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Veteran’s Office will be Closed:
November 11 & November 23-24

Veterans Voice Newsletter

Veterans Voice Nov 2021

Veterans Coffee Hour

• November 24 from 9-10am
• December 22 from 9-10am

If you have family in town for the Holidays, feel free to bring them!

Cheboygan VFW 450 W. State St.  Cheboygan

4th Wednesday of Every Month from 9-10AM

Home Town Heroes

Tom Smith was our Home Town Hero for October.

If you would like to nominate a veteran to be a future Home Town Hero, please complete this form and send it to our office.

Home Town Heroes Nomination Form

Hometown Heroes

**New VA Changes**

New Particulate Matter Presumptive Conditions:

VA is now processing disability claims for asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis on a presumptive basis based on particulate matter exposures during military service in Southwest Asia and certain other areas – if these conditions manifested within 10 years of a qualifying period of military service.

This will expand benefits for Veterans who served in:

• Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria, and Uzbekistan during the Persian Gulf War, from September 19, 2001, to the present, or
• The Southwest Asia theater of operations from August 2, 1990, to the present

For more information on the new presumptive conditions, visit the VA’s website at Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Exposures: Public Health – https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/index.asp?utm_source=VRfeature&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=VetResources&utm_id=VetResources+Aug+4+2021

See Flyer Below for information on the Airborne Hazard and Burn Pit Exposure Registry

*** Call our office for more information about filing a claim for one of these conditions

New Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions:

Bladder Cancer, Parkinsonisms, Hypothyroidism

*** Call our office for more information about filing a claim for one of these conditions or if you were ever denied a claim for one of these conditions.

VA Expanded Caregiver Program (Oct 1, 2020):

Family Caregiver could receive compensation to take care of the veteran.

Eligibility requirements for the family caregiver

• You must be at least 18 years old and at least one of these must be true for you. You must be either:

1. A spouse, son, daughter, parent, step-family member, or extended family member of the Veteran, or
2. Someone who lives full-time with the Veteran, or is willing to do so if designated as a family caregiver

Eligibility requirements for the Veteran – All of these must be true for the Veteran you’re caring for.

• The Veteran must have a VA disability rating (individual or combined) of 70% or higher. The Veteran’s service-connected disabilities must have been caused or made worse by their active-duty service during one of these periods of time:

On or after September 11, 2001, or On or before May 7, 1975

And the Veteran must:

• Have been discharged from the U.S. military or have a date of medical discharge, an
• Need at least 6 months of continuous, in-person personal care services
• The need for personal care service does not have to be the the veteran’s service connected condition.

More information can be obtained by contacting this office or online at

http://www.va.gov/family-member-benefits/comprehensive-assistance-for-family-caregivers/

Blue Water Sailors and Surviving Spouses:
(those who served on ships within 12 NM of Vietnam and Cambodia from
Jan 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975)
***Give the office a call. There are changes in 2020

Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987 (30 days within these dates)
See Flyer Below

Mission Statement:
To assist veterans and their families in obtaining any and all county, state and federal benefits to which they are entitled, with utmost courtesy, compassion, confidentiality and respect.

Assistance Provided for:

• Service Connected Compensation
• Non-Service Connected Pension
• VA Health Care Enrollment
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
• Life Insurance Services
• GI Insurance Benefits
• Dependents and Survivors Benefits
• Widows Pension
• Burial Benefits
• Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
• Housebound Aid and Attendance Services
• VA Civilian Health and Medical Program CHAMPVA
• Limited, emergent financial assistance to qualified veterans and their immediate families
• Assistance with debt management center issues
• Educational Benefits
• Certificates of Eligibility for Home Loans
• Commissary and Exchange Privileges
• Correction of Military Records
• Application for Medals and Military Records
• DD214 (Military Discharge)
• Automobile and Special Adaptive Equipment

VETERANS SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE:
1-800-273-8255

Helpful Veterans Websites:
US Department of Veteran Affairs
National Archives
Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
US Department of Defense
eBenefits
My HealtheVet
https://www.tricare.mil/openseason

https://tricare.benefeds.com/InfoPortal/indexAction

Veterans Brochure
Camp Lejeune
2019 Appeals Modernization

County Veteran Service Officer

Sara Cunningham, Accredited
veterans@cheboygancounty.net
(231) 627-8833

Office

870 S. Main Street, Room 122
PO Box 70
Cheboygan, MI 49721
(231) 627-8833
Fax: (231) 627-8469

Hours

Monday through Friday
8:00am to 4:00pm
Veterans are seen by either WALK-IN or can make an APPOINTMENT if time is a factor.
Check for holiday availability.

 Additional Staff

Asst. Veteran Service Officer
Brian Crittenden
veterans@cheboygancounty.net
(231) 627-8833