BLINDED
VETERANS ASSOCIATION
Chartered by the United States Congress
FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
(305)446-8008
E mail gstocking@bellsouth.net
FRG web site: www.frgbva.org
FRG Newsletter - August 2015?
Editor’s Note: If you change your
mailing address, telephone number, or e mail address, please let us know. In that way you
will be able to continue receiving the BVA Bulletin, FRG Newsletter, and other
information. This Newsletter has been recorded by the Talking Book Library in Daytona
Beach
for over 30 years. If you are interested in receiving this Newsletter in a digital format,
please
contact your editor and we will assist you in receiving the Newsletter in that format.
FRG President’s Message: The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) and I got started
about the same time. The BVA started March 28, 1945 with 100 Blinded Veterans (BV’s)
pledging mutual support. I was born in Cocoa, Florida in July 1945 needing my mother’s
support. I didn’t know about the BVA until 1969 when I needed that support. They
could and did offer that support. It has given me guidance and inspiration for the
majority of my life. The quality of life me and my family enjoy are due, in part, to my
association with the BVA. I am grateful for the assistance received and am convinced that
the assistance I can now offer has value. In 1969, I spent 16 weeks with a group of other
Viet Nam BV’s and some older BV’s at the Hines Blind Rehabilitation Center. That
rehabilitation provided me with a foundation with compensatory skills to replace some of
the lost skills to better prepare for a life without vision. The learning tools and
techniques proven to be most effective for overcoming loss are taught at the Blind
centers. BV’s that have taken advantage of the training offered at the Blind centers
can equip themselves with a foundation of learning that can be continued. At the FRG
Convention in May, we had training available to learn “My Healthy Vet”. This web
site lets BV’s, with computer skills, manage their own health care with the VA. The
information and services available on “My Healthy Vet” are also available by
telephone. There are both benefits and advantages to be able to manage your own health
care. Managing your health care, independently, with My Healthy Vet, or using the
telephone requires skills with those tools. The Computer Access Technology (CAT) Program
at the BRC, can get you started on acquiring those skills. BV’s who can navigate the
“My Healthy Vet” web site can probably handle on line banking. Managing your own
health care and money would be a big step toward independence. At the BRC, one can also
acquire other skills that help overcome the limitations that diminished vision presents. I
encourage BV’s who have not taken the opportunity for this excellent training, to
consider doing so. Learning new skills can give one confidence and gain greater
independence. The BVA’s pledge of mutual support began 70 years ago and is sustained
with the FRG. BV’s in Florida can contact other BV’s that have experience in
overcoming problems commonly faced by the visually impaired. Contact is available on our
web site: frgbva.org. Click on the contact link for telephone numbers and e mail addresses
for your FRG Officers and District Directors. In addition, you will find a list of that
information at the end of this President’s message. Blinded Veterans serve as FRG
Officers and Directors to assist other BV’s. Take advantage of the assistance that is
available to get started or continue gaining independence. We cannot guarantee a solution
to an immediate or pressing problem, but we may be able to refer you to available
resources. The FRG Board is making arrangements for 7 informational luncheons. These
luncheons will be held at locations around Florida. The first of our Informational
Luncheons will be held at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando on Saturday September 12. The
Rosen Plaza is a wonderful venue for our luncheon. If you can’t attend this luncheon,
others will follow. Future issues of this Newsletter will contain the location, date, and
time. I look forward to meeting you in the coming year. Mike Taylor, FRG President. the
following is a list of the 2015-2016 FRG Board of Directors: President - Mike Taylor
Fleming Island (904) 264-0884 email met8@comcast.nett; Vice President Russell Pollard-
Tamarac (954) 735-5841, e mail bvavn68@concast.net; Secretary-Treasurer George Stocking -
Miami (305) 446-8008 email gstocking@bellsouth.net; Past President Terry King - Punta
Gorda (941) 505-7747 email tnking18@earthlink.net; Northwest District - Mimi Robinson,
Tallahassee (850) 727-0330, e mail mimir@comcast.net; Northeast Jane Karp - St. Augustine
(904) 797-1389, e mail leolady@bellsouth.net; Central East District Jeffrey Ebbers -
Oviedo (407) 473-5698 e mail jsefrgbva@gmail.com; Southwest District James Duda - Naples
(239) 450-6007 e mail jamesduda52@gmail.com; Southeast District Jim McCoy - Sunrise (954)
748-9428 email jmccoy70@att.net.
FRG-BVA Website: The purpose of the official website of the Florida Regional Group of the
Blinded Veterans Association is to provide a resource to the FRG BV’s where useful
information can be found addressing a wide range of interests. The website has been
designed to be as accessible as possible to legally blind or totally blind veterans. One
way that this is done on the website is to keep the number of links on each page to a
minimum. This article will address the information contained on the FRG-BVA website that
provides information about the Board of Directors and their contact information. This
information is accessed from the Home page of the website via the tab labeled
"Contact Us". Selecting this tab will provide the "Contact Us" page
where all the board members are listed along with their position, phone number and e-mail
address. The FRG event calendar is found on the Home page with a brief description of the
event with a link to the Newsletter where detailed information on the event can be found
in the newsletter that is published in advance of the date of the event. Please visit your
FRG website and explore it. All suggestions for improving the website will be appreciated.
You may contact the web master by addressing an e-mail to webmaster@frgbva. or by calling
Bill Stockslager at (941) 276-1561
FRG Meeting Notice: The first Informational Meeting for the Florida Regional Group this
fall, will be held on Saturday, September 12th, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel 9700
International Drive in Orlando. The meeting will begin with a period of socializing at
11:30 AM, followed by lunch at noon. For lunch, you may have either Breast of Chicken
Picatta, or Sliced Roast Sirloin with Wild Mushroom Sauce each with Garden Salad with
Parmesan Peppercream & Greek vinaigrette dressing Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Julienn of
Fresh Vegetables, Ice Tea or Coffee, and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. The price of
the lunch will be $5 per person, including tax and tip.
FRG President Mike Taylor will preside at the informational meeting following lunch.
Representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs will be on hand to provide
information about services and benefits of interest to BV's and their families. A National
Legislative Up-Date will be provided. A report will be presented regarding the BVA
National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Future FRG activities will be discussed.
The hotel has asked us to inform them as to the number who will be attending and the type
of luncheon you desire by September 7th. Please make your reservation by writing to
Central east DistrictDirector Jeff Ebbers at: 1052 Kerwood Circle, Oviedo, FL 32765 or
call (407) 473-5698,
e mail jsefrgbva@gmail.com; you may also contact Gigi Mathis in Lakeland at (863)
255-9275, e mail gigimathis@tampabay.rr.com; or Terry King, (941) 505-7747, e mail
tnking18@earthlink.net. You may also call Orlando VIST Coordinator Chris Collins at (407)
629-1599 ex. 1353; Daytona Beach VA VIST Coordinator Connie Stolp at (386) 323-7534.
Remember when you make your reservation to give the first and last name of each person
attending and the choice of lunch desired, by September 7th. We look forward to meeting
you in Orlando.
Arrangements have been made with the Rosen Plaza for those who wish to stay over Friday
and/or Saturday for room rates of $109 plus tax. Those interested in using this
alternative may call the hotel at: (407) 996-9700 for reservations. The cutoff date for
these reservations is Thursday August 27th. Be sure to tell the reservation clerk that you
will be attending the FRG-BVA luncheon meeting on Saturday, September 12. Do not call the
hotel to make your luncheon reservation, just one of those listed above.
To get to the Rosen Plaza Hotel from Tampa and the Gulf Coast, take I 4 East to exit 72,
take 528 East (Bee line Expressway) to exit no. 1 - International Drive. Turn right on
International Drive; the Rosen Plaza will be on your left after the Convention Center.
From Daytona or the East Coast, take I 4 and continue as above. From the North or South on
the Turnpike, go to exit 259. Take I 4 West to exit 72 and continue as above. Note: The
Orlando Convention Center is between the Rosen Plaza Hotel and the Rosen Center Hotel. Our
meeting is in the Rosen Plaza, so be sure you have the correct hotel. Complementary
self-Parking is available behind the hotel. Notify the attendant that you are with the
Blinded Veterans Association to get the complementary self-parking. Regular parking is $13
for self-parking and $20 for valet parking. Check with your fellow Blinded Veterans,
family members, and friends and make plans to join us in Orlando on Saturday, September
12th.
Daytona Beach BROS: In recent years, Cindy Perkins, the BROS at the Orlando Veterans
Health Care System has covered all of the area in that system, including BV’s
receiving treatment through the Daytona Beach VA Outpatient Clinic. We are happy to
announce that the hiring of a BROS to work out of the Daytona Beach VAOPC. This will
permit more timely service for BV’s in the areas covered by both of those facilities.
National Legislative Up-Date: The BVA and PVA continue to work with Congress to get HR 288
and S 171 brought before the House of Representatives and Senate Veterans Affairs
Committees for mark up. This measure would provide beneficiary travel for Blinded veterans
to Blind Rehabilitation Centers and Spinal Cord injured veterans to Spinal Cord Injury
Centers, whose income is above the income threshold. However, getting Congress to come up
with the small amount of money necessary to provide this needed travel may be difficult at
this time. Due to all of the media exposure regarding the significant wait time for
treatment at VA facilities, Congress authorized eligible veterans who live more than 40
miles from a VA healthcare facility to receive medical treatment at private facilities.
Congress often passes legislation authorizing services without providing the necessary
appropriations to fund those services. This has resulted in a significant cost to the VHA
for this treatment. Unfortunately, Congress did not appropriate the necessary funds to pay
for this treatment. This has resulted in the VHA being $2.5 billion in the red as of late
June. If Congress does not appropriate the necessary funds, the VHA will have to cut other
expenditures.
VIST Retiring: Roberta Goldstein, the VIST Coordinator at the Miami VAMC since 2004 is
retiring effective October 3rd. Roberta started her career with the VA as a Social Worker.
For a number of years, she was the Social Worker on the VIST Team at the Broward VA
Clinic. Later, she worked on the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the Miami VAMC before taking
up her duties as VIST. On September 3rd, she will coordinate her last VIST Support meeting
at the Miami VAMC. We appreciate her efforts on behalf of BV’s and the FRG-BVA and
wish her good luck in her retirement.
FRG Scholarship Program: The FRG Scholarship Program for the 2015-2016 academic year was
announced in the December 2014 FRG Newsletter. The program offered two $1000 Scholarships
for children or spouses of Florida Blinded Veterans. In January 2014, a Scholarship
Program letter was sent to all members of the FRG. The Scholarship letter contained the
guidelines for the Scholarship Program and the method for securing the application packet.
Two individuals requested application packets. The cut off date for the receipt of
completed application packets was April 15, 2015. One Scholarship candidates sent a
completed application packets. The other individual who requested a Scholarship Packet did
not return their packet. Consequently, the applicant who sent a completed packet has
received a $1000 Scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year. The successful candidate is
Arial Taylor who lives in Fleming Island and is attending Florida State College in
Jacksonville. MS Taylor is working on a business degree. A check, for tuition, books, and
academic fees, in the amount of$500 has been sent in her name to the Florida State College
in Jacksonville for the fall 2015 term and another check in the amount of $500 will be
sent in December for the winter 2016 term. She took 4 courses during the spring term and
received A’s in all 4 courses, continuing her perfect record in her present academic
program. The FRG congratulates this successful Scholarship Candidates and wishes her good
luck in the future. A new Scholarship Committee is being formed and will review the
present Scholarship Program and possibly recommend changes in the process for the
2016-2017 academic year, this may include an increase in the amount of the scholarship. .
Meeting Reminder: We look forward to meeting you at the Rosen Plaza on Saturday, September
12th. Be sure to call those listed above and make your reservations, by September 7. If
you make a reservation and can't come, please call Jeff Ebbers and cancel your reservation
before that date, so we won't have to pay for unused meals.
FRG Meeting Schedule
September 12t FRG Meeting Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando
October 3 FRG Meeting in Jacksonville
November 7 FRG Meeting the in St. Petersburg-Clearwater area
December 5 Proposed FRG meeting in Ft. Myers
January 9 Proposed FRG meeting in Tampa.
February 13 Proposed FRG meeting in Ocala
March ? Proposed FRG meeting in the Ft. Lauderdale area
April 28- May 1 FRG State Convention Plaza Ocean Club Hotel in Daytona
FRG Newsletter Staff
Mike Taylor FRG President
Bill Stockslager FRGBVA Web Master
George Stocking FRG Newsletter Editor