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Craig — The American Legion raffle for the AR-15 ends Saturday at the bingo session at the Elk's club.

The Legion thanks those who entered. They are starting another raffle as soon as the tickets are printed. The top prizes are pistols. These include a 1911 .45 ACP caliber automatic and a Ruger Mark III stainless steel .22LR target pistol.

This raffle will run until July 4, and the winner will be drawn at the Legion's Fourth of July annual picnic at the Shadow Mountain complex.

Telehealth video

The film crew producing the Best Practices video on telehealth practices for rural Veterans Affairs Healthcare had a great visit in Craig.

They did the filming at several sites March 18. They shot film at the clinic, the Jacobs/Fentress ranch on Elkhead River, the Trap club and at American Legion hall.

Local vets used in the filming were Bill Jacobs, Gar Williams and myself. Others filmed included the staff at the clinic, April Brandstetter, Gina Andujo and several of the providers/management team from the VAMC hospital in Grand Junction.

New CVSO hiring

We are in the process of interviewing for a Moffat County replacement. New hires for Rio Blanco County are Joe Dungan, of Meeker, and Norm Hall, of Rangely. All new hires will be attending CVSO training May 5 to 8 in Denver.

Family Peer Group

The Family Peer Group meeting is at 5:30 p.m. April 21 at the Grand Junction Vet Center, 2472 F Road Unit No. 16. For more information, call 970-245-4156. This group provides readjustment counseling to combat veterans from all eras of combat.

The family peer group is to assist vets and their families in the transition from military to civilian life and to counsel issues that remain from the stress of combat zones.

Washington, D.C., trip

Presently, there are six to 12 veterans from Northwest Colorado and more than 130 applicants from the Western Slope at the VAVS office at the Grand Junction VAMC.

All new applications should now be sent to MS. Kris Baugh, VAVS VAMC Hospital, 2121 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81501. Please do not send applications to the national honor flight headquarters in Ohio.

They are working on getting a chartered 727 plane and currently raising funds to cover the costs of these flights. All donations need to be forwarded as soon as possible.

Benefit aids veterans

By PAULA BURKES

(Published: Feb. 8, 2009)

A little-known veterans' benefit for long-term care expenses is available to wartime veterans and their spouses. But the benefit is being overlooked by thousands of families, industry observers say.

The Special Pension for Veterans' Aid and Attendance pays up to $1,644 a month of $19,736 annually toward assisted living, nursing homes or in-home care for veterans 65 and older who served at least 90 days and one day during wartime - stateside or overseas.

Veterans and their spouses can receive up to $23,396 annually. Spouses of deceased veterans can get $12,681.

Yet, an estimated $22 billion a year goes unclaimed, said Don Soard, a volunteer with Operation Veteran Aid in Oklahoma City. In 2007, only 134,000 seniors nationwide received the benefit, which was established in 1952.

The process is streamlined for vets who are blind or have memory issues and widows with medical needs, he said. Most applicants qualify and payments are retroactive, Soard said.

Telehealth reminder

The Craig Community Telehealth Clinic offers U.S. veterans state-of-the-art technology, as well as onsite nursing support and remote practitioner availability.

To appropriately plan and coordinate your visit, access to the clinic is by appointment only. The clinic cannot handle emergency needs.

Flu shot walk-ins are still on-going for Vets currently enrolled in the VAMC Healthcare system.

Questions? Call 824-6721.