DEFENSE FINANCE AGENCY NEWSLETTER
The July newsletter of the DFAS, the folks when deposit
your paycheck, is available at thwe link below.
There is much useful information in the newsletter, particul;arly the pending introduction of DFAS forms which you
may complete and send to DFAS on line. Check it out here:
July Newsletter
VA BENEFIT
ACCESS ONLINE
DoD
and the VA have established a collaborative online site where
veterans, active duty and family members may get information and
check on the status of claims. They may also submit an
application for a VA home loan certificate of eligibility and
get copies of military records. There's a whole lot more
info available at the site:
www.ebenefits.va.gov
Check it out.
HOW THE VA DOES THE MATH ON YOUR
DISABILITY
The VA figures your combined disability rating
by calculating your non-disability rating first.
Actually, the VA calls it your “efficiency”
rating. It goes like this. A person with a
disability rating of 30% is considered 70%
efficient, able to function normally so to
speak. To combine your ratings, rack and stack your
disability ratings from the most severe rating
to the least severe. Let’s say you have
disability ratings of 70% and a 40% rating. That
means you have efficiency ratings of 30% and
60%.
Multiple the efficiency ratings together to
get an 18% efficiency rating. Subtract this from
100% to get 82%. Round up or down to the nearest
number divisible by 10. 80% in this case. Factor
each additional rating by multiplying the
combined ratings before it. Do the first two,
then use the combined first two number and
factor the third. Use the combined three ratings
then factor the fourth and so on.
WHO WILL GET YOUR LAST CHECK?
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) retracts the
check paid for the month in which the Service Member dies, then
reconfigures the amount due and pays it to the designated
beneficiary. To be sure that the money goes to those to
whom you would like to receive it, fill out the DD Form 2894
here:
www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd2894.pdf
and mail or Fax it to the DFAS address on the second page
of the form. You MAY have filled it out before; fill it
out again and be sure. Oh, and you won't be paid any CRSC
pay for that month. Sorry.
NEW PAY DAY SCHEDULE
Pay days for military retirees
and those who receive portions of retired pay changed in
September and December when the Defense Finance and Accounting
Service changed its pay schedule to comply with the 2011
National Defense Authorization Act. The 2011 NDAA requires
military retiree pay to be processed on the first day of the
month. When that day falls on a weekend or national holiday, the
pay date is moved to the previous business day.
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JANUARY DINING OUT
The Chapter will hold a
dining out on January 24th, 2010, at the Touch of Europe
restaurant, 6829 Fillyaw Drive, Fayetteville. The
party begins at 6:00 and you will be able to choose from the
menu for your dinner. Call Marty Baldwin at 868-8596
to let her know that you'll be there
FILING FOR DEPENDENT INDEMNITY COMP.
You can apply by filling out
VA Form 21-534
(Application for
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Death Pension and Accrued
Benefits by a Surviving Spouse or Child), and submitting it to
the VA regional office that serves your area. Call the toll-free
number below for information about supporting materials that VA
may need to process your claim.
You may fill out the form online then print it.
For More Information Call Toll-Free 1-800-827-1000.
The amount of indemnity is $1154 for the widow. Add $246 if
at the time of the veteran's death, the veteran was in receipt
of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected
disability rated totally disabling (including a rating based on
individual unemployability) for a continuous period of at least
8 years immediately preceding death AND the surviving spouse was
married to the veteran for those same 8 years. (38 U.S.C.
1311(a)(2))
SIGN UP
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If you're reading this I can safely assume that you have a
computer on the Internet. If you are a Chapter member and
haven't done so, please sign up to received the Infogram via
Email. You'll get everything that is in the paper edition, but
get it about 10 days before the snail mail arrives. You
will also save us the time and money that is involved with
printing, labeling, folding, sealing and mailing. And that ain't
cheap. Infogram
via Email
DIC
FOR WIDOWS OF HEART ATTACK VICTIMS
The Veterans'
Administration has ruled that widows or widowers of Vietnam
Veterans' who suffered heart disease or died of heart disease or
congestive heart failure may file a claim for Dependency
Indemnity Compensation. What is needed to support the
claim is a copy of the Death Certificate indicating that
Ischemic Heart Disease was either the cause or a contributing
factor in the death, plus a DD-214 showing that the veteran
served in Vietnam.
These documents should be taken to the
Veterans' Services
office in the basement of the Cumberland County Department of
Social Services on Ramsey Street near the end of the MLK
Freeway. The office is open Monday - Thursday 8:30AM - 12
Noon and 1:00PM - 3:00PM. Call 677-2970
for an appointment.
$45,000 PROPERTY TAX EXCLUSION
I talked with a widow recently whose husband, a WW II - Vietnam
veteran, had been totally disabled from service-connected causes
for eight years. I asked her if she had been claiming the
property exclusion on the basis of her husband's condition. She
had not, and I am now trying to get the word out to those on my
Cape Fear Chapter email list.
The property tax exclusion is available to 100% disabled
veterans, regardless of age. The veteran or spouse must fill
out the form and take it plus proof of a VA 100% disability
rating to the county tax offiice which will send it to the
Winston-Salem VA Office for verification.
Once the paperwork is approved, the County Tax Office will award
a $45,000 tax exclusion on the veteran's residence. This
exclusion carries through the death of the veteran and is then
assigned to the surviving spouse, if any.
You may get the application, Form AV-9 from the tax office or
download it here in PDF format. If you don't intend to claim
the exclusion now, bookmark the address as a favorite, anyway.
You or someone else may need it later:
www.dor.state.nc.us/downloads/av9_2011.pdf
You may also print a copy from this website:
Click here for the
Form AV-9,
Do it now and spread the word.
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