The American Forces
Press Service reports that, in coordination, the Department of Defense and
the Education Department have resurrected the Troops to Teachers Program,
with an $18 million infusion from the fiscal year 2002 Federal Budget.
These dollars will give retiring and separating service members another
chance to serve by becoming teachers in the K-12 public school system of
the U.S.
All military
personnel, veterans, and Reserve component personnel who were separated
not earlier than October 1, 1990 are eligible to apply.
To encourage
participation there are financial incentives in the form of a $5,000
stipend to cover costs of a teacher certification and a $10,000 bonus if a
teaching position is accepted in a "high-needs" school district. The
Troops to Teacher Program also assists participants in placements through
a nationwide referral system.
Those interested in
an academic teaching position must have at least a bachelor's degree from
an accredited college. Those without a degree could be eligible for the
teaching of vocational/technical subjects, like electronics, computers,
construction, automotive repair, but they will have to document their
skill level or level of expertise.
To apply, call the
Troops to Teacher office at 1-800-452-6619 or visit their website at
http://voled.doded.mil/dantes/ttt.
VA Community Based
Outreach Clinic
The planning and
coordination continues for a VA primary care clinic in Carteret County.
In the immediate future, we can anticipate announcements on the clinic's
exact location and particulars on how it will be staffed. According to
federal officials, the clinic opening is planned for during June 2002.
To use the facility,
a veteran will be required to be enrolled in the VA Health Care System and
be referred to the clinic by the VA Medical Center in Durham. For details
on this important entitlement, a good local resource is the Carteret
County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.
VA Claims and
Average Processing Times
The regional offices
of the Department of Veterans Affairs have been struggling and surely
doing their best at processing and adjudicating a significant backlog of
benefit claims. Legislative changes regulating veteran benefits created
most of the backlog. That said, our regional office at Winston-Salem has
recently provided data on average claim processing times. The following
will give the reader an idea of average days to complete a specific type
of claim.
Type of Claim
# Days
Initial disability
compensation (7 issues or less) 220
Initial disability
compensation (8 issues or more) 122
Initial disability
pension
140
Initial death &
dependency indemnity compensation 190
Initial death
pension 94
Reopened
compensation
250
Reopened
pension 136
Income, estate &
election issues 86
Disability & death
dependency 49
VA Expenditures in
Carteret County
The North Carolina
Division of Veterans Affairs recently provided statistics concerning
FY2001 expenditures in Carteret County. These expenditures are real
dollars provided directly to County veterans and, in some cases, their
dependents. The breakdown follows:
Compensation/Pension 11,733,618
Vocational
Rehabilitation
443,117
Insurance/Indemnities 586,754
TOTAL
$12,763,489
This total dollar
amount equates to a 7.5% increase in VA expenditures as compared to FY2000
data. A note, these figures do not include VA expenditures in the western
part of the County with an Onslow County zip code, nor do they include
medical care and medicine provided to County veterans by the VA Health
Care System.
Korean War Veterans
Event
Marine Corps Base,
Camp Lejeune will be opening the base to the public and will be hosting a
Korean War commemoration event on Thursday, April 11, 2002. The event's
purpose is to honor, to recognize, and to remember all Korean War veterans
and their families.
The all day event
will include an honors ceremony, static displays of current USMC
equipment, a seminar on the Korean War, an 82nd Airborne
Parachute demonstration, and much more. Special guests will be General
James L. Jones, Commandant of the US Marine Corps, and the Honorable
Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy.
For more
information, please contact Maj. Skip Crawley or Gunnery Sgt. Jim Riley at
(910) 451-1714, ext. 5276.
Cold War Medal
Across the state
there have been inquiries regarding the authorization and issuance of a
Cold War Medal to members of the Armed Forces who served honorably during
the Cold War era (September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991). The U.S.
Congress in fact did consider enactment of such a bill, but limited its
official recognition to the issuance of a Cold War Recognition
Certificate. For information on how to apply for this handsome
certificate, contact Carteret County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.
A comment, there are commercial vendors who are selling a privately
manufactured commemorative Cold War Medal. DoD officials have stated a
servicemember can purchase it, just not wear it on his or her uniform.
