MOBILE SERVICE OFFICE PROGRAM
The work of NSOs extends well beyond their offices and extends deep within the veterans community.

Part of their outreach activities involves DAV's Mobile Service Office (MSO) Program. This program is designed to educate disabled families on specific veteran's benefits and services.

These well equipped "offices on wheels" will eliminate long trips some veterans must take to visit our National Service Offices. This means providing better service to more veterans and their families. NSO's, often aided by Department and Chapter Service Officers who are staffing the MSO's, will stop in communities across the country and assist veterans in completing applications for benefits from the VA and other government agencies.

The following is the Spring 2008 MSO list of stops in our area. The time for all stops is from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. Please contact NSO Supervisor Bryan Held with any questions you may have at (716) 857-3354.

Sat. May 31, 2008 - Gowanda Harley-Davidson
2535 Gowanda-Zoar Road

Sunday, June 1, 2008 - Fredonia
Wal-Mart
10401 Bennett Road

Monday, June 2, 2008 - Salamanca
Haley Building
3645 Administration Drive

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - Machias
Machias Library
9538 Main Street

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - Sonyea
American Legion #1341
7150 Sonyea Road

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Rochester
VA Outpatient Clinic
465 Westfall Road

Friday, June 5, 2008 - Rochester
VA Outpatient Clinic
465 Westfall Road

Additionally, the MSO will return to the Albany, Buffalo, and New York City area later this year. Information regarding MSO stops to be scheduled will be posted in an upcoming newsletter.

2008 - 2009 CHAPTER SERVICE OFFICER CERTIFICATION TRAINING
Once again, DAV National Service Officers (NSOs) from the New York, Albany, and Buffalo National Service Offices are pleased to be conducting the 2008-2009 Annual Department Service Officer (DSO) and Chapter Service Officer (CSO) Certification Training at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, 400 Granite Road, Kerhonkson, NY, 12446. This year training will be held on Monday, June 23, 2008, starting at 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday, June 24, 2008, starting at 2:00 p.m. until completion, in conjunction with the DAV Department of New York Annual Convention.

Although all are encouraged to attend this training, certification and training materials will be limited to newly elected or appointed Chapter Service Officers for 2008-2009. Supervisory NSO Bryan Held will be coordinating training and will be sending official notification and instructions to each Chapter regarding this training in the near future. It is vital for this information to be shared at Chapter meetings and the registration information properly completed and returned by the deadline. Please contact me with any questions you may have:

We look forward to seeing you at the training.

Yours in Comradeship,
Bryan J. Held, Supervisor
Disabled American Veterans, Buffalo, NY
(716) 857-3354

VA BENEFITS GUIDE
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently published their Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents for 2008. An easy-to-read reference guide, it provides the most current information about your earned benefits.

Be careful before hitting the print button--it is 153 pages and may take some time to print. However, you may want to hit your "Save to" tab and download it for future reference into a folder of your choice. You can download or print your copy at http://www.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf.

VA INCREASES TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT FOR ELIGIBLE VETERANS
VA Press Release
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake: "Disabled Veterans Earned Increase"

WASHINGTON (January 31, 2008) - Over a million eligible veterans will see their mileage reimbursement more than double starting tomorrow for travel to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities. "This increase helps veterans -- especially those living in rural areas -- offset some of the gasoline costs as they travel to VA's world-class health care," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Increasing the mileage reimbursement is one more step by VA to help veterans access the health care they deserve. "The 2008 appropriations act provided funding for VA to increase the beneficiary travel mileage reimbursement rate from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile. The increase goes into effect on Feb. 1. After little more than a month on the job, Secretary Peake used his authority to establish the first increase in the mileage reimbursementin in 30 years, fulfilling a pledge he made during his Senate confirmation hearing last month. While increasing the payment, VA, as mandated by law, also equally increased the deductible amounts applied to certain mileage reimbursements. The new deductibles are $7.77 for a one way trip, $15.54 for a round trip, with a maximum of $46.62 per calendar month. However, these deductibles can be waived if they cause a financial hardship to the veteran.

OPEN LETTER FROM WILLIAM F. GIBNEY, NSO
A recent U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims' (CVAC) benchmark decision concluded that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been illegally denying disability benefits and health care to ailing Vietnam veterans exposed to herbicides (e.g. Agent Orange). In Hass v. Nicholson it was determined the VA's interpretation of the law, in which offshore veterans are denied the presumption of a service-connected disability because they did not actually set foot in Vietnam, was in error because the law does not specifically limit applying the presumption solely to veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam. Thus, Vietnam veterans who served aboard ships off shore of Vietnam and who were exposed to toxic agents in the water and on their vessels are eligible for service connected benefits from the VA (Hass v. Nicholson_Vet. App._No. 04-0491, slip op. [Aug. 16, 2006]). Veterans who were previously denied service connection for a presumptive disability regarding this type of exposure should reopen their claim with the VA. Those who have a presumptive disability and served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia or on Navy ships off the coast of Vietnam should apply immediately for service connection. We would urge all service officers to be proactive in advising claimants and all veterans in your respective areas of this significant development in addition to helping them file their claims. If you have questions, please feel free to contact this office. William F. Gibney, Supervisor Disabled American Veterans National Service Office Stratton VA Medical Center (272K3) 113 Holland Avenue Albany, NY 12208

ENCOURAGE THE PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT THE OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT
We want to thank you for your assistance in support of the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008 by the many responses you sent to your respective members of Congress, followed by communication to the President. As you know, House and the Senate passed the appropriations bill, and forwarded the bill to the president wherein he has until January 18, 2008, to request $3.7 billion as emergency funding. He has signed the appropriations bill, but as of this date, he has not signed the emergency designation. Therefore, we once again ask that you contact the President and urge his support of the needed $3.7 billion increase in emergency funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This total budgetary increase would equal $6.6 billion more than last year. Without the proposed $3.7 billion in increased funding, the VA would most likely fail once again to meet the challenge imposed upon it by the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This proposed funding comes at a time when the VA is desperately struggling to solve problems ranging from reducing the alarming spike in veteran suicides, treatment for complex traumatic brain injuries, rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans of the ongoing wars, an ever-growing, seemingly unstoppable, disability claims' backlog and homelessness among the nation's newest generation of veterans.

Please contact the President immediately by telephone or email and urge him to sign and request the emergency funding contained in the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008. If you prefer, you may visit the DAV website, www.dav.org, to send a prepared email to the President. As always, we greatly appreciate your efforts on behalf of our nation's disabled veterans.

PAY IN VET'S WORK PROGRAM RULED TAX FREE
VA Press Release

WASHINGTON (January 7, 2008) -- Payments provided to veterans under two specific programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) -- the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) and Incentive Therapy (IT) programs - are no longer taxable, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Veterans who paid tax on these benefits in the past three years can claim refunds.Recipients of CWT and IT payments no longer receive a Form 1099 (Miscellaneous Income) from VA. Veterans who paid tax on these benefits in tax years 2004, 2005 or 2006 can claim a refund by filing an amended tax return using IRS Form 1040X. Nearly 19,000 veterans received CWT benefits last year, while 8,500 received IT benefits.The IRS agreed with a U.S. Tax Court decision earlier in 2007 that CWT payments are tax-free veterans benefits. In so doing, the agency reversed a 1965 ruling that these payments were taxable and required VA to report payments as taxable income.The CWT and IT programs provide assistance to veterans unable to work and support themselves. Under the CWT program, VA contracts with private industry and the public sector for work by veterans, who learn new job skills, strengthen successful work habits and regain a sense of self-esteem and self-worth. Veterans are compensated by VA for theirwork and, in turn, improve their economic and social well-being. Under the IT program, seriously disabled veterans receive payments for providing services at about 70 VA medical centers.

FOR NEW YORK MEMBERS ONLY

If you're a member of the DAV, Department of New York and enrolled at the local VAMC for your medical care, we urge you to get your "DOG TAGS" to prove it.

The VA Medical Centers (VAMC) in New York are being short-changed everyday. As you know a portion of the monies formerly provided to our local VAMC's since April, 1997 are being distributed to other regions of the country, under "Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation" (VERA). The result is that thirteen Networks receive VERA funding increases over funding levels for FY 1997. Nine VISN's receive less funding. You guessed it, we're in the less-funding area.

Because some pandering bean counter sought to please his supervisor, by devising a way to save a buck, New York's VAMC's were and still are under funded.

But that's not all. The actions taken to date are not carved in solid rock. Things could get worse. Here's what Dr. Thomas L. Garthwaite, VA's Deputy Undersecretary for Health in 1998 when VERA was first implemented said, "We are continually reviewing VERA to assure that our healthcare resources are allocated in a manner that moves the VA system toward our goal of having equity of access to our services in all regions of the country, and in a manner that achieves the greatest return for the investment in taxpayer dollars."

Accordingly, further diversion of funds from New York's VAMC's to those in other regions is a serious possibility. For that reason, we've been requested more than once to use our presumed clout to encourage area veterans to enroll at New York's VAMC's for their medical treatment so as to justify the retention of sufficient federal dollars in our state to adequately provide the medical care and hospital needs of veterans here.

So, Rather than wait for the other shoe to fall, we are seeking ways to foster greater enrollment of veterans for treatment at our area VAMC's. As a matter of fact, check out our latest effort.

We hereby announce the availability of a pair of "dog tags" that enrolled veterans may obtain from Department Headquarters. Here's what they look like:

They are beautiful, colorful and skillfully manufactured. You can wear them around your neck, on your key chain, in your wallet or, if you like, stick them in your hat band. Your choice. A donation of $6.00 or more will get you either one, or a donation of $10.00 or more will get you both. Bulk orders will be honored and it's less costly, too. Just contact Department Headquarters for details.

If you're enrolled at your local VAMC, you can get as many of these "dog tags" as you want. Just send in your donation and they're yours by return mail. You really should get them. It's a matter of pride.

Questions? Call us at (516) 887-7100.

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Enabling the Disabled

A step-by-step process to help disabled drivers select the right vehicle and adaptive equipment is offered in a new brochure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The publication, Adapting Motor Vehicles for People with Disabilities, includes advice on investigating cost-saving opportunities and licensing requirements, evaluating needs, choosing a qualified dealer to modify the vehicle, and organizaions to contact for assistance.

The brochure is available by calling the Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or by visiting NHTSA's web site at www.nhtsa.gov.

Listings of manufacturers that provide adaptive equipment ranging from mechanical and powered hand controls to wheelchair lifts are offered in the Disabled Driver's Mobility Guide from AAA. Available to members for free ($9.95 for non-members), the guide also lists driver-training facilities, evaluators and organizations that provide transportation options for the disabled.

To receive a copy of the NHTSA brochure (limited supply) or the AAA guide from the AAA Motor Club in New York, call 516-873-2364.

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