Sevier County Arkansas Veterans Service Office

01/18/2023

January 4, 2023

Good Afternoon,

Outreach, Transition and Economic Development (OTED) will host a Virtual Rural Veterans Outreach Symposium on Thursday, January 19, 2023. This symposium will feature representatives from VBA, VHA and the Vet Center. The primary focus of this collaborative effort is to focus on outreach and initiatives impacting the Rural Veteran community and will inform Veterans, Service members, family members, caregivers, and survivors about valuable VA resources. The symposium will provide information on current and future VA benefits, to include filing a VA disability claim online, fraud prevention and awareness and the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.

Outreach Symposium Details:
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2023
Time: 12:00 – 3:15 p.m. (EST)
Location: WebEx Virtual Platform
Quick Link: Click Here to Join the Symposium
Link to Join: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=m66013203fe7201aa20aa390035ec4822
Phone: 1-404-397-1596, Access Code: 2762 721 4248
Audience: Veterans Nationwide in Rural/Remote Areas, Service members, Family Members, Caregivers, Survivors, VA Staff and Outreach Coordinators, Veteran Advocates, National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO), National Association State Department of Veterans Affairs (NASDVA) and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO).

Simple, modern video meetings for everyone on the world's most popular and trusted collaboration platform.

03/09/2022

Dear Veteran,
The Department of Veterans Affairs will propose adding certain rare respiratory cancers to the list of presumed service-connected disabilities in relation to military environmental exposure to particulate matter.
When the proposal becomes final, dependents, survivors, and Veterans who had claims previously denied for any of the below respiratory cancers would be encouraged to file a supplemental claim for benefits.
• Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx;
• SCC of the trachea;
• Adenocarcinoma of the trachea;
• Salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea;
• Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung;
• Large cell carcinoma of the lung;
• Salivary gland-type tumors of the lung;
• Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung and;
• Typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung.
Any Veteran who had one of these cancers manifest to a degree of 0% or more at any time during or after separation would become eligible for service-connection.
VA intends to focus its rule on the rare respiratory cancers above in Veterans who served any amount of time in the Southwest Asia theater of operations and other locations. VA will invite and consider public comments as part of this process. The publication date of the federal register will occur in the coming weeks.
Once rulemaking is complete, VA will conduct outreach to impacted veterans and survivors to inform them about potential eligibility.
The Southwest Asia theater of operations refers to Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations.
If you are a Veteran who has been diagnosed with one of these conditions, but have not filed a claim, please notify VA of your intent to file a claim.

03/09/2022

If you receive a suspicious email from the Department of Veterans Affairs, DO NOT open the email or click on any attachments or links. VA does not send emails asking for personal information, threatening emails, or emails claiming to take adverse actions on claimants or beneficiaries (jail or lawsuits). If you receive any of these emails or are in doubt about any communications appearing to be from VA, please contact VA directly at 1 (800) 827-1000.
Phishing is a type of cyber-attack where the attacker sends a message designed to deceive a person and convince them to reveal sensitive information to the attacker. It is the most common means attackers use to gain unauthorized access to a device to obtain sensitive information.
Phishing emails can come from an unfamiliar sender or familiar looking sender with an email address that is off by a few letters. Additionally, phishing emails can include large or “too good to be true” offers or attachments.
VA takes the security of Veterans seriously.
For more information, please see this YouTube video of VA’s Office of Financial Management, Chief Financial Officer Charles Tapp II, on the proactive measures VA has taken to protect and prevent fraudulent activity and how you can protect your finances and personal data from fraud.
VA blogs also have information to help you stay vigilant at work and in your personal life and provide additional information on how phishing attacks are getting even more sophisticated.
You can find more information to help keep you cybersafe at Cybercrime Support Network and the Scam Spotter organization.

02/16/2022

Dear Veteran,
The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing changes to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities specifically pertaining to the respiratory, auditory and mental disorders body systems.
The proposed updates to the rating schedule for these conditions will enable VA to incorporate modern medical data and terminology to provide Veterans with more accurate and consistent decisions.
Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition in these body systems will not have their disability rating impacted when the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities is updated. Updating the rating schedule allows Veterans to receive decisions based on the most current medical knowledge relating to their condition.
By incorporating modern medical data in the assessment of disabilities and how they impact earning capacity, Veterans will receive evaluations which more accurately compensate them for their service-connected disabilities. Proposed updates include:
• Modernizing the evaluative rating criteria for sleep apnea, using developments in medical knowledge to evaluate it based on its responsiveness to treatment, bringing the rating criteria for sleep apnea more closely in line with the stated purpose of the rating schedule.
• Evaluating tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a symptom of the underlying disease which causes it, rather than as a stand-alone disability.
• Evaluating mental health conditions based on a more robust and holistic approach that assesses how impactful the disability is to cognition, interpersonal relationships, task completion, life activities and self-care. Additionally, the proposed evaluation criteria include a 10% minimum evaluation for having one or more service-connected mental health conditions and will no longer require total occupational and social impairment to attain a 100% evaluation.
No change to a Veterans current rating would occur due to these proposed changes. If the proposed changes are finalized, Veterans who currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition can apply for increased compensation, but no reductions shall be made unless an improvement in the Veterans disability is shown to have occurred.
The public has 60 days to provide comments to VA regarding the two proposed updates via the Federal Register notices locatedhere and here.
Thomas J. Murphy
Director, Northeast District
Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits

01/24/2022

Dear Veteran,
The Department of Veteran Affairs has extended the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities resulting from undiagnosed illnesses in Persian Gulf War Veterans to December 31, 2026.
Prior to the extension, Persian Gulf War Veterans had to file a claim for disability compensation before the end of the 2021 calendar year. VA is extending the presumptive period for qualifying chronic disabilities of 10% or more to ensure benefits established by Congress are fairly administered.
With scientific uncertainty remaining as to the cause and time of onset of illnesses suffered by Persian Gulf War Veterans and current research studies are inconclusive, limiting entitlement to benefitsdue to the expiration of the presumptive period would be premature. If an extension of the current presumptive period was not implemented, Service members whose conditions arise after December 31, 2021, would be substantially disadvantaged compared to Service members whose conditions manifested at an earlier date.
VA presumes certain medically unexplained illnesses are related to Gulf War service without regard to cause. These include: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, functional gastrointestinal disorders, and undiagnosed illnesses with symptoms that may include but are not limited to: abnormal weight loss, cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, headache, menstrual disorders, neurological and psychological problems, skin conditions, respiratory disorders, and sleep disturbances.
A wide variety of symptoms can qualify a Gulf War Veteran for presumptive service-connection, Veterans who are experiencing unexplained medical issues are encouraged to file a claim.
To learn more about VA and Gulf War Veterans, click here.

01/24/2022

Dear Veteran,
We would like to make sure you are aware of Department of Veteran Affairs delays in printing and mailing VA notification letters through the Government Publishing Offices vendors. More details can be found below and can be found online here: VA statement on GPO printing and mailing delay.
VA statement on GPO printing and mailing delay
WASHINGTON Due to supply chain and staffing shortages, the vendor contracted by the Government Publishing Office to provide printing services for the Department of Veterans Affairs is experiencing delays in printing and mailing notification letters to Veterans and claimants. The disruption may impact the ability of some claimants to meet required deadlines via written correspondence with VA.
In response to the mailing delays and to protect the best interest of claimants, the Veterans Benefits Administration is extending their response period by 90-calendar days for claimants with letters dated between July 13, 2021 andDec. 31, 2021.
If a claimant does not reply to a time-limited notification, such as, making an election of benefits or services,orreporting for a scheduled compensation and pension examination, VBA will not take adverse action to deny, reduce or terminate benefits and services unless: 1) the claimant is contacted and there is documentation of their right to respond; 2) the requested information has been received;or 3) the response periodhas lapsed.
VA and GPO are proactively working to quickly address the mailing delays.
For questions on this matter, Veterans and claimants can contact VA at 800-827-1000.
Veterans who filed an appeal with the Board of Veterans Appeals can click here for information specific to Board correspondence, scheduled hearings at the Board and receiving your Board decision.
As more information becomes available, updates will be provided. If you have any questions or believe you were impacted by the delays, call 1-800-827-1000, as stated above.
Thomas J. Murphy
Director, Northeast District, Veterans Benefits Administration,
Performing the Delegable Duties of the Under Secretary for Benefits

10/04/2021

What is NPRC’s operating status? Community spread of COVID-19 in the St. Louis area has worsened, and local public health metrics in St. Louis County no longer meet NARA’s standards for opening its buildings. To protect our staff and visitors from the transmission of COVID-19, the National Perso...

08/18/2021

This has been brought up a topic that has been brought up every year by the CBO as a way to reduce the National and VA budget- Basically stop paying TDIU veterans the 100% once they reach full Social Security Age, they are saying 67 the year all people born before 1959 will reach full social security age and be eligible for social security.

They also are trying to implement the following:

1. Include Disability Payments From the Department of Veterans Affairs in Taxable Income
2. Narrow Eligibility for VA’s Disability Compensation by Excluding Veterans With Low Disability Ratings
3. Reduce VA’s Disability Benefits to Veterans Who Are Older Than the Full Retirement Age for Social Security

This has NOT been passed by congress yet and is only a proposal at this time. I urge all Veterans to contact their representative's and tell them to stop taking promised benefit form the men and women who have fought to keep the country free.

03/30/2021

In 1945, Black members of the Women’s Army Corps served overseas for the first time. We salute all these trailblazing and courageous .
https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/outreachmaterials/womenveteransmakehistory/campaigns_makehistory.asp

03/30/2021

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm.

The first woman to serve as a major general in the U.S. armed forces, Holm had a long and distinguished career in the Army and Air Force. During World War II, she enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and attended officer candidate school. She spent most of the war commanding basic training units. In 1949, she transferred to the Air Force. She served in multiple assignments managing personnel and organization, and was appointed in 1965 as director of Women in the Air Force (WAF). During her tenure as director, WAF strength more than doubled, and job and assignment opportunities for women in the Air Force greatly expanded. Holm attained the rank of brigadier general in 1971 and major general in 1973. Her awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. She is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 45.