Veterans and their families who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged
to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for
assistance. This number may also be used by them to access VA services. If they have access to a computer
they can explore www.va.gov/homeless to learn about VA programs for Veterans who are homeless and
share that information with others.
If you see or know a person you believe to be a vet at imminent risk of homelessness you can make the
call yourself. You will be asked for information about that individual such as their location and a physical
description. As noted in the VA video https://youtu.be/8Ngor_HOn5A?list=RDCMUC...XHtstp2vw 
a trained VA representative team member will then be dispatched to locate the individual, verify
they are a veteran, and discuss with them ways the VA can help them obtain stable housing and other ways
VA can help them obtain services they may need.
If Veterans do not have access to a phone or the internet, only then are they to visit their closest VA
medical center without calling in advance. VA also urges Veterans who are not homeless or at risk of
homelessness to contact their VA medical center before visiting for any reason. These steps are necessary
to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each VA facility has created separate areas or zones to isolate
Veterans with possible or confirmed COVID-19 from uninfected patients who need other routine and
emergent care. VA is also identifying appropriate quarantine options for Veterans who are homeless to
receive treatment if they are symptomatic or screen positive for COVID-19 but are not ill enough for
hospital-level care.
No Veteran Should Be Without a Place to Call Home. VA is committed to ending homelessness among
Veterans. Their focus is threefold:
 Conducting coordinated outreach to proactively seek out Veterans in need of assistance.
 Connecting homeless and at-risk Veterans with housing solutions, health care, community
employment services and other required supports.
 Collaborating with federal, state and local agencies; employers; housing providers, faith-based
and community nonprofits; and others to expand employment and affordable housing options for
Veterans exiting homelessness.
[Source: https://www.va.gov/homeless | March 4, 2021 ++]

https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/80154/i...across-va/

Caregivers will now be included in Veterans' health care teams, VA Secretary Wilkie announced on October 19 as part of the Inclusive Care Program.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation also offers no-cost, short-term aid from at-home care professionals to help with bathing, cooking, exercising, transportation, and companionship, among other tasks. Caregivers in every state can now apply for no-cost professional caregiver support made possible through the cooperation and donations of CareLinx, Wounded Warrior Project, AARP, and VA.

Helping Hands for Freedom has received a major grant to assist our Veteran and Gold Star/Survivor families with financial emergencies


These dollars are earmarked for Arizona veteran, military and Gold Star families. We have funds available for rent/mortgage, utilities, car payments, insurance, medical bills and other life financial emergencies. Funds will be distributed on a first come, first served basis to those who qualify. They can apply at https://www.helpinghandsforfreedom.org/l...assistance which has our application and a list of the documents we need to evaluate their situation.



If they qualify benefits will be paid within a few days directly to the company or person they owe. We do not pay funds directly to the family or Veteran.



Normally, we require at least one child 18 or under in the home but because of Covid-19 we are relaxing that requirement.



As we approach the holidays family needs will become greater than ever. Please get the word out to your families and connections for this ONE TIME SUBSTANTIAL Lifeline HHFF has been given by the Arizona Corona Relief Fund. There were approximately 250 nonprofits reviewed and 19 selected by unanimous vote of a five person committee.



https://www.azfamily.com/news/continuing...7b1ec.html

House and Senate conferees are negotiating contentious provisions in the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which should be completed just after the election. One key provision sought by MOAA – the addition of three ailments to the list of Agent Orange presumptive conditions – has received added attention because of the significant price tag attached. The Senate version of the NDAA would raise direct spending by an additional $8 billion from 2021 to 2030, according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate. Of that amount, $7.9 billion comes from the addition of bladder cancer, Parkinson's-like symptoms, and hypothyroidism to the list of Agent Orange presumptives. While high, the figure is $2 billion less than previous estimates. The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) does not feel this price tag should serve as a barrier to providing the earned benefits, long-delayed, to these Vietnam veterans. Their sacrifice should not be discarded as a budgetary matter, nor should financial needs in other areas be used as an excuse to continue ignoring the science behind these much-needed additions. The House’s version of the NDAA scored a insignificant budgetary impact, according to the CBO estimate. The Senate showed broad bipartisan support for this initiative by passing the measure by a 94-6 vote, then following with a conferee letter signed by 46 senators. Given the broad level of support in the Senate, attention turns to the House to see if representatives will agree to include this measure in the final NDAA. The related stand-alone bill introduced by Reps. Josh Harder (D-CA) and Pete Stauber (R-MN) gained nearly 40 cosponsors but was not considered by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. When Harder attempted to include a provision for the House NDAA matching what was added to the Senate version by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), his amendment did not pass the House Rules Committee. One promising development: A House conference committee letter of support is being drafted and gaining significant support from representatives. The letter, when released, will send a strong message to House members on the committee of the importance of caring for 34,000 veterans ill from these Agent Orange-related diseases. Veterans service organizations, including MOAA, have been urging the VA to add these presumptives for nearly a year, but the VA has delayed doing so, citing the necessity of further study. Congress is close to adding these three presumptives, but a final push from constituents is needed to ensure these ill veterans are taken care of in the NDAA. Call or write your lawmakers today

Abstract: VA Forms 21-0781 and 21-0781a are used to gather information about stressful incidents in service from veterans claiming compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The forms request the information that is necessary for VA to conduct meaningful research of records in order to assist claimants in obtaining credible supporting evidence that the incidents occurred. Without this collection of information, VA would not be able to fulfill its statutory duty to assist for claimants and would be unable to properly authorize benefits. No changes have been made to these forms. The increase in respondent burden is due to the estimated number of receivables from the previous year. Affected Public: Individuals and households. Estimated Annual Burden: 23,770 hours. Estimated Average Burden Per Respondent: 70 minutes. Frequency of Response: On occasion. Estimated Number of Respondents: 20,374.

This may just mean a new date on the form but I wanted you to see the number of people they are projecting to use these forms. This shows us the sheer number of those reaching out for help with PTSD be it from MST or other issues while in service, and enforces the NEED for us as those helping Veterans to be cognizant of the mental health issues facing our brothers and sisters, and for us to reach out and get training to better help them.

To help non-filers, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has set Nov. 10 as a National Economic Impact Payment (EIP) Registration Day.

Who is Eligible
Veterans with little or no income and non-filers may be eligible to receive an Economic Impact Payment.

“National EIP Registration Day” will take place just a few days ahead of the extended Nov. 21 registration deadline.

How to Apply
Economic Impact Payments-Non-Filers can still get one, but they must act by Nov. 21. Veterans can qualify for a payment, even if they don’t work or have no earned income.

The IRS has already sent nearly 9 million letters to people who may be eligible for the $1,200 Economic Impact Payments but don’t normally file a tax return. The letters, along with the special Nov. 10 event, urge people to use the Non-Filers: Enter Info Here tool, available exclusively on IRS.gov.

Since the Non-Filers tool launched in the spring, over 8 million people who normally aren’t required to file a tax return have registered for the payments. The IRS continues to work to reach others who haven’t used the tool yet, which led to the special mailing and the special Nov. 10 registration event.

What to Expect
Anyone using the Non-Filers tool can speed the arrival of their payment by choosing to receive it by direct deposit. Those not choosing this option will get a check. Beginning two weeks after they register, people can track the status of their payment using the Get My Payment tool, available only on IRS.gov.

More Information
Taxpayers may find answers to many of their questions using the Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA), a tax law resource that works using a series of questions and responses. IRS.gov has answers for Frequently Asked Questions.

Lawmakers Investigate 'K2' Base Cancer Cluster of Veterans
A House committee is investigating cancer diagnoses in more than 400 veterans who served in Uzbekistan after the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The House Oversight and Reform National Security Subcommittee plans to hold a
hearing 18 NOV to determine whether the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense are taking the health concerns
of these former service members seriously.
"The courageous Americans who served at [Karshi-Khanabad, or K2] were among the first boots on the ground
after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, many of them face devastating health conditions potentially tied to
their service. They are looking for answers -- answers our government has denied them for years," Subcommittee
Chairman Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., said in a release 11 NOV. He added that a bipartisan committee has found
"clear evidence that K2 veterans were exposed to toxic and environmental hazards." "Yet the VA has refused to
provide the full range of treatments and benefits these veterans deserve. I remain committed to advocating on behalf
of our K2 heroes and look forward to hearing the VA and DoD's plans to right this injustice," Lynch said.
The U.S. used Karshi-Khanabad, a former Soviet and Uzbek military base, as a logistics installation to support
operations in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2005. Service members who were stationed there have described polluted
conditions at the base, including "black gunk" that oozed up through the floorboards of their barracks and fine dust
that settled on surface areas. Hundreds of veterans who were assigned there have been diagnosed with various types
of cancer, including brain, colon and thyroid.
Kim Brooks, whose husband, Army Lt. Col. Tim Brooks, died of brain cancer at age 34 in 2004, testified before
the committee earlier this year that families deserve to know what substances their service members were exposed to
and that veterans or their survivors should qualify for VA benefits. "I am here to ask -- to plead, really -- that you do
everything in your power to ensure that other K2 veterans and families receive the medical and financial support that
they deserve," Brooks told the committee 27 FEB.
The controversy surrounding K2 contamination and suffering veterans was first reported in December 2019 by
McClatchy reporter Tara Copp. DoD documents obtained by the news organization stated that the grounds of the base,
also known as Camp Stronghold Freedom, were contaminated with missile propellant, solvents, fuel, lubricants, trace
amounts of chemical weapons and depleted uranium. The runoff ponds at the installation were bright green -- a color
so unnatural that personnel referred to them as "Skittles."
VA officials said 22 APR that the department is taking steps to address the concerns of service members and
veterans who were assigned to the base, including a study to research health trends among them. The hearing is
scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 18. Slated to testify are Patricia Hastings, VA's chief consultant for post-deployment health
services, and David Smith, deputy assistant secretary of defense for health readiness.

The evening before Veterans Day, the Senate passed more legislation aimed at improving mental health care and
services for veterans and troops, sending them to the president's desk for final approval. The package of bills, the
Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act includes nine parts intended to
help prevent veteran suicides.
The latest VA veteran suicide data report from 2019 found that on average, about 17 veterans died by suicide per
day in 2017. That number has remained stagnate or worsened in recent years despite increased spending and programs
aimed at helping. The data typically is delayed by about two years, making it difficult to determine whether efforts
have made a significant difference year over year. More than 6,000 veterans died by suicide each year from 2008 to
2017, according to previous reports. Since that data lags behind by about two years, advocates and lawmakers worry
they won't have a concrete grasp of how the pandemic has affected suicide rates for veterans -- but they agree that the
isolation and stress caused by the turmoil spreading alongside the virus likely won't improve things and that veterans,
troops and their families need more help now than ever. Specifically, the COMPACT Act would:
 Provide free crisis care for any veteran with emergency suicide symptoms;
 Create a pilot program between VA and designated family or friends of veterans to share information on
benefits and assistance;
 Require an annual report on VA's Solid Start program;
 Establish an education program for veteran families and caregivers on mental health concerns;
 Create an interagency task force on outdoor recreation for veterans;
 Establish a policy where veterans who have not had contact with VA in two or more years are encouraged to
come in for an exam to continue eligibility for emergency care not linked to their service-connected
disabilities;
 Require annual VA police de-escalation and crisis intervention training;
 Require a study of VA programs providing assistance to women veterans who are homeless;
 Provide a report on locations where women veterans are using VA health care.
The package of bills that became the COMPACT Act was part of an agreement between House and Senate Veterans
Affairs leaders to pass major veteran mental health and suicide prevention legislation before the end of the year and the
end of this Congressional session. The COMPACT Act originated in the House and passed the Senate 10 NOV just
ahead of the national holiday.
“As long as 17 veterans, National Guard members, and reservists die by suicide each day, our work will not be
done—but today we made real progress in the fight to reduce veteran suicide,” House Veterans Affairs Chairman Mark
Takano (D-CA) said in a statement Tuesday. "Our bipartisan, bicameral bill helps address gaps in prevention and care
for veterans who are at heightened risk for suicide like women veterans, those who recently separated from military
service, and veterans who haven’t used VA healthcare recently. It also includes my bill, the Veterans ACCESS Act, to
ensure that no veteran experiencing an emergency mental health crisis has to worry about cost when seeking the care
they need. "
Ranking member Phil Roe (R-TN), who plans to retire at the end of this session, said the bill package "builds on the
provisions" of the Hannon Act "to ensure veterans and their families receive the support, care and services they need
to live full, healthy lives following their brave service." If you or a veteran know are struggling, contact the Veteran
Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 and select option 1, or text 838255.

Excess Artifacts, Including Weapons and Historic Uniforms
Might want to look into this for your VSO

The Army Museum Enterprise is getting rid of duplicate artifacts among its 580,000-item collection over the next five
years, leaving opportunities for other museums, veterans organizations, national parks, and state and local
governments to ultimately claim the excess inventory. The divestiture will include artifacts from all 46 museums
operated by AME, according to an Army Headquarters press release 2 NOV. “We expect that the first divestiture by
site will take place in Spring of 2021, but we have been working on collections reviews over the past year," Stefan
Rohal, AME’s historic materiel division chief, told Army Times.
Rohal’s division is working with the Defense Logistics Agency to establish the process for reviewing and
distributing artifacts. He said the goal in announcing the plan early is to ensure that eligible organizations sign up with
the General Services Administration so they have time to request property. “The Army Museum Enterprise is
reviewing everything from tanks and howitzers to uniforms and canteens,” Rohal said in the news release, adding that
some artifacts could be tightly controlled by law and regulation. Weapons, which require demilitarization, uniforms,
hateful material, or anything with hazardous material cannot go to the general public, Rohal noted.
“Anything not in one of these categories that does not get picked up by an eligible organization could potentially
make its way to the public,” Rohal said. Historic signage, weapons and WWII-era personal items are among some
580,000 items in the Army Museum Enterprise inventory that will be retained or divested during a five-year project
beginning in 2021. Army museums have been collecting artifacts for years, but the service only finished consolidating
the different facilities under a single command in 2019. The current effort was framed as a “right-sizing” by the Army
HQ release, and it is intended to ensure the service only retains those artifacts that "need to be cared for in perpetuity.”
Organizations that are fully registered with federal surplus property request systems will be able to request items
once property turn-ins begin. Once the property is turned over to the Defense Logistics Agency, it goes through its
screening process, according to Rohal. “Our goal is that most of the material be placed with approved museums and
educational institutions,” he said. “[The General Services Administration] believes they will place most of the
property.” Department of Defense entities, including other military museums, should request items through the
Defense Logistics Agency. Non-DoD entities such as the National Park Service, Smithsonian Institute, or similar
organizations should request items from the U.S. General Services Administration website by contacting their national
utilization officer.
Material not required by a federal entity will be declared surplus, released from the Army artifact collection, and
made available to museums, states and municipalities, veterans organizations and other eligible recipients that qualify
for the GSA Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program, according to the Army HQ release.

The National Personnel Records Center is Closed - Except for Emergencies

The NPRC is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we remain in this state, we will continue servicing emergency requests associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans trying to gain admittance to a homeless shelter.  Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until we return to pre-COVID staffing levels.

Community spread of COVID-19 in the St. Louis area has worsened, and local public health metrics in St. Louis County no longer meet NARA’s standards for opening its buildings. To protect our staff and visitors from the transmission of COVID-19, the National Personnel Records Center’s Military Personnel Records facility has temporarily scaled back on-site operations to less than ten percent of its normal operating capacity. We will continue to respond to emergency requests, but we are closed to the public and unable to service most records requests.  This change in operating status became effective on November 7th.

Emergency Requests
We will maintain a small on-site staff who will respond only to emergency requests, such as those involving requests to support burial honors for deceased veterans; life-threatening medical emergencies; requests from homeless shelters, seeking to gain admittance of a homeless veteran; and comparable emergencies. If you have such an emergency, you must complete Standard Form 180, Request Pertaining to Military Records, and fax a signed copy to (314) 801-0764.

Unfortunately, we will not have sufficient on-site capacity to respond to many other important requests, including requests related to other veterans benefits.

Why are we unable to service other requests?
NPRC employs many veterans and takes seriously its responsibility to make these important records available. The biggest obstacle to returning NPRC’s performance to its pre-pandemic level lies in the reality that the majority of NPRC’s holdings and reference activity involve paper records that can be accessed only by on-site staff.  While modern military service records are maintained electronically, most requests submitted to NPRC involve veterans who separated from the military many years ago and records that are available only in paper or microfilm formats, which require on-site access.

The most significant obstacles to increasing on-site staffing levels lie in community spread of the virus and the challenge of social distancing. We have modified our work processes to incorporate social distancing requirements.  However, even with greatly reduced levels of on-site staffing, on numerous occasions we have had to abruptly stop our work for deep cleaning due to exposures of staff.

For how long will NPRC be operating at this reduced level of capacity?
The NPRC will be operating at various degrees of reduced on-site capacity until the public health emergency has ended.

The NPRC facility is located in an area which has one of the highest per capita rates of confirmed COVID-19 cases in St. Louis County. It employs nearly 1,000 federal employees and contractors from multiple agencies, working in densely populated office space. Cubicles are in close proximity to each other; work processes require frequent, close interactions with coworkers; and the servicing of most requests requires access to over 60 million paper records that are stored on-site and unable to be accessed remotely.

Due to the pandemic, NPRC was “Closed - Except for Emergencies” from March 23 through June 23, 2020.  During this time a limited number of staff continued to report on-site each day to service urgent requests, such as those involving homeless veterans in need of shelter, medical emergencies, and funerals for deceased veterans.

On June 24, 2020, the NPRC entered into Phase One of a gradual reopening. To ensure the safety of its workforce, social distancing measures were instituted which limited its operating capacity to only ten percent of its normal staffing level. On October 5, 2020, the NPRC entered into Phase Two of reopening and soon thereafter increased its on-site staffing level to twenty percent of its normal capacity. Despite these low on-site staffing levels, its operations were disrupted on numerous occasions due to on-site exposures of staff. On November 7, 2020, NPRC regressed back to a “Closed - Except for Emergencies” operating status when local public health metrics worsened and no longer met NARA’s standards for remaining open.

Are there alternate sources to obtain military service records?
Yes, modern service records, generally for veterans who separated after Calendar Year 2000, are available in electronic format. NPRC has deployed new digital delivery functionality to enable some of these requests to be serviced by its staff from remote locations. To be eligible for this service it is imperative that requesters submit a request using our online application, eVetRecs, https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.html 
and provide an email address with their request. If you provide an email address and your request involves records available in electronic format, our staff will obtain the records and provide you with credentials that will enable you to download the requested records from a secure server. This service is available only when (1) the responsive records are available in digital format, and (2) requesters provide an email address with their request.

In many instances, records that are available in electronic formats may also be accessed directly by veterans, without involvement from NPRC, through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) eBenefits application at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage or the Department of Defense milConnect application at https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/ .  Modern military medical records may be accessed through the VA’s Blue Button application at https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-medical-records/. For more information regarding the online availability of VA and military records, please visit https://www.va.gov/records/.

We regret we are unable to provide a more optimistic forecast for the resumption of normal service levels. We hope the above on-line resources are helpful and greatly appreciate your patience during these unprecedented times.


More information about the National Archives' response to coronavirus can be found at archives.gov/coronavirus .

Your best bet for getting a DD214 is to setup an account at https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/

Once I’ve signed in to milConnect, how do I request my DD214 or other military records?

Follow the steps below to submit a military records request.

From your signed-in homepage, click or tap on Correspondence/ Documentation. Then select Defense Personnel Records Information (DPRIS) from the drop-down menu.
Choose the Personnel File tab.
Select Request My Personnel File.
Fill out the form. In the Document Index section, check the boxes next to the document(s) you'd like to request.
Click or tap on the Create and Send Request button.

What types of records can I request with this tool?
You can request documents from your Official Military Personnel File to view and download.

You can request your:

DD214
DD215
Report of Separation
Other release papers
You can also request documents with information about your service, such as your:

Orders and endorsements
Performance reports
Awards and decorations (commendatory items)
Qualifications, licenses, and certificates
Security clearance

What happens after I request my military records?
You’ll receive an email letting you know we’re processing your request. You’ll receive a second email when your request is complete and your files are ready for you to view and download.

You can also check the status of your military records request by signing in to milConnect and going to the Personnel File tab within the Defense Personnel Records Information (DPRIS) section. This is also where you’ll view and download your files once they’re ready.