Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 06/09/2003

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
I would like to bring to your attention a situation that can and has occurred concerning survivor benefits for widows, and possibly widowers, at least in the case of my mother in law. I am enclosing some background information for your review.

Fortunately, when I received my retirement statement this year, I also received her statement as she now resides with us due to her financial and medical situations. It was then I realized she had an offset for DIC. As shown in the background material, the Veterans Administration (VA) ceased her DIC payments as a result of her failing to respond to a request. I am assuming since the VA has still yet to respond, concerning her marital status. While discontinuing her DIC, the VA also failed to advise the Air Force as to their actions that should have resulted in restoration of Air Force survivor benefits. The action of the VA resulted in a reduction of $1,115.00 in income. Due to her dementia, she had no idea what occurred.

My issue is what safeguards are there to prevent or even know if this has occurred with other survivors? . So far, despite intervention of my congressman, no response has been forthcoming from the VA. I ask only that with your interaction that this problem be addressed to the highest level of the Veterans Administration for the benefit of other survivors.

Sincerely,
Thomas K
Maryland

Dear Tom,
Read on

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
My mother has been trying to renew her military identification card since December 2002 and has gotten a royal runaround. She is a widow of a World War II veteran who died in 1960 with a 100% disability. Until 2002, she has NEVER encountered problems in updating her card. When my sister took her to Walter Reed to renew her card, the young lady would not renew it even after reviewing her paperwork and expiring ID card without her “bringing”, no joke her husband (who died in 1960) to her office. Shocked, my mom and sister tried to explain that she was an unremarried widow who needed to have her card renewed. This employee claimed that she could not find any record of her deceased husband on her computer and was unable to reissue another military identification card.

In January 2003, my mother went to the office at Bolling Air Force Base with VA paperwork that she was the widow of a disabled veteran and had been receiving VA benefits since he died. This time, another employee told her that she needed to submit proof that she had not remarried. She sent requested documentation to the DC regional office on January 15, 2003 with a note that ID card will expire on January 26, 2003. To date, the Veterans Administration has not responded. On February 7, 2003, I e-mailed a note to the VA’s address and gave her husband’s claim and his social security number. I asked that VA to assist my mother. This e-mail dated 2/7/03 has not been responded to.

My mother is 77 years old and should not be treated this way. She should not have been turned away from these offices. She does not have any identification. The card was entitled: United States Uniformed Services-Identification and Privilege Card.

Information given to Walter Reed, Bolling AFB, and to the Veterans Administration.

Name of Veteran:
VA Claim Number:
Veterans Social
Name of Unremarried Widow:

Thank you for any assistance that you may be able to provide. My mother suffers from severe arthritis and has a hard time walking. My daughter and sister had to take leave from their jobs to travel with her to the above bases. In the past, she always was reissued a card without any problems whatsoever.

Sincerely yours,
Barbara H.

Dear Tom and Barbara,
I have contacted the top VA apparatchiks at the VA head shed and by now you should have heard that your loved ones concerns have been resolved.

Shaft Kudos
The Sarge is looking forward to joining the Blinded American Veterans Foundation and their guests at the 18th annual congressional awards reception on June 12, 2003, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building. The annual event held in conjunction with the Foundation's Flag Week observance, honors members of Congress, the media and volunteers.

The recipients of the 2003 George "Buck" Gillispie Congressional Award for Meritorious Service are U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ) Chairman of the Hose Veterans Affairs Committee. The award is named in honor of the late Mr. George Gillispie, a blinded World War II veteran who devoted more than 40 years toward efforts to aid rehabilitation of visually impaired veterans.

The Carlton Sherwood Media Award, named in honor of the Pulitzer and Peabody Award-winning journalist and highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, will be presented to John McDermott, Irish Tenor, and columnist and author Tom Philpot.

This year's recipients of the George Alexander Memorial Award for Volunteer Service are Jonathan Buth, Account Executive with Pfizer, Inc., Ralph deToledano, Columnist and author. The Foundation's Corporate Volunteer Award will be presented to Ted Hentor, technology for the blind guru. The award is named after the beloved veteran, the late George Alexander, simply know as Mr. Volunteer.

A joint Color Guard will set the stage for the awards ceremony and the Marine Corps Brass Quintet will entertain guests with a medley of patriotic music.

The congressional reception precedes the BAVF Flag Week picnic on Saturday, June 14, in Silver Spring. . As usual, the gregarious Chef Lakis, who can usually be found at his cart at the corner of 18th and K Streets, N.W., will be preparing his famous hot dogs. Picnickers will be serenaded by the by members of the Stereo Springs.

This years picnic will be in honor of the late BAVF volunteer, Richard Beans.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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