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October 9: Vietnam 50th Anniversary at JBLM

Joint Base Lewis-McChord salutes Vietnam-era veterans with a Welcome Home! on October 9, 2014 at 1-5pm. Register Now!

• Salute ceremony to honor Vietnam-era Veterans and a Massing of the Colors at Watkins Field begins at 1 pm
• Ceremony keynote speaker is General (Retired) Barry McCaffery
• Enter at DuPont Gate Exit 119, Interstate 5
• Parking opens at 11 am
• Events include interactive displays with service members and a Pinning Ceremony
• Families and friends are invited 
• Vietnam-era Veterans are asked to pre-register - it's free!
• For more information, please call 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command at 253-967-5171 or 253-967-3570.

This is part of the office 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War In Accordance With Public Law 110-181 SEC.598. You can learn more at http://www.vietnamwar50th.com/

Attention Veterans! Free Acupuncture!

Seattle Acupuncture for Veterans provides ear acupuncture treatments at no cost to veterans and their families in a healing and peaceful environment.

Treatments are based on the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) ear protocol, which has proven to be extremely powerful in alleviating symptoms of stress and trauma.

During treatment, people sit fully clothed in a circle of chairs, and the licensed acupuncturist places 5 tiny needles on each ear. The recipients are invited to close their eyes and rest for 30-45 minutes, as the acupuncture does its work.
Where/Where: 
Mondays 6:30 — 8:30PM T
The O’Kelly Clinic at Solid Ground
1501 N 45th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 930-1238

If you are interested in getting involved with the Military Stress Recovery Project (to receive treatment OR to volunteer) please see http://acupunctureforvets.org/

September 16+17: Town Hall Meetings for VA Puget Sound Health Care System

The VA Puget Sound Health Care System will host two Town Hall meetings with Veterans in September. The purpose of the meeting is for VA officials to listen and answer questions posed to them by our Veterans. All Veterans Are Invited!
VA Puget Sound leaders want to hear from Veterans from around the region regarding issues they believe are impacting Veteran care at the hospital sites in Seattle and American Lake and throughout the Puget Sound at our regional clinics.
The meetings will be held:

• Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 6-8 p.m. at the American Lake VA Campus auditorium, building 9. 
• Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 from 6-8 p.m. at the Southcenter Doubletree, 16500 Southcenter Parkway, Seattle, WA. 98188 

Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert A. McDonald has directed VA systems throughout the country to meet with Veterans in a variety of different capacities. Veterans who attend either of the Town Hall meetings will have the opportunity to write down questions for a panel of VA experts to answer or the Veteran can ask questions live during an open mic period at each meeting. VA Director Michael Murphy will open each night’s meeting with a short presentation on the current status of wait times and other pertinent topics.
Map To American Lake Campus
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Veterans' Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options

According to "Veterans' Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options", a report from the Congressional Budget Office:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversees a disability program that makes payments through the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to compensate U.S. veterans for medical conditions or injuries that are incurred or aggravated during active duty in the military, although not necessarily during the performance of military duties. Compensable service-connected disabilities range widely in severity and type, including the loss of one or more limbs, migraines, scars, and hypertension. Payments are meant to offset the average earnings lost as a result of those conditions, whether or not a particular veteran's condition has reduced his or her earnings or interfered with his or her daily functioning. Disability compensation is not means-tested; veterans who work are eligible for benefits, and, in fact, most working-age veterans who receive disability benefits are employed. Payments are in the form of monthly annuities and typically continue until death.
Adjusted for inflation to 2014 dollars, VA disability compensation to veterans amounted to $54 billion in 2013, or about 70 percent of VBA's total mandatory spending, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The remainder of the department's mandatory spending that year was for programs that provide veterans with housing assistance, education, vocational training, and other assistance. In 2013, about 3.5 million of the nation's 22 million veterans received disability compensation benefits. (Those benefits are distinct from the health benefits provided through the Veterans Health Administration [VHA].)
Spending on veterans' disability benefits has almost tripled since fiscal year 2000, from $20 billion in 2000 to $54 billion in 2013. VA projects that obligations will total $60 billion in 2014 and $64 billion in 2015, a 19 percent increase from two years earlier (see Figure 1).

Read the Whole report (PDF)