Vets First Podcast is a research-based production that focuses on the VA healthcare system and its patients. The emphasis of the programs is individual lives and experiences in the context of VA care. The hosts, Dr. Levi Sowers, PhD, and Brandon Rea of the Iowa City VA Medical Center work to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art research and veterans themselves in a friendly, easy-to-understand format for the average listener. They also seek to assist researchers […]

Leaders of BVA regional groups and BVA members interested in attending the Association’s National Convention August 14-18, 2023, are encouraged to read the full 2023 Official Convention Letter released and posted to the BVA website two weeks ago.  The Official Convention Letter includes the official notice required by the National Bylaws, convention highlights, frequently asked questions, important deadlines, and links to additional information. To access the letter, click here.  Convention Coordinator Meredith Buono-DaGrossa has also […]

In this week’s BVA Happenings, Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin examines the relevance to our nation’s veterans of recent debt ceiling negotiations and the subsequent legislative actions completed late last night by the United States Senate. Before I discuss how the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal affects veterans, allow me to explain the debt ceiling, its history, and its role in politics.  While the President collects taxes and spends money, he does so at […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, June 7, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as the Weekly Wednesday Webinar welcomes Orcam’s Michelle Mendez, National Sales Director, and Corinne Nero, Area Sales Manager. The two will discuss the award-winning Artificial Intelligence (AI) behind the OrCam MyEye Pro and MyEye Read. Such AI capabilities empower blind and low vision veterans to recognize everything from the written word and currency to family and friends. Do not miss this VetTech session! […]

At patriotic services, parades, and wreath-laying ceremonies, BVA members and their families throughout the country paused this past Monday to remember the ultimate sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have given their lives to preserve the nation’s freedoms.  At Arlington National Cemetery a mere 5.4 miles from the Association’s National Headquarters, Mid-Atlantic Regional Group member Lawrence Harrison (see photos) of Washington, DC, carried the BVA flag in a special “Parade […]

Members of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) and all other interested individuals are invited and encouraged to attend a series of Town Hall meetings beginning next Tuesday, June 6, in preparation for the Association’s 78th National Convention later this summer. The Town Halls, hosted via Zoom, will provide members with an opportunity to learn about the convention location and venue, event highlights, and proposed bylaw amendments. Participants will also be able to engage directly with […]

Answer His Call Our attempts to “Answer Our Father’s Call” is to seek peace through collaboration. The essence of BVA’s national outreach program to locate and help fellow veterans sets the tone for the recently formed Spiritual Outreach Committee. We must work among different belief systems and be willing to understand each secular process. We must ask ourselves what it means to be a Chaplain, or in service to our Father, and what it means […]

As Memorial Day approaches, we at the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) remember with solemnity and gratitude the thousands of brave men and women who have willingly made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in defense of the freedoms we continue to enjoy. We include parents, spouses, children, and friends of the fallen in that heartfelt gratitude for their sacrifice, the magnitude of which can never be overstated or exaggerated. Ironically, it is these sacrifices that […]

Longtime BVA Mid-Atlantic Regional Group (Richmond Chapter) member and National Headquarters friend Herb Patterson of Sandston, Virginia, submitted a few thoughts to his fellow veterans during this past week leading up to Memorial Day. The message reflects Herb’s gratitude for blessings that typically go unacknowledged but which he highly values. With his permission, we are reprinting his thoughts here:      Another lovely day in the dark.  It is Wednesday, coming up to the end of […]

BVA members and their families are invited to attend in person the 75th anniversary commemoration of the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Building 113. The event, scheduled for Thursday, July 20, 11:00am-2:00pm, will feature an open house, tours, distinguished guests, and light refreshments.  The opening of the Hines facility on July 4, 1948, was a milestone in BVA’s early history. The organization’s founders and leaders, supported by National Chaplain […]