RETIREE CORNER

  • Published
  • By Denis Miller
  • Director, Retiree's Activities Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Veterans Affairs
About 86,000 Vietnam War veterans, their surviving spouses or estates will be eligible for retroactive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 86,000 are beneficiaries who can reopen previously denied claims for these conditions: ischemic heart disease, Parkinson's disease and chronic B-cell blood cancers including hairy cell leukemia. When the final rule is published, VA claims offices across the country can begin making payments. Veterans with these diseases will need to show they set foot in Vietnam during the war. Those who served aboard ship just off the coast remain ineligible. To file claims online, visit http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp or call 1-800-749-8387.

National Infantry Museum
The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Fort Benning, GA opened to the public in June 2009. More than a quarter million visitors have toured since it opened. It is dedicated to the U.S. Army Infantryman and their role throughout history. Fort Benning has been home to the infantry since 1918. The museum's premier exhibit is entitled "The Last Hundred Yards"-the stretch of ground belonging solely to the infantry during battle. The Hall of Valor exhibit honors the infantrymen who have earned the Medal of Honor. If you get a chance, stop and visit when you are in the area. For more information, go to www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com.

TRICARE
The Senate unanimously passed the TRICARE Affirmation Act. The bill had been previously passed by the House. The Act states that all TRICARE plans are now considered as minimal acceptable coverage under the new health care law. Defining TRICARE under law is important because it exempts its enrollees from the required purchase of additional coverage beyond what they already have. The bill was signed by the President April 26.

Social Security
Since 1957, if you had military service earnings for active duty, you paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings for military service between 1957 through 2001 can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. From 1957 through 1967, Social Security will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for benefits. From 1968 through 2001, you do not need to do anything. The credits were automatically added to your record. After 2001 there are no special extra earnings credits for military service. For service from 1957 through 1977, you are credited with $300 in additional earnings for each quarter you received active duty pay. From 1978 through 2001 you are credited with $100 in earnings for every $300 in active duty pay. For more information, contact the Social Security Administration.

What is a Vet?
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service. Others carry the evidence inside them. And except in parades, it is often hard to recognize a vet. You can't tell a vet just by looking. A vet could be the cop on the beat who did a tour in Iraq. She could be the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang. They are the POW who went away one person and came back another. They could be the Drill Instructor who never saw combat but saved countless lives training Marines. They could be one who liberated Nazi death camps but still sees the images when they close their eyes. They are three anonymous heroes in the Tomb of the Unknowns. They are the ones who stand proud and silent when the flag they defended passes by. They could be the classroom teacher, the hockey mom next door, the bagger at the grocery store. They are ordinary, yet extraordinary. They offered their service and sacrificed their ambitions so others would not have to. A veteran is a soldier, a savior, a sword and a beacon. Remember, and the next time you see someone who has served this country, tell them "Thank You," for that will mean more than any medals or accolades.