As last combat troops leave Iraq this week, Salas seeks to expedite help for veterans in need of medical and other services

August 19, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Assemblymember Mary Salas’ Assembly Bill 1925, which authorizes superior courts to develop and implement veteran’s courts for eligible U.S. veterans, is now on the Governor’s desk. If signed into law, AB 1925 will allow returning veterans a greater chance for succeeding in civilian life in the aftermath of combat.

August 18, 2010 (Sacramento) -- Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) announced today that his AB 2314 has been signed by the Governor. A bipartisan measure overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature, this legislation makes it easier for disabled veterans to receive a special property tax exemption available to them by extending the time frame for filing a claim.

June 19 (Chula Vista, CA) -- Veterans and active duty military will get access to financial planning advice and help with their benefits at a free afternoon seminar on Monday, June 21, 2010. A number of topics will be covered including the availability of tax breaks, eligibility for veterans’ benefits, small business assistance and professional pro bono financial planning advice.

 
By Bob Kipper, Vietnam War veteran and owner, KIAC Insurance Agency, San Marcos
 
Editor’s note: Last week we ran an article titled “Prop 17 would hurt veterans and consumers, experts warn.”  The Yes on Prop 17 campaign has responded by submitting the editorial below.

June 2, 2010 (San Diego) -- I have been an insurance agent for 23 years in San Diego County. My customers include retired and active military personnel, including those stationed at Camp Pendleton, Miramar Air Station and Point Loma Naval Base. I am also a Vietnam War veteran, having served in the Air Force.

 
February 8, 2010 (San Diego) – By an 8-0 vote, San Diego’s City Council has voted to place an initiative on the June ballot that would amend the City’s charter to expand eligibility for veterans’ hiring preference points when they apply for civilian jobs.

“We’ve got the largest group of returning veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Councilwoman Marti Emerald, who supports the measure. “This is the least we can do for these men and women who have served our nation.”

Take advantage of some of the hidden benefits of being a veteran!
 
By Nancy and Dawn Clement
 
November 5, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)- This week’s column is a special thank you to all the active duty, veterans, retired military and their families in the East County and San Diego region. Veteran’s Day is not just another time for stores to hold special sales, it is a day set aside to pause and collectively honor our military service members and their families.

November 1, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) will sponsor a Veterans Resource Fair for San Diego-area veterans on November 12, 2009, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2275. The event is set for 2 PM to 4 PM at VFW Post 2275, located at 136 Chambers Street  in El Cajon.  Counselors from Veterans Affairs will be on hand to offer assistance to veterans.

October 14, 2009 (Otay) – Assemblymember Mary Salas, Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, will host a Veterans Health and Resource Fair at Southwestern College 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910.  Over thirty representatives from health organizations and Veterans service organizations will be in attendance offering information, body mass index, blood pressure checks, and glucose screenings.

2ND BILL TO BUILD MORE V.A. CLINICS ALSO APPROVED

October 11, 2009 (Washington D.C.)– On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to H.R. 1016, a bill to secure timely funding for veterans’ health care delivered through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

“Today, the House of Representatives took action to respond to years of chronic underfunding of VA medical care,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and author of the bill. “Over the last 23 years, 20 VA budgets have been passed late – and our veterans pay the price with fewer doctors, longer waiting times, and more restricted access for the 6 million veterans using VA health care."

 Agreement between State of California and VA Will Result in Dramatic Increase in Benefits for Yellow Ribbon Program
 
August 27, 2009 (Washington, D.C.) – A recent agreement between the State of California and the Veterans Administration will result in a dramatic increase in benefits for the Yellow Ribbon program, which helps veterans afford tuition and fee costs at colleges and universities.
 
“The new G.I. Bill provides tuition to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars based on the cost of the most expensive four year public university in the state,” announced Cogressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “ In California, public schools traditionally do not charge tuition, but have relatively high fees. As a result, veterans attending private school in California would receive much less of a basic tuition benefit, he noted.

 
HALF OF ALL HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO ARE VETS
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
Photos by Joel Ryerson and Leon Thompson
 
July 18, 2009 (San Diego)—“No mayor in America has done more for homeless veterans than Gavin Newsom,” Congressman Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told veterans and media during a press conference yesterday at Stand Down, a three-day event at San Diego High School to help homeless veterans.
 
Filner announced that he has met with the new head of the Veterans Administration and that both agree there should be “zero tolerance for homeless veterans on the streets of America.”  

June 5, 2009 (San Diego) – The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council is offering free job training for returning service men and women. The program is funded by the State of California Employment Development Department.

May 29, 2009 (San Diego) – Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs has chosen a San Diego firm, Van Dyke Landscape Associates, to design a newly-approved Miramar Satellite Cemetery.

"Progress at last!” said Congressman Filner, who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. “We need to move this along as quickly as possible. Veterans’ families should not be required to travel to the Riverside National Cemetery to pay respect to their loved ones.”

May 28, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--“I spent 26 years serving my country in the US Navy, and I would do it again,” said Arthur Armagost, an Alpine resident and veteran. “But it pains me to see men and women I served with leaving California when they retire. They spent their entire careers stationed in California but can’t afford to live here anymore.”

State Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) agrees with Armagost and is leading an effort to make California friendly to veterans and military retirees.

May 26, 2009 (San Diego)--Tomorrow, Congressman Bob Filner is hosting a Veterans Town Hall at San Diego State University (SDSU) to publicly discuss the impact of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill on our veterans. Congress passed legislation to significantly expand the educational benefits for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Department of Veterans Affairs recently began accepting applications for these benefits.

May 8, 2009 San Diego, CA – Lestat’s West, the showroom next to the eclectic San Diego coffee house in Normal Heights, will screen “Running Dry”, a powerful documentary on the growing global water crisis on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00 pm. “Running Dry” is a comprehensive public information/education project, established to raise awareness about the worsening global humanitarian water crisis. The project’s centerpieces are two explosive and in-depth documentaries, “Running Dry” and “The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?”

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By Miriam Raftery
 
May 9, 2009 (Escondido)—After serving three tours of duty in Iraq, including urban combat zones in Fallujah and Haditha, former Marine Kevin Archipley and his wife, Karen (shown in photo) bought a farm in Escondido and resolved to help returning combat veterans adapt to civilian life.
 
“What the farm offers veterans is decompression,” he told East County Magazine. “In Iraq and Afghanistan, but especially Iraq, in the urban areas every window, every door, every rooftop is a danger. Garbage by the road could be an IUD. Cars are too close; they’re not allowed close to you in Iraq. . . When you come back home, you can’t turn those filters off. We’re talking with counselors who tell us some vets haven’t left their homes in a year. Out here, they’re out of an urban environment, but they’re still getting to a job every day.”
 

May 9, 2009 (Escondido)--The independent arts organization contACT ARTS (formerly xDrop Arts Organization) is sponsoring The Harvest Project, a benefit event to help Archi’s Acres organic farm build a new greenhouse to serve more combat veterans in its Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) program. The event is on Sunday, May 17 from 1 – 6 pm at the World Beat Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. (Photo: Ex-Navy Lt. Olaf Hansen tends hydroponic basil at Archi's Acres.)
 

By Miriam Raftery March 18, 2009 (Washington D.C.)--East County Magazine contacted Congressman Bob Filner's office after receiving an e-mail from the American Legion which stated that President Obama intended to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for treatment of military veterans who suffered service-related injuries or disabilities. Filner (D-San Diego), is Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. (Photo: Filner discusses trauma injury treatment capabilities at Balad Air Force Theater hospital) Filner promptly responded with an e-mail that read: "Billing our Heroes: It's DOA!" He added that the the Administration's proposal will not be taken up by the Veterans Affairs Committee. "Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs (or legs, or kidneys, or hearts) of our nation's combat-wounded heroes," Filner said. "We believe we can achieve the Administration's budget request (the first in history to actually exceed the recommendation of the veterans' Independent Budget) in other ways."

March 1, 2009 (Washington, D.C.) -- House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) provided the following statement on President Obama’s Budget Outline for the Department of Veterans Affairs for Fiscal Year 2010. “I applaud President Obama’s budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs. After sixteen years on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am very encouraged that this outline is consistent with recommendations made by the veterans’ groups who co-author the Independent Budget.