April is an active month with a great deal of programming scheduled as we move into the Memorial Day season. Please check your inboxes for our monthly event newsletter and follow us on Facebook for detailed event invitations to district veterans and their supporters.

Veteran Mobile Food Market
April 1 @12 PM
Melrose Memorial Hall - Wakefield Town Hall - Saugus Town Hall

Saugus Veterans Council Monthly Meeting
April 6 @7 PM
Saugus American Legion, 44 Taylor Street

Operation Remember Liberty Bell Fundraiser
April 8 @5-8 PM
Liberty Bell Roast Beef, 886 Main Street 

Melrose Veteran Town Hall featuring MA Veteran Services Secretary Francisco Urena
April 21 @7 PM
Melrose Elks Lodge, 75 Myrtle Street

Wakefield Veterans Advisory Board
April 22 @6 PM
Wakefield Town Hall, 11 Lafayette Street

Melrose Spring Veteran Food Drive
April 25 @8 AM - 4 PM
Shaws Supermarket, 34 Essex Street

Wakefield Selectmen - Purple Heart Community Dedication
April 27 @7:30 PM 
WCAT, 24 Hemlock Road

Melrose, Wakefield and Saugus veterans received 186 annuity payments from the State of Massachusetts in 2014. The approximate total dollar value for the district from this program is $372,000. The annuity is given in recognition of the service of our distinguished 100% service-connected disabled veterans and to the parents of distinguished veterans (Gold Star Parents) and the un-remarried spouses (Gold Star Wives or Husbands) of distinguished veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country during wartime.

While the district’s local benefit program (Chapter 115) remains our primary vehicle for veteran assistance, referral to and assistance with federal and state benefits allows our offices to maximize benefit delivery. Federal and state dollars not only bring additional income to local economies, they also offset local expenses found in our three municipal budgets.

For more information, please contact our office or follow this information link:
http://www.mass.gov/veterans/benefits-and-services/bonus/annuity.html 

See the full report here

Our Veteran Mobile Food Market is now available district-wide with 58 veteran families signed on to receive fresh produce and food items for the month of April. This exciting program helps improve veteran access to quality food and nutritional supplement. Any veteran or their family member is eligible for this program.

You must sign up with our office prior to receiving a distribution. Please contact the office in your town in order to establish entry into this important program. If you would like to volunteer, we need assistance at Melrose Memorial Hall at 1030 on each distribution day. Here we receive the raw deliveries and package them individually for families.

See our flyer below to sign up veterans and their family members who might benefit from the program.

Next Distribution: April 1, 2015 @12 PM

Distribution Locations:

Melrose
Memorial Hall
590 Main Street

Wakefield
Town Hall
11 Layfayette Street

Saugus
Town Hall
298 Central Street

What is VA "Intent to File?"

The VA announced this week a new streamlining of its "Intent to File" option. Essentially, this is a placeholder for veterans looking to file for compensation and pension benefits before they are ready with all of their necessary application forms, evidence and associated material.

Why is this important?

In the age of the VA Backlog, waiting months for a decision is not uncommon. The fastest way to process VA claims is through the Fully Developed Claim process. Under this program, veterans must submit ALL evidence and associated forms upfront or risk being removed into the regular claim population. While both will eventually see a decision, the FDC program promises much faster results.

The "Intent to File" is a good option for veterans who are not ready to file a FDC, but want to hold a claim date as far back as possible. The claim date is important because it becomes the date of your disability rating. For example, if you filed a claim today and the VA did not decide your case until July, you would receive retroactive pay back to the date of claim, or in this example, today. 

The VA "Intent to File" is a claim date placeholder.

How Do I Submit my Intent to File?

ONLINE - Use your eBenefits account to let the VA know of your intentions. If you do not have an eBenefits account, we highly suggest them as you can receive real-time updates about your claim.

MAIL - Print VA Form 21-0966, fill our your name, demographic information and sign. This easy to use form can be mailed to your local regional office.

PHONE - Although wait times can be longer than 45 minutes when you call 1-800-827-1000, you can inform the VA call center of your intention and they will submit a claim.

What Happens Next?

After submitting and "Intent to File," you have one year to complete the claim process. This means filling out the appropriate application, gathering evidence and sending your claim in through eBenefits or the mail. We strongly suggest that you use the Fully Developed Claim process and submit all of your information at once.

As always, we are available to help you with a VA claim or a VA Intent to File. Please contact our offices if you need assistance and we can explain all application processes in further detail.

In the last year, Melrose-Wakefield-Saugus veterans received 20 Welcome Home Bonuses from the state, bringing the total number of state award received to nearly 300.

The Welcome Home Bonus is offered to qualifying district veterans who serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. The bonus is valued at $500 for active service and $1000 for service in a designated combat area. Applicants are also eligible for multiple bonuses for multiple tours of duties.

This data is important for our district as it represents the portion of our job dedicated to referring veterans to federal and state programs and assisting with the application process. We are currently compiling data on federal and state benefits paid to district veterans and will make it available on this space as the reports become published.

VSO Alicia Reddin attended an important training Wednesday, pairing Wakefield public safety officials with representatives from the Department of Veteran Affairs. The training focused on First Responder community interactions with veterans. Focuses included reducing stigmas associated with veteran mental health conditions and learning tools for public safety officials to help veterans transition back to civilian life. 

Reddin participated in the training, adding that as community leaders, Wakefield officials could create cultures that allow veterans, both inside and outside of public service, to seek the help they need in order to improve performance and quality of life. Here are some of the topics discussed:

Police as first contact:

·      Police often come into contact with veterans when they are in a negative situation or crisis state
·      It is important to realize that veterans may have lived experience that you are not aware of
·      The potential for hostility is higher if you confront a veteran in a demeaning or disrespectful way

Recognizing the stigmas that may surround veterans in the community:

·      Not all veterans have PTSD
·      Some veterans do not believe they have PTSD and will not seek help
·      Fear that treatment will disqualify from civilian employment.
·      Not all veterans are dangerous and violent
·      Not all veterans use self-medication techniques
·      Seeking help is often seen as weakness
·      There is a lack of knowledge about available services to veterans
·      Not all trauma is related to combat

Veterans as law enforcement officials

·      The number of veterans going into law enforcement is growing
·      There is fear that being treated through the VA will keep them off the force (THIS IS NOT TRUE)
·      Increased suicide rates among veterans and law enforcement
·      You or someone else on the force may need to talk – there is a VA crisis line and numbers resources

The City of Melrose and the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board will be joined by MA Secretary of Veteran Services Francisco Urena on April 21, 2015. The first portion of the town hall will be dedicated to the state's most senior veteran officials as he talks about state programming and answers veteran questions.

Additionally, city officials will discuss upcoming Memorial Day 2015 programming to include Operation Remember, the MVMMS Veteran Breakfast and Assembly, Veteran Grave Decoration at Wyoming Cemetery and the Memorial Day Parade.

Attending veterans will be given time to discuss current veteran issues in the city and help select the most appropriate location for the Korean War Memorial to be dedicated on Memorial Day.

To RSVP for this event, please click here. 

The city's hardest working High School group will host their Spring Fling Sunday at 2 p.m. at the VFW Harold O Young Post 2394 (14 Chipman Ave., Melrose).

Members of the Melrose Veterans Memory Project will present their work which includes the documentation and presentation of Melrose veteran history. We dare you to look at their virtual archives and not be impressed by how a small group can do so much for their community.

Part of the MVMP mission is to spread awareness about veteran causes and to outreach to the veteran community. In that spirit, all proceeds from the fundraising dinner will go to support NEADS and Dogs on Deployment, two organizations that greatly assist the veteran community.

To RSVP, click here. Tickets are $20 and available at the door. Here is a full list of why you should attend the Spring Fling this weekend!

1.) Presentation by NEADS star "Rainbow"

2.) Presentation by MVMP students on their work and mission

3.) Music by the Melrose High School Chorus

4.) Meet and talk with local veterans

5.) Enjoy a chicken parmesan dinner with friends and family 

Project Healing Waters is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities angling activities. Volunteers from local fly-fishing clubs teach veterans fishing skills and organize trips that range from 1-3 days. 


This organization also provides adaptive equipment with proper advanced notice. Examples include one-handed rods. NO EXPERIENCE is needed to participate. Please call Joe Cresta at 781-603-6669.

Upcoming Training Dates:


March 25, 2015 @6:30 p.m.


April 22, 2015 @6:30 p.m.


May 27, 2015 @6:30 p.m.

While local and state benefits continue to make up the largest percentage of our workload, referral and assistance with federal benefits is a large part of our job. Recently we received data from the MA Department of Veteran Services that indicates Melrose, Wakefield and Saugus receive $12.8 million in VA disability and pension payments annually and more than $1 million a month. To see our full report, click here.

Not every veteran receiving or filing for VA benefits funnel through our offices, but it is one of our primary goals to make sure every veteran in our district understands their benefit eligibility. Federal benefits are important to our more than 5,000 veterans, giving them access to crucial healthcare, ensuring all veterans have a least the basic quality of life they were promised and replacing income when necessary due to service connected disability.