From: Kevin Secor at VA HQ

Sent:  Wednesday, February 09, 2011 3:53 AM

Subj: HAVE YOU HEARD?

VA recently announced the creation of the new Office of Tribal Government Relations to ensure that more than 200,000 Veterans who are American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians receive the VA benefits they have earned. “There is a long, distinguished tradition of military service among tribal peoples,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “VA is committed to providing these Veterans with the full range of VA programs, as befits their service to our nation.” Although VA has long provided benefits to Veterans in tribal lands, the new office will further strengthen and expand that relationship. Stephanie Elaine Birdwell, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation from Oklahoma, has been selected as the office’s first director. A former social worker, Birdwell has spent nearly 15 years working on tribal issues with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and, most recently, the Bureau of Indian Education. She will oversee a six-person office responsible for “establishing, maintaining and coordinating a nation-to-nation, federal-tribal relationship.”

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From: Katie Sonntag at State of Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs

Sent:  Wednesday, February 09, 2011 9:24 AM

For more information please call 1-800-949-1003, ext. 1717

Open House & Information Fair for Veterans at the Cambridge VA Outpatient Clinic

Date of Event:  March 5, 2011

Time:  10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where:  Cambridge VA Outpatient Clinic, 830 Chesapeake Drive, Cambridge, MD

              21613

The VA Maryland Health Care System is hosting an Open House and Information Fair for Veterans and their family members to learn about VA health care benefits and to enroll for VA health care on Saturday, March 5, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cambridge VA Outpatient Clinic, located at 830 Chesapeake Drive, in Cambridge, Maryland. 

If you served in the armed forces and received an honorable discharge, you may qualify for health care benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Local Veterans and their family members are invited to the Open House and Information Fair to learn about VA health care services, including medical, surgical, rehabilitative, neurological, primary, mental health and long-term care, in addition to the VA prescription benefit program.  Information will also be available about VA compensation and pension benefits and VA programs and services to support Veterans struggling due to a job loss or a financial setback. 

All Veterans are encouraged to enroll for care with the VA Maryland Health Care System.  It costs nothing to enroll, and it may be one of the most important things a Veteran can do to assure their continued health and well-being.  Veterans who are interested in enrolling for VA health care during the Open House and Information Fair should bring a copy of their discharge paperwork (Form DD214) and a photo ID to assist with the enrollment process.  To expedite the enrollment process, Veterans can access the application for health benefits (VA Form 10-10 EZ) on the VA Maryland Health Care System webpage at www.maryland.va.gov.  Just click on “Become a Patient” and begin completing the enrollment application form to bring it to the Open House and Information Fair.

If you are already enrolled with the VA Maryland Health Care System, we ask that you share this information with fellow Veterans in your community. 

For more information about this free Open House and Information Fair for Veterans and their family members, please call the Community Outreach Office for the VA Maryland Health Care System at 1-800-949-1003, ext. 1717.