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Class Action Lawsuit Affecting Veterans with Sight Loss Now Settled                                           

A proposed settlement has been reached that would resolve the class action lawsuit Anthony Hammond Murphy v. Le Sportsac, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:22-cv-58 (W.D. Pa.). The lawsuit alleges that Le Sportsac, Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101, et seq. by failing to take the necessary steps to ensure that its online store, located here, does not discriminate against consumers who use screen reader auxiliary aids to access digital content.  […]

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VA Radio PSAs Offer Wealth of Useful Information, Resources

VA has both published and produced a series of 25 public service announcements designed for radio that highlight programs, benefits, and services for veterans and their families. The goal is to educate the public as well as the veteran population about these important resources. Although VA’s outreach is targeted primarily to station managers who may wish to air the announcements, the PSAs are also available for download to anyone as both mp3s and transcripts. Most […]

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Hotel, Program Registrations Encouraged for BVA Rendezvous in St. Louis   

Prospective attendees of the BVA 78th National Convention August 14-18 are encouraged to register with both BVA itself and the hotel to secure a reservation at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel.  Individuals and families planning to attend this year’s activities—highlighted by educational sessions, an increasingly popular and busy Exhibit Hall, and official BVA business sessions—can now register online on BVA’s national convention webpage and link from there to a hotel reservation form that will […]

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Advance Directives a Key Component of Whole Health

The month of April is Whole Health Month. Whole Health is VA’s approach to health care. The Whole Health concept, which emphasizes “what matters to you” and not “what is the matter with you,” takes center stage throughout April. Whole Health starts with the individual and is based on advance care planning and directives according to personal values and preferences.  Advance directives help surrogates and health care teams understand what medical and mental health care […]

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VA Women’s Health Reengagement Training Making Huge Impact

VA Women’s heaRT, or Health Reengagement Training, is a nationwide training initiative to share information on women’s health services available at VA. The training discusses how to apply for and use health care with the goal of increasing enrollment and utilization of VA health care services.  Women benefit from the course by gaining comprehensive knowledge of women-specific and veteran-specific health services at VA, learning the tactical actions needed to enroll in and navigate VA health […]

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Virtual Financial Wellness Series Continues

VA’s Office of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development has partnered with Prudential to offer a Wellness Wednesday Educational Series that began earlier this week and will continue throughout the month in recognition of April’s Financial Literacy Month. The program’s objective is to assist service members, veterans, family members, and caregivers in building strong financial foundations. The series consists of four online classes, each of which lasts an hour. Attendees can choose between two time slots: […]

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Upcoming VetTech: Leveraging Fusion and JAWS in Navigating Federal Websites  

Join VetTech this Wednesday, April 12, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome Liz Whitaker, Product Manager for User Education and Research at Vispero. Whether you are checking on your Social Security Administration claim or trying to access your Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health information, federal websites have adopted the public’s one account for government, login.gov in securing their sign-in portals. Liz and the VetTech team will explore these portals and discuss solutions to […]

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Extreme Adventurers Bedwell, Cheshire Embark on Historic Climb

Although they left the United States on different days, BVA members Lonnie Bedwell and Shawn Cheshire are both now in Nepal and on the brink of their historic ascent of Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse. Climbing Everest and Lhotse on the same journey, the latter of which is the world’s fourth largest mountain, has never previously been accomplished by a blind person, let alone two at the same time. In addition, Shawn’s successful attempt at […]

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High Marks for Virginia Chapter’s Blinded Veterans Day

BVA extends kudos to members from the Richmond Chapter of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Group and a strongly supportive cast from VA as they commemorated Blinded Veterans Day on March 28 at the Richmond, Virginia VA Medical Center. “It was a very successful and fun-filled day,” said Richmond Chapter member Vaneada S. Harvey, Ph.D., known also as Dr. Vee. “Our chapter president, Stevie Bradley, welcomed us and expressed excitement about the event being what he called […]

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Veterans with Sight Loss and Event Staff Bond at WSC

BVA members Anthony Woodson of the Illinois Regional Group, Michaun Harrison of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Group, Robert Byrd, also of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Group, and Yoneka Trent of the Carolina Regional Group, all of whom are BVA Ambassadors, were among the 79 veterans with a visual impairment who attended the recent National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic (WSC) in Snowmass, Colorado. “I encourage veterans of all skill levels to attend this life-changing event,” said Anthony, […]