Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/02/2008

Dear Sgt. Shaft: My husband retired from the Air Force in March. Because his representative from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took two months to submit his disability paperwork and the VA took five more months to give him an appointment, he has not started receiving his VA disability payments yet. Will he get paid retroactively from the day of his retirement to now, or will he only get paid from when his disability percentage is determined?

Thanks, Karen M
Dear Karen:

This is the scoop from the VA: The effective date of service connection will be the day following separation from active service or the date entitlement arose, if the claim is received within one year after separation from service; otherwise, date of receipt of claim, or date entitlement arose, whichever is later. Separation from service means separation under conditions other than dishonorable from continuous active service that extended from the date the disability was incurred or aggravated.

Shaft Notes

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Michael W. Hager marked the opening of the 2008 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) with an acknowledgement of the federal community's past generosity and with words of encouragement about continuing that success this year and into the future. The CFC is the federal government's annual charity drive.

"Federal employees have continually demonstrated their commitment to help others through the CFC and raised over $273 million on behalf of charities in 2007," Mr. Hager said in a memorandum to agency heads. CFC donors include federal and Postal Service employees and members of the military.

Since its inception in 1961, the CFC has raised more than $6 billion.

In the memorandum, however, Mr. Hager acknowledged challenges facing the CFC. Among them is the potential corrosion of a solid donor base through the retirement of longtime federal employees and the influx of newly hired and younger workers who are not familiar with the CFC's history or do not appreciate its value.

To counter the loss of donors, Mr. Hager presented a blueprint for the future. His plan includes educating newly hired or younger employees on the importance of the CFC; encouraging federal employees to continue volunteering as CFC loaned executives, coordinators and key workers; and using the technology of Employee Express to lower the cost of operations.

Mr. Hager suggested that agencies be proactive in courting donations from their workers and getting people excited about the program.

"Even the smallest of donations can go a long way toward improving the lives of others," he said. "And I join President Bush in recommending that you allow your employees to serve [as volunteers] during the campaign period."

Accompanying the CFC memo was a letter from Mr. Bush, who said: "The Combined Federal Campaign is an important way for federal employees to support thousands of worthy charities. Public servants not only contribute to the campaign but also assume leadership roles to ensure its success."

The 2008 CFC began on Sept. 1 and runs through Dec. 15.

Special kudos to the federal employees who, once again, will reach into their pockets and make generous contributions to the Combined Federal Campaign. As many of you know, the Sarge is partial to the Blinded American Veterans Foundation, CFC Number 11282 (BAVF). Information about the BAVF can be obtained at www.bavf.org.

As we once again approach our national elections, I am happy that we are attempting to make our military votes count. An estimated 6 million Americans who are members of the military or live overseas have a new way to ensure that their vote for president counts this November, according to experts speaking at a high-level summit on military and overseas voters. Attended by members of Congress, secretaries of state and other election officials, Democracy at a Distance: A Summit to Make Voting Work for Military and Overseas Voters was convened by the Pew Center on the States in collaboration with the JEHT Foundation.

At the summit, Pew and the Overseas Vote Foundation launched a new online tool that enables voters to complete the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) more easily and with fewer errors. This tool can be used by Americans covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who have requested an absentee ballot from election officials but have not yet received it.

The need to help military and overseas voters is supported by a new bipartisan Tarrance/Lake Battleground Poll commissioned by the Pew Center on the States and released at the summit. It found 96 percent of Americans think it's important that these voters get the chance to participate and vote in U.S. elections. The poll results also show that 81 percent of Americans favor creating a uniform national set of rules for military and overseas voters.

The new FWAB tool, available at www.overseasvotefoundation.org, provides an immediate solution for registered voters whose ballots are late or lost in transit. The site offers easy access to the Vote-Print-Mail system.

"Military and overseas voters do not share an equal opportunity to vote," said Michael Caudell-Feagan, director of Make Voting Work, a project of the Pew Center on the States. "According to research from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, only one-third of the nearly 1 million ballots mailed to these voters were cast or counted in the 2006 general election. FWAB is a powerful tool for these voters."

"It is unacceptable in this day and age that administrative hurdles should impede the counting of overseas military and civilian votes," said Nicole Gordon, vice president of the JEHT Foundation, which has supported the Overseas Vote Foundation in efforts to partner with states to facilitate the registration process for overseas voters. "The launch of the FWAB tool is a significant step in easing and modernizing this outdated process."

The FWAB tool works by matching a user's nine-digit zip code for his or her U.S. residence to the user's voting district. The system automatically presents candidate lists for federal races in one's district. Voters select their candidates for office and then download, print, sign and send the FWAB into the local election office.

"Through our help desk, I've heard thousands of stories from voters who have been frustrated during presidential campaigns as they anxiously waited for their absentee ballots to arrive," said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and chief executive of Overseas Vote Foundation. "The new FWAB tool replaces that worry with an immediate, user-friendly, online and secure process that overseas and military voters from all 50 states and the District of Columbia can use."

For more information about the challenges facing overseas voters, visit http://pewcenteronthestates.org and download Military and Overseas Citizen Voting Project, an overview developed by the Pew Center on the States.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-257-5446 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

BAVF is a tax deductible organization, CFC Number 11282 . Monetary gifts are gladly accepted and welcome.
To donate online, please use this link to Independent Charities of America.
Please use the address listed below when sending your contribution via postal mail or including BAVF as a beneficiary on your will.

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