On January 8, in a step that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus to fulfill the nation’s sacred obligation to the nation’s Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service-connection for:

• Gulf War Veterans: Veterans who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations (which includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations) during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990.

• Post-9/11 Veterans: Veterans who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This includes Veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001.
  

This step lowers the burden of proof for these Veterans, meaning that they do not need to prove that their service caused their condition to receive benefits for it. Instead, VA automatically assumes service connection for the condition and provides benefits accordingly. Additionally, when a Veteran becomes service connected for a health condition, it gives them access to free health care for that condition.

The presumptions for urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers went into effect Jan. 2, 2025, and the presumptions for acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, and myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis will be effective Jan. 10, 2025.

This expansion is part of a comprehensive, yearslong effort by VA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to benefits for Veterans as part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation.

In 2022, President Biden signed the PACT Act into law — the largest expansion of Veteran benefits in generations. VA then made millions of Veterans eligible for health care and benefits years earlier than called for by the law and launched the largest outreach campaign in VA history to encourage Veterans to apply.

As a result, VA is currently delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before — and earning Veteran trust at record rates.

“At VA, our goal is to provide every Veteran with the care and benefits that they’ve earned for their service to our nation — and that’s what this is all about,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Adding these presumptives lowers the burden of proof for Veterans to get the benefits they deserve for the conditions that followed them home from war. We encourage Veterans with these conditions — and all Veterans — to apply today for the benefits they deserve today.”

Since the PACT Act was signed into law, VA has conducted the largest outreach campaign in VA history to ensure that Veterans are signing up for the care and benefits they are newly eligible for. As a result of this effort, nearly 890,000 Veterans have signed up for VA care since the bill was signed into law (a nearly 40% increase over the previous equivalent period) and Veterans have submitted more than 4.8 million applications for VA benefits (an 42% increase over the previous equivalent period and an all-time record). In total, more than 1.3 million Veterans have enrolled in VA health care since President Biden took office in 2021, and VA has delivered more than $600 billion in earned benefits directly to Veterans, their families, and survivors during that time.

In addition to supporting all Veterans who served during the Gulf War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan War, these steps are also a part of a comprehensive effort VA is undertaking to listen to Veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad base and ensure that VA is providing them — and their survivors — with the care and benefits they deserve.

Partly as a result of these efforts, K2 Veterans have higher claim and approval rates than any other cohort of Veterans: 13,002 K2 Veterans of the approximately 16,000 known K2 Veterans are currently enrolled in VA health care, more than 11,800 are service connected for at least one condition, the average K2 Veteran is service connected for 14.6 conditions at a 70% disability rating, and the average service-connected K2 Veteran receives an average of $30,000 a year in earned benefits. VA continues to work to ensure that all K2 Veterans get access to the benefits they deserve.

VA encourages Veterans with these conditions to apply for benefits today, and encourages eligible Veterans with previously denied claims to reapply. VA will update publicly available information and conduct general outreach to Veterans and survivors to publicize this new eligibility and how to apply. To apply for benefits, Veterans and survivors may visit  VA.gov or call 1-800-MYVA411. 

Image used in article is a licensed stock image of the Veterans Affairs seal and building.

Interview online with top companies and government agencies seeking military-experienced talent!

You are invited to participate in the Wednesday, January 22 Virtual Military-Friendly Job Fair, to be held online from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Eastern Time).

This job fair will connect transitioning service members, veterans, and civilian members of the military community with employers having job opportunities nationwide across numerous industries and occupations.

Interview online via text chats with many top companies and government agencies, including Lockheed Martin, Carter Machinery, NSA, Sierra 7, SAIC,  SCIPP International, Internal Revenue Service,  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.

To register, visit: Brazen, the platform that will be used for this event.  If you do not have a Brazen account, you will need to create one.  If you already have one, please login. You can do both after clicking the link.

After logging into Brazen and registering, you can access the event lobby and visit each employer's booth. The link from the Jobs icon will connect you to their job board, where you can search and apply for positions in advance.

Prior to the event, all registered job seekers will receive the Virtual Job Fair Training Guide, Job Fair Employer Directory, and a link to a recording of our Virtual Job Fair Training webinar.

If you need assistance with the job fair registration process, please email: Admin@CorporateGray.com.

ROA has been invited to join the prestigious White Oak Collaborative in recognition of our unique insights and expertise in the arena of reserve component families.

Adapted from the collaborative’s website, the White Oak Collaborative addresses the challenges faced by military- and veteran-connected communities through data-driven, cross-sector partnerships among its members for direct service and/or policy-level solutions—while applying a whole-of-family lens.

The WOC is a coalition of organizations committed to supporting service members, veterans, wounded warriors, caregivers, survivors, and their families. Participation in the WOC is by nomination and invitation.

“The invitation to join the White Oak Collaborative is prestigious for ROA,” said the association’s president-elect, Peggy Wilmoth, Ph.D., RN. “This invitation is an honor, and it inserts ROA into a place where reserve component families, their needs, and their issues can be highlighted within the larger military family community.”

Blue Star Families is the convening authority and secretariat for the collaborative, with more than 150 members representing military and veteran support organizations, other nonprofits, and private, philanthropic, government, and community sectors. The work of the White Oak Collaborative is non-partisan.

Led by a board of oversight and rotating steering committee of member organizations, the collaborative holds off-the-record partners’ calls approximately every two weeks, where members hear updates, share relevant data, and learn about government and military priorities for the purpose of better serving our constituencies.

For the first time ever, Army & Air Force Exchange Service shoppers can save 20% on all first-day purchases when they open and use a new MILITARY STAR® account.
 
From Jan. 16-23, new cardholders will receive the 20% off first-day purchases, an increase from the regular 10% discount for new cardholders. The discount will be applied as a credit on the first monthly billing statement.
 
“This higher-than-ever limited-time discount is just in time for shoppers looking to budget and save money in the new year,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s senior enlisted advisor. “Warfighters and their families can save on purchases beyond the first-day discount with everyday savings on food and fuel, as well as financing offers and discounts throughout the year.”
 
The 20% discount applies to purchases made everywhere the MILITARY STAR card is accepted, including all exchanges, commissaries, online at ShopMyExchange.com, myNavyExchange.com and ShopCGX.com and more.
 
Cardholders earn 2% in rewards points on their MILITARY STAR purchases and receive a $20 reward every 2,000 points. Rewards offer excludes the Military Clothing line of credit.
 
The MILITARY STAR savings continue year-round with special offers and everyday discounts such as:

• 5¢ off every gallon of fuel at Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Navy Exchange and Marine Corps Exchange facilities.
• 10% off food purchases at participating Exchange restaurants.
• Free standard shipping on online orders.

Cardholders also receive the added security of chip technology, the ease of tap to pay and the ability to add MILITARY STAR to mobile wallets.
 
The MILITARY STAR card is administered by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and is accepted at all military exchanges and commissaries. For more information, visit MyECP.com.

Photo by Daniel Amburg, Fort Dix Training Support Center

On Dec. 2, 2024, U.S. Army Support Activity, Fort Dix conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new NATO Standard Obstacle Course.

The course is located in TAC 3A and is the only NATO Standard Obstacle Course in the United States. The course is 500 meters long and consists of 20 obstacles.

United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) funded $1.77 million to build the course for the purpose of hosting the NATO Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) annual competition.

The CIOR competition is a three-day military pentathlon for NATO Reserve Soldiers. The competition consists of pistol and rifle shooting on the first day, obstacle course and utility swimming on the second day, and orienteering with additional tasks like range estimation, map reading and hand grenade throwing on the third day.

USARC Competitive Programs is responsible for operating an annual U.S. Army selection camp and then training the U.S. Army CIOR Team for the competition.

Both the selection camp and the training camp will begin using the new NATO Standard Obstacle Course for the 2025 competition. When not in use by USARC Competitive Programs, the course will be available for all other units to conduct training.

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