The third quarter International Veterans was hosted by Local 514 this year. From September 27th to 29th we had an opportunity to convene TWU member veterans from all across the country educate, collaborate, plan for the future, and support one another.
We had attendees from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Ohio, and of course Tulsa.
The first day we had a lengthy presentation from the VA to explain some of the unknowns of the claim filing process and the benefits available to all veterans. A few key points to interest were the appeal/ update process and which one applies in your situation. The education benefits for your dependents if you have a service rating of 100%. The first-time filing process and the pitfalls of going it alone. The biggest suggestion is that if you need to file a first claim or just update an existing claim, reach out to a reliable organization like the VFW, American Legion, or DAV. These organizations have service writers that have been trained and better understand your situation. On top of that they do not cost you anything for a benefit you have earned.
The second day and a half we held the regular order of business which included local reports and past events. We also tried to focus on a few key items to better support the union and our membership such as:
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Accurate veteran membership count by local
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Establishing relationship/ contact with elected leaders in each state
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Clarification and better understanding the PACT Act
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Establishing a system to access and retain important documents
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A nationwide community service program
This was an opportunity for us all to reconnect, welcome new members, and welcome back locals that were idle for some time.
Tracy Hardin
Executive Board Member at Large
Veterans Committee Chair
