Ozaukee County Veterans Service Office

Veterans News

And Views

Volume 1, Issue 4

October - December 2001

HOLIDAYS ARE COMING
As the “Dog Days of Summer” are now behind us, and unfortunately, winter not too far ahead, we can now turn our focus to the upcoming holidays.

Veterans Day is another opportunity for us to get out into the community and remind our fellow citizens that we are still here.

I hope that your post has some meaningful observances planned for Veteran’s Day. Port Washington High School will be conducting their annual observation, and inducting another deserving individual to its Wall of Honor. If you have never been to one of these ceremonies, I encourage you to attend. They are open to the public, and are quite good. It never ceases to amaze me how well behaved these young people can be, when given a good reason to be.

It will be held on November 9th beginning at 10:30 A.M.

I also hope that you have the opportunity to share the holiday season with your families and others close to you.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN, FREEDOM REQUIRES SACRIFICES.

There is a group of individuals who are holding monthly meetings here in the county, where guest speakers come in to talk about their experiences during the wars. They are called the Ozaukee County Military Historians Club, and they meet once a month for dinner and then the guest speaker. In September they were listening to some individuals who had survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. For more information, including where the next meeting will be held, costs, etc, you can contact Ken Grigas at 284-1090 or Colin Sandell at 375-1151.

UNSUNG HEROES ABOUND
Recent events have highlighted our Police and Fire personnel as the unsung heroes that they are.

When was the last time you thanked one of them for what they do every day?

For years, we in the veterans’ community have said, rightly so, that we are ignored once the shooting stops. The same can be said for the Police and the Fire personnel. Now is the time to extend our hands, and thank these men and women for being there, when we need them

VA HEALTHCARE ENROLLMENT AGAIN

Well, it’s been almost three years since the VA changed it’s regulations regarding Healthcare Enrollment for ALL veterans, and it appears that there are still some out there with the wrong information. So here are the FACTS, once again.

Enrollment in the VA Healthcare System is open to ALL veterans.

There is NO CHARGE for initial enrollment, or for continued enrollment.

IF, you do not have a service connected disability, then the VA will review your annual income and assets to determine if you will be subject to a co-payment to use the system, this includes the income and assets of your spouse.

Prescription medications are available, at a significant discount, ONLY if you utilize their system, and see their doctors. The VA WILL NOT fill a prescription written by any doctor other than their own.

There is NO coverage for your spouse or children, unless they are veterans themselves, or unless you are rated at 100% Service Connected or Individual Unemployable yourself.

There is a significant time delay between the time you make application and when you can be seen by the VA doctors. This is due to the large volume of veterans now entering the system. The ONLY exception to this is if you have an ACUTE illness. My experience has been that the only acute illness that gets immediate attention is an active cancer.

I have tried to encourage ALL veterans to make application to the system, whether you intend to use it now or not. This could provide you with a potential “safety net”, if you should develop a serious condition in the future. It will only cost you a little time to complete the application.

WDVA BUDGET for 2002-2003

The Governor has completed his review and his vetoes, on the State of Wisconsin budget for 2002-2003.

There are a number of positive elements contained within the budget bill, as they relate to veterans.

Budget Corrections are nearly complete

Eligibility has been lowered to one-year of residency. No more taxes on military retired pay. Continuation of the Health Care Aid Grant, increasing reimbursement for qualifying educational grants to 85%. There is also a disturbing element that remains, despite the best efforts of several veterans advocacy groups. That is the ability of the WDVA to continue to hire people, and place them in areas around the state, where they have the potential to duplicate services already provided by the counties. All of these “new” hires will add further burdens to the Veterans Trust Fund. A compromise had been worked out by the Legislature, before the bill went to the Governor. The Governor chose to remove the compromise elements from the budget. I’m sure I will have more to say on this subject as time goes on.

BEWARE OF THOSE WITHOUT SCRUPLES
There has been several instances since September 11th, where “organizations” are calling, sending letters, etc. to solicit donations for the victims in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. If you do not recognize the organization, then check them out by calling the Better Business Bureau or the State Department of Consumer Protection.

I can not believe that there are some in our society that will try to prey on the emotions of our country, solely for the chance to “make a buck”.

These individuals are truly the lowest of the low.

This type of scum needs to be rooted out and brought to justice. If you get one of these solicitations, report it!

BURIAL BENEFITS
If there has been one thing that I get more questions about than any other, its this issue.

There still exists a misconception on the part of many, particularly surviving spouses, that any veteran is entitled to money at the time of their death.

MINIMAL monies are available to the family of a veteran (from the VA), after he passes, to assist with burial/funeral expenses ONLY IF: He was receiving compensation or pension at the time of his/her death, or the veteran died in a VA Facility, or in a nursing home under VA contract (King).

If you choose to have a private headstone or marker, the government will NOT reimburse you for any part of that cost.

You are entitled to a government furnished flag, which will be presented to you surviving family at the time of the funeral. If you or your family chooses to have a government marker, we can assist with the application for the marker, but the family must pay for its installation.

Most Veterans Organizations will step forward to provide military honors at the funeral, if the family desires. If there are no Veterans Organizations available, the State of Wisconsin has a program to provide these honors, if requested by the Funeral Home, at no cost to the family.

You can be buried in a Veteran’s Cemetery, with no charge for the plot, the opening/closing of the grave, or the headstone, or its installation. But those headstones are furnished by the government, and you can not substitute with one of your own choosing.

This is a terribly depressing topic, but I think it is important not only for you to understand, but also for your families.

As always, specific questions can be directed to my office.

POW/MIA UPDATE
U.S. Wartime Crew Remains Found in Remote Russia

(Reuters) - The remains of a five-man U.S. crew that flew World War Two bombing missions against Japan were found on a volcano in the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far east, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Tuesday. The remains were discovered on the slopes of the 7,100-foot Muntovsky volcano, one of several active volcanoes in Kamchatka, which has a train of steam pouring from its 1.5-mile diameter crater nearly every day, Tass said. The Ventura aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire while conducting bombing raids on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. It crashed while trying to land on Kamchatka, which juts far out into the Pacific Ocean.

Tass said the aircraft was first noticed by Soviet geologists in 1962. The latest search for the bodies was led by a Defense Department commission responsible for prisoners of war and servicemen missing in action. The remains would be sent to a U.S. base in Hawaii for identification, it said.

Patriotism, How Long Will It Last?

Recent events have seen a huge groundswell of patriotic fervor, but how long will it last? Will we still see the flag displayed everywhere come Christmas?

Maybe I’m just a cynic, but we have all seen this before, most recently following the Gulf War. How soon will Americans forget that our military is still out there doing what the government tells them, and what a majority of the population is calling for now. Will the population return to their own self interest, or will they continue to care about our servicemen and women?

What can WE do to keep the focus on our military? Will we see the same outpouring of emotion and concern for the families of our service-members who do not return home?

The media has done such a wonderful job calling attention to the victims of September 11th, will they give the same degree of attention to those we will lose in the ensuing conflict? I pray that I am wrong, and that the nation will care about the families left behind, if not, then it is up to us to bring their plight to the attention of our neighbors, and the media

TAPS
The following comrades have passed away since our last newsletter:

J.O Liebenstein—6/02/01; Ernie Mikus—7/15/01; Myron D. Fearson 7/16/01; Jerome H. Ziem 7/27/01; Walter N. Binsfeldt 7/23/01 James E. Godersky 7/24/01; Elmer O. Paultz 7/24/01; George P. Smith 7/22/01; Clarence O. Albinger 6/27/01; James A. Blodgett 7/04/01; Fred Kratz Jr. 8/09/01; Frank J. Schnur 8/11/01; Marvin J. Dodge 8/03/01; John Bert 8/14/01; John M. Klein 9/01/01; Ronald W. Deltgen 8/30/01; Harold J. Moertl 9/08/01; Crystal Knuth 9/11/01; Dudley Stecker 9/11/01.

May they Rest In Peace

A Parting Thought
This Veterans Day may have more significance than many in the past year. We are embarking on a journey into the unknown. The times of a single clearly identified enemy may be behind us. Once again, the military of our country will be venturing into “harms way”. Those of us who have already served our stint(s), remember the emotions that accompany the call to arms.

We need to be conscious of not only our own feelings, but also the feelings of those around us. Many of our friends, neighbors, and some of our own families are unfamiliar with military operations. We can go a long way toward helping them through the difficult times ahead, by listening to their concerns, and hopefully educating them.

We can do much to help one another.

The world has indeed changed again. America can no longer afford to see the rest of the world through “rose colored glasses”. We will discover who truly are our friends, and eventually, those who would try to forever alter our way of life. We must embrace the first, and eradicate the second.

GOD BLESS AMERICA