BVA members and friends perhaps heard about a cybersecurity incident in February involving Change Healthcare (CHC), a vendor of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This incident, considered an attack and labeled as such by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), impacted not only VA but many healthcare institutions and operations throughout the United States. The incident has resulted in HHS involvement in helping to coordinate efforts to avoid disruptions to health care […]

My name is Nora and I currently guide BVA member Sheldon McKinney in Rowlett, Texas. I have so many unique “tails” to share with you this month. I thought I would start at the beginning. I was born in December of 2019. From 7-12 weeks-old I was raised by three young women in off-campus housing. Midway through March 2020, my puppy raiser and I returned home when the pandemic struck. We stayed until June 2020 […]

President Harry S. Truman presents the Official Insignia of the Blinded Veterans Association, Inc., to the executives of the organization. Included in the photograph from left to right are: Lloyd M. Greenwood, Executive Director, New York; Harrison King, Washington, D.C.; James W. Hope, Gastonia, N.C.; Raymond T. Frey, Past President, Le Banon, Pennsylvania; Byrum S. Shumway, of Board of Directors, Baltimore, Maryland; President Harry S. Truman; Irvin P. Schloss, Baltimore, Maryland; Robert Pistel, Chairman, Baltimore, […]

Flanked by Lawrence Harrison and Michaun Harrison, Air Force veteran Claudia Baldwin breaks for lunch following her solo rendition of “The U.S. Air Force,” adopted as the military branch’s official song in the late 1940s. Regional groups throughout the country are now on the move to hold spring meetings to determine which members of the group will attend the BVA 79th National Convention and to elect convention delegates and alternate delegates. The urgency is, at […]

BVA’s own Marlene Davis-Lilly, Deputy National Service Director, member of the Captain Buddy Spivey Razorback Regional Group and Chapter Coordinator of Central Arkansas Team River Runner, schedules regular kayak events for area blinded veterans beginning in April of every year. This year was different, however, due to the theft of 12 kayaks and other essential gear. “We had an event programmed for the month of April to teach our blinded veterans of Memphis how to […]

Please connect with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project this Monday, May 6, from 3:00-4:45pm for a live virtual event commemorating Jewish American Heritage Month and Holocaust Remembrance Day. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the contributions of Jewish veterans to the nation and to recall reverently the 6 million victims of the Holocaust.  Every year in May, hundreds of organizations and Americans of all backgrounds join together to discover, explore, and […]

An UBER ride will get you to the taproom at the popular Veterans United Craft Brewery. The veteran-owned brewery features cold, craft beer brewed on the premises and guided Saturday tours of the production areas that include samples of fresh American and European ales on tap. Photo courtesy of Visit Jacksonville. Are you or a family member or guest still planning on attending the BVA 79th National Convention, but haven’t yet registered? If so, please […]

Keep Wednesday, May 1, at 2:00pm Eastern Time open on your calendars for VetTech’s Weekly Wednesday Webinar. The VetTech Team will welcome Michelle Mendez, National Sales Director for OrCam. Learn more about the power of MyEye Pro and Read to help users recognize the world around them.  Thanks to OrCam’s cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence, the MyEye Pro and Read possess impressive Optical Character Recognition accuracy and responsiveness. This means that user information is processed directly onto […]

“G”, BVA’s April Ambassadog. The BVA 79th National Convention is fast approaching and I wanted to share some useful information for my fellow Ambassadogs. As you may have heard, the convention is being held at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida, and my tail is wagging with excitement. Convention brings opportunities for us guide dogs to help our veterans navigate throughout the various meetings, events, and exhibit hall, but in addition, there is a very […]

This Wednesday, May 1, is Silver Star Service Banner Day. It is a day set aside to remember the sacrifices of those who have been wounded, sickened, or killed in combat across all branches of the military and thank them for their courage. It also recognizes those who have been awarded the Silver Star Medal, the third highest military decoration for valor and typically awarded for actions over a short time period. It may also […]