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Veterans News You Can Use Compiled by the Veterans Journal Staff Facts About VA Disability
Compensation Veterans are rated at increments of 10 percent reflecting degree of disability. The largest category of veterans on the compensation scale is at 10 percent disability ($106 per month), with 791,000 veterans at this rate at the end of fiscal year 2003 among the total 2.5 million veterans receiving disability compensation. Disability criteria are available online at: As medical knowledge, laws and procedures change, VA regularly publishes proposed changes to these criteria in the “Federal Register” for public comment before a final regulation is adopted. Where a veteran has more than one disability, the percentages are not added together to produce a new, overall rating. Instead, a formula described in federal regulations calculates the overall rating. A veteran may be rated at zero percent, meaning there is evidence of the service-connected condition, but it does not impair the veteran. An example is a minor scar. This zero percent rating, though not compensable, is beneficial, since it raises the veteran’s priority in other VA programs, and it may be reviewed for a higher rating if the condition worsens. A veteran may have a number of disabilities individually evaluated as 0 percent, which produce 10 percent combined disability and entitle the veteran to disability compensation. At the end of fiscal year 2003, there were 16,000 veterans in this category of “compensable zero” ratings. In addition to the 2.5 million veterans on the compensation rolls, past studies have shown approximately 1.2 million veterans have overall ratings of 0 percent, but because they do not receive payments from VA, the exact number is not known. The largest category of service-connected disabilities is musculoskeletal problems, accounting for 40 percent of all disabilities. This includes such problems as impairment of the knee and arthritis due to trauma. Data on the number and type of disabilities are published
annually at: Hire The Heroes VA Launches New Web Site On Hepatitis C The website has a veterans section that includes
general information and links to other websites. Hats Off... VA Seeks Volunteers To Inventory Memorials - - Has Your Status Changed? By Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, NJDMAVA/PAO New Jersey recently extended eligibility for State Veterans’ benefits to those who served in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Assembly Bill 3564, which was approved on Dec. 16, 2003, provides veterans who served at least 14 days in country in support of either Operation, benefits that include civil service preference, annual property tax deductions as well as other benefits. If you have any questions,
contact the New Jersey Department
of Military and Veterans Affairs - - Your Veterans Benefits Bureau By the Veteran Journal Staff The Veterans Benefits Bureau
is a six-person team responsible
for reviewing applications for the Determining veterans’ status for preference and pension status, which includes veteran’s preference for hiring in New Jersey Civil Service and Veterans status for pension purposes. The N.J. Veterans and Spouses Catastrophic Entitlement Program. Grants and Aids – POW/MIA/
War Orphan/Veterans Tuition
Credit Program, Post Traumatic N.J. Property Tax Deduction/Exemption Program works hand in hand with tax assessors to determine eligibility for the property tax benefit. New Jersey Medal Program: New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Korean Service Medal and replacement of State Medals. Operation Recognition Program (N.J. High School Diploma). Stand Down Operations. If you have any questions or
you need information regarding any
one of the listed entitlements - - Volunteer Program At New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes By Edward Weisenhorn The volunteer program at the
New Jersey Veterans Memorial
Home at Paramus, Menlo Park The volunteers perform a wide range of services to our residents. Some of the volunteers are called “ Friendly Visitors” who visit with individual residents as you would a friend or loved one in a nursing home or hospital. At times everyone just needs someone to talk to. Our facilities are blessed to have volunteers with special talents that they share with the residents. Volunteers assist residents in the arts and crafts room, working on projects such as painting pictures or building bird feeders. Some of their finished products are currently on display as you enter the facilities. Other volunteers who have musical abilities entertain our residents by playing beautiful melodies on our piano in Town Square. Still other individual volunteers
assist the recreation department
by running programs such as The Veterans Memorial Homes also benefit from the many Veterans and community organizations that provide functions that our residents always look forward to. These organizations run bingo, picnics, and schedule trips outside the facility. They not only donate their time but also make monetary donations for entertainment and other quality of life needs for the residents. As a way of saying Thank You
to our volunteers both individual and organizational, the facilities Anyone interested in volunteering
can contact the Director of Volunteer
Services at each facility: |
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