VA Should Not Be Its Own Entity (Part 1)

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), especially the Claims side of the VA,  should not be its own entity; especially the VA Claims.  It seems like it's one big money laundering scheme for the private sector.   

Full disclosure, I'm a Veteran.  And actually, the Services side of VA is pretty decent.   But the Claims side is mad awful.  This is about me and other veterans who have gone through the system only to be denied by people who have never served in the actual military a day in their life.

This is going to be a post that damn well might turn into an eBook because that's how much I have to say about this matter and how salty the "system" can make you feel.  And I hope every Service Member who has ever served thinks about this for themselves and for future Service Members.

Let's explore a few things.

Of the approximate 331,441,281 plus Americans identified in the 2020 Census, less than 50 million have served in any branch of service over the history of the country.  I found this Census Bureau pdf about Veterans very interesting.  In one section it mentions a "Declining size of the veteran population"…  Let's just say what it is.  They are DYING off, many without

Soldier For Life Link

Have you served or are you serving in the military?  I've learned that it's never too soon to find out information about benefits and retirement.  This is a link for Service Members to refer to in case they needed a starting point for trying to seek help.  To start off the list, I thought the Soldier For Life Retirement link found on the Army Mil site would be a great selection.  I visited it recently and saw that it had all kinds of information about retirement and other useful points of interest. The link is https://soldierforlife.army.mil/retirement .

The above link along with the main site, https://soldierforlife.army.mil, has many hours of useful information and can get you caught up on somethings you may have missed.

Though this post is generally for those who served in the Army, There could be links and helpful information listed on the pages mentioned for other branches as well. 

I wanted to add something for everyone, so this link is to Military One Source: a general resource for all branches.  https://www.militaryonesource.mil/

And, thank you all for your service.  Huah [Hooah].

miNews Update Vol 3

Something for Retiring Veterans--Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard. If you are a retiring Service Member, this DFAS.mil site might be just what you need to learn more about retirement.  They even have information for Gray Area Retirees!  As you know active duty soldiers are usually eligible for retirement after 20 years of honorable service; but Reservists and National Guard Members become eligible around the age of 60.  Gray Area Retirees can become eligible earlier if certain rules apply.  Read up on it all by visiting the DFAS site!

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Have you made a copy of your important documents and valuables?  With today's technology, it is very easy to make copies or take pictures of important documents and valuables, such as Birth Certificates, ID Cards, and other valuables to prove identification or show ownership.  Using your cell phone or printer scanner can be used to accomplish the task. Making a scan or digitizing old family pictures is also a great idea and a great way to preserve family history.  Need help?  You can always reach out to us at dhspeller.com for some administrative support, or maybe a tech savvy family member who could help with the task at an affordable cost.  Be sure to save or transfer those photos to a thumb drive or some other type of storage medium.  A Terabyte external storage drive is very affordable now and can store a great deal of files and images.  It's a great project to tackle during the upcoming holiday season!

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AARP Bulletin and Website are great sources for information.  Do you receive the AARP Bulletin or have visited the AARP Website?  If not, I recommend you do so.  It has a wealth of information and sometimes great tips and digital coupons are available that can lead to saving a good deal of money. It covers a lot of information about retirement and healthcare; an excellent supplement to visiting the Social Security government site.