By Ginny Estupinian

The Associated Press and other news organizations reported that at least 1800 veterans across the country mistakenly received a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs telling them that they had Lou Gerhrig’s disease. The letter was intended to notify the recipients of the benefits that they were now entitled to as a result of having this disease. Evidently the letters were sent by mistake due to a coding error.

Lou Gerhring’s disease is officially know as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

Half of all people affected with ALS live at least three or more years after diagnosis. Statistics show that twenty percent live five years or more; up to ten percent will live more than ten years.

So how can a letter affect someone psychologically?

Well a lot depends on the individual who receives this type of letter. Some will receive it and think there must be a mistake and for all intensive purposes just move on with their lives. For others, it may be a whole different experience. Those veterans who are dealing with trust issues and may not be as strong mentally, receiving this kind of notification can put them under a great deal of stress. After all the letter is coming from a recognized and trusted source of medicine. For many veterans their only health treatment comes through the VA. Therefore, receiving something like this with this authority has some serious weight.

The important thing here to stress is that any veteran who has been affected by this type of error, or similar errors, and feels stress should not ignore their feelings. Getting help is important and should be done sooner than later. There are many resources through the VA and other agencies that can help any veteran get the support and treatment they need.

By Ginny Estupinian

As we approach the beginning of the new academic  year,  it is good to know what has changed in the world of financial aid so that you can be best prepared to make the most out of it. Here is a brief overview:

Pell Grant Changes

 The maximum annual Pell Grant will increase to $5,350 from $4,731. These are federal awards that don’t need to be repaid. In order to qualify for these grants the applicants income must not exceed $50,000 annually. In order to apply for this grant simply fill out the Application for Federal Student Aid.

 Student Loans

 The good news for those taking out a new subsidized Stafford undergraduate loan, is that the interest rate will now be 5.6% instead of 6.0%.  These loans are need based and have different amounts available base on the year you are in. For example: a maximum loan amount of $3,500 per year for Freshman, $4,500 per year for Sophomores, $5,500 per year for Juniors and Seniors. 

 In these types of loans the government pays the interest on these loans while the student is in school.  Students with unsubsidized loans, available regardless of financial need, must pay their own interest or ask to defer it. 

 Student loan interest rates have been dropping since the 2007-2008 academic year and will fall to 3.4% by the 2011-2012 year.  The rates are only applicable to loans originated in that given academic year. It Is important to note that you cannot retroactively apply this rate to loans from the previous school year.

 What About Graduate Student Loans?

 Interest rates for Graduate and Parent PLUS loans, loans that graduate students take out for themselves or parents take out for their undergraduate children, remain at 7.9% in the direct lending program and 8.5% in the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

 Subsidized loans for graduate students remain at 6.8%.

 What If You Have Old Loans?

 People who borrowed from federal sources between July 1, 1998, and June 30, 2006, have variable interest rates pegged to the May 91-day T Bill auction.  The rate is at a historic low of 2.48% versus 4.21% last year, during the repayment period and 1.88% versus 3.61% while the student is in school and during the six-month post-graduation grace period. If you are concern that interest rates may rise again in July 2010, you may want to look into consolidating those loans that you got before 2006.

As always, this is just a brief overview to give you a heads-up of what is available. Make sure that you look over all your options with a qualified financial aid counselor.

By Ginny Estupinian

Heroes on the Water (HOW) is a Texas-based volunteer organization that takes wounded veterans on kayak fishing trips. This nonprofit was formed in 2007 and has served about 130 veterans.

HOW schedules these fishing trips on private waters because this provides a safety aspect of not sharing the water with power boats.  Also, the game fish are generally easier to catch on private lakes.

Aiken, who’s starting a nationwide U.S. Marine Corps Chamber of Commerce, said that having an organized activity involving other veterans is a good transitional activity for men and women reconnecting with society.

“During service, and particularly on deployment, military personnel operate as a team,” he said. “Transition is reverse culture shock. Most veterans groups focus their attention inward or to the past. HOW focuses on an activity, and most young warriors would rather do something other than swapping war stories around a bar. With HOW, we’re swapping stories across a pond, without the hangover.”

HOW went national in June, with events in Georgia, Virginia and Washington state, said Dolan, a commercial airline pilot who lives in Allen. The Air Force veteran got involved in kayaking through his love of coastal fishing.

“Fishing from a power boat is like driving a car through Yellowstone National Park,” he said. “Fishing from a kayak is like riding a bike through Yellowstone. The kayak experience is much more personal.”

HOW volunteers have been told that kayak fishing may have the same impact on wounded warriors suffering traumatic brain injury as horseback riding has on autistic children.

Heather Gardner is a recreational therapist at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center. Her specialty is adaptive sports with ties to the U.S. Paralympics. Gardner defines recreational therapy as a way of distracting one’s mind from the toll the body may be taking on and diverting it to something that is pleasing to the mind, body, soul, or a combination of those aspects.

Gardner is not surprised at therapeutic breakthroughs related to kayak fishing. She has led several groups on HOW outings. The first involved wounded warriors who were missing both legs above the knees. The majority of those participants said they wanted to fish but not kayak. A few wanted to kayak but not fish.

Within 20 minutes, with no encouragement from anyone, said Gardner, every one of them was in a kayak with a fishing rod in their hands. How does Gardner assess the therapeutic value of that experience?

“I’m sure it was different for each participant,” she said. “Getting away from the hospital and a daily routine can be therapeutic. Putting them in a boat where they are the sole controller can be therapeutic. Doing an activity that is not physically challenging and entirely in their control can be therapeutic.

“The HOW program is absolutely wonderful,” Gardner said. “Their hard work and dedication to our warriors is truly inspirational and does not go unnoticed.”

A $50,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant, the cost of a single high-end bass boat, enabled HOW to buy 40 kayaks, paddles, life jackets and other necessary fishing gear. Volunteers for HOW events mostly come from TexasKayakFishermen.com, an online forum with 12,000 members, about 2,000 of them very active.

Dolan said HOW needs access to more private lakes in all Texas regions, as veterans are spread throughout the state. Some landowners have gone beyond merely granting access to their lakes. They host the events, providing food for everyone who shows up. Most outings are small, with 10 or fewer veterans.

By Ginny Estupinian

Green jobs have recently been the buzzword among U.S. policymakers who say they could be one answer to rising unemployment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Under the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program  grants are being awarded to various organizations to help veterans enter this growing field.

Through the program, veterans receive skills assessments, individual job counseling, classroom or on-the-job training, skills upgrading and placement assistance. Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, announced these agency grants with the objective to provide about 3,000 veterans nationwide with training and employment in green jobs.

Participating veterans will be trained for jobs including: residential and commercial solar energy system installation, solar water heater repair, solar energy roofing, and electrical installation and maintenance, and solid wastewater treatment.

At present seventeen groups nationwide, will receive $500,000 in grants to train and find jobs for veterans.  Besides California the other states awarded grants include Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Indiana and Arizona.  ”This grant will provide our veterans with tools and skills that will ensure they are certified and trained in green jobs,” said Solis, adding that there was great need for such training.

By Ginny Estupinian

Returning service veterans who are dealing with post traumatic stress and other disabilities can often benefit from specially trained dogs that provide companionship, help and love for these veterans.

For Example specially trained psychiatric service dogs help veterans overcome their social isolation. One way that they do this is due to the need of the dog to be walked several times. This need causes the veteran to get outside and be in the public.  Furthermore, a working dog will often illicit people to ask questions about the service dog and this allows the veteran to socialize and meet people in the community.

Many veterans with these dogs have reported that their anxieties and fears have been greatly reduced as a result of having the dog with them at all times.  Some veterans have reported dealing better with nightmares due to the fact that when they wake up they are relieved by the fact that the dog just is tranquil just lying on the floor. Rationalizing that If there really was a threat the dog would have responded.

For wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan  these dogs can help these wounded veterans:  by walking alongside a wheel chair, opening a refrigerator, pulling socks off, pushing the light switch on/off, bringing a ringing telephone, and many other duties.

Providing these dogs is an expensive process. The Veterans Administration does not pay for any of this and this is service is left to non-profit organizations.

On Saturday the 11th, of July 2009, you can  see these animals in action and visit one of the  wonderful groups that train them .  The Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA is hosting their second annual “CCI Salutes Independence” event, an open house for active duty military members, veterans, their families, and friends, from 11AM to 3PM.

By Ginny Estupinian

The “post-9/11″ GI Bill that takes effect on Aug. 1 2009 and offers some great benefits for Veterans returning to school or just finishing a college education.  It’s the most comprehensive package of education benefits for service members since the original GI Bill of Rights was signed during World War II. The new GI Bill invests $2 billion in educating U.S. military personnel and veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq at colleges and universities nationwide.

The new benefits package pays tuition, but also offers a monthly housing stipend and up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies. This increase in benefits are expected to increase the number of veterans going to school in the next two to three years by 20 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The original GI Bill failed to keep pace with the rising costs of higher education, said the new bill’s sponsor, Sen. James Webb, D-Va. The post-9/11 bill provides enough money for veterans to consider even private colleges. Where before under the old benefits it would be very difficult to do.

The new bill covers more than 1.8 million veterans who have served in the Armed Forces since Sept. 11, 2001. The bill also covers Reserve and Guard members who were activated for more than 90 days.

An important thing to remember is that Veterans have 15 years after they leave active duty to use the benefits.

Here is a quick breakdown:

Post-9/11 GI Bill

What it is: Enhanced education benefits for military veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq

What it covers: Tuition and fees at any public college and many private ones; monthly housing stipend; books and supplies; one-time relocation allowance

Information: Interested veterans are encouraged to apply on-line at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp;

By Ginny Estupinian

So what does the $787 Billion stimulus bill mean to veterans and their families

Well, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is one of the most sweeping economic packages to be passed in decades.

The Alternative Minimum Tax

This  bill has a provision in it that will keep the alternative minimum tax from affecting about 24 million  middle class taxpayers. In many cases due to the cost of living adjustments

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income  for Veterans

This bill provides for a   onetime $250 payment to all Social Security recipients as well as disadvantaged persons on Supplemental Security Income and veterans who receive disability payments and pensions.

Car Buyers

You can deduct the sales tax you pay on a new vehicle

First Time Home buyers

If you are a first-time home buyer (defined as someone who has not owned a home in the last 3 years) in 2009 you will get a $8,000 credit that does not have to be repaid. This is not available for people making more than $75,000 individually or more than $125,000 jointly

Homelessness

There is about $1.5 billion directed to help prevent homelessness

Education

For those looking at college there is an increase in the maximum Pell grant to $5350.

Unemployment

The bill provides about $40 Billion to help extend unemployment benefits and about $20 Billion to increase food stamp benefits.

As with any information you need to check with your own tax professional to see how these and many other provisions can affect your tax liabilities.

By Ginny Estupinian

Very few veterans and their families are aware that there is a veterans’ benefit available to cover long-term expenses. This is benefit is available to wartime veterans and their spouses through the Special Pension for Veterans’ Aid and Attendance. The benefit can pay up to $1644 a month with a total of $19,736 annually. It can be used toward assisted living, nursing homes, or in-home care for veterans 65 and older who served at least 90 days and one day during wartime.

This is not something new as this benefit was originally established in 1952. Sadly each year an estimated $22 billion goes unclaimed. In 2007, only 134,000 seniors nationwide received the benefit.

Once the necessary forms are filled out the approval comes within four to six months. For veterans who are blind or have memory issues as well as widows with medical needs, the process can be streamlined and payments are retroactive.

If you are a veteran that has served during wartime, or the spouse/widow, and 65 and older, you need to get information about this benefit that can allow you to have a better quality of life in your later years.

Bu Ginn Estupinian

On January 15th and 16th the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will be conducting a workshop for veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce. This program is designed to help veterans learn job searching skills and be able to match their military experience with potential employers.

The program will be taking place both days at the  AMVETS Post 26 in Mansfield at 1100 W. Fourth St.

The workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

By Ginny Estupinian

A new study published in the journal BMC Medicine has demonstrated that there is a significant association between metabolic  syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.  Metabolic syndrome is the name used to identify a cluster of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing  obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  Some studies estimate that over 50 million Americans are affected by this syndrome. This study focused on the link between veterans  and individuals who were exposed to severe trauma and the development of these health care risks.

Dr. Pia Heppner of the Veterans Affairs of San Diego stated that the research suggest that stress and post-stress responses are related to long-term health outcomes. These findings therefore suggest that metabolic  syndrome provides a useful framework for assessing and describing the physical burden of PTSD and can be useful in evaluating  the health risks that may be associated with combat exposure and PTSD.