BVA’s New Jersey Regional Group was instrumental in calling attention to a payment provided to veterans with certain service-connected disabilities that had not seen an increase since 1971. The $62 per month entitlement increased to $150, effective January 1, once state lawmakers learned that the amount had not changed in 51 years although the value of $62 in 1971 is now closer to $400.  The topic of the entitlement came up as members of the […]

BVA agrees with Senator Casey’s findings in the Committee on Aging’s report calling for greater accountability and congressional oversight for federal agencies in their compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As illustrated in the December 14, 2022, Washington Post article, veterans face access barriers to services and benefits from not only VA but also the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and other federal agencies.  BVA National Headquarters […]

The results of a report on accessible technology, released December 14 by the Majority Staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging chaired by Senator Robert P. Casey (D-PA), formed the basis for separate articles published this week, one by The Washington Post and the other by The Hill Newspaper.  The Committee’s report takes VA to task for neglecting accessibility issues on its webpages that negatively affect veterans with sight loss, the articles say. […]

WMAR-TV News in Baltimore, Maryland, recently beamed a spotlight on Harvey Guary of BVA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Group as he trains to instruct his fellow veterans with sight loss in self-defense and vision impairment safety. The training program became available to Harvey through STRIVE4You, an organization currently partnering with VA Medical Centers to teach veterans self-defense. The news segment, which aired on November 16, credits VA’s Visual Impairment Services Teams with motivating veterans like Harvey to […]

The future of one of Brighton, England’s most prominent landmarks, the former residential training and rehabilitation center of Blind Veterans UK (previously St Dunstan’s) in the small community of Ovingdean for 83 years, was to be decided on December 8. A developer has hoped to win permission for a revamp of the site into 64 homes with a movie theater, gym, and swimming pool to the tune of 36 million British pounds. Blind Veterans UK […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last week announced open enrollment for its new life insurance program taking effect January 1, 2023. The program is the first of its kind offered to veterans in more than 50 years, resulting in potential benefits to more veterans and their families than ever before. Known as VALife, the program will provide up to $40,000 of whole life insurance for all veterans, age 80 or under, with service-connected disability […]

BVA recently supported and served in a vital advisory role for an accessibility study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VAOIG). The results of the study, issued in a December 8 report, revealed that the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Compensation Service has not fully complied with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in accommodating veterans with visual impairments. The OIG concluded that the Compensation Service’s continued failure to comply […]

Beginning December 10 and continuing through December 17, VA will host more than 90 in-person town hall events in communities across the country. The town halls were scheduled to provide information on veteran eligibility for the new benefits and services under the historic PACT Act, legislation for which BVA was a consistent advocate during congressional hearings. The PACT Act was signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022. Veterans attending an upcoming town […]

Dear Blinded Veterans Association Family, The time has once again arrived when we gather around the table with our families and friends, pausing to reflect on the things for which we are most thankful. Beyond our own needs, we are mindful of those less fortunate and struggling in our own country and throughout the world. The Thanksgiving holiday can serve as an invitation to rededicate ourselves in our own unique ways to make a difference […]

For the first time in three years due to the worldwide pandemic, BVA National President Joe McNeil and Director of District 1 Wanda Grover joined other Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) in presenting an organizational wreath at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day. The symbolic gesture paying tribute to all veterans capped off a day of memorable activities for BVA in and around a rainy Nation’s Capital.  The laying of the […]