BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION (BVA)
FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 Coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
FRG NEWSLETTER, July 2010
On
July 4, we will celebrate the 234 anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of
Independence. Since then, many Americans have
given their lives to keep us free. Still
others have incurred significant disabilities including blindness. Still others have
served to defend our country and have later become blind.
It is because of these Blinded Veterans (BV's) that the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) was founded. Many BV's, whether their blindness is service
connected or non service connected are unaware of the history behind most of the services
and benefits they receive from the VA. In this Newsletter we will try to give you a
historical perspective as to how these benefits and services were obtained. Over the years, most of the benefits and services
available to veterans in general were obtained through the cooperative effort of many
organizations and individuals. However, in
almost all cases, the benefits and services specifically for BV's resulted directly
through the efforts of the BVA. In 1945, when
a small group of idealistic Blinded Veterans founded the BVA, there were few, if any,
benefits and services available specifically for BV's.
They accepted the responsibility to be the advocate for BV's with the Executive and
Legislative Branches of the government. As a
result, the BVA was Chartered by the US Congress as the sole organization to specifically
represent Blinded Veterans before all branches of Government. Initially, the BVA established 3 major
goals. 1. Blinded Veterans helping Blinded
Veterans. The BVA established an office in
Washington to coordinate the dissemination of information to BV's. It promoted the establishment of Regional Groups
to expand the contacts with all BV's in their home areas.
Although the BVA had a small staff who did an excellent job in coordinating these activities, much of the work
was done by volunteer BV's helping one another. 2. To get the VA to accept its responsibilities to
Blinded Veterans the BVA contacted the Executive and Legislative branches of government. Members of the Veterans Affairs Committees in the
Senate and House were urged to pressure the VA to establish appropriate services for BV's. Finally, the BVA got President Truman to sign an
Executive Order requiring the VA to establish a Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC). This resulted in the VA opening the first BRC at
Hines in July 1948. 3. To obtain appropriate compensation for seriously
disabled veterans. the BVA primarily with the
cooperation of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) worked with Congress to establish
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) for veterans with very severe disabilities. The 100% rate was not sufficient to adequately
compensate these severely disabled veterans. As
a result, Congress passed statutory awards, SMC above the 100% rate. For example: at present, 100% provides $2673
monthly to a single veteran. BV's with vision
of 5/200 or a 5 degree field are rated at paragraph L - $3327 monthly, a BV with light
perception only receives paragraph M - $3671 monthly and a totally blind BV receives
paragraph N - $4176. Over the years, the BVA
has worked with Congress to improve the SMC with mid level ratings and combination rating;
for example, a BV with deafness or the loss of an extremity may receive the maximum
compensation paragraph O - $4664 monthly. Some
veterans rated at paragraph O, who are in need of consistent aid and attendance, may
receive paragraph AR-1 $6669 monthly. In
addition, dependent allowances may be added to the amounts listed above for a spouse and
dependent children. Other Benefits: In addition to improvements in compensation, the
BVA has secured other benefits for BV's. There
are two Adaptive Housing Grants which are increased annually according to the increase in
the Construction Cost Index and are: Section 2101 a, $63780 primarily for wheelchair bound
veterans. However, 2101 A is also available
to BV's with service connected blindness and the loss of a leg. The smaller Grant, Section 2101 B, $12,750 is
available to SC BV's. Initially, the Adaptive
Housing grants were one time grants. In 2006,
Congress passed legislation permitting eligible veterans who had not used all of their
Section 2101 A or B grant to use the remainder again, up to 3 times. A BV who used the 2101 B grant but less than the
present $12,750 may be eligible to use the difference.
For information call Dennis Thompson at the VARO Adaptive Housing Unit at(727)
319-7602. Compensation and the above
mentioned grants are available through the VA Regional Office in St. Petersburg. The Home Improvement and Structural Alteration
(HISA) Grant is available through your local VAMC. Recently,
through the efforts of the BVA and PVA The HISA Grant were increased to $6800 to sc BV's
and $2000 to NSC BV's. This grant may be used
for minor alterations to your home in relation to your disability. Ask your VIST coordinator about HISA.
Dependency
and Indemnity Compensation (DIC): In 1959,
Congress passed legislation establishing the DIC Program.
Initially DIC was paid to the survivors of military personnel killed on active duty
or who died as a direct result of a SC disability. During
the next 19 years, the BVA worked with Congress to expand DIC eligibility. In 1978, Congress did amend the DIC Program. The survivors of 100% sc veterans became eligible
if the veteran had been rated at 100% for ten years, five years if continuously since
discharge. Initially, DIC was paid according
to the rank the veteran held on active duty. The BVA and PVA felt that rank was no longer
reflective of the veterans income ten or more years after discharge. In 1991, the DIC Reform Act was passed by
Congress. Now there are two DIC rates. The basic rate for the spouse is $1154 monthly. The spouse who was married to a 100% SC veteran
for 8 years or more prior to the veterans death would receive DIC of $1400 monthly. Each minor child would receive $284 monthly in
DIC.
Initially,
the BVA's primary emphasis was to secure services and benefits for sc veterans.
However, within a short time, it accepted the responsibility to represent all BV's. For example, when Hines Blind Center was open its
training was restricted to SC BV's. The BVA
felt that the training should be available to all BV's.
The BVA worked with the VA and since the early 1950's, all BV's have been able to
receive training at the VA Blind Centers. Over
the years, the BVA has obtained most of the benefits for SC BV's which were sought. For many years, the BVA has attempted to insure
that all BV's received the services they needed.
NSC
Pension: World War I veterans pressured
Congress to establish a Pension for all WW I veterans.
Congress never provided a general Pension. However,
in later years, it established the NSC Pension for totally disabled veterans in financial
need. Initially this was a small monthly
amount with severe income limitations. After
WW II, the BVA, with the cooperation of the PVA, and DAV, worked with Congress to provide
an improved NSC Pension Program. Again the
BVA worked to provide an increase in NSC Pension for the more severely disabled veterans.
As a result, 3 NSC Pension levels were established:
Basic Pension, House Bound Benefits, and Aid and Attendance Allowance. Presently, the Basic Pension provides $985 monthly
to a single veteran, House Bound - $1207 monthly, and Aid and Attendance Allowance - $1644
monthly. These amounts may be increased for
each dependent. There is still a significant
income limitation. The above listed amounts
are reduced dollar for dollar by any incomes, what-so-ever, the veteran or his/her
household receives. However, there is an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). BV's earnings can be reduced by the amount of
medical expenses which the BV pays.
As
indicated earlier, the BVA got the VA to open the first BRC at Hines in 1948. Since then, the BVA has continued to work with the
VA and Congress to fund the opening of nine more BRC's around the US. As the age of the veteran population has
increased, the incidence of blindness in that population has significantly increased. The BVA has worked with the VA Blind Rehab Service
(BRS) to alter the training at the BRC's to meet this challenge. In the early days, the BRC training lasted about
16 weeks and was geared primarily to the totally Blinded Veteran. Now, about 85% of the BV's attending a BRC have
some limited residual vision. The BVA has
worked with the BRS to update the training to meet the needs of this population. Now, the training is designed to maximize the
BV's remaining vision and to provide the skills to help the BV remain independent.
Most
BV's in Florida have had some contact with a Visual Impairment Service Team (VIST)
Coordinator. This was not always the case. In the early 1960's, the BVA became concerned that
due to the isolating effects of blindness, many BV's were not getting the services and
benefits they needed and deserved. In 1963,
the BVA entered into a research project with
the VA, to evaluate that situation. The
project, conducted at 10 VA stations, an completed an evaluation, similar to what is now
the Annual VIST Review. The BVA took the
results of that project to the VA Central Office. In
1967, the VIST Program was started at 60 VA stations (2 in Florida - Bay Pines and Miami). Initially the VIST Coordinator was a part time
Social Worker. It quickly became apparent to
the BVA, that in most cases, the VIST Coordinator needed to be full time and there needed
to be VIST Programs at more than 60 VA stations. The
BVA went to the VA and, in 1978, six full time VA Central Office funded VIST Coordinator
positions were established, one in Florida. The
BVA has continued to work to expand the VIST Program.
Now, there are VIST Programs at 162 VA stations,
with 113 full time and 49 part time VIST Coordinators in the US. the BVA has worked with the Congress, VA Central
office, and individual VA centers and Clinics to expand the VIST program. Florida has 13 full time VIST Coordinators and one
part time VIST. This is more than any other
state. Many years ago, the BVA requested that
the VA provide outpatient blind rehab training in the local community. This request went unanswered until 1995. At that time, the BVA obtained $5 million from
Congress to establish a 15 bed BRC at Augusta, GA, to add 22 VIST positions, and to
establish 16 Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialist (BROS) positions. Two of those 16 BROS were allocated to Florida -
Gainesville and Bay Pines. Later BROS
positions were established in Lake City, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. In 2007, the BVA secured funding for 35 more BROS
positions of which 4 were allocated to Florida, Broward VAOPC, Ft. Myers VAOPC,
Jacksonville VAOPC and Miami VAMC. This will
bring to 10 the number of BROS providing service to Florida Blinded Veterans. No other state has that many BROS.
Since
its inception, the BVA has promoted residential training at the VA Blind Rehab Centers
(BRC). It is the best training of its nature,
any place in the world. Consequently, when
possible, the BVA urges all BV's to attend a BRC, at least once in his or her life. Initially, many prosthetics and sensory aids were
not available to NSC BV's. The BVA worked
with Congress and made it possible for NSC BV's to get some prosthetic and sensory aids
through a BRC. Due to the long waiting list
at the BRC's and since some BV's cannot go to a BRC, the BVA went to Congress to permit
mechanical and electronic equipment to be provided on an outpatient basis. Since the BVA got Congress to amend the law, this
is now possible. The BVA is working with the
Blind Rehab Service to identify local facilities that can provide quality training on
certain complex devices (computers, etc.).
Florida
Homestead Tax Exemption Two Florida
Statutes provide total Homestead Tax Exemption to Florida BV's. FS 196.081 provides Total Homestead Tax Exemption
to 100% SC veterans without income restriction. FS
196.101 provides Total Homestead Tax Exemption to individuals restricted to a wheelchair
or who are legally blind. For 2009, FS
196.101 has a total household income limitation of $25,221 annually. For information contact your County Tax Appraiser
and cite the indicated statutes.
Why
Join the BVA? The information above includes only a small part of the benefits and
services obtained by a small group of dedicated BVA staff and a large number of volunteer
BV's dedicated to helping all Blinded Veterans The
BVA was formed 65 years ago by BV's who
realized that by joining together they had strength in numbers. The problems of the Blinded veteran is unique and
requires individual attention to solve. In
1945 when those original BV'S joined together, the political climate was very different
from the present. A grateful country was
anxious to provide any assistance to individuals who had made such great sacrifices in
service to their country. Today, the Blinded
Veteran is older and our needs have changed. Congress
has a majority of members who have never served in the military. A grateful country is no longer aware of the
sacrifices and problems faced by an aging population.
It is only by joining together that we can make our voices heard by the Nation and
Congress. The strength of your voice is
needed by The BVA to make Congress and VA listen to the special needs of Blinded Veterans. We need your membership to stay strong. By joining your voice with the BVA, you increase
your chance of being heard on the national, state, and local levels of government. The BVA is for any veteran who has a serious
visual impairment brought on by military service, aging, or illness. You become a part of
a very special brotherhood to support you in your time of need with advice, encouragement,
and information. Together we can make a
grateful country listen. Use the application
enclosed in the print copy of this Newsletter and JOIN THE BVA TODAY. Annual dues are only $8. Better yet, consider becoming a Life Member (LM)
or Associate Life Member (ALM), then, you won't have to pay dues ever again. Your life dues go into the Life Membership Fund,
the principal of which is never touched. The
dividends and interest from that fund are apportioned to the Regional Groups according to
the number of LM and ALM in the Group. LM and
ALM dues are staggered according to your age. The
enclosed application form indicates that LM
and ALM dues run from $80 for BV's age 44 and under, $70 for BV's 45 to 54, $60 - 55 to
60, $50 - 61-65, and $40 age 66 and over. You
may start a LM or ALM with a down payment of $10 with the balance payable over the next 2
years. Proposals to raise these dues will be
considered at the BVA Convention in August. Join
now and lock in these low M, AM, LM, or ALM dues. PLEASE
USE THE APPLICATION AND JOIN THE BVA TODAY!