October 2023
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508 Elm Street Biddeford, Maine 04005
Email: [email protected]
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 SEPTEMBER 2023
Officers Deadline looms for vets to get retroactive toxic
exposure benefits
Joseph Armstrong
President
Veterans Affairs officials plan a public awareness blitz over the next five weeks to get as many individuals
Conrad Letellier as possible to sign up for new military toxic exposure benefits ahead of an August deadline for retroactive
Vice-President payouts.
Secretary The Summer VetFest is part of a year-old, $11.4 million effort connected to the Promise to Address Com-
prehensive Toxics Act (better known as the PACT Act), sweeping benefits legislation approved by lawmak-
Treasurer ers last summer. As many as one in five veterans living in America today could receive new health care or
disability payouts as a result of the measure.
Jim Davis
Quartermaster The PACT ACT provides presumptive benefit status for 12 types of cancer and 12 other respiratory illness-
es linked to burn pit exposure in the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan and the War in Iraq; hypertension
and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) for veterans who served in Vietnam;
Chaplain
and radiation-related illnesses for veterans who served in several new locations in the 1960s and early
1970s.
Jim Davis
AVVA Chapter “There are millions of veterans and survivors across America who are eligible for new health care and bene-
Representative fits, and we will not rest until every one of them gets what they’ve earned,” VA Secretary Denis Mc-
Donough said in a statement. “That’s what this Summer VetFest is all about: educating veterans, their
Board Members families, and survivors — and encouraging them to apply today.”
Joe Armstrong
Conrad Letellier Under federal law, veterans who apply for the PACT Act payouts within a year of the bill signing are po-
Conrad Guay tentially eligible for retroactive benefits back to that date. But veterans who enroll after Aug. 9, 2023,
will only receive payouts back to their date of filing.
Paul Therrin
Eric Lozier
Veteran Affairs officials said that’s the impetus for the July outreach push. By filing ahead of the Aug. 9
deadline instead of after it, veterans who are awarded toxic exposure disability benefits could get tens of
thousands of dollars more in payouts.
Department staff have held similar outreach efforts throughout the past 12 months, including a “PACT
Act Week of Action” in December, when VA hosted dozens of local information events across the nation.
Along with new online ads and public service announcements, the new outreach push will include events in
all 50 states (plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) where veterans can apply for PACT Act-related ben-
efits, enroll in VA health care, get screened for toxic exposures injuries, or learn more about VA services.
Veterans or their family members can also get information about PACT Act benefits by visiting the depart-
ment’s web site or by calling 1-800-MYVA411 (1-800-698-2411).
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Veterans set to see cost-of-living increase to their benefits
Law guarantees Veterans receive a compensation adjustment next year
On June 14, 2023, President Joe Biden signed into law the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment
(COLA) Act of 2023, which directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide a cost-of-living adjustment for
Veterans benefits in 2024 equal to the COLA applied to Social Security benefits, as determined by the Social Secu-
rity Administration (SSA).
The legislation, passed with bi-partisan support in the House and Senate, is an annual procedure for Congress but
an important one, as it must be accomplished to ensure Veterans receive a COLA, and that it keeps pace with infla-
tionary costs.
Which VA benefits will increase?
The COLA will affect certain VA benefits including, but not limited to: disability compensation, clothing allowance
and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for spouses and children.
While the exact amount of next year’s adjustment has not been determined, it’s based on the Consumer Price Index
(CPI). The CPI measures the average change in prices of goods and services to preceding years and is used by SSA
to determine the annual COLA, which, by law, now applies to VA benefits as well.
The last adjustment in January 2023, which Veterans are currently receiving, saw an 8.7% increase following a
second year of high inflation.
When can Veterans expect to see the adjustment?
Based on the timeline of previous years, SSA is expected to announce its 2024 COLA early in the next fiscal year,
which begins on Oct. 1. VA will then set its compensation payment rates to match and Veterans can expect to see
the new amounts starting with their January 2024 payment.
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Modernizing the Disability Claims Process
VA is currently undergoing modernization efforts and using technology to improve the disability claims process.
When a Veteran files a claim for VA benefits, there are several administration actions needed before a decision can
be made, such as gathering medical records and military service records. VA is automating many of these
administrative tasks, allowing claims processors to focus on more complex and analytical duties. These
improvements result in reduced processing times and faster decisions on claims to Veterans and their families.
AUTOMATION AND CLAIMS PROCESSING
Automated Decision Support (ADS) helps automate administrative tasks related to claims processing. ADS helps
claim processors make fast, accurate and consistent decisions for Veterans by reducing the amount of time spent on
administrative tasks. ADS also provides a summary document of key information required for decision-making,
making it easier for decision makers to review records.
Making a decision regarding VA disability claims can be complex, and ADS does not replace the need for claims
processors to review and make decisions. Instead, ADS is a tool that assists claims processors with administrative
tasks to help in the decision-making process.
HOW AUTOMATION IS BEING USED TODAY
ADS is currently used for specific medical conditions as the technology is being developed. If a claim includes a
condition that ADS can assist with, the claim will be reviewed using ADS. Relevant medical data from a variety of
sources, including medical treatment records, military service treatment records, VA claim exams and electronic VA
medical center health records will be compiled, and a summary document about the condition is uploaded into the
Veteran’s electronic claims folder. Technology is also used to scan handwritten documents and transcribe them into
electronic records so they can be easily reviewed. Once all the information is gathered, it is sent to a claim’s
processor for further review and action.
LOOKING AHEAD
As with any new technology, testing is critical to make sure systems are functional and efficient. Fort this reason,
VA initially designated one benefits office to serve as the prototype processing site. As ADS technology evolves, it
will be rolled out to more benefits offices. Currently, there are more than 40 disability conditions ADS can assist
with, and this technology is being used by 16 benefits offices.
Modernizing the disability claims process is all about reducing decision wait times and getting decisions to Veterans
and families in days, rather than months. Using technology to automate administrative areas of the claims process---
-while maintaining the human decision-making element-----is just one of the ways VA is working to better serve
Veterans and their families.
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President’s Corner
Hello Everyone
WOW! Here it is October already. Soon the temperatures will be fallen and with it comes that dreaded
“SNOW” and icy roads.
As you go about your daily lives please be safe in everything you do from shoveling snow to driving
on icy roads. Take extra time to get to appointments.
As the days of summer ends it is time to start winding down and reflect on this past summer. Our
chapter held and attended several events and yes we made a little money doing them. But we can not
stop our efforts, we must continue to help our brothers and sister and their families in anyway that we
can.
As the holidays approach I know that there will be families less fortunate than us. Some living in tents
(Yes I found several in the area) or in their vehicles. If you know of such a family please let us know so
that we can try to help them thru this winter season.
I would like to talk a little about membership and in particular recruitment of such. Yes we have a
membership chairman and he is doing an outstanding job but he can not do it alone nor should he
be expected to do so.
I feel that recruitment of new members is EVERYONE’s responsibility. In this news letter you will find
a page with the title “Membership In VVA Is The Right Choice. Please take a minute an print a few cop-
ies and keep them with you. When you meet a veteran and you start talking about our chapter and or-
ganization give them a copy.
Another thing I would like to discuss is becoming a chapter officer. Elections will be held in April
2024. That’s not far away.
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We need a full compliment of officers to run our chapter. This includes a president, 1 vice-president,
secretary, treasurer. If we do not have them we can no longer stay open as a chapter. Please consider
stepping forward and running for one of these positions. REMEMBER WE ARE THE LAST CHAPTER
here in the State of Maine. Please help us to stay open and active.
Keep up the great work and I look forward to working with you on future projects.
Respectfully
Joseph Armstrong
President
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From the Desk
Of
Conrad Letellier
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1st Vice-President
Hello Brothers & Sisters
At our last chapter meeting, I asked the members that attended if anyone would be interested in
filling one of the several vacant positions we have both at the chapter officers level and the
Board of Directors level. One of our members stepped forward and offered to become one of
our board of director members. Thank you Eric Lozier for filling one of our vacancies.
With Eric stepping up we now will have enough board members to conduct our board of direc-
tors meetings. We still have the following vacancies to fill. Treasurer, Secretary and 2 board
members.
Also mentioned at our last chapter meeting we discussed the possibility of Zoom or another
program to go live with our monthly meetings. As this is discussed further I will bring every-
one up to speed of our discussion.
Respectfully
Conrad Letellier
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1 Vice-President
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Membership Corner
By
Conrad Letellier Membership Chairman
In the last two months we signed up one new member. The progress is slow but we are moving forward with increasing our mem-
bership.
As most of you know I recently underwent spinal surgery. All went well and I am hoping to get back in the swing of things in a
few weeks.
I am still updating our membership roster. This will be a continuing process I am sure.
Respectfully
Conrad
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From The Desk of the Events Coordinator
Jim Davis
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Membership in VVA is the Right Choice
First I want to say "WELCOME HOME "
The goals of Vietnam Veterans of America are to promote and support the full
range of issues important to Vietnam veterans. To create a new identity for this
generation of veterans and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.
VVA is a "home of our own" - a community of fellowship with people who share
our experiences, needs, and hopes for the future.
Be as active as your time, talents, and interests allow. Or, simply be a proud
member of VVA, knowing that your membership helps VVA work for you and
your fellow Vietnam veterans.
Membership includes a subscription to our award-winning newspaper, The VVA
Veteran, bringing you updates on issues and legislation affecting veterans, as
well as unique articles on the people, places, and history of the Vietnam experi-
ence.
Membership is open to U.S. armed force veterans who served on active duty (for
other than training purposes) in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28,
1961 and May 7, 1975, OR in any duty location between August 5, 1964 and
May 7, 1975.
Our chapter is working very hard to help our brothers and sisters, their families
and veterans of today.
We meet once a month at the American Legion Post 26 located at 508 Elm Street
Biddeford. Meetings start at 1:30 (13:30)
If you would like further information on joining our chapter please email me
your mailing address at [email protected] will send the information to
you.
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