Craig Daily Press / Bill Harding: Shadow Mountain pool to reopen Friday

July 10, 2008

Craig — Shadow Mountain Pool is to reopen this Friday, if the new boiler that was installed this past week works correctly and the pool temp gets back up to the desired level.

Airport dedication

Air show and Airport dedication July 19 is the dedication of the airport and air show. There will be observances at 6:30 a.m. and then at noon with a scheduled flyover.

Picnic was a success

Fourth of July Legion community picnic and raffle winners The inaugural Fourth of July community picnic was a success. The American Legion fed more than 100 people who gathered for the picnic and then watched the fireworks display from their facility. Commander Mel Shockley said “all had a great time.” The raffle winner for the $500 in gas and/or merchandise was Maggie Morero and the second prize ($250) went to Shane Thomas.

Mel and the Post wish to thank Wal-Mart, City Market, Murdoch’s, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Brothers Custom Meats for their donations which made this fundraiser successful.

Veterans’ education package approved

G.I. Bill Revisions: A sweeping new veterans’ education package has been approved as part of the 2008 war budget. The package is designed to fully cover the cost of completing four years of college — including tuition and fees, books and living expenses — and to let career troops share those benefits with dependents.

The new “G.I. Bill for the 21st Century” will offer a benefit worth an average of $80,000, double the G.I. Bill’s current value. The new benefit would pay up to the in-state rate for tuition and fees for the most expensive four-year public college or university in the state where a veteran attends school. The package also includes a monthly living stipend, a $1000 annual book allowance and money for tutorial assistance, along with many other features.

For details on the GI Bill, visit the VA Web site for the latest information.

Thirteen appointed to advisory committee

Rural Health: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake has appointed 13 people to a new Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, which will advise him on health care issues affecting veterans in rural areas. “This distinguished panel includes strong advocates for the needs of VA patients in rural areas,” Peake said. “This is an important step in expanding access to VA’s world-class health care system for veterans.” The 13-member group will examine ways to enhance Department of Veterans Affairs health care services for veterans in rural areas by evaluating current programs and identifying barriers to health care.

For additional information, go to http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/index.cfm.

Veterans needed for fatigue study

Gulf War Vets Fatigue Study: Principal Investigator Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, Ph.D is seeking veterans who served in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm between August 1990 and July 1991. Gulf War Illness includes symptoms that started during or after Gulf War participation and are present for at least six months. Symptoms may include fatigue, muscle or joint pain, sleep problems, memory problems and/or others. Those desiring to participate should contact Study Coordinator Janis Ritchie, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0995 Tel: (858) 558-4950 ext. 203 or e-mail jbritchie@ucsd.edu.

VA letters sent to wrong address/addressee

Got an e-mail last week addressing this issue. Even though it occurs infrequently, mail to another vet is sometimes addressed to the wrong location, or is inadvertently inserted in the wrong envelop and sent to another vet at the their address. The Colorado Division of Military and Veterans Affairs recently attended a training session where this issue was brought up. They had been at fault with this. They had been telling veterans to shred the letter or send it on to the correct vet. This is against HIPPA regulations and they need to be more compliant with those regs. This also protects the veteran whose private information was passed on to someone else. The CDMVA asks that all CVSO’s assist with this issue. If there are questions, please feel free to call (303) 343-1268.

Here is the VA policy on this issue. Let’s say that John Doe gets a letter and included with his material is a copy of a letter addressed to Robert Smith. This is what needs to be done and why:

1. The VA needs a copy of the wrong vet’s (R. Smith) letter. DO NOT shred it or send it on to the vet. Return it to the VA office address that sent it.

The reason for this … is that vet (R. Smith) is offered a free credit watch by the VA for a period of time. (Monitor his credit/medical records for fraud).

2. They (VA) also would like the copy of the letter that was sent to J. Doe who received someone else’s personal info. The reason for this is that the VA which sent him the letter has identifying info on it showing who created and sent it. This will not reflect badly on the vet (J. Doe) who returns it, but will lead to the creator who made the mistake, who will be counseled to be more careful and/or if is a repeated error, could lead to disciplinary action by the VA.