Roger That: New program allows veterans to work directly with VA to resolve debt collection...

Veterans can now work directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to resolve debt
collection issues resulting from inappropriate or delayed Choice Program billing, the VA has
announced.
In step with MyVA’s efforts to modernize VA’s customer-focused, Veteran-centered services
capabilities, a Community Care Call Center has been set up for veterans experiencing adverse credit
reporting or debt collection resulting from inappropriately billed Choice Program claims. Veterans
experiencing these problems can call [login to see] for assistance.
The new call center will help resolve instances of improper
veteran billing and assist community care medical providers
with delayed payments. VA staff are also trained and ready to
work with the medical providers to expunge adverse credit
reporting on veterans resulting from delayed payments to
providers. The VA urges veterans to keep working with their VA
primary care team to obtain necessary health care services
regardless of adverse credit reporting or debt collection activity.
***
Military commanders in Iraq are drafting plans for U.S. troops
to accompany Iraqi brigades as they move to retake Mosul from
the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to two U.S.
defense officials, according to The Hill.
If the plans are approved, it would be a significant change for
U.S. troops, who would be able to get much closer to the front
lines of what is expected to be a fierce battle for Iraq’s second
largest city.
U.S. forces are working with Iraqi security forces at the
division-level or above with a few exceptions. President Obama has said U.S. forces will be kept out
of combat. The new plan would see small U.S. teams of about 15 troops embedded with Iraqi brigades
as they move closer to Mosul and establish headquarters in preparation for the pending battle.
***
Yahoo.com is reporting that Al-Qaida militants swept through a rebel-held town in northern Syria in
a display of dominance Sunday, arresting U.S.-backed fighters and looting weapons stores belonging
to the Free Syrian Army.
The militants belonging to the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front along with allied jihadists have been
moving to exert their authority over rebel-held areas in Idlib province since a partial ceasefire to the
country’s five-year conflict took effect two weeks ago, extinguishing patriotic demonstrations and
Roger That: New program allows veterans to work directly with VA to resolve debt collection problems | Belleville News-Democrat
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article65951112.html[3/22/2016 11:12:21 PM]
sidelining nationalist militias.
The FSA’s 13th Division said on Twitter Sunday that Nusra fighters were going door to door in the
town of Maarat Numan and arresting its cadres after Nusra, alongside fighters from the Jund al-Aqsa
faction, seized Division 13 posts the night before.
***
Department of Labor officials are moving to cut off unemployment checks for veterans attending
college on the GI Bill after lawmakers quietly approved the cost-cutting move last December,
according to Military Times.
But exactly when and how the change will take place remains a frustrating mystery to federal and
state officials and to veterans advocates who unsuccessfully argued against the idea.
Language inserted in the final draft of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act specifies that
veterans receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill education payouts should not also be eligible for unemployment
insurance. An exception was carved out for veterans involuntarily separated from the military under
honorable conditions.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays not only tuition for student veterans but also a living stipend, equal to the
Basic Allowance for Housing regional payouts for an E-5 with dependents. That ranges from around
$1,100 in areas around Ohio State University to more than $4,000 a month for individuals living
near San Francisco State University.
MAJ Ken Landgren SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt Obom Bowen CPT (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. SSG Warren Swan PO2 Ed C. SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SSgt (Join to see) CPT L SSP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas SGM Mikel Dawson CSM Charles Hayden SGT Benjamin Lindsey SPC Andrew Griffin d SN Greg Wright TSgt Hunter Logan