VSO BILL BRADLEY

 

                                                                           Bill Bradley
                                     NEVER AGAIN WILL ONE GENERATIOPN OF VETERANS ABANDON ANOTHER

        From your Service Officers Desk, by: William T. Bradley Posted on 02/05/2012
                                                        
TRICARE Increases

A recent article in the Army Times about proposed increases to TRICARE fees for
services.

 Visit
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/11/military-mccain-tricare-fees-must-rise-to-control-costs-111711w/P
or visit http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1111/111411kl1.htm 

 

A recent article in Government Exec  http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1111/111411kl1.htmsurrounding
concerns over TRICARE Exec http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1111/111411kl1.htmreporting

 surrounding concerns over TRICARE fees. 

Attention ! Marine Veterans Stationed at Camp Lejeune

If you were stationed or worked at Camp Lejeune before 1987, you may have been
exposed to contaminants in the drinking water supply.  To learn more please Visit :
http://www.va.gov/ext_redirect.asp?url=https://clnr.hqi.usmc.mil/clwater/index.html
Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water site for more information and to register for
water testing notifications.

 Veterans Crisis Line Saves Lives

Visit Veterans Crisis Line at: For information on Survivsors benefits visit .
Survivor community, resources and benefits at:  officeofsurvivors@va.gov.
http://www.va.gov/ext_redirect.asp?url=http://veteranscrisisline.net/ connects Vets
in crisis with VA responders 24 hours a day. 20,000 Veterans and counting have been
saved through the service.  

VA Launches Facebook Pages

The VA announced that all of its 152 medical centers are now actively represented on
Facebook. For more information, please visit the sites below:
www.va.gov/opa/SocialMedia.asp and
www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs?sk=app_7146470109

VA Posts Draft 2011 Report of the Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Task Force

The 2011 Report of the Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Task Force 30 day public comment
period closed November 22nd. Users visited the online forum to weigh in the seven
sections of this year’s report and posted over 450 comments and ideas related to
Gulf War care and services. The Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Task Force sincerely
appreciates the feedback provided by the community and is now conducting an analysis
of the information received and expects to publish the final report in January 2012.
Download a http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/Draft_2011_GWVI-TF_Report.pdf

Rules Liberalized for Veterans with Undiagnosed Illnesses

Veterans of the Gulf War with undiagnosed illnesses have an additional five years to
qualify for VA disability benefits. The eligibility window has been extended to
December 31, 2016. For more information visit  http://www.va.gov/opa/
pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2239

COLA is back

You may have noticed that after two years without a cost of living  - (COLA) - it's
back. The COLA will be 3.6 % increase in Government payments, like SS, Military
Retiired pay, and  VA Disibility. 

Applying for your Records

The National Personel Records Center has announced a change of address.  This is the
place to get all your medical and duty-station records. When applying it is advised
that you visit VA.GOV/Forms, get a 180 form fill it out and submit it to:  National
Personel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive St Lousi, MO 6318-1002. For more
information visit : www,archives.gov

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 601 & The Veterans’ Outreach
       & Family Resource Center

To Post a Giveaway item or Wanted message ,  just  e-mail to: 'Bill Cannavan' and he
will post it for you.

NOTE: We retain the option to refuse any post not considered  proper or ethical.
 
Note: Be sure to date your submission and provide your full contact information.

                                             
We recently obtained a training slide show used to train our troops in jungle
warfare in Vietnam.  This show has over a thousand slides, and was donated by
retired Vietnam Vet, Green Beret Colonel Ruben Shay. These slides give one a true
insight into the war from our troops’ perspective. At this time it’s just a box
of slides, but we need a Carousel Slide Projector & Volunteers to setup up a slide
show presentation.
I hope a committee could be formed to preserve these historical slides, and also
create a presentation to be used at historical gatherings.  With today’s computer
programs it may be possible to change the format to a computer slide show. Our
options are only limited by our creativity,

Needed:            Carousel Slide Projector & Volunteers   (Bill)
Posted:   February 2012                By: William T. Bradley, VSO/Agent

                                                  
FREE!!   Ultrachic Crystal , Tone Amplified Telephone, for the hearing impaired ,
hearing- aid compatible, AM;  amplification available (true 35 dB) Hearing Amplifier
Telephone, has big buttons, saves emergency numbers, saves speed-dial numbers, has
flash, controls ring volume, redialing last No. and on hold, to name a few of the
functions it can do.  This is an expensive system with all its original
instructions.
                 For more information contact William (Bill) T. Bradley, VSO/AGENT 
Tel. 1-802-753-7720

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan”
Abraham Lincoln
          

 

 

 

 

William T Bradley, (Bill) federal certified VSO/Agent, for the Vietnam Veterans of
America, Benefits Program, Berkshire Office, 61 Summit Avenue, Apt. A, North Adams,
MA 01247, Tel. 413-664-8767, E-mail: wtbradley@roadrunner.com  Office Hrs. for 61-A
Summit Avenue are:  Friday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. By appointment only.  I have
separate office, & office hrs. On the last Friday of the month at American Legion
Post #160, 160 Forest Park Avenue, Adams. MA 01220, Tel. 1-413-743-1469 Time: 4:00
until 7:00 PM Walk- INS are OK, (No appointment needed,). I also have an Office at
the Bennington, VT, Veterans Outreach & Family Resource Center located on the campus
of the VT Veterans Home, Rte. 7, Bennington, VT. Office Hrs. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM,
Thursday only. Walk-Ins are OK. Tel. 802-753-7720
Note: Be sure to bring any documents needed to help me in determining any benefits
or entitlements you may have. If possible, please bring a copy of your Discharge
(DD214).  For veterans who are house bound, I can make home visits.


History of helping Veterans
The motto in my office is every day is Veterans Day
Over many years I have been involved with Veterans services. I am proud to say I
have won many claims on behalf  of  Veterans and their dependence.  In 2008 I
retired from my State job as Director of Veterans Services (Adams Office) because of
declining health. Evan though  I was in declining health  I never stopped helping my
brother and sister veteran.
Now I work as a volunteer  at the Bennington VT Veterans Outreach & Family Resource
Center as your VSO. Of all the work I have done on behalf of Veterans I am most
proud of being a federally certified Veteran Service Officer.
Charter Member Chapter 54 Vietnam Veterans of America
Assistant Treasure, Chapter 54, Vietnam Veteran of America 2 years
Vice President,  Chapter 54 Vietnam Veterans of America, 6 years
President Chapter 54 Vietnam Veterans of America 3 year
Federally Certified Service Officer Chapter 54 Vietnam Veterans of America 5 years
Federally Certified Service Officer at large for the Vietnam Veterans of America, 7
years
Life time member of American Legion, Post 160, Adams MA
Service Officer American Legion Post 160, 12 years
Chapter 54 Vietnam Vietnams of America Delegate to the State Council 17 years
Delegate from Chapter 54 to the Vietnam Veterans of America National Convention’s
6 years
Life time member of the VFW Post 1995 Adams MA
Service Officer VFW Post 1995, 12 years
Board Member Veterans Advisory Board at the Northampton VA Hospital at Leeds, 5 years
State and Federally certified,  Director of Veteran Service for the Massachusetts
Department of Veterans Services, 9 years Town of Adams, MA
Member the Massachusetts Service Officers Association 9 years
 

JOKES

 

It’s always good for ones mental health to laugh and smile so I have posted these
for your enjoyment. If you have a great joke please e-mail it to me at
wtbradley@roadrunner.com

An elderly gentleman....
Had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the
doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the
gentleman to hear 100%
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Your
hearing is perfect... Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.'
The gentleman replied, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet.
I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!'

Two elderly gentlemen from a retirement center were sitting on a bench under a tree
when one turns to the other and says: 'Slim, I'm 83 years old now and I'm just full
of aches and pains. I know you're about my age. How do you feel?'
Slim says, 'I feel just like a newborn baby.'
'Really!? Like a newborn baby!?'
'Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants.'

An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives
left the table and went into the kitchen.
The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, 'Last night we went out to a new
restaurant and it was really great.. I would recommend it very highly.'
The other man said, 'What is the name of the restaurant?'
The first man thought and thought and finally said, 'what is the name of that flower
you give to someone you love?
You know.... The one that's red and has thorns.'
'Do you mean a rose?'
'Yes, that's the one,' replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and
yelled, 'Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?'


Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However,
while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and
sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help
to leave the hospital.
After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator.
On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her
hospital gown.'

Couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a
checkup, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to
start writing things down to help them remember...
Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. 'Want
anything while I'm in the kitchen?' he asks.
'Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?'
'Sure..'
'Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?' she asks.
'No, I can remember it.'
'Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as
not to forget it?'
He says, 'I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.'
'I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?' she asks.
Irritated, he says, 'I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream
with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!'
Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from
the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs.. She stares at the plate
for a moment.
'Where's my toast ?'

A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy:
'So I hear you're getting married?'
'Yep!'
'Do I know her?'
'Nope!'
'This woman, is she good looking?'
'Not really.'
'Is she a good cook?'
'Naw, she can't cook too well.'
'Does she have lots of money?'
'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.'
'Well, then, is she good in bed?'
'I don't know.'
'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?'
'Because she can still drive!'
Three old guys are out walking.
First one says, 'Windy, isn't it?'
Second one says, 'No, it's Thursday!'
Third one says, 'So am I. Let's go get a beer..'

A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four
thousand dollars, but it's state of the art.. It's perfect.'
'Really,' answered the neighbor . 'What kind is it?'
'Twelve thirty..'

Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous
young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing
great, aren't you?'
Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''
The doctor said, 'I didn't say that... I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'

One more. . .!
A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly,
painfully, up onto a stool.. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split.
The waitress asked kindly, 'Crushed nuts?'
'No,' he replied, 'Arthritis.'