Category: Adjutant’s Corner

By COREY DICKSTEIN • STARS AND STRIPES • November 15, 2022  When Capt. Kelsey Hastings takes command of the Marine Corps’ revered Silent Drill Platoon later this month, she will become the unit’s first female leader — and its first-ever female member. Hastings, a 2017 […]

By DOUG G. WARE • STARS AND STRIPES • November 15, 2022  WASHINGTON — Close to 100 candidates with military service won or are winning their midterm elections and the results of these races could yield the largest influx of veterans voted into office on […]

ALCON Background The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 – better known as the PACT Act, signed into law Aug. 10, 2022 – opens the door for certain individuals to file lawsuits and collect damages from […]

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2022 — Today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will prioritize the processing of Veterans’ benefits claims for cancers associated with the PACT Act. VA will expedite these claims to ensure Veterans with cancer are getting […]

Screenings mark key step in implementing the PACT Act, which President Biden signed into law on August 10 WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2022 — Beginning tomorrow, Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and clinics across the country will offer enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screening. […]

For the November newsletter from Veterans Benefits please click on the link below. If the link doesn’t work for you copy and paste into your browser. Thanks https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAVBA/bulletins/331a772  

Mission Day Break: September 19, 2022 Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the 30 finalists and 10 Promise Award recipients in Phase 1 of Mission Daybreak, a $20 million grand challenge to reduce Veteran suicides. Mission Daybreak is part of VA’s 10-year strategy to […]

Follow this link to read the VA Benefits newsletter for October 2022; https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAVBA/bulletins/32c9340  

Military Times By Irene Loewenson • Oct 5, 12:51 PM  The Supreme Court listened to arguments Tuesday in a case to determine whether veterans with disabilities can collect decades’ worth of retroactive benefits from the Veterans Administration. Adolfo Arellano, who joined the Navy in 1977, […]

By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • September 29, 2022  WASHINGTON — An organization that challenged the accuracy of a recent veteran suicide report from the Department of Veterans Affairs told House lawmakers on Thursday that the agency’s data is missing a key piece: […]

Military Times By Leo Shane III • Sep 28, 05:29 PM  Veterans Affairs physicians will begin screening all department patients for military-related toxic exposures starting in November, the latest step in efforts to understand the scope and severity of injuries caused by burn pit smoke […]

The PACT Act is a historic new law that will help VA provide health care and benefits to millions of toxic-exposed Veterans and their survivors. Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on August 10th, VA has been hard at work on implementing […]

Military Times By Katelyn Peters • Sep 27, 04:32 PM  While the GI Bill will not change dramatically for 2023, there are still updates that veterans should familiarize themselves with to get the most from their benefits. In addition, there are education and tuition assistance […]

Military Times By Vincent Troiola • Sep 27, 03:06 PM  Recently, I was in a room with several thousand veterans and a simple request was made, “If you, or someone close to you, has experienced mental health issues, please stand.” As I stood up, nearly […]

Mike, The American Legion’s “Buddy Check” program has been a great tool for our membership, and we were proud to endorse legislation that expands this program to VA. This legislation has since been included in a comprehensive package that includes dozens of bipartisan mental healthcare […]

NBC News Sept. 24, 2022, 7:00 AM EDT • By Melissa Chan  Tony Miller killed countless enemy forces while deployed in Iraq, where his Army unit captured so many high-value targets that they received a valor award. “Violence was good,” said Miller, a paratrooper, who […]

Military Times By Leo Shane III • Friday, Sep 23  Veterans could see their benefits boosted by the biggest margin in four decades after Congress on Thursday finalized plans to guarantee that veterans’ checks see the same cost-of-living boost as Social Security payouts. Federal officials […]

By NANCY MONTGOMERY • STARS AND STRIPES • September 17, 2022  An exhaustive study four years in the making has found nearly a 40% higher rate of veteran suicides than that reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The study’s interim report, based on service […]

By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • August 31, 2022  WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department has declared all 23 health conditions outlined in the recently enacted PACT Act “presumptive” from the date the bill was signed, reducing the burden on veterans or their […]

By SARA SAMORA • STARS AND STRIPES • August 22, 2022  WASHINGTON — The day President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins, Marine veteran Jerry Ensminger filed one of […]

JR Radcliffe • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel • Published 10:12 a.m. CT Aug. 23, 2022  Once upon a time, the American Legion National Convention completely took over Milwaukee. Back in 1941, when the prestigious event chose Milwaukee as its destination, the city scrambled for ample hotel […]

Aug. 23, 2022, 5:00 AM EDT • By Courtney Kube  A think tank says that military veterans are more likely than the rest of the public to be arrested and has launched a new commission to determine why and how the problem can be addressed. […]

Aug. 24, 1982: American Legion membership is available to those who served from this date through July 31, 1984, during what is known as the Lebanon/Grenada era. U.S. military personnel were deployed to Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission following a U.S.-brokered cease fire between Israel […]

19 Aug 2022 • Military.com • By Thomas Novelly  Applications to the service academies dropped significantly this past year — ranging from 10% to nearly 30% — as the military continues to grapple with recruitment woes amid a national dip in college enrollment across the […]

Aug. 22, 1941: The U.S. Navy commissions the USS American Legion, and her World War II career begins, including landing some of the first troops at Guadalcanal, supplying a hospital, conducting rescue missions and training exercises. American Legion receives two battle stars during World War […]

President Signs Honoring Our PACT Act, American Legion Commander Praises ‘Patriotic Advocates’ WASHINGTON (August 10, 2022) – The American Legion National Commander Paul E. Dillard praised President Biden and the bipartisan majority of congressional members who supported the most comprehensive veterans’ health-care legislation in decades. […]

Senator Smith’s Bipartisan Legislation to Secure Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Radiation Passes Senate The Atomic Vets Act was passed as part of the historic PACT Act  WASHINGTON, D.C. [8.3.22] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that her bipartisan legislation securing health […]

By David Lerman • Posted August 2, 2022 at 7:40pm  More than 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances on overseas deployments will gain easier access to health and disability benefits under a bill that cleared the Senate Tuesday. The 86-11 vote ended […]

We have received a number of calls at the department offices about the “member since” on the 2023 membership renewal notices. All the notices have the last year paid not the year you joined The American Legion. Rest assured that your membership record reflects the […]

Greetings, USA Water Ski and Wake Sports is happy to announce a Veterans Learn to Ski Clinic in Perham, Minnesota funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Through this grant, the Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team will host an […]