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 […]

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 […]