Veterans issues page 9

 

This section has many hidden benefits for veterans(it is from the VFW page).


    For the Commonly Available State Benefits, please click the following:
    • Click Here For: AL, AK, Amer. Samoa, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL
    • Click Here For: GA, Guam, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA
    • Click Here For: ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV
    • Click Here For: NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA
    • Click Here For: Puerto Rico, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, Virgin Islands
    • Click Here For: WA, WV, WI, WY

The National Veterans Services Fund, Inc.


Founded in 1978, the National Veterans Services Fund, Inc.
(formerly Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange Victims, Inc.) is a
not-for-profit organization located in Darien, Connecticut
that provides case-managed social services and limited
medical assistance to Vietnam- and Persian Gulf War-
veterans and their families, with a focus on families with
disabled children. All donations are tax-deductible.

Entire veteran families have been adversely affected by the
experience of combat and by other war-related factors. War
does not end on the battlefield. These families continue
to suffer a high incidence of chronic health conditions and
problems that affect the family's physical, psychological,
social and economic well-being and productivity. In
response to a steadily growing number of inquiries from
Persian Gulf veterans, as well as veterans of other wars, we
changed our name to better reflect the fact that our
services are provided for all veteran families.

The families served by NVSF, Inc. have been unable to obtain
the social and health services they so critically need from
other sources. They have fallen between the social service
system's "cracks" mainly because of a misconception that
they and their families are taken care of by the VA. In
fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not
provide services to families, except in rare instances.

Before NVSF, Inc., no health or social system existed for
veterans that focused on the whole family and their struggle
with a multiplicity of problems. Existing systems were
exclusionary and uncoordinated, often geographically distant
from the family needing service. The traditional veterans'
system provides services to the veteran but not the family.
There has remained no coordination between veterans' and
human services systems.

NVSF, Inc. uniquely combines family-guided case management
(service coordination) and advocacy assistance while
strengthening business, social and community support.

Services provided by NVSF, Inc. are carefully designed to
empower families so that they can successfully navigate
different health and social systems.

NVSF, Inc. provides an integrated program of services
managed by veterans that include the following: a national
hotline for veterans and their families that responds to
hundreds of inquiries each month from throughout the
country; an extensive repository of free information on
topics ranging from the history of the Agent Orange lawsuit
to the most recent Gulf War legislation; a special fund that
offers limited emergency economic assistance and relief for
families in crisis; business partnerships that make it
possible to secure services and equipment at reduced rates
or at no cost for families in need; peer counselors work
with veterans who are isolated from traditional social
services support and enable family members to work together
to determine their own course of action to resolve their
problems.

NVSF, Inc. must continue to support and provide services to
veteran families, particularly those whose children, and now
grandchildren, have been born with disabilities. We
gratefully appreciate your support. There is still so much
to accomplish to strengthen veterans' families, particularly
those with children who are disabled.
WE RELY ENTIRELY ON YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS.
Our survival is critical because these families have few
alternative options. PLEASE HELP US IF YOU CAN.

Feel free to call me on our toll-free number, (800)521-0198
with any questions.

Thank you,

Phil Kraft
Family Health Counselor

PUBLICATION LIST

Please call us at
(800)521-0198
to obtain anything on this list

Agent Orange and Related Topics:

A-1. Agent Orange Anxiety: The Human Response to Possible
Oncogenicity and Mutagenicity of Dioxin Poisoning in Vietnam
Veterans
Erwin R. Parson, Ph.D. (e-mailable)

A-2. Case Control Study: Soft-Tissue Sarcomas and Exposure
to Phenoxyacetic Acids or Chlorophenols
L. Hardell and A. Sandstrom from the Center of Oncology,
University Hospital, Umea Sweden

A-3. Relation of Soft-Tissue Sarcoma, Malignant Lymphoma and
Colon Cancer to Phenoxy Acids, Chlorophenols and Other
Agents
Lennart Hardell, MD Center of Oncology, University Hospital,
Umea Sweden

A-4. Environmental Chloracne
James S. Taylor, Dept. of Dermatology, The Cleveland Clinic
Foundation

A-5. Dioxin, A Case In Point
Luke G. Tedeschi, M.D. Boston University School of Medicine

A-6. Agent Orange and Birth Defects (Letter to the Editor,
New England Journal of Medicine)
F. LaVecchio Ph.D., H. Pashayan, M.D. & W. Singer, M.D., New
England Medical Center

A-7. The Children of Vietnam Veterans: Complex Concerns and
Innovative Solutions
Phillip R. Kraft, Family Health Counselor, National Veterans
Services Fund, Inc. (e-mailable)

A-8. Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to
Herbicides
National Academy of Sciences (e-mailable)

A-9. *NEW* Agent Orange-Related Monetary Benefits from the
VA for Vietnam Veterans (replaces List of Diseases . . .)
(e-mailable)

A-10. Monetary Allowance, Health Care and Vocational
Training and Rehabilitation for Vietnam Veterans' Children
with Spina Bifida
National Veterans Services Fund, Inc.

A-11. Agent Orange Fact Sheet: An Historical Perspective
National Veterans Services Fund, Inc. (e-mailable)

A-12. Agent Orange: It is Part of your Life
Dr. Arthur Galston, Professor of Biology, Yale University.
(e-mailable)

A-13. A Brief History of the Agent Orange Lawsuit
National Veterans Services Fund, Inc. (e-mailable)

A-14 thru A-23 are from Dept. of Veterans Affairs:

A-14. Agent Orange and Multiple Myeloma

A-15. Agent Orange and Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

A-16. Agent Orange and Hodgkin's Disease

A-17. Agent Orange and Spina Bifida

A-18. Agent Orange and Respiratory Cancers

A-19. Agent Orange and Prostate Cancer

A-20. Agent Orange and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

A-21. Agent Orange and Peripheral Neuropathy

A-22. Agent Orange and Chloracne

A-23. Agent Orange and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

PTSD and Related Topics:

P-1. PTSD and the Family: Secondary Traumatization
Lisa Cosgrove, Ph.D., Mary E. Brady, Ph.D., and Patricia
Peck, M.A., M.Ed.
Shriver Center, Waltham, MA

P-2. Mental Health Problems of Vietnam Veterans
Marcia Resing, RN, MSN

P-3. Psychotherapy with Traumatized Vietnam Combatants
Douglas J. Scaturo, Ph.D. and William J. Hardoby, MD

P-4. Helping Families Understand P.T.S.D.
Lisa Cosgrove, Ph.D., William L. Holcomb, and Patricia Peck,
M.A., M.Ed.

Gulf War and Related Topics:

G-1. Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses: VA, DOD Continue to
Resist Strong Evidence Linking Toxic Causes to Chronic
Health Effects
Subcommittee on Human Resources of the House Committee on
Government Reform and Oversight

G-2. Personal Data Questionnaire for Gulf War Veterans
National Veterans Services Fund, Inc. (e-mailable)

G-3. Depleted Uranium Fact Sheet
National Gulf War Resource Center

G-4. Gulf War Syndrome Self-Help Guide
National Gulf War Resource Center

G-5. Depleted Uranium: Objective Research and Analysis
Required
Dan Fahey, Swords to Plowshares

G-6. Model of Exposures and Health Consequences for Veterans
of the Persian Gulf War
Erika Lundholm, National Gulf War Resource Center

G-7. Dangerous Chemical Combination Presents Possible
Scenario for Gulf War Illnesses
Mohamed Bahie Abou-Donia, Ph.D. Duke University Medical
Center

G-8. Is There a Gulf War Syndrome? Searching for Syndromes
by Factor Analysis of Symptoms
R. Haley, M.D., T. Kurt, M.D., MPH, & J. Hom Ph.D.,
University of Texas Medical Center

G-9. Persian Gulf Research
The Research Working Group of the Persian Gulf Veterans
Coordinating Board

Also available:

Why Vietnam Still Matters: The War and the Wall
Jan Scruggs, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

*****

We are constantly working on making as many of these
documents available through e-mail. We have indicated which
ones are available at this time.

*****

Please call us at
(800)521-0198
to obtain anything on this list.

Donations may be mailed to our
mailing address:
National Veterans Services Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 2465
Darien, CT 06820-0465

Description: NON-PROFIT, 501(c)(3) CHARITY. MISSION: To
educate and inform the public on the needs of veterans and
their families; primarily concerning the Agent Orange issue
and Gulf War illnesses; to identify and assess the needs of,
and to provide limited medical assistance for, disabled
children of veterans on a nationwide basis, and to provide
assistance and/or relief to families of veterans through
programs that combine family-guided case management (service
coordination) and advocacy assistance while building social
and community support





REQUESTING MILITARY MEDALS AND AWARDS

Requests for the issuance or replacement of military service medals, decorations, and awards should be directed to the specific branch of the military in which the veteran served. However, for Air Force (including Army Air Corps) and Army personnel, the National Personnel Records Center will verify the awards to which a veteran is entitled and forward the request with the verification to the appropriate service department for issuance of the medals.

The Standard Form (SF 180), Request Pertaining to Military Records, is recommended for requesting medals and awards. Provide as much information as possible and send the form to the appropriate address from the following table:

Service
Branch
Where to write for
medals
Where medals are
mailed from
Where to write in case of
a problem or an appeal
Army National Personnel
Records Center
Medals Section (NRPMA-M)
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
See NOTE below
U.S. Army Soldier &
Biological Chemical Command, IMMC
Soldier Systems Directorate
700 Robbins Avenue
P.O. Box 57997
Philadelphia, PA 19111-7997
Commander
PERSCOM
Attn: TAPC-PDO-PA
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, VA 22332-0471
See NOTE below
Air Force
(including
Army Air
Corps &
Army Air
Forces)
National Personnel
Records Center
Air Force Reference
Branch (NRPMF)
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Headquarters
Air Force Personnel Ctr
AFPC/DPPPR
550 C Street West, Suite 12
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4714
Headquarters
Air Force Personnel Ctr
AFPC/DPPPR
550 C Street West, Suite 12
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4714
Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Chief of Naval Operations
(OPNAV 09B33)
Awards & Special Projects
Washington, DC 20350-2000
Marine
Corps
Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Commandant
Headquarters
United States Marine Corps
Awards Branch (MHM)
Washington, DC 20380-0001
Coast
Guard
Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Bureau of Naval Personnel
Liaison Office
Room 5409
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Commandant
U.S. Coast Guard
Medals and Awards Branch
(PMP-4)
Washington, DC 20593-0001

NOTE: Recently, the Department of the Army and the National Archives and Records Administration entered into an agreement which gives the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) authority to verify entitlement to replacement awards and decorations for discharged, retired or deceased Army veterans. This was previously the responsibility of the Army Reserve Personnel Command (AR-PERSCOM). Army medals requests submitted within the last two years are currently in the process of being transferred from AR-PERSCOM to NPRC. The transfer of this work will take a number of months to complete. Once the transfer has been completed, requests pertaining to these specific Army medals will be answered as quickly as possible.

AR-PERSCOM estimates a backlog of 98,000 routine requests for Army medals, going back two years; and at least 4,300 Congressional requests for Army awards and decorations which may also be up to two years old. We understand the desire to obtain the medals as quickly as possible; however, multiple requests for the same awards will further complicate the process. Once the transfer is complete, we will begin responding to both the backlog of requests and all new inquiries in an expeditious manner. If you are now requesting medals, or you previously wrote to NPRC or AR-PERSCOM requesting medals, we ask that you do not write again. If you wish to submit a medals request for the first time, please do so after March 1, 1999. We appreciate your patience in this matter.

 

Generally, there is no charge for medal or award replacements. The length of time to receive a response or your medals and awards varies depending upon the branch of service sending the medals.
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