COASTAL LIVING
      

April 2002

A Community Based Outreach Clinic for Eastern Carolina

Planning and coordination continues in earnest for a Primary Care Clinic in Eastern Carolina.   Needless to say, there is plenty of interest on this subject within the ranks of our 9000+ veterans.  While nothing is cast in stone, may we share some tentative planning specifics.

The facility, we believe, will be a joint U.S. Navy-Department of Veterans Affairs facility staffed by Navy doctors and VA contract medical support staff.  It is planned to provide primary care services, to include mental health, to veterans, military retirees and dependents of active duty military.  Services will be provided by appointment only (no "walk-in" service capability) and its exact patient base (those assigned for treatment/care) will be determined in coordination by the Naval Hospital at Cherry Point and the VA Medical Center Durham.

 Its exact location has recently become an "issue" to some out of County special interest groups.  The Naval Hospital and VA Medical Center believe, based on demographics, that it can best serve its proposed target patient base by locating the facility in a central location in Carteret County along the Highway 70 corridor between Morehead City and Havelock.  We assume that the patient base will be drawn from Havelock to Cedar Island to Cedar Point.  A note, there are freestanding VA Outreach Clinics in Greenville, Jacksonville and Wilmington.  Let's hope that we continue to place veterans first in exact site selection.

 Facility operating procedures and policies are in the process of being finalized.  I believe we can anticipate for planning purposes that the clinic will be up and operating in the June/July timeframe.  The clinic's opening will be the culmination of seven years of effort by the Carteret County Veterans Council, elected officials from the County to the U.S. Congress, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Congress Takes a Big Step Forward on Concurrent Receipt

 Within the last two weeks, both the House and the Senate have taken a significant step forward in an attempt to end the practice of having our disabled military retirees pay for their own disability compensation.  For over 100 years, Federal Statutes have been in place, which prevented military retirees from receiving both retired pay and disability compensation.  The law requires that military retired pay be reduced dollar for dollar by any amount awarded and received in veteran's disability compensation.  While this inequity of having disabled military retirees fund their own disability compensation was recognized, action outside of a Congressional committee had never happened.

 History was made though during the week of March 11^th when the House Budget Committee included over a billion dollars in the FY2003 Budget Resolution as a down payment toward eventually ending this inequity.  The full House followed suit on March 20^th by passing the Budget Resolution.   On March 21^st, the Senate Budget Committee took the lead on the legislation and is considering options from immediate full funding in FY2003 to elimination of the offset by funding it over a five-year period.  Action on the FY2003 Budget Resolution will continue after a Congressional two-week Easter recess.   A salute to Congress is surely appropriate.

State Scholarship Program for Children of Certain Disabled, Deceased or POW/MIA Veterans

 The North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs wishes to remind high school seniors and other interested parties of the ongoing State Scholarship Program for children of certain disabled, deceased or POW/MIA veterans.

The scholarships may be used at schools located in North Carolina, which are:

1.      State-owned institutions of higher education, community colleges and technical institutions, or

2.      Privately-owned, nonprofit colleges and universities.

Scholarships, with one exception, provide free tuition, certain fees, and room and board allowances in state-owned institutions and $4,500 per academic year in private institutions.  The exception being that awards under the 100% service-connected disability provision provide free tuition and certain fees in state-owned institutions and $1,500 per academic year in private institutions.  All awards are for four academic years in duration, which must be used within ten years from the date of award.

For more information, please contact the Carteret County Veterans Services Office at (252) 728-8440.

Special Events

·          The R.O.M.E.O. Club (Retired Old Men Eating Out) will meet for lunch at Sanitary Restaurant, Morehead City Waterfront, on Monday, April 1^st at 12:00 noon.  This group of World War II veterans meets every other month for goodwill, camaraderie and fellowship.  They have no charter, no officers, no dues, and no agenda.  All World War II veterans are invited to attend.