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Veterans Largest Service Organization
The American Legion

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The Orcutt Post 534 family of units is comprised of the following:

American Legion
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, war-time veterans organization. A community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members -- men and women -- in nearly 15,000 American Legion Posts worldwide.
General Membership Meeting: Second Wednesday of the Month at 6 p.m.
Executive Board Meeting: The Saturday after the General Membership Meeting at 9 a.m.


American Legion Auxiliary
Initially, the Auxiliary was organized by concerned women who took on the day-to day responsibilities of life when their men went to Europe in World War I. Aware of the plight of fatherless families and the needs of returning veterans, these women vowed to continue their supportive role when the veterans of World War I founded The American Legion in 1919.

Auxiliary members are wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and great-granddaughters of these courageous veterans. Some members are veterans themselves who now work in civilian life in hundreds of volunteer programs.
General Membership Meeting: Third Wednesday of the Month at 7 p.m.


Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.)
The Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as an organization within The American Legion. The S.A.L. is made up of boys and men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the United States military and became eligible for membership in The American Legion.

Just as each Legion post determines the extent of its service to the community, state, and nation, each S.A.L. squadron is permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to meet its own needs.
General Membership Meeting: First Wednesday of the Month at 7 p.m.


American Legion Riders (A.L.R.)
The American Legion Riders are a diverse group of motorcycle enthusiasts sharing common goals. All are members or spouses of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and Sons of The American Legion—and all are united by patriotism. They answer the call to ride in service to America’s military, her veterans, and for the children and youth of our country.
General Membership Meeting: Second Wednesday of the Month at 7 p.m.


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Prescribing Hearing Aids & Eyeglasses
VHA DIRECTIVE 2008-070

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) not only covers eye examinations and audiology tests and writes eyeglass and hearing aid prescriptions for all its eligible patients. In many cases it also covers eyeglasses and hearing aids---even for some non-service- connected Priority 5 and 7 patients (generally, veterans honorably- or generally-discharge d after at least two years’ service with incomes under about $35,000). The little-known Veterans' Health Administration Directive 2002-039 of July 5, 2002 [paragraph 4.a.(1)] authorizes eyeglasses and hearing aids for:

  • those getting service-connected compensation for any reason or at any percentage;
  • former prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients;
  • those getting Housebound or Aid and Attendance increments to needs-based disability Pensions;
  • those needing eyeglasses or hearing aids due to any other (even non-service- connected) medical cause; and
  • those with any other functional or cognitive impairment-- as shown by Activities of Daily Living (ADL) functional deficiency(ies) --who need eyeglasses or hearing aids to participate in their own care.

Replacements are allowed in cases of loss and breakage and for new or changed prescriptions. Hearing aids, without a prescription change or loss, must last 4 years. Issuance of spares is determined by the VA audiiologist or eye care specialist. Although general information on the VA website may wrongly suggest that the above benefits are restricted to those with service-connected disabilities and other limited groups, in fact Directive 2002-039 remains fully in force.
The VA ordinarily offers comprehensive dental services only to 100% disabled, service-connected veterans and those held as prisoners of war over 90 days; but other, non-service- connected veterans may apply to the VA, no later than 3 to 6 months after discharge, to get dental treatment that wasn’t completed while on active duty. For qualified cases, the VA may then pre-authorize some treatment with approved private dentists. VA health centers are listed at www.VA.gov.

PRESCRIBING HEARING AIDS AND EYEGLASSES


Commissioning Ceremony USS Stockdale

Got this great slide show video from the person who took the pictures & put them all together. He's Jeff Gallagher, a member of Orange County ALR Chapter 555 & ALR Dept. of CA State Secretary. He did a nice job on the Mission we all did on Saturday, April 18, 2009, to honor and escort some 100 former Vietnam POW's to the commissioning ceremony of the USS Stockdale, DDG-106.   

Take care,
Jim Banakus
President ALR Orcutt Chapter 534
PGR USS Stockdale Ride Captain


California Department of Veterans Affairs

The following Veterans Service information was brought to our attention by George Torbert, Post 534 Service Officer.

The mission of the California Department of Veterans Affairs is to serve California Veterans and their families. [ http://www.cdva.ca.gov/ ]

More specifically, to provide California veterans and their families with aid and assistance in presenting their claims for veterans' benefits under the laws of the United States; to provide them with beneficial opportunities through direct low-cost loans to acquire farms and homes; and to provide the state's aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care and services in a home-like environment at the California Veterans Homes.

This mission is based upon the philosophy that programs of benefits for veterans fulfill necessary, proper, and valid public purposes by promoting patriotism, by recognizing and rewarding sacrifice and service to country, and by providing needed readjustment assistance to returning veterans and their families, whose lives were interrupted when they responded to their country's call to military service.

California Veterans Benefits Overview page provides a wealth of information on current benefits available to California Veterans and their families.


License Plates for 100% Disabled Veterans

The following letter was taken from the Santa Maria Times after being brought to our attention by George Torbert, Post 534 Service Officer.

After more than three and a half years of working to get California to do what 29 other states are already doing, the issuing of a non-handicapped, disabled-veterans license is close to completion.

One Assembly and one Senate bill didn't make it through committee hearings because of cost concerns, and the state's reluctance to issue new personalized plates.

It didn't matter that this plate isn't the usual vanity plate, but a form of respect and gratitude to one of the most deserving segments of our society.

But now, with the help of people like state Senator Abel Maldonado, county Supervisor Joe

Centeno and numerous other groups and individuals, both throughout the state and in particular Sacramento, a solution has been found that will make these distinctive plates available to qualifying veterans.

Three plate designs are being submitted to DMV and the California VA. Once they make a selection, a minimum of 10 applicants will required in order to get the plates printed.

To qualify, a veteran must have a 100-percent disability rating from the VA that is service-connected, permanent and total. The 100-percent rating can be either a straight disability rating, or a combination of disability and un employability.

Unfortunately, because of the current fiscal crisis the state is in, the veteran will be required to pay the usual fees. However, once budget restrictions are lifted by the state, we will head back and get the fees either reduced or eliminated.

Those qualified veterans who are interested are asked to visit our web site, www.chcv.org, and use the e-mail address available on the site to let us know. All readers of this paper are asked to help spread the word.

Dave Troescher
Founder and Chairman, Committee to Honor California Veterans

Santa Maria, May 27, 2008

The Committee to Honor California Veterans Web site: [ http://www.chcv.org/ ]


Gratitude CampaignThe Gratitude Campaign

As webmaster for Orcutt Post 534 I receive many e-mails on various topics of interest to our members. Seldom am I touched in the manner, an e-mail Jim Banakus sent me recently did. For those of us who served during the Vietnam War this idea is a poignant reminder of how many in uniform were treated and it was not with gestures of gratitude!. The Gratitude Campaign allows all of us to show our gratitude to others publicly and yet silently.

This grassroots campaign is designed around a simple American Sign Language (ASL) gesture that traditionally communicates thank you. A modification of the gesture takes the hand which normally begins on the chin and now begins the gesture by placing your hand over your heart. The remainder of the gesture just moves your hand down and away from your body. At the end your hand is parable to the ground, palm up, as if you have something in your hand to give another. What you give in this gesture is your heart felt gratitude for another person. When this gesture is given to a member of our our active duty military it becomes a public display of our support for their service to our nation. Our traditional military salute publicly communicates respect, the gratitude gesture is simply a civilian salute of gratitude.

Please go to [ http://www.gratitudecampaign.org ] and watch the short movie. Then, put the Gratitude Campaign to work when you see our active duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines by giving them a gesture of gratitude. Or, use the gesture with others in your life that you appreciate and value. Maybe even an officer of the Post!

~ Rick Pushies



New Post Constitution & Bylaws Reviewed

In September 2007 Acting Commander Charles Kelble established a committee to revise and update our Post constitution and bylaws. This had not been done since the early 1990's. He appointed to this committee three past commanders, Ken Johnson, Larry Thomas and Bill Smith plus Rick Pushies and himself as chairman. Over the ensuing months this committee met each month and diligently reviewed each document line by line, word by word and brought the documents in line with the current Legion requirements and generally improved the documents.

Now it is time for our general membership to review the work of the Constitution and Bylaws committee. This requires the documents to be presented at a meeting of the general membership and this has been done at the April meeting. The month following the initial presentation of the documents they will again be presented and become available to be voted on. During the time from the April meeting to the May meeting the documents are available for members to review. At the May meeting there will be a discussion of the proposed new documents after which any required changes of the general membership will edited into the documents and a vote to accept them will be called for. Once the documents are approved at the Post level they then are sent to the Department of California for the Constitution and Bylaws Commission to review and give their final approval.

The new documents are available for you to review by downloading them from our web site in addition to copies that are available in the Post


Post Rules

Wednesday, December 12, 2007 a new set of rules were accepted unanimously by the Post membership in attendance. First Vice-Commander Charles Kelble also serves the chairman of the Constitution & Bylaw committee of the Post. Other active members of the committee are Rick Pushies, Adjutant and past commanders Bill Smith, Larry Thomas and Kenny Johnson. Together these men have worked hard to develop the best results with the spirit of compromise ever present.

Post Rules

We are Veterans serving America.
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Orcutt Post 534, 145 W. Clark Avenue, Orcutt CA 93455 — 805-937-0651
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Copyright 2006—2008 American Legion Post 534, 145 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, California 93455

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