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ND Veterans Affairs News: Federal

VA to Sunset Chapter 1607 REAP GI Bill Effective Spring 2016

January 5, 2016

On November 25, 2015, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016 sunset the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP). The REAP program was originally created to provide benefits to members of the Reserve components who were called or ordered to active service by the President or Congress in response to a war or declared national emergency.

REAP served to bridge the education benefit gap between those eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve and those serving in the Reserve component who were called to active duty but were not eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve.  Long story short … the Post-9/11 GI Bill in many ways has replaced REAP because it has also closed this gap by providing eligibility for certain Reserve and National Guard members called to active duty. This will impact students right away.

VA Plans to Propose Expanded Disability Benefits Eligibility for Veterans Exposed to Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune

December 17, 2015

VA Plans to Propose Expanded Disability Benefits Eligibility for Veterans Exposed to

Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it plans to propose expanded disability compensation eligibility for Veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

VA update on Marriage Benefits: Application for Same-Sex Spousal Benefits

December 14, 2015

Application for Same-Sex Spousal Benefits

Background

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state.  Accordingly, VA now recognizes all same-sex marriages without regard to a Veteran’s state of residence. 

Want to know more about your VA benefits?

December 7, 2015

Want to know more about YOUR VA benefits?

VA Makes Changes to Veterans Choice Program

December 1, 2015

VA Makes Changes to Veterans Choice Program

Changes Remove Barriers and Expands Access to Care

VA Patient Access Progress Update

November 19, 2015

Patient Access Progress Update

Release 34 – November 19, 2015

Summary

 

2016 Medicare premiums and deductible are available

November 19, 2015

The official Medicare website, www.medicare.gov, now has 2016 Medicare premiums and deductibles information.

 

Medicare is administered by the Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS press release announcing 2016 Medicare premiums and deductibles also contains this information. Here is part of that press release:

Social Security and Military retirement

November 19, 2015

Q: Can I receive both Social Security and military retirement?

A: Yes. Active duty military service has been Social Security covered employment since 1957. Generally, there is no reduction of your Social Security benefits because of your military retirement. More about this is here within the SSA Retirement Planner section.

 

VA-Walgreens Partnership Gives Vets 8,000 More Locations for Flu Shots

November 4, 2015

VA-Walgreens Partnership Gives Vets 8,000 More Locations for Flu Shots

 

FARGO, N.D. – Flu season is here, and for eligible Veterans, getting a flu shot has never been easier as they can receive free flu shots through a VA-Walgreens partnership.

Eligible Veterans may opt to get a free flu shot at their local VA health care facility or they may choose to go to their neighborhood Walgreens. 

 

Social Security News: The 2016 annual retirement earnings test amounts will be the same as for 2015. They are not changing.

October 28, 2015

The 2016 annual retirement earnings test amounts will be the same as for 2015. They are not changing.

The annual retirement earnings test concerns how employment earnings in a year affects Social Security received in that year. The earnings test includes only the individuals personal gross wages or net self-employment for the full calendar year. Other income or income of a spouse is not applicable.

No COLA for Social Security in 2016

October 19, 2015

There will not be a 2016 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The following is from today’s Social Security press release.

With consumer prices down over the past year, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 65 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2016.

Desert Storm veteran says she is fed up with "Veterans Choice Program"

September 8, 2015

A Veteran of Desert storm,  who lives in Moorhead, says an added layer of Red Tape in the V-A System is creating headaches for her and fellow Veterans.

The "Veterans Choice Program" comes out of firestorm created when veterans had long wait lists and horrible customer service nationwide.

But with a private contractor running the program for the V-A there are kinks that are raising many people's blood pressure.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

September 1, 2015

The Power of 1: Your actions could save a life

One small act can make a difference in the life of a Veteran in crisis.

VA Achieves Major Milestone in Backlog Reduction

August 24, 2015
This week, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reached a historic milestone in its efforts to improve
the delivery of benefits and services to America’s Veterans, their families, and Survivors. The backlog of
disability claims (claims pending more than 125 days) is now below 100,000 – an 84-percent reduction
from its peak of 611,000 claims in March 2013 and the lowest ever in our history since we started
measuring the backlog in 2007. This dramatic reduction was achieved through the dedicated efforts of

History Made: Army Ranger School to Graduate its First Female Students Ever

August 18, 2015

Two female soldiers will graduate from the Army’s grueling Ranger School on Friday, becoming the first women to ever complete one of the U.S. military’s premier courses to develop elite fighters and leaders, Army officials said Monday night.

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