VA this week announced that acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder cancer, ureter cancer, and related genitourinary cancers will now be presumptive for service connection for both Gulf War and Post-9/11 veterans who served in nations of the Middle East. The move means that veterans from the two conflicts will no longer be obligated to prove that their service caused their condition in order to receive the appropriate care and […]

Thanks to BVA’s recent advocacy efforts and additional support from at least six other Veterans Service Organizations, air travel for many blind and low vision veterans will be greatly simplified in both the near and long-range future. The legislation makes TSA PreCheck benefits available at no cost to qualifying veterans, including those with sight loss. The new law will result in greater efficiency and eliminate invasive searches for blind and low vision veterans passing through […]

The following is also being distributed as a press release to contact points outside the BVA Happenings readership. Its inclusion here is for the information of BVA members, their families, and the Association’s supporters and friends. The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), the only congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization exclusively dedicated to serving the needs of our Nation’s blind and low vision veterans, commends the nomination of Air Force Reserve Chaplain and former United States Congressman […]

Past National President Dennis R. Wyant, Ed.D., also a past BVA National Field Service Director and today a member of the Florida Regional Group, was BVA’s connection to President Jimmy Carter some 46 years ago when he was appointed and confirmed by the Senate as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment after numerous important responsibilities leading up to the appointed position, including Assistant to Administrator of Veterans Affairs Max Cleland more than […]

The passing this past Sunday of Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, has brought to light numerous features of his early life that have been overshadowed by his life in politics. Long before becoming responsible for a Georgia peanut farm, serving as a Sunday School teacher, or entering politics, James Earl Carter, Jr. was a veteran of the U.S. military, having begun his adult life at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Even […]

Blinded World War II veteran Eugene (Gene) J. Baltes, a member of the Illinois Regional Group, died this past weekend (December 28-29) at his home in River Forest, Illinois. At age 110, Gene had been the oldest living male on record residing in the United States since last June. BVA offers deepest condolences to Gene’s wife, Zenaida (Zenny), and his entire family. Gene’s vibrant personality as well as his age had recently endeared himself to […]

Leaders and members of the Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group are off and running in early 2025 with the gift of two Braille Tactile U.S. Flags this Saturday to the Friends of Jefferson Parish Eastbank Public Library in Metairie, Louisiana. A presentation of the flags will consist of a 2:00pm dedication ceremony at the library that will include one cast in bronze and another in polymer. The flags feature a three-dimensional design with the Pledge of Allegiance […]

Louis Braille was born in France on January 4, 1809, 216 years ago as of tomorrow. Although more than two centuries had passed at the time, the United Nations in 2019 adopted World Braille Day to emphasize the importance of Braille in promoting accessibility, independence, and dignity for people with visual impairments. The annual observance on January 4 highlights the global need for inclusive education, communication tools, and policies that uphold the rights of visually […]

I hope that the holiday season has been a most enjoyable and pleasant one for our BVA members and their families. This same hope extends to our many friends, supporters, and other readers of BVA Happenings. On behalf of our entire National Headquarters staff, I wish you a happy and prosperous 2025. Although we live in trying times, there is much to look forward to in 2025 as we serve one another in our individual […]

Last week’s BVA Happenings referenced this week’s 5th anniversary of the U.S. Space Force, established on December 20, 2019, when the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law with bipartisan support. The action created the first new branch of the armed services in 73 years in response to widespread recognition that Space was a national security imperative. The service’s motto, “Semper supra,” Latin for “Always above,” is a phrase that encapsulates the Space Force’s […]