Please consider our petition http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/petitionsite but we would welcome not only your signatures but your comments, suggestions and even more you volunteering your time.  Thanks

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"Who are homeless veterans?

The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says the nation's homeless veterans are mostly males (4 % are females). The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Forty-seven percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone."

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It's Time To Bring Our Troops Home

House Democrats are expected to introduce a war funding bill that only approves money for bringing our troops home. Making it the most strongly worded war funding resolution to hit the House floor so far. And making it something that we can finally get behind.

Back in March we asked TrueMajorityAction members what they thought about the supplemental funding bill being debated at the time and the response was overwhelmingly clear: "No money for anything but bringing the troops home." Now we have that chance.

Tell your Rep. to support a war funding bill that only approves money to bring our troops home.

http://act.truemajorityaction.org/iraqfunding?campaign_KEY=1213

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Apparently "A Promise Made IS NOT A Promise Kept!"

Take Action!

Please send the following message to the President Bush, V Pres Cheney, your two Senators and one Representative --

What happened to President Bush’s promise to the military and our veterans of “A promise made is a promise kept?”

As a 100% combat disabled veteran, I am very much concerned about the Bush Administration’s preparation of new legislation to be incorporated into the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act that would establish a separate and, under most circumstances, a more generous disability package for service members disabled in war or while training for war.

Under the plan, as recommended by the President’s Commission on Care of America’s Returning Wounded Warriors, a.k.a.Dole-Shalala commission, those service members found unfit for duty due to combat related disabilities would be medically retired by the DoD based on 2.5% per year served multiplied by base pay.   The VA would provide disability compensation without offset for receipt of retired pay.  Such members would qualify for lifetime access TRICARE.

On the other hand, those determined unfit for military service due to non-combat related injuries would be inequitably treated under the current patchwork system of title 10 US Code Chapter 61where percentage awards are based only on the disqualifying disability and with military retirement pay offset by VA compensation.  Those rated below 30% disability would be separated with severance pay in lieu of retirement pay and would not qualify for TRICARE.

However, there is a new wrinkle:  The President proposes that when disabled service members reach age 65, that the VA disability compensation will be terminated and the service member will draw the reduced Social Security Benefit.  This proposal has two major flaws --

1.  Unless something is done very soon, because of decades of bad accounting practices, the Social Security Trust Fund is projected to go bankrupt in 30 years.  What does the President plan do about the Social Security crisis?  The President’s plan transfers the disabled veteran to a rapidly sinking ship without a life jacket.   FIX SOCIAL SECURITY FIRST!

2.  What of the disabled service member who has less than 10 years Social Security earnings?  As I recall, those with less than 10 years earning receive NO BENEFIT!  There are already laws in place that reduce the Social Security Benefits for having less than 30 years of Social Security Earnings … The Windfall Elimination Provision is one of these laws.

The President’s proposal runs counter to the already published findings of the Dole-Shalala commission, and to the preliminary findings of the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission, both recommend more consistent and equitable treatment of service members disabled in the service of our great country.

Therefore, I urge you to oppose any reduction of disability compensation now paid to disabled service members.  I urge you to vote against any inclusion of such legislation into the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.  I urge you to enjoin your colleagues to do the same.

Please advise me of your intentions.

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Category 4 – Unaccompanied Dependents on EML and DODDS Teachers on EML During Summer.

·         Dependents traveling under the EML Program, unaccompanied by their sponsor.

·         DODDS teachers of dependents accompanied or unaccompanied traveling under the EML Program. 

Category 5 – Permissive TDY (Non-House Hunting) Students, Dependents and Others.

• Military personnel traveling on permissive TDY orders other than for househunting.
• Dependents (children) who are college students attending in residence at an overseas branch of an American (U. university located in the same overseas area in which they reside, command sponsored, stationed overseas with their sponsor, who is: (1) A member of the Uniformed Services; (2) A U.S. citizen civilian employee of the Department of Defense (paid from either appropriated funds or NAF); or (3) An American Red Cross full-time, paid employee serving with the Department of Defense.
• Dependents, command-sponsored, stationed overseas with their sponsor who is: (1) A member of the Uniformed Services; (2) A U.S. citizen civilian employee of the Department of Defense (paid from either appropriated funds or NAF); or (3) An American Red Cross full-time, paid employee serving with the Department of Defense. Unaccompanied travel is permitted to and from the nearest overseas military academy testing site to take scheduled entrance examinations for entry into any of the U.S. Service Academies

• Category 6 – Retired, Dependents, Reserve, ROTC, NUPOS and CEC

  ·          Retired Uniformed Services members

  ·          Dependents of retired Uniformed Service members, when accompanied by their sponsor.

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Category 3 – Ordinary Leave, Close Blood or Affirmative Relatives, House Hunting Permissive TDY, Medal of Honor Holders, Foreign Military, and Others.     

• Uniformed Services members in a leave or pass status, other than emergency leave, including members of the reserve components on active duty, in leave or pass status.
• Dependents of a member of the Uniformed Services when accompanied by their sponsor in a leave status.
• Uniformed Services members traveling under permissive TDY orders for house hunting incident to a pending PCS. 

• One dependent may accompany a Uniformed Services member.

• Medal of Honor recipients and their dependents (when accompanied by their sponsor).  Except for active duty, traveler shall present a copy of the Medal of Honor Award Certificate.
• Foreign cadets and midshipmen attending U.S. Service academies, in a leave status.
• Foreign Exchange Service members on permanent duty with the DoD, when in a leave status.

• Dependents of foreign exchange Service members on permanent duty with the Department of Defense when accompanied by their sponsor. 

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Categories of travel.  The following is a partial listing of eligible individuals and their category of travel.  A complete listing of eligible passengers by category is contained in DoD 4515.13-R, Air Transportation Eligibility. 

Category 1- Emergency Leave Unfunded Travel. Transportation by the most expeditious routing only for bona fide immediate family emergencies, as determined by DOD Directive 1327.5. This travel privilege shall not be used in lieu of a funded travel entitlement.

• Uniformed Services members with emergency status indicated in leave orders.

·              U.S .citizen civilians stationed overseas and employees of the Uniformed Services/Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) activities and whose travel from the CONUS, Alaska or Hawaii was incident to a PCS assignment at NAF expense.

·               Dependents of members of the Uniformed Services when accompanied by their sponsor.

·               Dependents, command sponsored of :          

·         U.S. citizen civilian employees of the Uniformed Service, stationed overseas

·         U.S. citizen civilian employees of the DoD stationed overseas and paid from NAF, or

American Red Cross full-time paid personnel serving with a DOD Component overseas.

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The following documentation is required. Please have them ready for review when selected for travel:

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General Information

• Space-available travel is a privilege (not an entitlement) that accrues to Uniformed Services members as an avenue of respite from the rigors of Uniformed Services duty. Retired Uniformed Services members are given the privilege in recognition of a career of such rigorous duty and because they are eligible for recall to active duty.  The underlying criteria for extending the privilege to other categories of passengers is their support to the mission being performed by Uniformed Services members and to the enhancement of active duty Service members' quality of life.
• Space available passengers travel only after all duty cargo and passengers have been accommodated.  All available seats are released, but there is no guaranteed movement in the preferred time frame,  Have sufficient funds available to complete travel using commercial transportation if necessary.  
• Space available (Space A) eligible travelers may not use their privilege for personal gain or in connection with business enterprises or employment. Space A travel may not be used to establish a home or when international or theater restrictions prohibit such travel.
• Family members may travel within the CONUS when accompanied by their sponsor
• Space A seats are normally identified as early as 2-3 hours and as late as 30 minutes prior to departure.  Recommend checking with the passenger service center for the space available show time prior to departing the terminal. Be ready for immediate processing and boarding.
•  Travelers are assigned a category (see below) upon registering for travel and compete for seats within categories based on the date and time of registration. This date and time of sign-up is valid through to the final destination; a new date and time are assigned for return travel. Travelers may stand by for any available flight. 
• Space required passengers or cargo may require the removal of Space A passengers at any point. If removed en route, travelers may re-register with their original date and time of registration. Passenger agents will assign a new date and time to any country changed or added to an application. Names of all originating space available passengers who depart on a flight will be removed from all destinations. Travelers should be prepared to purchase onward or return commercial transportation, meals, and lodging.

·         Travelers remain on the register for 60 days or the duration of their leave orders or authorization, whichever occurs first.

If you have questions or comments, please contact an AMC supervisor or use AMC Form 253, Air Passenger Comment, available in every major AMC operating location.

Registration. Passengers must register for travel at Passenger Service Centers in the passenger terminal in person and/or may also sign-up in writing by fax, mail, or E-mail. Sponsors who register in person for family members traveling with them should present all required documents: Identification cards (DD Form 2, Armed Forces Identification Card), passports, immunization records, and visas when required by the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide. Travel documents must be presented when selected for travel. Travelers may select up to five countries. We recommend the "all" choice for the 5th destination so that the traveler may take advantage of unscheduled unique travel opportunities.

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S 713 = Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act
Provides Many Needed Reforms

I urge you to cosponsor and actively support S. 713, the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act, introduced on February 28, by Senator Barack Obama. This rather comprehensive bill would provide for improvements in six areas.

http://capwiz.com/usdr/index_frame.dbq?url=http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=9454946&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

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THIS IS A THREAD FOR PETITIONS FOR OUR SERVICE MEMBERS, NO POLITICAL PETITIONS!!!! ONLY IN SUPPORT.

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