Post 1015 News Updates

Here are a few updates from American Legion Post 1015:

• Local Veterans Day Events:  Mahomet-Seymour High School will host their annual Veterans Day breakfast starting at 0830, followed by an assembly in the gym honoring all Veterans.
• Veterans Day Discounts:  Many restaurants and retailers are offering free meals or discounts to active-duty Military and Veterans this weekend.  Below is a list of restaurants and retailers offering discounts.  Take advantage of the good deals this weekend! https://www.legion.org/veteransday/260431/2023-veterans-day-discounts
• Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs News: Want to keep up with the latest news from IDVA? Click this link to join their email list and receive the latest IDVA news: IDVA Email List.
• Half-Mast Alerts: Sign up at the following link to receive email alerts when the U.S. flag flown at half-mast. http://www.legion.org/flag/notification

Know Your Rights: Returning Service Members with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Justice has posted an important piece to their blog about what service members and Veterans with disabilities need to know about their rights.  

Click this link to read more:  https://archive.ada.gov/servicemembers_adainfo.pdf

Tips for Filing a VA Disability Claim

Appoint a representative.

It is advisable to have a representative to help in the successful and efficient processing of a claim, and one need not have to pay for such help. There are several organization that provide this service for free, among them the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, as well as State Departments of Veterans Affairs Service Officers. Our local Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Service Officers are located at 2125 South 1st Street in Champaign and can be reached at 278-3392 or 278 3388.

Retrieve and send records of treatments received from private providers to the VA.

This is something that does not necessarily need to be done personally, as Veterans have the option to sign a release and have the VA request the records. Unfortunately, some private providers ignore these requests, and the VA cannot force them to comply. It is therefore suggested that Veterans personally retrieve these records and send them to the VA, in order to shorten the process.  More great tips for filing a VA Claim can be found on the web at http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/?p=1089.

Vietnam Vets: Were You Exposed to Agent Orange?

Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation

If you have a health condition caused by exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange during your service, you may be eligible for VA disability compensation. Compensation provides tax-free monthly payments.

More information can be found at https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/agent-orange/