The American Legion to launch women veterans survey
WASHINGTON (Jan. 3, 2011) – As more women serve in the armed forces, the number of women veterans – currently about 2 million – will also grow. Yet only about 25 percent of that population is using the VA health-care system.
The American Legion is launching a two-month, worldwide online survey Jan. 5 to find out why.
“Conducting this kind of survey is very important to us,” said Jimmie Foster, national commander of The American Legion. “After analyzing the data we’ve collected, the Legion will be better qualified to make specific recommendations for congressional appropriations, VA programs and facilities, and to increase public awareness of issues facing women veterans.”
Verna Jones, director of the Legion’s division of veterans affairs and rehabilitation, added, “In order to strengthen our advocacy role, we need to conduct a comprehensive survey of women veterans about their experiences and attitudes concerning health care provided by VA, private practitioners, and other health-care providers.”
Jones said that results from the survey will be used to refine The American Legion’s outreach methods, enhance its written and oral testimony to Congress and federal agencies, and to ultimately improve the delivery of women veterans’ benefits, programs and services.
“The survey will also help to identify unmet needs among women veterans, and guide the Legion’s development of specific remedies and recommendations,” said Denise Williams, the organization’s assistant director of health policy. “Then we can offer them to VA as specific actions to eliminate specific health-care problems faced by women veterans.”
The survey will be conducted by ProSidian Consulting in Charlotte, N.C., which specializes in strategic business issues. Its list of clients includes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other federal agencies.
Survey questions will cover ten aspects of health-care service quality: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, tangibles and understanding the customer.
The survey was developed by American Legion specialists on women veterans issues. “We understand the sacrifices of women and their role in serving America,” Jones said. “We recognize that women, like their male counterparts, are returning home with illness, disease, injuries and the invisible wounds of war.”
Jones said The American Legion believes the survey’s results “will be a major component in being able to understand the needs of women veterans, and allow us to assist in providing the services needed.”
Women veterans are encouraged to participate in the survey by visiting www.legion.org. It becomes active on Jan. 5 and will remain online until early March, after which analysis of the results will begin.
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Press contact: Craig Roberts - 202-263-2982; Cell: 202-406-0887; croberts@legion.org
Saving Money: A sweater you buy for Christmas goes on sale for half price the next day. You might be able to get the difference back if you paid with a credit card. The fine print in cardholder agreements often includes a number of protections overlooked by shoppers. Taking a minute to understand them could help you decide when to use credit instead of cash or debit. If you can't locate a copy of your cardholder agreement or find the language too dense, call customer service to ask about the benefits that interest you. Be sure to get a full rundown on the terms 33
and conditions too, since they can be extensive. There are usually deadlines for making claims and caps on how much money you can recover per claim. Here are five relatively common protections:
1. Extended warranty.
How It Works: It's tempting to pay for an extended warranty when making a big purchase. But you may already have comparable coverage through your credit card.
Card companies often extend coverage on purchases for up to one year depending on the terms of the original warranty. American Express gives an extra 90 days of coverage on a 90-day warranty. For a four-year warranty, the extension is for a year.
The cardholder generally has to make the claim. Some banks let gift recipients make claims as long as they have all the necessary documentation, such as the store receipt, a copy of the appropriate credit card statement and the original warranty.
Watch For: The extended warranty provided by the store or manufacturer may be more comprehensive or last longer than the one offered by your card issuer, notes Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com.
2. Price protection.
How It Works: You splurge on an expensive gift for your spouse, only to see it heavily discounted a week or two later. Even if the store won't credit back the difference to you, your card company might. With the Chase Sapphire card, shoppers can get the price difference back for up to 90 days. That's far more than most retailers allow. In addition to the original receipt, however, you'll need proof of the lower price, such as a sales circular or printed advertisement.
Watch For: The protection usually doesn't apply toward close-out sales and other special discounts.
3. Purchase protection.
How It Works: This is protection for customers if an item that doesn't come with a warranty breaks or is stolen. It typically lasts for a couple months after the purchase is made. Depending on the situation, your bank might offer to replace an item, pay for its repair, or credit the amount of the purchase back to your account. There's usually a cap on the amount you can be reimbursed for. A police report may be needed to file claims for stolen items. Lost items generally aren't covered. Antiques and collectibles usually aren't covered either.
Watch For: If the theft or damage can be covered by your homeowner's or auto insurance, the card issuer might require you to file a claim with those places first.
4. Return protection.
How It Works: If the deadline to return a purchase to the store passes, your credit card issuer might give you some extra time. Many card issuers accept returns for 90 days after purchase as long as the item is still in new condition. There are generally caps on the value. American Express refunds up to $300 per purchase and cardholders are capped to $1,000 a year. Card holders generally need to ship the item to the card issuer, which then sells it online or elsewhere through a third party.
Refunds are generally credited to the account within two weeks or less if all the information is provided.
Watch For: You may need to pay to ship the item to your card issuer.
5. Car rental insurance.
How It Works: The cost of renting a car is often far higher than advertised because of all the add-ons at the counter. You may be able to knock at least one of those extras off the bill. If you have a trip planned soon, it's worth calling your bank to see if you're covered in case of an accident. It's one of the more common protections offered on credit cards.
Watch For: The insurance provided by a card issuer may not be as comprehensive as you think. The insurance may cover against collision or theft, but not accident liability if you're sued.
[Source: Military.com | Money Matters 3 Dec 2010 ++]
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology counts among its famous alumni Richard P. Feynman (the physicist who helped develop the atom bomb), Paul R. Krugman (who won a 2008 Nobel Prize in economics), and Benjamin Netanyahu (the prime minister of Israel). Now an MIT team of researchers has turned its scientific mind toward a seemingly mundane device: the ordinary wallet. So they’ve created the Proverbial Wallet. Actually, three of them. ?We have trouble controlling our consumer impulses,? says the MIT Media Lab team on its website. ?When we pull a product off the shelf, do we know what our bank account balance is, or whether we’re over budget for the month? Our existing senses are inadequate to warn us.? So these three prototype wallets warn you in very different ways…
??The Bumblebee - The friendliest of the trio is the Bumblebee, which contains a tiny motor that vibrates whenever your bank processes a transaction. How does it know? The wallet connects via Bluetooth to your cellphone, then checks in with your bank. ?The intensity of the vibration correlates to the amount of the transaction,? says the team’s report, ?Tangible Interface for Financial Awareness?.
??The Mother Bear - Instead of a motor, this wallet contains a small, strong hinge. As your bank account gets smaller, it gets stronger – making it difficult to open. ?This concept uses a passive circuit at its heart,?
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reads the report. ?A hinge has been made out of a motor that can be shorted, and the two leaves of the hinge are sown into the sides of a wallet. When the motor is shorted with a small switch, the hinge offers more resistance, making the wallet harder to open or close.?
??The Peacock - After buzzing and locking down, what’s left? How about inflating? When you’re flush with cash, the wallet plumps up. When you’re a tad short, the wallet shrinks. ?This concept uses a servo embedded in a wallet, which is commanded by a square wave of varying frequency to rotate its arm from parallel to perpendicular to the wallet surface,? MIT explains. The wallets are viewable athttp://web.media.mit.edu/~jkestner/proverbialwallet/Proverbial%20Wallet%20TEI09.pdf.
Sadly, none of these wallets are yet available for sale. But the MIT team has grand plans for taking its Proverbial Wallets to the sci-fi levels using ?shape-memory metal? that wouldn’t require hinges and motors. What will they think of next? [Source: MoneyTalksNews Michael Koretzky article 21 Dec 2010 ++].
VA Medical Benefits Package Update 01: VA provides a Medical Benefits Package to all enrolled Veterans. This comprehensive plan provides a full range of preventive outpatient and inpatient services within VA health care system. Also, once you enroll in the VA’s health care system, you can be seen at any VA facility across the country. VA operates an annual enrollment system that helps to manage the provision of health care by providing an overall population of beneficiaries. Additionally, the enrollment system ensures that Veterans who are eligible can get care and ensures that care is given to Veterans who are eligible. VA applies a variety of factors in determining Veterans’ eligibility for enrollment, but once a Veteran is enrolled, that Veteran remains enrolled in the VA health care system. There are many ways that a Veteran may qualify to receive VA health care at over 1,400 medical centers and clinics across the nation. The VA has highly trained physicians and clinicians that allow the VA to address many specialties. You may also be able to receive assistance with prescription medication. VA health care is portable. Once enrolled, you may receive care at your home facility as well as the nearest VA facility while traveling. If you are a Veteran, and you want low-cost, high-quality health care, you probably qualify for VA Health Care if any of the below apply to you. If so, got to https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez to apply online. For help in applying, call 1-877-222-8387:
Basic service criteria -
• You served in the active military, naval, or air service and were honorably discharged or released; or
• You were/are a Reservist or National Guard member and you were called to active duty by a Federal Order (for other than training purposes) and you completed the full call-up period
Any of the following applies to you -
• You were discharged or separated for medical reasons, early out, or hardship.
• You served in theater of combat operations within the past 5 years.
• You were discharged from the military because of a disability (not preexisting).
• You are a former Prisoner of War.
• You received a Purple Heart Medal.
• You receive VA pension or disability benefits.
• You receive state Medicaid benefits.
[Source: http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility Dec 2010 ++]