Happy Monday all.   Hope everyone had a great weekend and you and yours are in the very best of health.

 

For Today:  In vain do they talk of happiness who never subdued an impulse in obedience to a principle. He who never sacrificed a present to a future good, or a personal to a general one, can speak of happiness only as the blind speak of color. -Horace Mann

 

Casting Call for Video for Public Service Announcement by DOD.  Thanks to our friend Lisa Stern at sternconsultingllc@gmail.com for getting this to us.   Rafferty Weiss Media, a terrific video production company in the local area, is looking for 4-6 veterans with disabilities (permanent or temporary) for a public service announcement on behalf of DoD.  Please see the email request below (I've highlighted pertinent information).   If you – or someone you know – lives in the DC area and would be interested in being on film for this "wear your seatbelt" PSA, please contact Patrick Rafferty directly at patrick@raffertyweiss.com or by phone at 301.495.9021.

 

Reserve Officers Association (ROA) SmartBrief for July 9, 2012. http://www.smartbrief.com/servlet/wireless?issueid=D35D4433-634B-4455-ACCC-6943EAD51D1C&sid=22cbe9eb%2d3ef0%2d4eca%2d8105%2def9f466dc32d

 

Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our very dear Troops and their loved ones everywhere.  They are the very best of America....this 1% that serves.

 

Sincerely.......Wayne

 

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Subject: Announcement from CVE Verified SDVOSB LinkedIn Group  -- "No Simplified Re-verification Process." Thanks to our good friend Maggie Bullard of Aldevra, for bringing this to our attention.  Recommend all Vets involved in CVE issues and SDVOSB and VOSB matters get to the VA website and CVE page regularly to check for information relative to changes and updates within CVE process and amended rules.

 

The simplified re-verification process will no longer be part of the Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) Vendor Information Page (VIP) verification options for Service Disabled Veterans Owned Businesses (SDVOB) or Veterans Owned Businesses (VOSB). In its place the CVE is pleased to announce an interim rule change that increases certification time for all SDVOB and VOSB businesses to two years. This interim rule will benefit thousands of small businesses by reducing the uncertainty and administrative burden associated with a yearly certification cycle. By increasing the certification period to two years, SDVOB’s and VOSB’s will be able to strategically plan and operate their companies more efficiently and effectively versus working within the current, short, twelve month business cycle. Under this new interim rule, businesses at the end of their 2 year verification period would be required to be re-verified through the VA Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE).

Businesses currently in the VIP database with the “in-reverification” logo verified from Jun 2010 to Dec 2010 under the present program will have their individual remaining months added to coincide with their one year extension via the interim change. Prior to your company’s expiration date, you will be required to submit an application for re-verification within 30 days. Companies may apply for re-verification as early as 120 days prior to expiration. Further, all future applications for re-verification will be required to submit a complete set of new documentation with each application.

Should you have questions please call Customer Service at 202-303-3260 or email vip@va.gov.

From the vetbiz.gov site http://www.vetbiz.gov/SimpReverFinal.pdf

 

Note:  I called CVE Customer Service this afternoon and asked, "what about the Vets that have already submitted their re-verification packages ?"  I was told that these Vets will in fact go through the re-verification process and once these companies are verified they will be verified for the two years.

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A Vietnam Veteran writes about of the CVE verification process and the issue of trust.

 

“Wayne:   A very long time ago, somebody gave me a piece of parchment that said that the President of the United States had “reposed special trust and confidence” in my ”patriotism, valor and fidelity.” The document was called a commission. On the strength of that document, my country sent me to Viet Nam to lead young soldiers in battle against my country’s enemy.

 

I just finished my new submission to VA for VETBIZ registration as an SDVOSB. When I finished, I felt like a third grader that nobody in the world would reasonably trust.

 

When this is all over, and I have time on my hands, I want to start a movement to restore “special trust and confidence” in our nation’s veterans.

 

I’m not so naïve that I don’t realize that there are those who will bend the rules or cheat. I also know that there are those who will claim veteran status without really ever having paid the price. I recognize that this movement needs to be a tow-sided effort. Our brothers need to live up to that “special trust and confidence,” too.

 

But at a minimum once veteran status is verified (and VA should be able to do that without too much effort), the word of our veterans should be taken at least with the same level of confidence that it was when we led our nation’s greatest treasure into harm’s way.

 

I’m not asking you to do anything; I’m just venting, and I know you will understand what I’m saying. I’ll probably never get to the point in my life where I have time to do something like this. But somebody should!”

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VA Veterans News for Monday, July 9, 2012.  Thanks to Kevin Secor, VA VSO Representative.

 

1.      At Gettysburg, tweeting the news and battle data. 

2.      Image consultant helps military transition to civilian fashion. 

3.      Missouri county starts court for vets in KC area. 

4.      Disabled Veterans Stop in Salem in Cross-Country Bike Ride. 

5.      Five Local Veterans Representing the VA Maryland Health Care System . 

6.      War veterans face paying to stay at state veterans homes. 

7.      Times Reporters Whine About Shinseki Access. 

8.      The Week At A Glance: July 9-13. 

9.      Bottom Line Looks At Veterans' Unemployment Crisis. 

10.  Army Vet Who Received Job Offer At Detroit Fair Encourages Homeless Vets To Visit Local VA Office. 

11.  What The Jobs Report Reveals About US Population. 

12.  Local Veteran To Raise Awareness Of PTSD By Cycling 4,200 Miles. 

13.  Museum Chronicles Wisconsin Veterans' Stories. 

14.  Grant To House Homeless Veterans. 

15.  Sandoval Signs Executive Order Creating Interagency Council On Veterans Affairs. 

16.  WWII Veteran, Prisoner Of War, Tells His Story (with Video). 

17.  WWII Vet Can't Help Thinking Of The Horror He Witnessed. 

18.  Are Veterans Being Taken Advantage Of? 

19.  Program Helps Homeless Veterans Get Work. 

20.  Move-In Day For Local Veterans. 

21.  Salt Lake VA Adds Five Mental Health Staffers. 

22.  Will PTSD By Any Other Name Bring More Troops To Treatment? 

23.  Neurotrauma, Psychological Health Office Partners With VA To Study PTSD Treatments. 

24.  North Texas Veteran Receives Free Home. 

25.  Cape Cod Post Office Named For Afghanistan Veteran. 

26.  Homeless Veteran Frustrated By Futile Attempts To Obtain Help. 

27.  Purple Heart Highway Dedication Set In Oxford. 

28.  Image Consultant Helps Military Transition To Civilian Fashion. 

29.  Unusual Collection From Vietnam Veterans Memorial Reflects A Unique War. 

30.  Proper Reward For Veterans. 

31.  Army Reviewing PTSD Files For Pay Anomalies. 

32.  Deputies Replace WWII Veteran's Flag Stolen On July 4th. 

33.  Ways To Help Veterans In Crisis Is Focus Of Meetings. 

34.  New Veterans Of Foreign Wars State Commander Wayne Carrignan Hopes To Bring Young Veterans Into The Fold. 

35.  Military Officers Group To Remember Vets With Wreaths. 

36.  WWII Veterans Meet Iconic Bombers For First Time On Honor Flight. 

37.  Soldier's Songs: Pa Vet Turns Troubles To Music. 

38.  New Laws Impact Veterans. 

39.  VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as July 9, 2012: 

40.  Today in History: