The American Legion Department of Colorado Blog

The American Legion, Public Relations

New audition dates have been set for the new reality series “The Making of A Star,” which this year salutes the nation and showcases the talents of U.S. veterans and active duty military personnel in remembrance of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The program, which is seeking talented performers, will kick off an eight-city audition tour on Saturday, May 28, in the nation’s capital. “The Making of a Star,” which is scheduled for broadcast this summer on a major network, is produced by 5 Streams Global Entertainment in affiliation with The American Legion.

Industry judges will scour the country in search of talent for the competition. U.S. veterans and active-duty military personnel from across America can attend auditions in the following cities:

• Saturday, May 28, Washington, D.C., American Legion Post 24, 400 Cameron St., Alexandria, Va.

• Friday, June 3, Chicago, American Legion Post 974, 9757 Pacific Ave., Franklin Park, Ill.

• Saturday, June 4, Detroit, Walter P. Chrysler Museum, 1 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills, Mich.

• Tuesday, June 7, New York City, Metropolis Studio, 105 E. 106th Street, New York,

• Saturday, June 11, Charlotte, N.C., American Legion Post 23, 109 West Second Ave., Gastonia, N.C.

• Monday, June 13, Atlanta, American Legion Post 160, 160 Legion Drive SE, Smyrna, Ga.

• Friday, June 17, Dallas, Texas Star Facility, 11621 Reeder Road, Dallas

• Monday, June 27, Los Angeles, American Legion Post 43, 2035 N. Highland Blvd., Hollywood, Calif.

Twelve finalists will be chosen and flown to New York City to participate in a “perfoming arts boot camp” this summer. The series is set to premiere in July and to wrap up the week of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Contestants will compete for various prizes, including a role in a feature film, a live international tour and other various sponsor-related awards.

“We are committed to honoring the U.S. servicemen and women who have served our country by spotlighting the enormous talent they possess,” said Monica Sutton, series executive producer. “America is in for a treat as they see another brilliant side of our heroes and as we embark on the search to find a bright, shining new star among them.”

By Craig Roberts

Organization applauds House Armed Services Committee for approving defense budget bill that restricts ability to raise premiums in the future.

The American Legion applauds the House Armed Services Committee for approving a defense budget bill Thursday morning that, while allowing for modest increases in TRICARE premiums for working-age retirees, restricts the Department of Defense’s ability to raise fees in the future. TRICARE is the military health insurance program serving active-duty servicemembers, National Guard and reserve members, and military career retirees and their families.

As the House Armed Services Committee crafted the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the coming fiscal year, it responded to arguments by The American Legion leadership and others on the TRICARE premium issue. The Legion, according to a recently adopted resolution, “…resists increases in TRICARE premiums to retirees and adamantly opposes any proposal that will significantly and negatively impact quality of life benefits for honorable military service…and [requests] that any increase must be directly tied to and not exceed the annual cost of living adjustment percentage provided to retirees.”

The provision in the legislation capping future fee increases, championed by Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, followed the Legion proposal closely. It called for nominal increases in TRICARE premiums tied to the annual cost-of-living-allowance (COLA) granted eligible military personnel. This would keep premium increases lower than those proposed by DoD, which had asked that premium hikes be aligned with the far higher annual National Health Expenditure index rate. However, neither the Pentagon nor the House Armed Services Committee budget proposals contain provisions for TRICARE premium increases for military retirees over the age of 65 or for survivors of military veterans.

American Legion National Commander Jimmie L. Foster, reacted happily to news of the passage. “We are grateful to Congressman McKeon and his colleagues who have remembered, as we do, that our military retirees have given decades of service to our country, risking their lives in combat, often serving under arduous conditions and being separated from their families,” Foster said. “Keeping their insurance rates low is one way we can repay them for their honorable service, and assure them of our nation’s gratitude.”

In language accompanying the defense bill intended to discourage a future congress from raising military retirees’ health care costs dramatically, McKeon noted that, “Career members of the uniformed services and their families endure unique and extraordinary demands and make extraordinary sacrifices over the course of a 20- to 30-year career protecting freedom for all Americans” and “… those decades of sacrifice constitute a significant prepaid premium for health care during a career member’s retirement that is over and above what the member pays with money.”

The measure will now go to the House floor for debate. Final passage is expected later this month or in early June. The Senate will then take up the legislation.

“We are hopeful that the final bill will be sent to the president for his signature by early fall,” Foster said. “As we all are aware, our country is deep in debt and sacrifice will be required of all, but America’s military men and women have sacrificed plenty for the nation’s cause already, especially those who have served 20 or more years. This legislation explicitly acknowledges that.

“We look forward to similar, favorable action by the full House and on the Senate side. That would be no less

By Craig Roberts

As of May 1, anyone applying for Social Security, VA or other federal benefits will have to choose an electronic payment method.

VA benefits checks will soon be a thing of the past. The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced that as of May 1, anyone applying for Social Security, VA or other federal benefits will need to choose an electronic payment method because paper checks will no longer be an option. Additionally, people currently receiving federal benefits by check, including payments from the VA, must switch to direct deposit by March 1, 2013.

The switch to electronic federal benefit payments may sound revolutionary but, in fact, that is the way most beneficiaries receive their payments now. According to a Treasury Department press release, “Among federal benefit recipients, approximately eight in ten receive their Social Security or other federal benefit payment electronically.”

The Treasury Department published a final rule in December 2010 to gradually eliminate paper checks for federal benefit payments. The resultant savings to taxpayers in paper and postage, says the federal government, will be about $1 billion dollars in 10 years. “In addition to the taxpayer savings,” says a spokesperson for the Treasury Department, “electronic payments are safer and more convenient than paper checks.”

To service veterans without bank accounts, including those who are homeless, the Treasury Department is offering benefit payments via a debit card called the Direct Express Debit MasterCard. More importantly, to help veterans and others make the transition from paper to electronic payments, the Treasury Department has instituted a public education campaign called Go Direct®.

Information about the change in the delivery of benefit payments, as well as application procedures, are posted on the federal website at http://www.godirect.org/. Assistance is also being offered by the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center for free at (800) 333-1795.

The American Legion

The Legion’s National Emergency Fund remains available to assist active Legionnaires and SAL members affected by the severe storms in the South.

For nearly a month now, the South has endured harsh storms and severe flooding, leaving Legionnaires and Sons of the American Legion members displaced from their homes and even their posts. Amidst the intense damage and suffering, Legionnaires, SAL members and posts can receive immediate assistance through The American Legion’s National Emergency Fund (NEF).

Over the past few weeks, The American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis has issued a handful of grants to assist flood victims. Legionnaires and SAL members are eligible for an NEF grant if their Legion membership is active and if they have been displaced from their primary residence by a natural disaster, which must be proved by showing out-of-pocket expense receipts. Legion members can apply for a grant up to $1,500 to cover housing costs, food and clothing, while Legion posts can apply for a grant up to $5,000. More importantly, once the Legion receives an NEF application, it is immediately processed and if approved, a check is sent directly to the Legion member overnight by mail.

The NEF is not intended to replace or repair items, or cover losses to equipment or vehicles. And it does not cover insurance compensation or monetary losses from a business or structures on property such as barns, tools or sheds.

To apply for a grant, download the National Emergency Fund Grant Application by http://www.legion.org/documents/legion/pdf/nefapplication_1007.pdf. Applications and further information may also be acquired by visiting www.legion.org/emergency, by contacting departments or by calling (800) 433-3318.

Overall, the NEF has granted more than $6 million to victims devestated by destruction caused from ice storms, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes and more. For those who would like to make a tax-deductable donation to the NEF, please go to http://www.legion.org/emergency/help.

The American Legion

Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with Easter Seals to develop training for the Caregiver Program.

On May 9, 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that they are accepting new applications for Caregiver benefits. Additionally, during a press conference held on the same day, VA partnered with Easter Seals which will be developing training for VA’s Caregiver Program.

James E. Williams Jr. president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals, provided opening remarks at the press conference. He highlighted Easter Seals commitment to supporting adults living with disabilities for more than 90 years. Williams added that, “We are proud to announce our new role for VA to provide comprehensive training and support for family caregivers.”

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., commended VA and Easter Seals’ vision in partnering to develop caregiver training. Van Hollen said, “We owe it to the men and women in the military to provide them with the best care when they return home, and that commitment includes the best care for their family.” Van Hollen also praised his fellow colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as VA and veterans service organizations such as The American Legion for their support of the Caregivers and Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010.

Following passage of the law on May 5, 2010, VA developed a Caregiver Implementation Committee and submitted their plan in February 2011 to the Office of Management and Budget. The American Legion urged VA to speed up implementation of the Caregiver plan to ensure eligible caregivers receive the benefits and support they needed. Shortly thereafter, VA worked quickly in publishing an interim final rule to speed up implementation of Caregiver Program.

“VA recognizes veteran caregivers are our partners and their education and training is critical to their success,” said Debbie Ambur, chief consultant and lead VA senior staff on implementation of the Caregiver program. “Caregiver training is vital not only for veterans’ care, but for the individual caregiver.

Sarah Wade, a caregiver and advocate for the caregiver legislation, thanked Easter Seals and VA for the increased support but encouraged both agencies to continue working with veterans service organizations and individual caregivers to refine and continuously improve training in the future. VA’s under secretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel, highlighted the partnership between Easter Seals and VA to ensure proper and comprehensive training be provided to caregivers in the home. Petzel underscored the importance of caregivers applying today for caregiver benefits, including the stipend, insurance and training. He added that the “stipend will be retroactive back to the date the application was received.”

The legislation expanded services for primary, family and general veteran caregivers. For primary caregivers of veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001, VA will provide a stipend, mental health services, respite care and health-care coverage. For family caregivers of veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001, VA will provide instruction, training, travel and lodging, per diem for training, respite care and counseling. General caregivers for veterans of all eras are provided in-person education, counseling, respite care and information on all VA benefits and services. The legislation also requires VA to conduct a two-year feasibility and implementation study for expansion of benefits to caregivers of all eras.

Caregivers can apply by completing one of the following:

• Complete VA’s four pre-screening questions on VA’s Health Eligibility Center website at http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/caregiver/. Those questions include 1) Is the person needing caregiver assistance currently in the military? 2) Is the person enrolled in VA health care benefits? 3) Is the person currently enrolled in VA health-care benefits? 4) Does the veteran or servicemember require at least six months of continuous supervision or assistance with performing basic functions of everyday life due to serious injury or mental disorder (including psychological trauma or other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001?

• If the caregiver is eligible after completing the pre-screening questions, they are directed to VA Form 10-10CG, Application for Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregiver Program. The application can be found at https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/Form/10-10CG.pdf. After completing the application, it must be signed by the veteran and caregiver and should be mailed to Family Caregiver Program, Health Eligibility Center, 2957 Clairmont Road NE, Ste 200, Atlanta, GA 30329-164.

• Applications can be made by calling (877) 222-8387. Caregivers can also call VA’s National Caregiver Support Line (855-230-3274) for questions on caregiver programs and services.

• Visit the VA medical center closest to your home. Each VA medical center has a Caregiver Support Manager that can provide assistance with enrollment and support services.

By Marty Callaghan

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the VA’s “unchecked incompetence” is causing many of its mental-health patients to “agonize or perish.” A ruling the Legion says is one-sided.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the Department of Veterans Affairs “unchecked incompetence” is causing many of its mental-health patients to “agonize or perish.” However, The American Legion says the ruling is one-sided and overlooks the fact that the VA has excellent programs in place for the treatment of post-traumatic stress (PTS) and suicide prevention among veterans.

“Balanced criticism of VA’s performance is justified, but the 9th Circuit Court seems to have gone out of its way to portray VA as an incompetent organization. That simply isn’t the case,” said Peter Gaytan, executive director of The American Legion in Washington.

On May 10, the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco ordered the VA to come up with a new mental health-care plan, calling its current system seriously flawed.

The court’s decision overturns a 2008 judgment by U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti, who said the charges were misdirected because the authority of courts to review VA benefits decisions is too narrow.

“The American Legion evaluates VA medical facilities every year and identifies many problems that need to be fixed,” Gaytan said. “But, in general, we find that our country’s largest health-care system is doing a commendable job.”

Since Eric Shinseki became its secretary, the VA has hired an additional 3,500 mental-health professionals, bringing its total to nearly 21,000. Currently, the VA is evaluating 95 percent of its veterans with PTS and other mental-health issues within 14 days. The VA’s budget for mental-health programs has risen to more than $5.2 billion and President Obama is requesting $6.2 billion for fiscal 2012.

“If people go by what Judge (Stephen) Reinhardt wrote in his opinion, they’re getting a skewed version of what the VA does and how well they do it,” Gaytan said.

Reinhardt wrote the court’s opinion for a three-judge panel that determined – by a 2-1 vote – the VA’s mental health-care is violating the rights of veterans because of unnecessary and lengthy delays that put many of them at risk.

“There comes a time when the political branches have so completely and chronically failed to respect the people’s constitutional rights that the courts must be willing to enforce them,” Reinhardt wrote. While he acknowledged that government agencies are better suited than courts to care for veterans, “that is only so if those governmental institutions are willing to do their job.”

The VA now has a suicide prevention coordinator or team in place at each of its 153 medical centers in the country. The department estimates it has saved more than 15,000 lives through its Veterans Crisis Hotline, with another 55,000 callers referred to VA suicide prevention coordinators.

For the first time in its history, the VA logged more than one million decisions in 2010 on disability claims. A new paperless process for disability claims, called the Veterans Benefits Management System, promises to become a key factor in reducing VA’s claims backlog when it becomes operational in 2012.

“Do veterans sometimes experience unreasonable delays before they receive proper treatment?” Gaytan asked. “Of course, but that doesn’t mean an entire department should be condemned.”

Gaytan said The American Legion works diligently “to ensure that the VA is indeed capable of meeting its mission to provide quality health care in a timely manner for those who have earned it through their honorable service, and we will work with VA to ensure the delivery of mental health care continues to improve.”

Earns $18K Scholarship in American Legion Oratorical Contest

A high school senior from Chesterfield, capped a busy weekend of competition in Indianapolis by earning an $18,000 college scholarship and first place in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program – “A Constitutional Speech Contest.” Her winning oration was titled “One Parent: The Constitution.”

Anisha Gururaj, who attends Parkway Central High School, started the weekend as one of 53 state or territorial champions in the 74th annual contest. She advanced to the championship through three rounds of intense competition.

Grace Marie Pyo, a high school senior from Powell, Ohio, earned a $16,000 college scholarship with a second place finish, while Anastasia Kaiser, of Orinda, Calif., earned a $14,000 scholarship and finished third. The scholarships account for a small portion of the roughly $3.5 million in post-secondary scholarships that The American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans organization, awards annually.

In her prepared oration, Gururaj compared the United States to a giant family, with the Constitution being the parent. “But a family cannot run simply on love and protection; a family needs every one of its units, every one of you, to stand up for it, take part in it, and win the physical and moral battles for its prosperity. And the parent of this home, the document which protects us and demands responsibility within us, is none other than the United States Constitution.”

Gururaj mentioned 9-year-old Tucson shooting victim Christina Green as someone who died which performing a responsibility to this country. “Each of us in this room and throughout this land owe it to our Constitution, to our home, this country, to each other, and to the victims of this tragedy and many others, to not only feel our own rights are protected by the Constitution, but to responsibly protect the rights of others. “For they are one and the same.”

In each round of the weekend competition, orators delivered a rehearsed 8- to 10-minute address and a randomly assigned 3- to 5-minute oration on a constitutional topic, each without the benefit of notes and in front of a live audience, including the judges. The 2.4-million member American Legion developed the contest to encourage young people to improve their communications skills and to study the U.S. Constitution. The American Legion has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships over the history of the program.

By: Jim Gates, National Americanism Commission member and District 4 DEC

The Bill Manning Memorial Scholarship for 2011-2012 was recently awarded to Julia R. Cucarola, Fall 2011 incoming Freshman in Undeclared Health/Life/Science. Julia’s name was selected from a field of pre-screened applicants reviewed by the Americanism Committee which suggested the college name her as recipient. She is a descendant of R.A. Cucarola, Sterling Post 20 member, and is a resident of that community.

The Manning Scholarship award was made this year in the amount of five hundred dollars. The actual amount awarded is reviewed each year and is based on the market value of the endowment from which it is drawn. Qualifying CSU students may apply each fall for award consideration.

George Beach Post 4, Fort Collins, sponsors the scholarship in honor of its namesake, the late Bill Manning, long time member of the Post, who had a desire to establish a scholarship fund in his name to help American Legion members’ sons and daughters further their education. Original funding was via an endowment to Colorado State University. Additional gifts may be made to the fund by S.A.L, other organizations or individuals in support of the annual award.

A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative that reduced the global health care issue of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections by more than 60 percent in intensive care units (ICU) across the Nation is featured in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It reports data from the first three years of the initiative that is now in its fourth year of implementation, and which continues to be associated with decreased rates of MRSA infections.

“This is a landmark initiative for VA and health care in general,” said VA’s Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel. “No one should have to worry about acquiring an illness or infection from the place they trust to deliver their care. I am proud that VA is leading the way.”

The article reviews a bundle of four infection control practices that marked a dramatic improvement in preventing hospital-acquired MRSA infections. MRSA infections are a serious global health care issue and are difficult to treat because the bacterium is often resistant to many antibiotics.

The prevention practices consist of patient screening programs for MRSA, contact precautions for hospitalized patients found to have MRSA, and hand hygiene reminders with readily available hand sanitizer stations placed strategically in common areas, patient wards, and specialty clinics throughout medical centers. The strategy also involved creating a culture that promotes infection prevention and control as everyone’s responsibility.

“MRSA is a serious threat to patient health that can be minimized with a few achievable strategies,” said Dr. Rajiv Jain, VA’s chief consultant for specialty care services and lead author of the study. “I am extremely grateful I work for an agency with 152 integrated medical centers across the Nation so these strategies could be implemented, assessed, and ultimately, shown to work on a vast scale of many different environments. These results mean better health care for Veterans and a way for the people they defended to also benefit from this effort in the future.”

“These are the types of results hospitals should be striving for,” said Dr. John Jernigan, chief of the interventions and evaluation section in the division of healthcare quality promotion at the Centers for Disease Control. “The bottom line is that MRSA prevention and control is possible.”

More than 1.7 million screening tests for MRSA were done on Veteran patients during the period reported in the analysis. VA operates the largest integrated health care system in the United States with more than 1,000 medical facilities throughout the United States serving more than six million Veterans a year. To review the article in the New England Journal of Medicine, go to http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007474.

By Steve B. Brooks

For two or three hours a night, 16-year-old Ricky Gilleland sits at his computer. But he’s not playing World of Warcraft or Call of Duty, nor is he chatting with friends or updating his status on Facebook.

Gilleland instead spends that time updating a database of the U.S. servicemembers killed in operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and now buried at Arlington National Cemetery. While it may not be a normal activity for a teenager, it allows Gilleland to mesh a favorite activity – Web development – with a deep love of the military.

“I have a lot of military members in my family, and I’ve been into the military for a long time,” said Gilleland, noting his father will soon be retired from the Army, his stepfather is retired Navy, and his two brothers currently are serving in the Air Force. “And some of it came from the fact I’d just finished up a Web class. All of it just seemed like a good reason to do this.”

Gilleland was also motivated by articles he read about mismarked graves at Arlington and an antiquated filing system for the graves that still kept records on index cards. So the junior at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Va., decided to do something that would make it easier for the families of deceased servicemembers to visit their loved ones.

Gilleland’s website, http://preserveandhonor.com/contact, does just that. Gilleland and his family members spent dozens of hours at Arlington, photographing headstones and gathering information on servicemembers buried in Section 60, which includes many graves of OIF and OEF veterans.

“It took about two months to create the site, and I probably spent 100 hours going over to Arlington to catalog the graves and take pictures to upload to the site,” said Gilleland.

Once he gathered the information, he loaded it into a database that now allows visitors to search for a gravesite by name, year and military branch. The site will provide the exact location of the burial plot, as well as links to other websites that include obituary information and pictures. So far, Gilleland has inputted more than 900 names into the database; he continues to go to Arlington every couple of weeks to collect more names and photos.

And the feedback that Gilleland has received has been very positive. “After some articles were in the newspaper and on TV about this, I think I probably got 300-400 emails from families of soldiers buried at Arlington telling me how much they appreciated this, and how glad they were to have a site like this to go to,” Gilleland said. “And my dad is stationed at Fort Bragg, and a number of his friends have all told him what a great thing this is.”

Eventually, Gilleland would like to include in his database grave listings for all those servicemembers killed in OIF or OEF buried throughout the country. Those who know of those servicemembers can submit names and gravesite information to Gilleland through his website at http://preserveandhonor.com/contact.

Gilleland has the military in his plans after high school, with a specific eye on attending the U.S. Naval Academy. He plans on maintaining the website as long as possible. “I can definitely do it for the next couple of years,” he said. “Once I get into college, I need to see what kind of time I have. But I’d like to keep it going then, too.”