Former Representative Doug Collins (R-GA-9), also a Navy and Air Force Chaplain who served in the Iraq War after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and more recently a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve, presented an oral and written opening statement to members of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs at a confirmation hearing earlier this week. Collins also fielded two rounds of questions from members of the Committee. He was recommended in Committee […]

Blind and low vision veterans 55 years of age: Please make yourselves available promptly at 10:00am Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 28, the moment for both the visually impaired and wheelchair divisions to register for this year’s Golden Age Games in Memphis, Tennessee, May 31-June 5. The ambulatory division will begin registering the following day, January 29. This year’s games will mean a little more to BVA than usual as members of the Tennessee Regional […]

The long day and night of Presidential inaugural events on January 20 will be followed the morning after by a Senate confirmation hearing to consider the nomination of the Honorable Douglas A. Collins to become the 12th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The hearing, originally scheduled for January 14, will occur next Tuesday at 10am. Committee Chairman Jerry Moran said in statement last Monday that Collins had submitted all of his paperwork in a “timely manner […]

BVA member and extreme adventure athlete Lonnie Bedwell has conquered still more superhuman, near-impossible feats in his quest, among other things, to climb the highest peaks on all seven of the world’s continents. Flying onto the ice-covered continent of Antarctica on November 27 from Punta Arenas, Chile, he and his Sightless Summits companion, Bryan Hill, headed to the Ellsworth Mountains to climb Mount Vinson, the continent’s highest peak. That climb occurred December 3. After additional […]

Have you wondered how the BVA Veterans Service program (VSP) fulfills its mission of providing high quality representation before the Department of Veterans Affairs to blind and low vision veterans? BVA National Service Director Duayne Driscoll has compiled a few of the most significant figures for the Veterans Service Program (VSP) in 2024. The results, reported and explained by Duayne below, reflect impressive accomplishments amid extraordinary challenges. Kudos to the BVA VSP! During the calendar […]

The upcoming weekend includes a Monday federal holiday for both the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. Both holidays occur on the exact same day. The leadership, staff, and membership of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) pause to reflect on the humanitarian service and vision of Dr. King, who was born 96 years ago on January 15. As the country honors the memory […]

VA earlier this week announced a proposed rule that would exempt veterans from a copayment for certain inpatient and outpatient Whole Health well-being services that are now offered by VA facilities nationwide. The Whole Health emphasis of the past 5-7 years at VA has focused on the overall well-being of veterans, independent of treatment for specific medical conditions or a certain diagnosis. Examples of copayment-exempt services include Whole Health education, health and wellness coaching, skill-building […]

Despite its occurrence at the end of a busy holiday season, the ceremonial placement last Saturday of two Braille Flags at the Jefferson Parish Eastbank Regional Library in Metairie, Louisiana, brought dozens of citizens from the community to see what a Braille flag actually looks like. The crowd added to a number of invited guests and participants. Included in the program was the participation of a five-piece brass combo of the 4th Division of the […]

BVA members and friends have been invited by the 60th Presidential Inaugural Committee to participate in a National Day of Service at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on Sunday morning, January 19, 2025. The purpose of the service is to honor fallen service members in Section 60 of the cemetery with flowers atop or beside each headstone. With enough volunteers in place that morning, the same is hoped to be accomplished in the Millennium Section. “Our […]

Observance of National Braille Literacy Month in January raises awareness of the importance of Braille to the blind and visually impaired community, examining important events that pre-date the more publicized Louis Braille invention of the tactile system. As audio technology has progressed, the use of Braille has inevitably dwindled. This trend is especially evident in the community of blind and visually impaired veterans during the past 20 years. However, the significance and use of Braille […]