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VA meets with vets, families about benefits
By Sean Barron
AUSTINTOWN
Decades after serving their country, many veterans with disabilities face additional battles at home — including trying to navigate through a complex system to receive benefits to which they’re entitled.
“We’re the guiding light for democracy and freedom throughout the world,” James Bailey said during a town-hall meeting Wednesday at the Austintown Senior Center, 100 Westchester Drive. “We’re a free nation only because of the veterans.”
Bailey, a Vietnam veteran and state executive-committee member with the Ohio Department of Disabled American Veterans, was among those who spoke during the two-hour session.
The gathering gave several dozen service members and their families an opportunity to inquire about or express concerns related to government benefits, educational opportunities and health care coverage.
Hosting the meeting was Youngstown-based DAV Chapter 2.
Other speakers were Leo H. Connelly Jr., Chapter 2’s commander; Jacob Drost and Matthew Persons, national service officers with the Veterans Affair’s Cleveland office; John Parker, a 34-year DAV employee and executive-committee member; and Paul Weber, a 20-year Navy veteran with the VA Clinic in Youngstown.
Bailey estimated that Ohio has about 10,000 veterans with amputations, many of whom face the added burden of divorce, post-traumatic stress disorder and other hardships.
In addition, roughly seven out of 10 veterans experience difficulty readjusting to civilian life, so it’s imperative they know how to apply for and receive benefits, noted Parker, who served in the Marines.
Parker cited the Veterans Access, Choice & Accountability Act of 2014, which allows many service members to receive non-VA health care benefits in lieu of waiting for appointments or traveling to VA centers. Requirements include living more than 40 miles from the nearest facility and having been told to wait more than 30 days from the date medically determined by a physician.
One of those trying to receive full compensation was 84-year-old James Russell of Cornersburg, a Korean War veteran who was in the Marines from 1948 to 1952.
His injuries included severe frostbite from having been exposed to minus 30-degree temperatures, recalled Russell, a Purple Heart recipient.
Drost noted that a new, more fully developed process has largely eliminated the backlog for filing claims nationwide. At the Cleveland office, it takes about four months on average to complete claims, compared with 19 to 31 months before, he explained.
Persons urged those in the audience to take advantage of the eBenefits center, an online link with information on compensation and other services.
Weber and Connelly stressed that assistance is available to all local veterans.
“I want to reinforce the idea that we’re here to help veterans,” Weber said.
For information, call the Ohio Department of Veterans Services at 877-644-6838 or go to www.va.gov. Those who are struggling with depression or contemplating suicide are urged to call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255.