BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION (BVA)
FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 Coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
NEWSLETTER - October 2005
FRG President's Message: Here we are again, already approaching our annual
Ft. Myers Luncheon Meeting. Mother nature has
been keeping her part of her agreement to keep her hurricanes away, at least from Southwest Florida, so that we
can enjoy our meeting. After what took place
along the northern Gulf Coast, I'll never again complain about the rigid building code
here in the Southwest Florida area. Furthermore,
if we continue to be the target for these storms, I'm thinking of replacing our roof with
the old traditional flat type of roof that once was common in Florida. That's enough about storms for now.
Here's is something new that we have been talking about for some time. Now, we
would like to try it out. We are calling it a
distribution list, for the purpose of disseminating information, out to all the Blinded
Veterans who have computers with email addresses. Unfortunately,
there is no way that we could consistently
send out Newsletters quickly enough, in order to make a difference on an upcoming piece
of legislation that is relevant to our Blinded Veterans.
We estimate that there are approximately 30% of the Blinded Veterans in Florida
that have computers. Therefore, maybe they
could put to good use, those computers that they have received from the VA and help us
promote and, hopefully, persuade Congressmen that the legislation at hand is very
important. For the time being, this
distribution list will have only information going out to you. Later, if it appears to be working, we hope to
also have information in both directions. For
example, if a BV has a question concerning the VA or the BVA, they would only have to post
it on the list and therefore receive an answer or be told where to find the answer.
To sign up
for this service, simply send an e mail to the following address: bvafrg@comcast.net.
In the subject line, please include the words "sign me up" and in the
text of the message, include your first and last name and the town or city in which you are living. When your e mail is received, you will be added to
the distribution list. Please be patient, as
it will take several months for this new form of communication to become operational. Bill Stockslager, Assistant Southwest District
Director, who lives in Punta Gorda, has agreed to handle this service through his
computer. He has created a special e mail
address for the distribution list. I am
encouraging all of you to take part in this innovative project. In the meantime, check the Legislative Up-Date in
this Newsletter for very important pending legislation of significant interest to Blinded
Veterans. Terry King, FRG President
FRG Auxiliary President's Message: I
am sure that everyone has heard, time and time again, about the tragedy from Katrina. Has anyone realized that the people who were
Johnny on the spot, were the people helping people. Isn't
that what really counts? We can't depend
solely on the government. The voices and the
deeds are heard and acted upon by organizations. If
you think about it, wasn't it the churches, Red Cross, Salvation Army and many other
organizations who really did what they could do before our National Guard and military
were able to come in. Just like that lesson
and the reality that we have seen over TV, it is you and only you who can keep the BVA
capable to voice our words to the government. Therefore,
I am encouraging everyone of you to participate in our BVA and BVA Auxiliary by being a
member. Get your voices heard. There are far too many things happening in this
busy world to pay much attention to our needs. It
is too bad that those who think they know the needs can't be heard. Wrong! We
are the ones who know what we need because of living it day by day. For instance.
True or not, what would you think of the workshops at the Blind Rehab Centers being
closed because some sighted person thinks that perhaps, it may be too dangerous for a
visually impaired person to use woodworking machines.
That is why everyone, including spouses and friends, need to be counted. Contact me for an application for Auxiliary
membership. Contact Terry King or George
Stocking for BVA membership application. Let's
join together and Meet at the FRG luncheon meetings around the state, beginning with the
next one in North Ft. Myers on November 5. . Joanne King, FRG Auxiliary President.
FRG Meeting Notice: The next meeting of the Florida Regional Group will be
held on Saturday, November 5th, at the Palms
Restaurant at the Sabal Springs Golf and Racket Club, 17540 Old Tamiami Trail, North Ft.
Myers. The meeting will begin with a period
of socializing at 11:30 AM, followed by lunch at noon.
FRG President Terry King has made the arrangements for this meeting. For lunch, you may have Roast Beef, Garden Salad,
Potatoes, and Vegetable, Rolls & Butter, Iced Tea, soda, or Coffee and Dessert. The cost of the luncheon will be $5 per person,
including tax and tip. Beer, wine, and mixed
drinks will be available for an additional charge.
FRG President Terry King will preside at the 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 presented. Future
FRG activities will be discussed. Information
about the FRG Auxiliary will be presented.
The restaurant has asked us to notify
them as to the number who will be attending by November 2nd. Please make your reservations prior to that date
by writing to Terry King, in Charlotte County, at: 24243
Pirate Harbor Blvd., Punta Gorda, FL 33955, or call Terry at (941) 505-7747. You may also make your reservations by calling
Joyce Thornton, Ft. Myers VIST Coordinator, at (239) 939-3939 ex. 6284, or in Ft. Myers
contact Larry Newman at (239) 277-0821, Leo Bonamy at (239) 454-5784 or Jim Thompson at
(239) 437-1912. In Cape Coral, call Edwin
Wack at (239) 574-8592. In North Port, call Mike or Peg Toomey
at (941) 423-9298; In Bonita Springs, call Bob Loft at -(239) 495-1803, in Venice call
Frank Drab at (941) 497-7044, in Punta Gorda call Bill Stockslager at (941) 743-8364 or in
Collier County call Jim Wu at (239) 461-7422. The
restaurant needs the reservation information in order to prepare properly for our meeting.
To get to the Palms Restaurant, go
North on I 75 to Exit 143, then Go West on
Bayshore (State Road 78) 6.3 miles to "Old" US 41. Turn right (North) 2.2 miles to the "Shell
Factory" and continue on US 41 another 1.3 miles to Sabal Springs Golf and Racket
Club (a total of 3.5 miles North of SR 78).
Turn right or East and continue about 3/4 mile past the guard house. Tell the guard you are going to the BVA meeting at
the Palms Restaurant. Going South on I 75,
take Exit 158 and go West on Tucker's Grade a short distance to US 41. Turn left (South)
and go about 11 miles to the Del Prado Extension, continue 0.5 miles past that traffic
light. Sabal Springs will be on your left or
East side of the highway. Free Parking is
available next to the restaurant. Check with
your fellow Blinded veterans, family members, and friends and make plans to join us on
Saturday, November 5th in North Ft. Myers. We look forward to meeting you there.
Last year, a number of BV's
made reservations but did not attend or cancel. Consequently the FRG had to pay $12 for each
reservation under our guarantee. Although
you only pay $5 for the lunch, this year, the FRG will pay $13 for each lunch.
Consequently, the FRG subsidizes your $5 with an additional $8. If someone makes a reservation and does not come
or cancel, the FRG must pay the total $13 for each reservation we guarantee. Please make your reservations and if you can't
come, please call Terry King and cancel it by November 2nd.
US Legislative Up-Date: Since its inception, the BVA has worked with
Congress and the VA to secure services and benefits for Blinded Veterans. Often it takes a great deal of patience and
persistence to accomplish these goals. In the
1970's, the BVA began to urge the VA to establish Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient
Specialist (BROS) positions to provide a continuum of care for Blinded Veterans not
available at that time. The BROS positions
would be placed at VA Medical facilities which contain
large numbers of Blinded Veterans in their catchment area. The BROS would provide a variety of
blind rehab services in the BV's home area. Finally,
in 1995, the BVA was able to obtain funding, from Congress, for 22 additional full time
Visual Impairment Service Team Coordinators (VIST) positions
and to establish 16 new BROS positions around the US.
Two of those 16 BROS positions were allocated to Florida - Bay Pines and
Gainesville. When the Blind Rehab Center
opened in West Palm Beach in 2000, two additional BROS positions were included in the
staffing for that facility. Last year, two
additional BROS were added at the Tampa VAMC and Orlando VA Outpatient Clinic. There is still a need for additional BROS in
Florida and even more in other parts of the country.
As a result of that need, the BVA has been working with Congress to fund additional
BROS positions. Earlier this year, Senator
Salazar introduced S 1190 (The Blinded Veteran Continuum of Care Act of 2005) into the
Senate. Later, Representative Michaud
introduced a companion bill HR 3579 into the House of Representatives. Both S 1190 and HR 3579 would establish 75 new
BROS positions around the country during the next 3 years.
If funded the new BROS positions would be placed at VA facilities with full time
VIST Coordinators which do not, presently, have a BROS.
These BROS would significantly increase the service to Blinded Veterans in their
home communities. On September 15, S 1190 was
taken up by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Apparently
the leadership in the Senate did not want to recommend the 75 BROS positions over the next
3 years. Instead, they merged S1190 into
another measure S 1182 but only approved 35 new BROS positions over the next 3 years. HR 3579 has not yet been taken up by the
Veterans Affairs Committee in the House. to
date all of the co-sponsors on HR 3579 are Democrats.
We desperately need some Republicans to sign on as co-sponsors of HR 3579. This would insure a more positive consideration by
the House. If we can get the House to pass
HR 3579 with the 75 new BROS positions, it would greatly help when the measure went to a
Senate-House Conference Committee. Many
Representatives say that they have not heard anything from their home districts regarding
this legislation. Below you will find the
names of Representatives in Florida who need to be contacted by BV's in their Districts. It will only take you a few minutes to call their
District Office and urge them to support BROS services for Blinded Veterans by supporting
HR 3579. It will make a significant
difference in getting HR 3579 passed. You may
get your Representative's name by calling your County Elections Office. For most of you, it is a local call to a District
Office. Below you will find a list of
Representatives who need to be ccalled.
Rep. Ander Crenshaw Jacksonville (904) 598-0481; Rep. ginny
Brown-Waite Dade City (352) 567-6707, Brooksville (352) 799-8354; Rep. Cliff Stearns Ocala
(352) 351-8777, Orange Park (904) 269-3203, Gainesville (352) 337-0003; Rep. John Mica Maitland (407) 657-8080, Deltona
(386) 860-1499, Ormond Beach (386) 676-7750, St. Augustine (904) 810-5048, Palatka (386)
328-1622, Palm Coast ((386) 246-6042; Rep. Ric Keller Orlando (407) 872-1962, Eustis (888)
642-1211, Ocala (888) 642-1211; Rep. Michael
Bilirakis (Palm Harbor (727) 773-2871, Tampa (813) 960-8173; Rep. C.W. Bill Young St.
Petersburg (727) 893-3191, Largo (727) 581-0980; Rep. Adam Putnam Bartow (863) 534-3530; Katherine Harris Sarasota (941) 951-6643,
Bradenton (941) 747-9081; Connie Mack 4th
Ft. Myers (239) 322-4677, Naples (239) 774-8035; Rep.
Dave Weldon Melbourne (321) 632-1776; Rep.
Mark Foley Palm Beach Gardens (561) 627-6192, Port St. Lucie (772) 878-3181, Port
Charlotte (941) 627-9100; Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Miami (305) 275-1800; Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart Miami (305) 470-8555;
Rep. e. Clay Shaw Ft. Lauderdale (954) 522-1800, West Palm beach (561) 832-3007; Rep. Tom Feeney Orlando (407) 208-1106, Port
Orange (386) 756-9798, Titusville (321) 264-6113; Mario Diaz-Balart Miami (305) 225-6866,
Naples (239) 348-1620;
It
is imperative that these Representatives hear from their Constituents about HR 3579. It will only take a few minutes for you to call
the Representatives District Office and urge them to support services for Blinded Veterans
by supporting HR 3579.
Remember to mark your calendar for Saturday, November 5th. Bring your family members and friends to the FRG
meeting in North Ft. Myers. Be
sure to call Terry King or the others listed above and make your reservation before
November 2nd. If you make a reservation and
can't come, please call Terry and cancel by November 2nd. .
FRG - BVA Meetings
November 5
FRG Meeting Palms Restaurant Ft Myers
December 3
FRG meeting - Bill Irle's Restaurant in Clearwater
January 7
FRG meeting - Quality Inn, Ocala
Newsletter Staff
Terry King
FRG President
Joanne King
FRG Auxiliary President
George Stocking Editor