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Seeking to Make a Difference by Supporting Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service

In last week’s issue of BVA Happenings, BVA Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin explained how BVA members can make their voices heard on the issue of autonomous self-driving vehicles. As an example, Alek pointed out the regulatory function of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). He emphasized that the CPUC regulates not only utility companies and their actions but also transportation services such as Uber and Lyft.  The regulatory function of transportation services […]

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Pact Act Backdated Benefits Deadline Extended

In late-breaking news yesterday (Thursday, August 10), VA has extended the original August 9 deadline to file PACT Act claims, or an intent to file, and still be eligible for benefits backdated to August 10, 2022, when President Biden signed the PACT Act into law. Due to high online volume, many veterans were receiving error messages when submitting their intent to file claims. The new deadline is Monday, August 14, at 11:59pm Eastern Time. VA […]

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MVP Prioritizes Veterans with Sight Loss at Convention in Final Push to Hit Million

VA’s Million Veteran Program (MVP) is a national research program looking at how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect health and wellness in veterans. Since launching in 2011, approximately 960,000 veterans have joined MVP, making it the largest research effort at VA to improve health care for veterans and one of the largest research programs in the world studying genes and health. As part of its push to reach a million participants with 40,000 […]

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Auxiliary Members Invited, Encouraged to Attend Convention Monday Meeting

In conjunction with the BVA National Board of Directors, the National Blinded Veterans Association Auxiliary (BVAA), with its currently constituted leadership and members, is invited to hold a business meeting at the 78th National Convention on Monday, August 14. The meeting has been scheduled for 1:00-3:00pm in Gateway B of the Marriott St. Louis Grand.  The meeting has been scheduled for the purpose of electing BVAA officers for the upcoming fiscal year. All current BVAA […]

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BVA Members, Families, Friends, Sponsors and Exhibitors Unite in St. Louis

After months of preparation and more than four years of anticipation, the BVA 78th National Convention will go forward next week at the Marriott St. Louis Grand in downtown St. Louis! Many are already in St. Louis or well on their way to their destination. Not everyone is aware that this gathering of veterans with sight loss was originally scheduled and contracted for August 2021 as the 76th National Convention, adding to the excitement that […]

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Update Contact Information Now on BVA Website

BVA National Headquarters receives a substantial amount of return mail from the U.S. Postal Service, primarily from mailings of the print version of the quarterly Bulletin. The database also contains outdated telephone numbers that are often difficult to correct. BVA members can now update their address and other contact information via BVA.org. The process is a simple one, accomplished on a webpage containing fillable fields in which the updated information can be typed. Format preferences […]

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Prudential-VA Wellness Wednesday Financial Education Series Resumes

In partnership with VA, Prudential Financial, Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development (OTED) offers veterans, transitioning service members, spouses, other family members, and caregivers a Wellness Wednesday Financial Educational series on the third Wednesday of each month beginning August 16.  The series has resumed to address financial literacy gaps across the military and veterans community and is comprised of two programs: first, an online website portal that contains a roster of financial literacy information and resources […]

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Executive Director, OrCam Regional Sales Directors Meet Face-to-Face in Maryland

At OrCam’s invitation, BVA Executive Director Donald D. Overton, Jr. met and led a discussion this week with members of the company’s U.S. sales team from throughout the country at their semi-annual training session (see accompanying photo).  The meeting, held in Annapolis, Maryland, just 45 minutes from BVA National Headquarters, offered the OrCam team a general orientation about BVA—the organization’s history and relationship to the Department of Veterans Affairs, its recent partnership with OrCam, current […]

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Schoelerman, Burns Relate Vietnam Wall Tactile Experience on Podcast

Gary Schoelerman and Joe Burns of the Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group, were recently interviewed for an award-winning local radio program and podcast entitled The Tactile Traveler that began airing on Apple Podcasts on August 1 and will eventually be broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR) and other outlets and platforms.  The subject of the podcast was “Visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall” during which both veterans recounted their tactile experiences and the emotions they evoked at […]

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MVP Prioritizes Veterans with Sight Loss in Final Push to Hit Million

The Million Veteran Program (MVP) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a national research program looking at how genes, lifestyle, military experiences, and exposures affect health and wellness in veterans. Since launching in 2011, approximately 960,000 veterans have joined MVP, making it the largest research effort at VA to improve health care for veterans and one of the largest research programs in the world studying genes and health. As part of its push […]