the family support effort.
VA support programs will include expanding and increasing caregiver support, suicide prevention, and health strategy programs. Keeping in line with VA Sec. Eric Shinseki’s promise, the VA will continue to work towards preventing all homelessness among veterans by 2015.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Government Resources, Military Families, Veteran Disability, veteran family support, veterans and their families
Posted in General, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
There is currently no national cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida. If the Department of Veterans Affairs has their way, however, there will be one there soon. The distance to the nearest national cemetery makes traveling there for visits and funerals a hardship on many veterans’ family members. Constructing a local cemetery would be a welcome and needed relief for those people with family members or friends qualified for burial in national cemeteries.
The VA is currently looking to acquire 200 acres on which to build the Tallahassee national cemetery. More specifically, the VA is looking for this land within 25 miles of Tallahassee, the state’s capitol. For many elderly veterans and their family members, the expense to travel to nearest cemetery is too cost prohibitive and difficult.
Any veteran who has been honorably discharged from military service is entitled to be buried at a national cemetery. This, of course, will always depend on the availability of space in the cemetery. Benefits bestowed on the veteran at no cost to the veteran’s family include:
- The gravesite itself;
- The opening and closing of the gravesite;
- Uninterrupted and continuous care;
- A government head stone or marker;
- The burial flag; and
- A Presidential Memorial certificate.
According to the VA, there are approximately 80,000 veterans within 75 miles of Tallahassee. The sooner the VA finds their 200 acres the better because it is going to take some significant time to build the cemetery.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery, Tallahassee national cemetery, veterans and their families, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in VA News | 1 Comment »
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
On January 4th Ernest Moody wandered away from the Northeast Louisiana War Veteran’s Home in his wheelchair. Mr. Moody left the VA home early in the morning without anybody noticing he was missing.
Mr. Moody was able to make it out of the VA home and across an Interstate where his wheelchair and shoes were found. An employee of a local business attempted to contact the VA home but there was no answer. Finally, the employee went to the VA home where it was discovered that Mr. Moody was indeed missing. Upon returning to his store, the employee found Mr. Moody sitting in a pecan grove.
The temperature that morning was approximately 25 degrees with rain, sleet, and snow. Mr. Moody eventually died on January 6th. Mr. Moody’s two daughters are now suing the VA home.
Mr. Moody was at the VA home for physical therapy. One of the daughters said she visited the home and found Mr. Moody “very soiled.” While she was attempting to tend to him, she stated he was too weak to even get up and walk. The next day Mr. Moody went missing.
VA security cameras show Mr. Moody walking out of the back door of the home. Both daughters allege in their suit they were told there were no cameras. The VA home’s administrator said he was alerted approximately 45 minutes after Mr. Moody was missing and searched the home as well as the pecan grove where Mr. Moody was found.
The daughters are suing for an undisclosed amount of money based on the negligence of the VA home along with several other allegations. The home’s administrator is also a named defendant in the lawsuit.
Learn more about this negligence lawsuit against the Northeast Louisiana War Veteran’s Home.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: VA lawsuit, veterans and their families
Posted in General | No Comments »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
The “widow’s tax” is a government policy that refuses widows of veterans who died from a military service related cause to collect:
- Military survivor’s benefits (retirement pay); and
- The full annuity (basically an insurance policy) purchased when their military spouses were alive.
The Senate has voted to eliminate this “tax” every year since 2005, but at the last minute every year the bill ends up being written in private, and both the House and Senate drop the vote. The widows lobbying for the abolition of the “tax” are told every year there is no funding for them. There are approximately 54,000 survivors being affected by the policy, and with the ongoing current wars, that number is growing.
Politicians, however, keep promising they will help. The widows continue to find politicians to champion their cause at least in the short term, and they are always left flat in the end. Both Nancy Pelosi and President Obama, while still an Illinois Senator, took up the cause and promised to help the widows. Neither one of them have taken any steps to follow through with their promise.
Congress could help the widows, but it would take a massive vote. In the very least, the widows would like to see enough politicians with enough political will to promote this issue to the level on which it deserves to be recognized. Congress did take action in 2008 and granted survivors $50 more per month than what they were receiving and the widows consider that somewhat of a victory.
Perhaps one day Congress will see that taking care of the families of dead soldiers sent to defend this country as enough of a priority to take action. The widows have amassed 300 co-sponsors for their legislation in the House and at least 50 in the Senate. Now it is just a waiting game to see if Congress will pass it into law.
Learn more about the widow’s tax and its progression through Congress.
If you are a surviving family member of a deceased veteran, you may be entitled to certain benefits. The law office of LaVan & Neidenberg may be able to help, contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: survivor benefits, veterans and their families, widows of veterans, Widows Tax
Posted in General, Veterans' Dependents | No Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
The phrase Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become very commonplace and with good reason: it seems to be affecting more veterans than ever before.
Severe mental health issues affect more than just the veteran, it also affects their families, caregivers, and the people who love them. Seeing a loved one struggle with a mental health issue like PTSD can be confusing or frustrating for family members who have no idea how to handle or even respond to this behavior.
Due to the increasing number of PTSD cases, educational and counseling programs are being created to help veterans and their families deal with these mental health issues together.
The Syracuse VA Hospital has recently begun offering a program called the Family-to-Family Education Program, which is designed to aid both families and caregivers in understanding various mental health issues, including PTSD.
Because of the nature of mental illnesses, it is often difficult for family members to fully understand what is happening to their loved one. The Family-to-Family Education Program is designed to help families not just cope with their family member’s illness, but show them how to get help before a crisis occurs.
Many veterans have mental health issues that can only be treated with counseling, medications, or both. This program helps family members get the aid they need and at the same time gives them a forum to relieve some of their stress and frustration in dealing with the unknown and often frustrating issues these mental health conditions create.
The Family-to-Family Education Program is free and open to anyone with a loved one experiencing a mental health issue. To learn more about this program or register, call Ann Canastra (Program Coordinator) at 425-4400 extension 51009 or the Syracuse VA Hospital.
If you are a veteran and suffering from PTSD and fighting the VA to get disability compensation, contact LaVan & Neidenberg, a veterans law firm located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We represent more than 5000 disability claimants. Our disability attorneys have experience with cross examining agency-appointed medical and vocational experts and take time when speaking with you about your disability claim. Call us today at 1-888-234-5758 for a FREE legal consultation. There is NO OBLIGATION to hire our firm and there are NO FEES unless one of our trained disability lawyers wins your case.
Tags: Family support programs, Mental Health Issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, VA healthcare, veterans and their families
Posted in Veterans' Dependents, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 5th, 2009
According to USA Today, more and more colleges and universities are offering courses on how to treat veterans returning from war. Students in social work and psychology programs are taking advantage of the training and reportedly expressing an interest in helping servicemembers, veterans and their families.
One in three servicemembers in Iraq/Afghanistan suffer from depression, PTSD or a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and nearly 2 million have served in the recent wars so far. With an increased demand for counseling of war veterans, schools are developing curriculums to provide support and treatment for vets.
The following schools offer military-related treatment courses or are planning to develop one:
- University of Washington-Tacoma
- University of Southern California
- University of South Florida (Tampa)
- University of North Carolina
If you are a disabled veteran suffering from PTSD, depression, or a TBI, contact LaVan and Neidenberg – a disability rights law firm based in Florida and Georgia.
Tags: depression, PTSD, TBI, veterans and their families
Posted in Veterans' Dependents | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the nation’s first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Founded in 2004 by Paul Rieckhoff (an Army Lieutenant and former investment banker) the IAVA boasts more than 125,000 members nationwide.
The self-described mission of the IAVA is “to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.” To further this mission, the IAVA:
- Educates the public about veterans’ issues
- Fosters a community for troops, veterans and their families
- Advocates on behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
If you are a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom, you are eligible to become a member of IAVA. Supporters not meeting these criteria, can also become members of the organization. There is no charge to join the IAVA.
Tags: IAVA, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, nonprofit organization for veterans, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Paul Rieckhoff, veterans and their families, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
Posted in Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
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