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The UAW Local 5960 Veteran's Committee is involved with veteran's events and current events including labor sponsored events and assisting current service men and women. The committee is active during the holidays to collect for Toys for Tots, Care and Share and other worthwhile causes.

On Friday and Saturday, Feb 11 and 12 two packing events were held in Romeo at the Masonic Temple . Volunteers sorted, packed, taped and labeled boxes before affixing postage. "The outpouring for the community," state Mary Merritt founder of Operation Caring Friends (OCF), "is what makes this event so successful." You can check out pictures of the event at, http://wmamotorcity.shutterfly.com/ Merritt along with Alex Stubbs, the Romeo Postmaster, have worked tirelessly with the community to send packages from Romeo and last year hosted the 1st Annual From Romeo With Love. Robert Wisniewski with the Masonic Temple once again graciously donated the Temple for the community packing and it does not stop there. Temple members assisted in packing and provided food and beverages for the volunteers. With their assistance OCF would be hard pressed to find such a hardy welcome and venue to hold this event. The support does not stop there either Janine Saputo from the Romeo DDA has been a real angel in assisting with these events. By pairing a taste of home for our troops with events in Romeo it has been great for the troops and the community. It has brought together people who want to give with those who can assure that that these items get to those who get little or no mail from home. From Romeo With Love is a win win for everyone. Connelly Creations and Citizens Bank are two of our permanent collection points as is the Christmas Store at Frontier Town . In 2010, OCF was able to send well over 2,300 boxes and that translates to approximately $23,000 in postage to ship a taste of home to our deployed Heroes currently serving in Afghanistan . The letters from the troops say it all. 1^st Lt Harp states, "My Marines and I have received care packages containing your card and I wanted to send a thank you for all the support you all give. It truly brightens their day when a little piece of home makes its way all the way out here in Afghanistan ." From Cpl McCombs we hear, " I’m trying to write to you to say thank you for lending us your support. When we first got out here we had literally no PX and had to rely on convoys coming down from other nearby encampments and we depended heavily on care packages too. Every care package that we received was definitely put to use to the fullest degree. On behalf of all the Marines of Combat Logistics Battalion 1 we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude for all your thoughts and prayers and lending your support." Stop at the post office, pick up a box and fill it with all the items you would want if away from home. Most requested items are high protein items, nuts, candy, hot chocolate, coffee, teas, hygiene items and anything that reminds our troops that they are not forgotten. Then bring it to our next event. We are working on the dates for the rest of the year. If you want to be put on the email list to be notified of all of our events drop a note to Mary Merritt at merrittone@comcast.net. Donations to assist with postage can be sent to WMA Motor City PO Box 590, Romeo, Mi 48065. 100 % of all donations go directly for postage. Each package is $12.95 to ship. The support did not stop after the truck was loaded. Roz Cooperman, A.J. O'Neil and AJ's Cafe hosted a huge event in Ferndale that netted two pickup trucks of goods that will be packed up in the coming week. They also collected funds to assist with the huge postal costs that are incurred. Words alone can't begin to express the gratitude for those who pick up the ball and run with it. There is so much need to keep up the moral of our men and women. They need to know that our support of them has and always will be 100%. WMA Motor City is honored to partner with Roz and AJ to assure that the ball is never dropped again. As a final note I urge all of you to support those that support the troops. Make AJ's your new meeting place, Citizens Bank, the Romeo Masonic Temple , Connelly Creations and Frontier Town would love to have you stop by. Be sure to give them a very hearty thank you! Support them as they support our HEROES!! Semper Fidelis Mary Ann Merritt WMA Motor City Operation Caring Friends


Kelly Meshell and sons, Elizabeth Booth, Diana Opalewski, Bobbi Putnam and Mary Merritt	Mary Merritt and Bob McDonald. Mr McDonald and his organization donated funds to assist with the postage.	Kelly Meshell and Elizabeth Booth preparing packages for shipment

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has successfully deployed a new automated system that is delivering faster, more accurate payments to Veterans attending school under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. “VA is relying upon the latest technology to provide a high-tech solution for administering the most generous educational benefits since the original GI Bill in 1944,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. The technology relies upon information from Veterans and specialized rules-based software to streamline the process for calculating Veterans’ benefits. “The new GI Bill is the first example of VA’s use of an agile approach to software development,” said Roger W. Baker, VA’s assistant secretary for information and technology. “Our success on this project is already being leveraged to ensure the success of other large software projects within VA.” The new processes and software available to VA’s claims personnel replace the interim tools in use since August 2009, when the Post 9/11 GI Bill became effective.

VA has issued more than $8 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to nearly 440,000 students and their educational institutions. The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays schools directly for the tuition and fees incurred by eligible Veterans and active-duty personnel. Those payments are based upon the maximum rate in each state for tuition and fees at the in-state level for undergraduates. A monthly housing allowance is also provided. Also included is a maximum $1,000 annual stipend for books and supplies, and a one-time payment of $500 for students who reside in specific rural areas. Further information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill is available on the Internet at www.gibill.va.gov.

As we come around to a bright new year the committee will continue to answer the call and we ask you for your support and your help. As we post items in the newsletter we hope that you will come out and assist us and think about making donations to the causes we pursue.

In the coming year and the end of this one, we will continue to support our veteran and active population with the following events:

2011 Events

Feb 11 Packing boxes for the troops

Veteran Benefit Classes

· April 2, 2011 · April 16, 2011 · April 30, 2011 · May 7, 2010 * June 11 VA Carnival

Veteran Benefit Classes

As listed above we will once again host the Veteran Benefit Awareness Classes. These classes will provide veterans and their families with the information that they need to comprehend in layman’s terms the benefit system and what they are entitled to. The dates are listed above. A form may be obtained via email to al.yates@gm.com or may be downloaded on the UAW website on the veteran page.

THANK YOU

We can’t end the year without taking the time to thank all of those who have supported the UAW Local 5960 Veteran Committee this past year.

To Mike Dunn, Pat Sweeney and the rest of the E-Board, to the committees and the membership you have the heartfelt thanks of this committee and of the veterans that you allow us to serve. May 2011 be prosperous in all of your endeavors and may you reap the rewards of the seeds you have sown.

Ron Beiber's Remarks from the Black Lake Veteran Conference

Democrats and Republican Records on Veterans Issues
September 2010

The Obama and Democratic Record on Veterans and VA Funding

 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Obama stimulus bill enacted by our Democratic Congress) provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with $1.4 billion for VA projects. The bulk of the projects fell under VHA, which was allotted $1 billion through the stimulus package. Of that amount, $601 million is being used for non-recurring maintenance projects to correct, replace, upgrade and modernize existing infrastructure and utility systems for VA medical centers.

 Last year Congress passed and President Obama signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act. The act allows Congress to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical accounts one year in advance of the regular appropriations process. The advance appropriation gives the VA an extra year to plan. In return, the Department will be required to report to Congress whether or not it has the resources it needs for the upcoming fiscal year, so that Congress can address any funding imbalances. This will help safeguard the VA against budget shortfalls due to political or legislative delays. It also will help the VA respond better to health care inflation, costs associated with the aging of the overall veteran population, and injuries requiring costly and long-term treatment among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

 Democrats sponsored and President Obama signed in May 2010 the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act that expands mental health and counseling services to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, including National Guardsmen and reservists. Among the many benefits, the act:

o Creates a caregiver support program which provides services such as caregiver training and education, counseling and mental health services, and respite care (including 24-hour, in-home respite care).

o Provides caregiver support benefits, including lodging and subsistence payments when accompanying the veteran on medical care visits, health care coverage, and a monthly financial stipend, to those caring for eligible Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

o Increases support for veterans in rural areas by providing transportation and housing they need to reach VA hospitals and clinics.

o Expands and improves health care for women veterans, including maternity and newborn care.

o Launches a pilot program to provide child care for veterans receiving intensive medical care.

o Eliminates co-pays for veterans who are catastrophically disabled.

And the Democrats’ Defense Authorization Act of 2010:

o Requires mandatory, face to face and confidential mental health screenings for every returning service member;

o Increases the number of mental health providers in the military.

o Limits service members' exposure to hazardous waste by severely limiting the use of open air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan .

o Extends retroactive stop loss payments to Reserve/National Guard.

o Grants meaningful voting protections for overseas service members.

o Curtails DoD's practice of punishing service members for DoD's own financial mistakes.

Executive Actions by the Obama Administration related to veterans:

The President announced an initiative to create a joint virtual lifetime electronic record that will improve care and services to transitioning veterans by smoothing the flow of medical records between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.

Secretary Shinseki has unveiled a five year plan to end veterans' homelessness, including:

o preventive measures like discharge planning for incarcerated veterans re-entering society,

o supportive services for low-income veterans and their families,

o a national referral center to link veterans to local service providers, and

o expanded efforts for education, jobs, health care and housing.

 And just this past July, President Obama announced that the VA will ease rules to make it substantially easier for veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. The nearly 20 percent of veterans who return from Iraq and Afghanistan with signs of PTSD will now find it easier to obtain what they earned when they bravely defended our country. This decision to streamline the process for PTSD claims illustrates a commitment to our veterans from the Obama administration that was absent for eight years under Republican leadership.

For example, vets wishing to obtain a PTSD rating had even more impediments under the Bush administration. In 2008, it was uncovered that the VA was deliberately misdiagnosing veterans to reduce the cost of treatment and disability payments.

The Republican Record on Veterans and VA Funding

 Also in July of this year three amendments were submitted by Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, to the House Rules Committee that would have slashed 2011 Veterans Affairs Department funding by more than $52 million.

But when he realized it wasn’t politically expedient to do that in an election year, all three amendments were abruptly withdrawn just moments before the committee was set to approve them for consideration by the entire House.

 Bush stacked the VA with political cronies, such as former Republican National Committee chairman Jim Nicholson, who as VA Secretary defended a measure that sought major cuts in staffing for healthcare and at the Board of Veterans Appeals; slashed funding for nursing home care; and blocked four legislative measures aimed at streamlining the backlog of veterans’ benefits claims.

 Of the 84,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by VA, only half, about 42,000, had their disability claim approved by VA. Instead of expediting PTSD claims, Bush’s political appointees at VA actively fought against mental health claims.

 Bush’s appointees also obstructed scientific research into the causes of Gulf War illnesses dating back 18 years to Operation Desert Storm and opposed medical research on treatment for 210,000 of those veterans.

 As for funding, Bush proposed a 0.5 percent budget increase for the VA for fiscal year 2006, which amounted to a “cruel mockery” of Bush’s promises to do everything to support veterans and soldiers, Rep. Lane Evans, D-Illinois, said at the time.

 In early 2007, the Washington Post put a spotlight on the human consequences resulting from the combination of Bush’s wars and the budget squeeze.

The Post published a series of articles documenting the deplorable conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center , which is located less than five miles from the White House. Wounded vets were housed in rooms with moldy walls, leaky plumbing and an infestation of roaches and rodents.

In response to complaints that some veterans under VA care were being neglected, Nicholson said in March 2007 that such cases were “anecdotal exceptions.”

“When you are treating so many people there is always going to be a linen towel left somewhere,” he said.

 In May 2007, the AP revealed that while Nicholson was pinching pennies on treatment costs, he awarded “$3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006.″

 In May 2007, Bush threatened to veto legislation that sought a 10 percent -- $3.2 billion – increase in the VA budget, calling it too expensive. Bush proposed a 2 percent increase, far below what lawmakers and VA officials said was needed to treat a dramatic increase in traumatic brain injury and PTSD cases.

 And in November 2008, internal watchdogs discovered 500 benefits claims in shredding bins at 41 of the 57 regional VA offices around the country.

Here are some other highlights of the Bush and Republican record on veterans:

 Bush Administration cuts $1.5 billion from military family housing. The Bush Administration cut $1.5 billion for military family housing, despite Department of Defense statistics showing that in 83,000 barracks and 128,860 family housing units across the country are below standard.

 Republicans support millionaires instead of military veterans. Bush allies in Congress stopped efforts to scale back the tax cut for the nation's millionaires by just five percent - a loss of just $4,780 for the year - in order to restore this funding for military family housing.

 Bush Administration under-funded veterans' health care by $2 billion. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget under-funded veterans' health care by nearly $2 billion.

 Bush Administration proposal would end health care benefits for 173,000 veterans. More than 173,000 veterans across the country would be cut off from health care because of Bush Administration proposed budget cuts and its plan requiring enrollment fees and higher out-of-pocket costs.

 Bush Administration opposed plan to give National Guard and Reserve Members access to health insurance. Despite the war efforts of America 's National Guard and Reserve Members, the Bush Administration announced in October 2003 its formal opposition to give the 1.2 million Guard and Reserve members the right to buy health care coverage through the Pentagon's health plan. One out of every five Guard members lacks health insurance.

 Bush Administration cuts $172 million allotted for educating the children of military personnel. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget cut $172 million of impact aid funding. Impact aid funding assists school districts by making up for lost local tax revenue from tax-exempt property, such as military bases. These education cuts will especially affect school-age children of troops serving in Iraq who reside on military bases.

Michigan Veteran Trust Fund

Emergency Grants

Temporary assistance granted by the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund (MVTF) for emergencies or hardships is available to eligible wartime veterans, and their families, residing in the state. Under the authority of Public Act 9 of 1946 (as amended), the MVTF cannot provide assistance for long-term problems or chronic financial difficulties. Those eligible for the MVTF temporary grant program must apply through the MVTF county committee serving their county of residence. All applications are investigated, deliberated, and decided in confidence. Any applicant may request a personal hearing before the county committee at the meeting when his/her application is considered. If the county committee denies an application every applicant has the right to appeal that decision to the MVTF Board of Trustees (with the opportunity to appear before the board to present information and answer questions.) The MVTF does not provide loans under the temporary assistance program.

Applications for assistance are submitted in the veteran's county of residence.
General Definition of Need

When an eligible applicant is unable to temporarily provide the basic necessities of life in our society without causing a hardship, a situation for a possible MVTF grant exists. The assistance must be essential and not for the relief of an inconvenience, or the purchase of a want/desire. The key factor in determining whether or not a grant is justified is the ability of the applicant to manage the obligation for which aid is requested after a grant is made. If there is no reasonable expectation that the MVTF grant would enable the applicant to resume his/her responsibility, then aid is not appropriate or wise. Since the MVTF only has the yearly earnings of the trust to provide grants and administer its operations, care must be taken to insure that the resources are expended wisely and where they will help the most. If, by experience with the MVTF or through other means, an applicant's financial situation creates repetitive "emergencies" or appears chronic in nature, the county committee and/or the board must refer that person to other resources designed to address those lingering needs. In addition, the applicant should have attempted to resolve the emergency or hardship through every reasonable means available prior to asking the MVTF for assistance. (Often the willingness to take responsibility for one's difficulties is demonstrated by the ability to pay a portion of the debt). In other words, the applicant should have tried to resolve the problem, but is apparently unable to do so without MVTF aid.

Basic Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant from the MVTF, a veteran or dependent must be a legal resident of the State of Michigan at the time of the application. The veteran must have been discharged under honorable conditions, with at least 180 days of active wartime service (90 days for WWI veteran), or have been separated as the result of a physical or mental disability incurred in the line of duty (or aggravated by active duty). Service during the following periods (or an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, plus 180 days of honorable active duty, for service between periods in places such as Grenada , Lebanon , Berlin , Persian Gulf , Mayaguez Operation, or Desert Storm) is required:

WW I - April 6, 1917 , to November 11, 1918
(If service in Russia, then to April 1, 1920)

WW II - December 7, 1941 , to December 31, 1946

Korea - June 27, 1950 , to January 31, 1955

Vietnam - February 28, 1961 , to May 7, 1975

Persian Gulf - August 2, 1990 , to present

If a veteran has less than 180 days of active duty during these eras, duty in more than one period may be combined. Evidence of separation or discharge with less than 180 days of wartime service due to a physical or mental disability is required to determine eligibility.

Documentation

The following items are required when filing an application for trust fund assistance:

Discharge papers, separation report, or DD-214 (showing the dates of active duty and the character of the release)

Proof of residence (driver's license, voter registration, state I. D. )

Bills or account statements regarding the items for which you are seeking a MVTF grant

One or more of the following items may be required when filing an application for trust fund assistance:

Marriage certificate; birth certificates for minor children

Death certificate of a deceased spouse or parent

Documentation of any disability rating

Proof of employment or other income

Evidence of efforts at other appropriate agencies

Committee Members:

Mary Ann Merritt: Chairperson

Tim Brannan: Vice Chairperson

Al Yates: Financial Director

Jeff Meyer Jr.: - Secretary

Jesse Rivera: Retiree Liaison

Mac McGowan: VAVS Liaison

Tim Clements: Chaplain

Thom Tubbs: - Honors / Funeral Flag Details

Jim Galen: - Honors / Funeral Flag Details

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Send mail to Editor@UAW5960.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2010 UAW Local 5960