32,000 Veterans Have VA Disability Claims Decisions Delayed By Technical Glitch 

Roughly 32,000 veterans are receiving letters this month notifying them that their disability claims submitted through the VA.gov website weren't processed, with the error dating back to 2018 for some. To read more, please click here.

Military Assistance To Maui Swells To 700 As Recovery Teams Aid In Identifying Remains 

The military's mission of aiding first responders on the Hawaiian island of Maui continues to grow, now involving nearly 700 Defense Department personnel and 157 Coast Guardsmen, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters on Tuesday. To read more, please click here.

Air Force Lays Out $1.6B Worth Of Dorm, Child-Care Development Center Projects 

More than 60 Air Force and Space Force installations will see renovated dorms or new child development centers over the next couple of years as the Department of the Air Force prepares to sink more than $1.6 billion into improvements. To read more, please click here.

IMPORTANT TO REITERATE: PACT Act: Presumptive Conditions 

By: Amanda Miller | Military.com

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that "potentially millions" more veterans or their survivors could be eligible to receive health care or financial compensation for toxic exposure-related medical conditions newly considered presumptive under the PACT Act, said Steve Miska, PACT Act transitional executive director.

The law's presumptive aspect "gives us the opportunity to automatically assume, that by virtue of a veteran having this condition, it must be due to their service," Miska told Military.com. "That is a game changer in terms of how veterans historically have had to file a claim" for PACT Act conditions: "Not only did they have to prove that those conditions were manifesting, but they also had to prove the service connection."

The law added what Miska described as 23 new "buckets of conditions," amounting to more than 330 medical conditions altogether. Some of the buckets contain, for example, a number of types of cancers.

Whereas in the past, the VA approved about 25% of claims related to burn pit exposures, the rate was about 78.6% for PACT Act claims in the first year, Miska said.

The PACT Act presumes a service connection -- provided the veteran served in a certain place at a certain time -- for the following conditions related to toxic exposures from burn pits, contaminated water at Marine Corps bases in North Carolina, and the Vietnam-era chemical defoliant, Agent Orange.

Burn Pit Presumptive Conditions

To be eligible for PACT Act compensation for exposure to burn pits or other toxins, veterans must have served at some point since Aug. 2, 1990, on the ground or in the airspace above Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea; or since Sept. 11, 2001, on the ground or in the airspace above Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan or Yemen.

If the veteran has, or has had, one of these conditions, the PACT Act assumes it is connected to burn pits:

• Brain cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancer of any type
• Glioblastoma
• Head cancer of any type
• Kidney cancer
• Lymphoma of any type
• Melanoma
• Neck cancer of any type
• Pancreatic cancer
• Reproductive cancer of any type
• Respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type
• Asthma that was diagnosed after service
• Chronic bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Chronic rhinitis
• Chronic sinusitis
• Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
• Emphysema
• Granulomatous disease
• Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
• Pleuritis
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Sarcoidosis

Contaminated Water Presumptive Conditions

To be eligible for PACT Act benefits for exposure to contaminated water in North Carolina, veterans must have served at either Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987.

If the veteran has, or has had, one of these conditions, the PACT Act assumes it is connected to contaminated water:

• Adult leukemia
• Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
• Bladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Parkinson's disease

Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions

The PACT Act added five new locations where it presumes conditions are related to exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange: military bases in Thailand, Jan. 9, 1962-June 30, 1976; Laos, Dec. 1, 1965-Sept. 30, 1969; locations in Cambodia, April 16-30, 1969; Guam or American Samoa or territorial waters off either location, Jan. 6, 1962-July 31, 1980; and Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called there, Jan. 1, 1972, through Sept. 30, 1977.

If the veteran has, or has had, one of these conditions, the PACT Act assumes it is connected to Agent Orange:

• High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
• Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)

The VA already presumed a service connection to Agent Orange for a number of other conditions at additional locations.

More Exposure-Related Presumptive Conditions

The PACT Act only added new presumptive service connections. The VA already covered conditions presumed it to be from exposure to asbestos, mustard gas, chemical testing and other circumstances of military service.

Just because the PACT Act hasn't declared a condition presumptive yet doesn't mean it never will, Miska said. The law requires the VA to examine evidence of service connection to "future potential conditions" to recommend inclusion.

Below are the campaigns that are currently located on our Action Center. Please take no more than 5-10 minutes to scan through each of the campaigns and click on the custom links provided below. 

Support the Military Spouse Hiring Act!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/103707/Respond

Legislation Summary

• The Military Spouse Hiring Act would encourage companies to employ military spouses, who frequently face disproportionate impediments in the job market, by extending the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include them. 
• Intends to help military spouses find better work opportunities. 

Support the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/93860/Respond

Legislation Summary

• Authorizes veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation. 
• Makes qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service eligible for concurrent receipt, subject to specified reductions in retired pay.

Support the Major Richard Star Act!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/93862/Respond

Legislation Summary

• Qualify approximately 42,000 military retirees with combat-related injuries to concurrently receive both military retired pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) compensation. 
• Provide total offset relief to veterans who suffered combat injuries or illnesses who were medically retired with less than twenty years of service.

Support the Retired Pay Restoration Act!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/92798/Respond

Legislation Summary

• Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability.
• Extends full concurrent receipt eligibility to individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability.

Support the Military Family Nutrition Access Act of 2023!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/103672/Respond

Legislation Summary

• The Military Family Nutrition Access Act was created to aid military families with active duty members who are facing food insecurity. 
• By eliminating Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) from the income calculations used to establish eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the bipartisan bill will combat food insecurity. 
• Military personnel risk their life to protect our nation; they shouldn't have to worry about providing for their families. 

Support the Not Just a Number Act!

Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/Campaigns/103681/Respond

Legislation Summary

• The Not Just a Number Act would oblige the VA to look into how veterans use their benefits in their yearly report on suicide prevention in order to assess the connection between VA benefits and suicide outcomes. 
• In its fight against veteran suicides, the VA evaluates which VA benefits have the best impact on preventing suicide and requires the Department to submit recommendations for an increase in such benefits.

If you have any questions, please reach out to AFSA's Military and Government Relations team at milgov3@hqafsa.org.

Have You Read The Latest AFSA Magazine?

This edition features Port Mortuary and America’s Missing Heroes, Living with Bipolar Disorder in the Military, Fly-By Wire Defense and AFSA’s American Award Recipient – Don Ward. Read, download, print and share: https://www.hqafsa.org/fallmagazine.html

Greetings AFSA Division and Chapter Leadership,

We are pleased to share the AFSA Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay procedures and marketing materials to help share the process with our members, your membership and potential new recruits.

The Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay program creates an opportunity to JOIN AFSA or RENEW a membership by making a $36 once-a-year/every-year auto payment, or a $4-each-month/every- month auto payment. The $36 once-a-year option is set at $36, and the $4-a-month option includes a bank processing fee of $1 each month.

Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.

For more information, please click here.

For questions, please contact AFSAHQ Member & Field team at 800-638-0594 x 288.

Please Update Your Contact Information Today!

Dear Air Force Sergeants Association Member,

In order for the AFSA to effectively communicate with our members, it is essential to ensure we have your current and / or valid e-mail address. 
 
We are in the process of updating our records and need your help! Please take a moment to ensure that we have your most current mail and email address (no .mil's); and accurate membership listing information.

We've made it easy, as you can update your information in either one of three ways: 

1. Call Member & Field Relations team directly at 800-638-0594 x 288 (Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)
2. Email to: msvcs@hqafsa.org
3. Visit www.hqafsa.org and select the UPDATE button on the right

We thank you in advance for your support and prompt updates.

In sum, the letters were being sent to all veterans "impacted by the issue," which was described as a "technical issue" that prevented the claims from being automatically routed for processing, a Department of Veterans Affairs representative told Military.com on Monday.

Affected veterans started getting letters stating that their claims might not have been examined earlier this month.

Recipients were informed that the VA was thoroughly reviewing the situation and that they were not required to take any further action. However, they were instructed to keep an eye out for any future requests from the VA for extra information in their mail.

In addition, however, a week earlier, when fires rushed from the mountains down onto the town of Lahaina, turning homes and structures into ash, killing at least 114 people, and forcing others to run into the ocean, the U.S. military had about 400 service members assisting the island.

At a press conference, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder informed the media that eight missions are being carried out by military personnel to support the federal and local response. The general in charge of the mission said that one of the main initiatives has been to assist in the recovery and identification of victim remains.

And lastly, in a news statement on Wednesday, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center listed all of their current and upcoming projects between the fiscal years 2023 and 2027. According to the Air Force, 170 dormitory improvements, including four that are presently being undertaken and are valued at $76 million, will be supported through 2027 under the "Dorm Response Program" of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center.

14 substantial dorm improvements with an estimated $227 million price tag are scheduled for the fiscal year 2024, which starts on October 1. Five of those projects, which will be located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, Travis Air Force Base in California, and Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, are being managed by the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center.

19 new Child Development Centers are also being planned and built to accommodate more kids in an effort to aid families. These are expected to begin construction between 2022 and 2027.

And that's the way it is for Thursday, August  24, 2023.

Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!