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VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS POST 5412 - BURKE, VA
WELCOME: Active Duty and Honorably Discharged Vets!
BURKE VFW POST 5412
DECEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER
COMMANDER'S LETTER:
(1) Ugh! Just read the words ". . . American leadership power waning . . ." on the December 5th Sunday Post editorial pages. That's nice, but I believe some continue to stand up for Americas economic and political freedoms. As Active Duty and Veterans, remember how we raised our hands "to protect and defend the Constitution"? At the November Burke VFW Post 5412 meeting, many new members did again and were warmly congratulated and welcomed. (Enough smiles to finish off a dozen Dunkin' Donuts).
(2) After 10 years of war, active duty/veterans need our attentive focus more than ever. We recently received a "thank you" note from USMC veteran Andy Aguinaga saying in part "I just wanted to shoot a quick email to you guys to thank you for lunch and helping me out. It's good to know that there are people out there actually willing to look out for veterans. We have to take care of our own. Semper Fi."
(3) Holiday Pot Luck Dinner 12/15/2010 at 1930 - 2100HRS:
- All Members/Friends and Family Invited!
- Where: Burke Centre Ponds Community Center 9837 Burke Ponds Lane, Burke, VA 22015
- DISH LIST to be circulated shortly!
(4) United Technologies Corporation is now a 'Star' Sponsor of Burke VFW Post 5412 Golf Outing (see more on-line at www.VeteransGolfClassic.com).
Win the Day!
Dave Meyers
Commander
SERVICE OFFICER REPORT (Bob Harter). VA Claims Backlog Update 46: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to significantly reduce the average time needed to obtain health-care records from private physicians with the help of a private contractor and the Internet to speed claims decisions. One innovation is using a private contractor to assist VA in collecting health-care records. When private medical records support a Veteran's application for benefits, a contractor will quickly retrieve the records from the health-care provider, scan them into a digital format and send the material to VA through a secure transmission. This pilot project hopes to validate initial estimates that a specialized contract can yield records required to process Veterans' disability compensation claims in seven to 10 days instead of VA's average 40 days. In addition, the additional contract frees VA staff to focus on core duties to process claims more quickly. Exploring economical contract support for time savings is one of more than three dozen initiatives supporting VA's claims transformation plan, which aims to ensure that by 2015, Veterans' claims are decided within 125 days. VA officials emphasize that in all cases Veterans must sign documents approving the release of their medical records to the department from private health-care providers. The test is expected to involve about 60,000 records requests among regional benefits offices in Phoenix; New York City; St. Louis; Portland, Ore.; Chicago; Anchorage, Alaska; Indianapolis, and Jackson, Miss. At the conclusion of the test, VA officials will decide whether to cancel, modify or expand any changes in procedures nationwide. [Source: VA News Release 29 Nov 2010 and RAO Bulletin 01 Dec 2010]
READY REFERENCE PHONE NUMBERS:
Air Force Retired Affairs 800-531-7502
Arlington National Cemetery 703-695-3250 / 703-695-3255
Army Retired Affairs 800-336-4909
Coast Guard Retired Affairs 800-772-8724
Marine Corps Retired Affairs 800-336-4649
National Personnel Records Center 314-538-4141
Naval Reserve Personnel Center (Records) 800-535-2699
Navy Retired Activities Office 800-255-8950
Social Security Administration 800-772-1213
TRICARE Headquarters 303-676-3526
TRICARE Senior Pharmacy Program 877-363-6337
VA National Service Life Insurance (NSL) 800-669-8477
VA Regional Office 800-827-1000
VA Service Department Burial Benefits 800-697-6947
Veteran's Group Life Insurance (VGLI) 800-419-1473
2010-2011 POST OFFICERS:
Commander Dave Meyers 703-978-1548 david.meyers(at)mris.com
Senior Vice Commander Gerhard Liebegott: gerhard.liebegott(at)us.army.mil
Junior Vice Commander Todd Sipe: toddrsipe(at)yahoo.com
Quartermaster Jerry Kaffka: jlkaff2(at)aol.com
Adjutant Brian Engler: englerbd(at)gmail.com
Service Officer Bob Harter: bob12348(at)verizon.net
Surgeon Maxine Engler: mengler54(at)gmail.com
Trustee Scott Logan: sslogan(at)verizon.net
Trustee Dave Courter: davecourter(at)msn.com
Trustee Tom Troy: ttrltroy(at)aol.com
FUTURE POST MEETINGS:
December 15, 2010 7:30 PM Post Meeting, Ponds Community Center, Burke
***Annual Family Holiday Dinner following this meeting***
January 19, 2011 7:30 PM Post Meeting, Ponds Community Center, Burke
February 16, 2011 7:30 PM Post Meeting, Ponds Community Center, Burke
March 16, 2011 7:30 PM Post Meeting, Ponds Community Center, Burke
***Tentative Family St Patrick's Day Dinner following this meeting***
Burke Post 5412 Veterans Golf Classic Set for 2011
Posted at 12:15 on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 by Post5412
Burke Post 5412 has announced that it will hold its fourth annual Veterans Golf Classic on 20 May 2011, once again at the Medal of Honor Golf Course, U.S. Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA. Further details and registration information is on-line at: http://www.veteransgolfclassic.com/
The deadline for registration is 15 April 2011. Don't delay--register now!
Greetings All Veterans and Friends of Burke VFW Post 5412:
Would you help launch our webpage in support Burke Post 5412 Relief Fund golf outing? Simply click "LIKE" button below.
Post 5412 Weblog
VFW District 10 Virginia
VFW Department of Virginia
VFW National
Survivors and Eligible Dependents VA Benefits
Post 5412's 2010 Golf Tournament (NEW!!)
Send E-Mail to: englerbd@gmail.com
Copyright © 2011 Brian Engler, Post Adjutant. All Rights Reserved