I want to take this opportunity to thank Brother Doug McCredy, Director of District 3, and the Brothers of the Auburn Division for their warm hospitality.  Brother McCredy and his Committee put together a very fine Veterans Outreach at the Auburn Hall on May 20th.  At the meeting there was the local VA representative from the City of Auburn as well as the County Clerk and the County Commander of The American Legion.  Several speakers informed the attendees of current programs being offered by the VA and information packets were distributed to each.  If any other jurisdictions would like to sponsor a similar event, please contact me and I will be glad to help you set it up and I will come and make a presentation on Veteran’s benefits.

PHONY REFUND SCHEME

Recently some have received emails indicating that individuals who are receiving disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs may be eligible to receive additional funds from the IRS.  The email indicates that individuals receiving VA disability compensation can receive additional funds from the IRS by sending copies of VA award letters, income tax returns, 1099-Rs, Retiree account Statements and DD 214s to a retired Colonel at an address in Florida.  These schemes can be very costly for victims.  Promoters may charge exorbitant upfront fees to file these claims and are often long gone when the victim discovers they’ve been scammed.

VETERANS STUDENT RELIEF FUND

This program administered by Scholarship America was established to assist Veterans who have incurred substantial education cost at proprietary (for-profit) schools that they attended. If selected by the Loan Fund, the Veteran will receive up to $5,000.  Filing deadline is August 11, 2012.  For more info go to http//sms.scholarshipamerica.org/veterans-student-loan-relief/index.html.