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September/October 2016
West Virginia Paralyzed Veterans of America, Inc.
Page 2 ROLLING MOUNTAINEER
WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTER PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC. 336 Campbells Creek Dr.
Charleston, WV 25306
Tel: (304) 925-9352 or (800) 540-9352
Fax: (304) 926-8519
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.wvpva.org
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:30pm
WV-PVA OFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Lawrence “Louie” Mullins, Jr. Laura Ellington, Curtis Jobe, Gilbert “Darrell” Miller,
Vice President: VACANT James Reynolds, Richard Simers, Albert Taylor, Jr.
Secretary: Darrell Carrell
Treasurer: Albert “Brooks” Martin NATIONAL DIRECTOR
Lawrence “Louie” Mullins, Jr.
PROGRAM DIRECTORS STAFF
Membership Officer: Amanda Bias Executive Director: Amanda Bias
Volunteer Coordinator: Amanda Bias Administrative Assistant: Brooke Sigman
Advocacy/Legislation: Lawrence “Louie” Mullins, Jr.
Service: Richard Simers CHAPTER EDITORS
Fundraising: Brooke Sigman Makayla Bias & Amanda Bias
Sports & Recreation: Albert “Brooks” Martin
Newsletter Subscription
Attention:
Want to help us cut costs
receive the newsletter via
contact us at
Has your address changed?
Please inform us by email:
[email protected], or you
may write or call us at the
following:
West Virginia Chapter PVA
336 Campbells Creek Dr.
Charleston, WV 25306
Office (304) 925-9352 or
(800) 540-9352
Fax (304) 926-8519
Page 3
PRESIDENT’S REPORT By: Lawrence “Louie” Mullins, Jr.
Summer is coming to an end and fall is quickly approaching. Like the seasons, our chapter is also changing from a stagnant chapter to a chapter with community awareness and new members. We are steadily moving in the right direction. With fall comes opportunities to get out of the house and be active. We have several exciting events coming this fall, includ-ing but not limited to, an archery clinic and bocce ball clinic. More information will be available on these throughout the issue. We are in the process of planning a Christmas par-ty. There will be more information regarding this in the November/December issue. I also had the pleasure to meet with several groups interested in supporting our chapter through either fundraising or free legal advice with the West Virginia University Law School.
As always, I look forward to seeing you at one of these events, and/or the board of directors’ meetings. Our next board of directors’ meeting will be September 15, 2016 at 11:30 am. Feel free to come sit in on the meeting and see what the chapter is about. Lunch will be provid-ed, so please call the office and let Amanda or Brooke know if you will be attending. If you have any other questions feel free to call the office or myself, and if we cannot assist you we will find someone that can.
SPORT’S REPORT By: Albert “Brooks” Martin
Bowling Night Every other Thursday night we have a bowling fun night at Galaxy Lanes in Charleston, WV from 5:00—8:00 pm. The cost for this event is $5.50 per person, this includes shoe rental. This is open to all veterans and their caregivers and family. Our next dates are Sep-tember 15th & 29th. Adaptive Archery Clinic WV PVA has been working with the CAMC Para-Athletics to host an adaptive archery clinic on September 17, 2016. The WV Bow Hunters Assoc. and Cabela's will be sponsoring the event. It will take place at Coonskin Park Driving Range in Charleston, WV from 9:00 am—11:00 am. James Cowie III, National Champion and record holder 3 years in a row for WASUSA that's now adaptivesportsusa.org will be there. The WV Bow Hunters Assoc. Director John Drangmeister and archer Ron Payne from Ni-tro, WV will be providing the bows, arrows, and targets. Cabela's has donated a very nice door prize for us to give away in a drawing to one of our participants. During the 2 hours the instructors will concentrate on the individual archers and if there
are enough people who feel they would like to have a little competition it will be toward the end or possibly right after the event. If you are interested in attending please contact me or the WV PVA office. CAMC Golf Championship The annual Para-Athletic Program Golf Championship will be September 21st at Shawnee golf course in Dunbar. Please RSVP by contacting Zach at 304-388-9865 to schedule a tee time. Equipment will be available by RSVP only. The cost is $25 for 18 holes, $15 dollars for 9 holes, and $10 dollars for 3 holes. If there are any questions regarding any of these activi-ties feel free to ask. Boccia Ball Clinic WV PVA will be hosting it’s first Boccia Ball Clinic on October 29th & 30th. This is still in the planning process. Look on page 14 for more information. National Wild Turkey Federation Louie and I met with the Regional Director of the WV State Chapter for the National Wild Turkey Federation, Bob Farkasovsky. He was very excited to meet us and know we are serious in getting with their chapter guides for hunts. The guides are willing to loan equipment if they can meet ahead of time and know the vet-eran can handle the firearms. If you are a veteran and would like to go on a hunt we need to know what type of firearm you want to use, what game you want to hunt (deer, turkey, etc.), your level of mobility, and where you live. Jackson County Hunting Heroes Louie and I met with Troy Bain for Jackson County Hunting Heroes. This is the 3rd or 4th year that Jackson County officials have hosted this event. Troy is an EMT and is the medi-cal attendant for the event. He explained that since the event is still running in its infancy, they would rather have vet-erans with stronger trunk and arm control. This will make it easier for the guides to take the veterans into the woods to hunt. He stated that this is one area they look to strengthen their abilities in order to host more disabled veterans. The hunt will be on a combination of acreage on the Parchment Valley Baptist Conference Center and farms nearby that are donated to the event by local landowners. This event will be held on December 8, 9, and 10. There are dormitories on the property that will be used to house the hunters and a dining area for breakfast and dinner. There are 3 lakes on the property as well as 4 or 5 more in the area that are available for fishing. If you are interested or know of anyone who may want to attend this hunting event, let me know because he said they would have room for 3 or 4 more veterans in this year's event.
Page 4 ROLLING MOUNTAINEER
Job and Resource Fairs Four upcoming job or resource fairs that Senator Manchin is co-hosting in September and October. These 4 events are part of a series of 13 job fairs that Senator Manchin has co-hosted this year, with more in November and December to be announced soon. 1) September 19 in Martinsburg. Job and Resource Fair. To register, or for more infor-mation, please contact Sandra or Christy with WorkForce WV at 304-267-0065 or Cris at 304-264-4626 [email protected] 2) September 30 in South Charleston. Job and Resource Fair. Register here http://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Ul6XC6Lo1b9IJn More information can be found at this link or contact Jamie 304-558-0342 ext 3043 or Mara at 304-342-5855 3) October 3rd in Wheeling. Business Development Workshop. This event will help businesses build their online presence. Register here https://events.gybo.com/events/245/register
For additional information, call Sara Dearing at 304-345-0700 or Sara Payne at 304-342-5855.
4) October 28 in Beckley. Job and Resource Fair. To register please contact Lisa 304-256-0282 or [email protected].
“Emergency Non-VA Care”
By Doug Woodard, Sr. NSO/Area Manager
Medical emergencies happen in every family. The most important matter at those times is that medical treatment should be sought immediately. In the case of veterans enrolled in VA healthcare, this can sometimes mean that they are treated at private sector facilities. Consequently, it is important for those veterans and their families to understand the VA’s regulations on payment or reimbursement for the non-VA medical care after an emergency. For veterans that are rushed to a hospital for a service connected condition or are rated by the VA to be permanent and totally disabled, the VA will pay the private sector hospital for the cost of the care and transportation, in accordance with 38 USC 1728. However, the VA will pay these bills only if they are notified of the treatment within 72-hours and the bill is received by the VA within 2 years of the admission. Furthermore, the VA will only pay for
Page 5
emergency medical treatment up to the point that the veteran is medically stabilized, and it is safe for him or her to be transferred to a VA medical facility. Likewise, the VA will pay for the emergency medical treatment of a veteran with an emer-gency condition that is not service connected, nor rated permanent and total, in some situa-tions, pursuant to 38 USC 1725. However, the criteria for this benefit is much narrower than found in 38 USC 1728. Essentially, the VA will pay or reimburse in these scenarios, on-ly if the veteran has no other health insurance, which includes private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. The VA must receive the bill within 90-days of the treatment. Furthermore, the veteran has to be enrolled in VA healthcare at the time of the emergency and had to have been seen at a VA facility within the last two years. What is a medical emergency? According to the VA, which uses a reasonable person stand-ard, it is when a person thinks that they are putting their life in jeopardy if they do not ob-tain immediate medical care at the closest possible facility. For example, if a person has chest pains and believes that they may be having a heart attack, the VA would consider this an emergency. Conversely, if a person has a small cut on their index finger that may require a couple of stitches, it is not likely that the VA would consider this a medical emergency. If you have questions about this article, or any other VA matter, please contact me in the Huntington office. I can be reached at (304) 399-9393.
Veterans Advocacy Bootcamp By: Lawrence “Louie” Mullins, Jr.
On August 16, 2016, I attended a Veterans Advocacy Bootcamp at the WVU College of Law. Professor Jen-nifer Oliva, from the university, who is also a veteran, contacted me regarding this event, and I knew I did-n’t want to pass up this opportunity. During the training, we covered the VA claims process, service-connected disability compensation, de-pendent and indemnity compensation and options after the VA has denied a claim, this was all just before lunch. During lunch Keynote speaker Robert Booth Goodwin II spoke about the importance of Veterans to America and the young lawyers advocating for their benefits. After lunch, we learned about Pro Bono Program, Judicial review, practice before the US Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims, Common VA errors raised and settlement issues faced by counsel and discharge up-grades, followed by a question and answer session. In closing, I learned more about the Veterans Benefits process in the 8 hours I was amongst all those law-yers then I learned in the 20 years I have been in the VA system. Professor Oliva has offered pro bono legal services for any veteran in this state through the WVU Law School and law students. If you have any ques-tions or any legal issues call the office, and they can get her in touch with you.
Page 6 ROLLING MOUNTAINEER
August 19, 2016 Volume 22, No. 8 ***PRIORITY***
The Government Relations staff is still looking for stories about problems that our members have experienced during air travel. Please visit www.AirAccess30.org and share your story.
Presidential Campaigns Wrap-up Nominating Conventions
The House and Senate recessed in mid-July to accommodate the Republican and Democratic National Conventions held over the last two weeks of July. The Republican National Convention (RNC) was held the first week after recess in Cleveland, OH. During the convention, Donald Trump and Mike Pence were formally nominated as the Republican candidates for the President and Vice President. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held the following week in Philadelphia, PA. During the DNC, Hillary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine were formally nominated as the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President. The conventions also included approval of the official party platforms for the Republican and Democrat-ic parties. Both platforms recommit to America’s sacred trust to veterans, they expound at length the heroic character of our service members, and regrettable consequences that befall them and their fami-lies. Where their similarities diverge is in each party’s perception of primary problems and the corre-sponding plans to address them. The full RNC platform can be accessed at: https://gop.com/platform/. The full DNC platform can be accessed at: https://www.demconvention.com/platform/. The RNC platform denounces the wait-time scandals concerning VA. In response to these controver-sies, Republicans seek accountability of senior leadership and fundamental changes to their structure. Regarding veterans’ health care, Republicans will seek to consolidate VA’s existing community care au-thorities to make a single program. In order to combat bureaucratic stagnancy, they encourage VA part-nerships with private enterprises, VSOs and competitive bidding, predicting such work will allow for high quality VA care, reduce backlogs, and save resources. Additionally, Republicans will retain veter-ans’ preference, support a broader range of options for health care, including faith-based programs to respond to the opioid crisis, and encourage private sector and public school hiring of veterans. The Democrats, equally enraged by VA scandals, propose fully resourcing VA to meet the needs of all veterans and reject attempts at privatization. The platform emphasizes the need for more education benefits and job training, preservation of the post-9/11 GI Bill, and fair treatment of reservists and Guard members. They recommit to ending chronic homelessness and suicide. Regarding veterans’ health care, they emphasize veteran-centric care, resources for military sexual trauma (MST), the growth of mental health programs, treatment of invisible and toxic wounds and the expansion of the VA Caregiver Pro-gram to veterans of all eras. They seek to provide women with full and equal treatment, including repro-ductive health services. The DNC platform also proposes workplace policies that are more equitable for caregivers, as well as the expansion of a well-paid home care workforce and increased access to long-term care. They disfavor the deportation of immigrants who are veterans, while also highlighting the housing crisis for veterans in Indian Country.
The only identical policy proposal from both parties, aside from vaguely ensuring high quality health care and benefits for veterans (achieved differently), is a commitment to veterans treatment courts to prioritize rehabilitation over incarceration. The respective platforms also offer views on some disability policy, albeit with slightly different inflections. The Republican platform highlighted the GOP’s historic support of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the role of Republican leadership in the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportuni-ty Act (WIOA), ABLE Act and the Steve Gleason Act. WIOA was the first major overhaul of the nation’s workforce system in almost 20 years while the ABLE Act was a measure that lets people with disabilities maintain access to services while saving to develop assets. The Gleason law bears the name of former NFL player Steve Gleason who developed ALS. The law provides access to speech-generating devices. To en-courage entrepreneurship, the platform endorsed opening the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) certifi-cation program to people with disabilities, something that PVA has long supported. The platform contin-ued the party’s opposition to embryonic stem cell research and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Social Security was addressed largely from the perspective of reforms needed to the re-tirement system with Republicans calling for “all options,” other than tax increases, to be considered for modernizing this important social insurance program. The Democratic platform addressed a number of issues important to individuals with disabilities including affirmation of support for the ADA and promises to expand access to appropriate accommodations and sup-ports people with disabilities need to live in integrated community settings. The party endorsed policies that would bring to an end sub-minimum wage work, improve the lives of caregivers of people with disabil-ities, increase federal funding for affordable housing for low-income families, people with disabilities, veter-ans and the elderly, improve access to meaningful and gainful employment for people with disabilities and vowed to continue to fight for ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In sections of the platform concerning restoration of the full protections of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the Democrats highlight support for full funding of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to ensure that all registration materials, voting materials, polling places, and voting machines are fully accessible to seniors and Americans with disabilities. With regard to Social Security, the platform opposes efforts to cut or pri-vatize the program or raise the retirement age and supports improvements to the cost-of-living formula that better reflects the fixed expenses of seniors and people with disabilities. The party also proposes measures to ensure the long term solvency of Social Security by asking those earning above $250,000, a year to con-tribute more to the system and to provide sufficient financial support to the Social Security Administration to ensure it can provide timely benefits and high quality services to all beneficiaries. Ultimately, the platforms only serve as a guide for the two parties during the course of the political cam-paigns with the goal to influence the policy positions of the major party candidates. However, the presiden-tial candidates are not obligated to adopt the platform proposals. During next month’s Washington Up-date, we will highlight the individual candidates’ policies directed towards veterans and people with disa-bilities.
PVA Attends VA Joint Symposium: Safeguarding the Integrity of GI Bill Benefits
On August 3, 2016, VA and the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, Curtis Coy, hosted a joint symposium to address VA’s enforcement of its consumer protection authorities to protect veterans from dishonest schools. VA has faced considerable criticism for failing to take action against predatory for-profit colleges targeting veterans and service members. Current law calls for VA to cease distribution of federal funds when it finds that a school is employing aggressive, deceptive or fraudulent recruiting practic-es in order to get access to the lucrative GI Bill and Defense Department Tuition Assistance. So far, howev-er, VA has taken relatively few enforcement steps despite numerous reports of deceptive behavior.
PVA and its VSO partners discussed the various legal authorities VA has at its disposal and advocated for greater enforcement efforts against such schools. We also encouraged VA to develop a support structure for veterans who have already been harmed by these schools or are otherwise forced to try and transfer into a different school to continue their education.
PVA Conducts Survey to Support Access Committee Work In May, PVA was notified that Lee Page, Senior Associate Advocacy Director, was selected to be a member of the Access Advisory Committee on Accessible Air Transportation overseen by the Department of Trans-portation (DOT). The Committee is comprised of representatives from the disability community as well as the airline industry. During its first meeting, the ACCESS Committee selected PVA to chair the workgroup evaluating the need for accessible lavatories on board aircraft. In order to assist the ACCESS Committee, PVA recently conducted a survey/poll to disability stakeholders addressing seven questions that gauge their expectations for an accessible lavatory on a new single aisle aircraft. The poll was conducted over a three week period, with final results being collected on August 1, 2016. During that time period, 931 total respondents and 515 PVA members registered their opinions. We were particularly pleased with the response rate—8 percent—to the survey (industry standards consider 3 percent response rate to any survey to be good). The overall results show that current lavatories are too small and more space is needed. The other signifi-cant take away was the lack of ability to get to the lavatory. Many respondents indicated that they were not aware of on board wheelchairs and had trouble getting the assistance needed to obtain them or their personal assistive devices. Additionally, airline personnel need more training in order to assist passengers throughout the process.
Review of AirAccess30.org Website
With the www.AirAccess30.org website now having been live for six months, we have analyzed visitor traffic on the site. In the first six months, there have been approximately 3,200 total visits to the website and approximately 2,700, unique visits. While visits to the website decreased during April and May, there was a significant increase in June and July. Some of this can be attributed to more awareness from PVA members as they traveled to our Annual Convention in May and to the significant number of athletes who traveled to the National Veterans’ Wheelchair Games in June and July. Additionally, the time spent on the website during each visit increased significantly during June and July. The website currently includes 39 individual stories with additional stories that will be posted soon. We will continue to promote the web-site widely leading up to the 30th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act signing in October and carrying into the new Congress next year.
Election Assistance Commission Focused on Security for Elections
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. The EAC is currently working with all levels of government to facilitate the conversation regarding securing the election process and to support election officials’ efforts to provide an accessible and secure voting process.
Since the creation of its Voting System Testing and Certification Program, in partnership with the Nation-al Institute of Standards and Technology, the EAC has led in ensuring voting systems brought to the mar-ket have been vigorously tested against security standards. Voting systems certified by the EAC are not
connected to the Internet. Further, the EAC has worked with local and state election officials—as well as election stakeholders, from accessibility experts to scientists and academics—to ensure that best practices are shared nationwide. These best practices include pre-election testing, security, continuity planning, and post-election audits. Already this year, the EAC has conducted a series of events related to the #BeReady16 initiative, and more are underway and planned, including activities addressing Election Security Preparedness. Voters are encouraged to get involved with their state and local election officials, and ask questions about their election process. The vast majority of election offices offer numerous opportunities for voters to en-gage in the process, including witnessing pre-election testing of the voting systems. Election officials wel-come voters’ questions and participation because they want voters to have confidence and to participate in the process. The EAC also encourages voters to work at the polls as election workers. The election process benefits from full engagement from all people, and election administrators across the country are seeking election workers now for November. With 50 days before the deadline to mail ballots to military and overseas vot-ers, the EAC is working with all stakeholders to lead discussions productively so that voters can have the utmost confidence in the election process. For more questions about accessible voting, contact PVA Senior Associate Advocacy Director Lee Page.
Page 11
September Birthdays
Jerry W. Craddock 9/05 John R. Hyatt 9/06 John W. Webb 9/12 Edward L. Younger, Sr. 9/13 Howard J. Sigley 9/15 Frank L. Edwards 9/15 Steven E. Kemper 9/20 Robert Williams 9/21 Michael L. Kee 9/23 Benford M. Hindle 9/24 Harvey L. Matthews 9/29 David A. Ross 9/29
September 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 Bowling
Night
2 Close at 1:00 pm
3
4 5
Labor Day Closed
6 7 8 9 10 Tennis &
Basketball Clinics
11 12 13 Fundraising
Meeting 1:00 pm
14 15 Board Meeting
Bowling Night
16 17 Archery Clinic
9—11 am
18 19 Sports
Meeting 1:00 pm
20 21 CAMC Golf
Championship
22 23 24 Tennis &
Basketball Clinics
25 26 27 28 29 Bowling
Night
30
October Birthday’s Ronald M. Carver, III 10/01 Albert F. Taylor, Jr. 10/21 David L. Drake 10/03 Rick D. Whisman 10/26 Thomas S. Cueto 10/03 Gary Robertson 10/29 Curtis A. Jobe 10/05 Mary E. Austin 10/06 Thomas A. Jenkins 10/08 Walter Hardman 10/09 Nathan L. Breed 10/10 James A. White 10/12 Steven L. Buckner 10/15 Ramona J. Eighmy 10/15 David A. Hall 10/16 Bernard T. Harper 10/21 Terrence C. Parker, Jr. 10/22
October 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 Columbus Day
Closed
11 Fundraising
Meeting 1:00 pm
12 13 Board Meeting
Bowling Night
14 15
16 Fall BOD Meeting
17 Fall BOD Meeting
18 Fall BOD Meeting
19 Fall BOD Meeting
20 Fall BOD Meeting
21 22
23 24 25 Sports
Meeting 1:00 pm
26 27 Bowling
Night
28 CAMC Banquet
6:00 pm
29 Boccia Ball Clinic
30 Boccia Ball Clinic
31
Boccia Ball Clinic October 29-30, 2016
WV PVA will be hosting it’s first Boccia Ball Clinic.
Day 1
9:00 - 9:30 am - Arrival and registration
9:30 - 12:00 pm - Introduction to boccia and play some strategy games
12 pm - 1 pm - Lunch
1 pm - 4 pm - Practice games
Day 2
9 am - 12 pm - Tournament
12 pm - 1 pm - Lunch
1 pm - 2 pm - Finish tournament
We are still working on locking in a location but it will be in the
Charleston, WV area. You can get updates about this event on our web-
site www.wvpva.org or by calling the office at 304-925-9352.
WV PVA Donors 2016-17 Support Levels & Donors
Platinum ($500 & Up)
Titanium ($250-$499)
AMFM Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Gold ($100-$249)
Silver ($50-$99)
Bronze ($25-$49)
General (up to $24)
You too can become a donor, just mail your check to:
WV PVA
336 Campbells Creek Dr.
Charleston, WV 25306
Page 15
HOMELESS VETERANS STAND DOWN September 21, 2016
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Homeless Veterans Resource Center
624 9th St.
Huntington, WV
VETERAN STAND DOWN
September 29, 2016
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
New Morgantown National Guard Armory
90 Army Band Way
Morgantown, WV 26505
More info 304-623-3461
Ext. 2068 or 2021
Page 16 ROLLING MOUNTAINEER
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The Rolling Mountaineer is a bi-monthly newsletter distributed
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(WV-PVA). WV-PVA is a non-profit veteran’s service organiza-
tion.
CONTACT US:
West Virginia PVA Phone: (304) 925-9352; 1-800-540-9352 336 Campbells Creek Dr. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Charleston, WV 25306 Website: www.wvpva.org
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July/August Answer
Sep
tem
ber
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ob
er P
uzz
le
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336 Campbells Creek Dr.
Charleston, WV 25306
304-925-9352
Check out our website
www.wvpva.org
