News

The Annual Benefits Report of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), updated last month, summarizes the benefit programs delivered by VBA during the past fiscal year (2022), identifying the current level of program participation and profiling the beneficiaries. The report is intended to 1) present a clear and data-driven picture of how veterans and their dependents use these benefits, and 2) provide insights into the nature of the benefit programs. Highlights of the benefits provided to […]

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. 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 to a hotel reservation form that will allow them to […]

April is Financial Literacy Month! To help transitioning service members, veterans, family members, and caregivers build strong financial foundations, VA’s Office of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development is offering a Wellness Wednesday Educational Series beginning April 5 and continuing each Wednesday throughout the month.  The series consisting of four online classes has been refined to address financial literacy gaps across the military and veteran community. Dates and titles of the classes are: April 5 – […]

The Travis Manion Foundation (TMF) and Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB) have announced a unique partnership to identify veterans with vision loss who could become youth mentors through the “Character Does Matter” program hosted by TMF.  Using a research-based curriculum designed specifically for youth audiences, the Character Does Matter program is founded on positive psychology and provides the framework for mentorship for youth and a renewed sense of purpose and camaraderie for veterans and […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, March 29, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome Jenna Reed, Director of Marketing at En-Vision America. Jenna will describe En-Vision’s ScriptAbility solutions that make medication labels accessible to the blind and low vision.  Do not miss this VetTech session! Participants will receive the following:                                                  […]

BVA members throughout the country joined Lonnie Bedwell, Indiana Regional Group, and Shawn Cheshire, Florida Regional Group, in a unique virtual Town Hall yesterday. The two reflected with moderator and BVA Chief of Staff Timothy Hornik on their upcoming climb of two of the world’s tallest mountains: Mount Everest and its neighbor Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth tallest mountain. The program will be available as a podcast soon with link details to follow. Scaling Everest […]

The deadline for BVA’s awards program is also April 28. The awards honor annually the extraordinary professional achievements of a blind or low vision veteran, the outstanding level of service of a BVA member to their regional group, and a volunteer who has served blind and low vision veterans with unusual dedication and enthusiasm. The names of the recognitions are, respectively, the Melvin J. Maas, Irving Diener, and David L. Schnair Awards.  The awards program […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic in Pensacola, Florida, will receive a Bronze Braille American Flag from the Emerald Coast Regional Group in recognition of National Blinded Veterans Day.  “This flag will be installed onto one of the columns directly outside the entrance of the clinic,” said Pensacola Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator Alyssa Lucas, organizer of the live event. Following the flag presentation, veterans and their families will participate in demonstrations […]

At 8:45am on March 28, 1945, approximately 100 recently returning World War II service members and veterans gathered for a much-publicized meeting at Avon Old Farms Army Convalescent Hospital. The minutes of the meeting recorded that the group assembled, all young men at the time, were recovering from combat injuries, the most notable of which was their loss of sight.  Time spent at the Connecticut facility also consisted of a program of instruction and practical […]

BVA’s Awards Program honors annually the extraordinary professional achievements of a blind or low vision veteran, the outstanding level of service of a BVA member to their regional group, and a volunteer who has served blind and low vision veterans with unusual dedication and enthusiasm. The recognitions are, respectively, the Melvin J. Maas, Irving Diener, and David L. Schnair Awards.  The program also recognizes, through annual Certificates of Appreciation, the professionals who go the extra […]