On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:25:06 -0500, "D.Duck" wrote:


"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"D.Duck" wrote in message
...

"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:47:25 -0500, JohnH wrote:

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:27:43 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
news:52qni4lc8prvg1qe30gbadr53kdo9jkemp@4ax. com...
On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:51:50 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Calif Bill" wrote in message
news:xbadnTX2lowlsLbUnZ2dnUVZ_vudnZ2d@eart hlink.com...

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
news On Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:18:11 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I tell you, it was like being in hell.
Waited at 2 different stations, maybe an hour in total.
Seemed like 17 hours.

Too late now but you can do it all on the telephone.


Not really. I did it via wesite and they wanted to see the dd214.
Went
down and maybe 15 minutes, guy said not really needed, and told me
how
much money you working stiffs were going to send me each month.


What does your DD 214 have to do with SS?

Eisboch

They can explain better than I:

http://tinyurl.com/2rc6sh


Thanks. I am still a few years away from SS, but I'll save and
remember
your link.
Apparently, there are many little known and often unused benefits
available for vets and/or surviving spouses. My sister, as a result of
a
lot of digging, found an obscure benefit that now provides an extra $1k
a
month in addition to her SS to help pay for assisted living costs.

Well, I didn't qualify for this one.

You are right with your statement. A retired Air Force Colonel I golf
with
was in Vietnam. He has diabetes and various other ailments which have
been
associated with Agent Orange. About a year ago I mentioned the Agent
Orange
program the military has been conducting. He knew nothing.

He's now getting almost double his retirement pay, and half of that is
tax
free. It pays to keep up with the benefits.

Being retired, did you keep your VA medical?

I have 20% disability because of war related injuries and I'm entitled
to VA care, but I've never used the VA medical system because I
haven't needed to. I still don't because we have a private policy for
me and Mrs. Wave is covered by her employer.

I thought *all* vets were eligible for medical care no matter when they
served.


Nope.
Retired and/or disabled.
Retired meaning a minimum of 20 years of active duty service. (unless
that has changed)

Eisboch

Just for my own curiosity I did a little Googling. Looks like you need a
Philadelphia lawyer to figure out if one meets the eligibility requirements.

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/...ligibility.asp

Or a sympathetic Congresscritter.