Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Disabled American Veterans on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 320
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We talk with Carla Johnson from Disabled American Veterans about how trained service officers help veterans and families access VA benefits, file claims, and avoid getting lost in paperwork. We also dig into a Kansas policy win and the everyday ways a local DAV chapter steps in when someone needs help fast.
• the DAV mission and who it serves, including spouses and dependents
• how chapter and national service officers support VA disability claims
• annual recertification and what it takes to stay trained
• what “power of attorney” means for filing and managing claims
• what happens at a DAV state convention and why elections matter
• the new Kansas sales tax exemption for certain 100% disabled veterans
• emergency help a chapter can provide, from bus tickets to rent support
• the Elizabeth Dole Act and a way some Vietnam era vets can check for free dental
• monthly meetings, community events, and how new members can join
They just go on the website and do that. Yes, d'a v dot org.
Sponsor And Segment Setup
SPEAKER_00Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on news radio KMAN. We are back with the GMCF Community Hour. Carla Johnson, who's no stranger to the show, is joining us. Carla is the senior vice commander of the disabled American Veterans. And Carla, it's good to have you here on the GMCF Community Hour. Good morning.
SPEAKER_01Morning, Dave. Thanks for having me back again.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Yeah. How many different hats have you uh worn when you've been on the show? I mean, you've done Salvation Army. There's another one, isn't there?
SPEAKER_01Well, the bell ringer for the bell ringers, yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Okay. All right. I was talking to my wife about ringing the bell again in December. So that's something I always enjoy doing. Well, um, Carla, glad to have you on here today. And um, we're having you join us via Zoom today, which certainly seems to be the theme of the day for the show.
What Disabled American Veterans Does
SPEAKER_00But uh, let's talk a little bit about what the DAV does, the disabled American veterans.
SPEAKER_01Well, disabled American veterans became a national service organization following uh the conclusion of World War I to help many of the veterans that came back after um that war that were disabled needed um benefits, they were out of work, um, needed health care, things like that. And the uh I was trying to find where it was. The um, of course it got messed up now. The logo of lotto of BAV is to take care of all uh disabled American, disabled veterans, their uh surviving spouses and um dependents, whether it be for health care, um, survivor benefits, uh, burial benefits, um, or uh disability pay. That's something that we can do. I uh myself am a chapter uh certified chapter service officer. There's many service organizations that can help veterans with filing a claim. And disabled American veterans is unique that for our department and chapter service officers, we have to recertify every year. So every uh state convention, I go through a four-hour training to recertify to be able to help start a claim for any uh veteran or uh uh spouse uh anything that needs to file a claim. And our national service officers, they're actually accredited and they take, I think it's an 18-month training program to become accredited to file the claims.
Training To Help File VA Claims
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you yourself are a disabled veteran.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. My uh foot was broken, a bone in my foot was broken, my second week of basic training. So I've been a disabled veteran since May of 1990.
SPEAKER_00Oh my, that's 35 years, 36 years. Yes, yeah, and of course it goes without saying thank you for your service. This um the certified chapter service position that you just recently um uh have become. What was that a difficult process? And and what does that allow you to do?
SPEAKER_01No, it's not a difficult process at all. We you have to attend the uh training in um person, and it was it was some semi difficult this year because we tried to do it all online and we were in Celina and the internet was not working real well. So you know, we know how that goes. Um there's different regulations, um forms you have to do, file uh uh signatures you have to get there on the form. There has to be a check mark that has to be checked for disabled American veterans to be able to take the power of a attorney for that veteran or the dependent to you know file the claim for them. And it's uh uh you know, once you get certified, it's a very easy process. Now that I'm certified and everything is online, I'm able to meet with, oh man, since our state convention, the end of April, I've had, I want to say I've met with five different veterans and helped either submit new claims or um continuations of claims to get disability benefits for them.
State Convention And New Tax Relief
SPEAKER_00Now, I understand you also just recently had a state convention, and you know, there's a lot of people that are in your capacity and a lot of people that work with uh the DAV. So tell us what the purpose of the convention is and and some of the uh things that uh came out of that.
SPEAKER_01The state convention is to mostly elect new officers for the next year. Um the commander can only be for two-year, two-year position. And one of the best things that came out of this, and um a lot of people don't realize this, is one of the new laws that just took effect July 1st is disabled veterans that are a hundred percent disabled or total and um permanent disabled as um uh ruled by the VA now can get uh sales tax exempt to twenty-four thousand dollars on things that are not um alcohol, um cigarettes, no sales those vices. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And that law originated here and my from my chapter in Manhattan. How that process goes is we draft the resolution, it goes up to our state convention. If it passes state convention, it goes to the national convention, which is in Orlando, Florida this year. If it passes national convention, it comes back and goes to our state legislature, and they um whatever they did, they passed it into law and it took effect July 1st of this year. So that's something we're really, really, um, really happy that we were able to get that passed.
Direct Help When Veterans Need It
SPEAKER_00I understand you have a um uh a new plan. Um I don't know how new it is, but uh the opportunity to help a veteran get back home by uh sending him or her on a bus.
SPEAKER_01Yes, we had a veteran that was um in the area, had been here visiting a family member, and they're um had a falling out with the family member and wanted to get back eat wherever they had lived, and didn't have the funds to um travel there, and we were able to um get by a uh bus ticket for them to travel back to where they were from. We try to do what am I trying to say? Um we like to do big projects such as someone needed a ramp or um you know adaptations on a vehicle, something like that. Our chapter is not very rich, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00So are any of them?
SPEAKER_01Some are some other in other states they really are. Um bus tickets, minor vehicle repairs, help with rent or deposits, things like that. Those are definitely things we can help with. Um veterans and their families. I I know when the um flood came through, the that Labor Day flood of 2018, son and I were displaced, and um the National Service Officer from Wichita was able to send me a check to help pay for some of my expenses when we were displaced from our apartment after that flood.
SPEAKER_00How many veterans do you think do you think you uh assist on a fairly regular basis?
SPEAKER_01Four or five a year at a at an average. I mean, there's so many people don't know the programs that are out
New Path To Free VA Dental Care
SPEAKER_01there. Um one thing that um is brand new that just took effect is the it's called the Elizabeth Dole Act, and it is for um pretty much Vietnam era veterans. If they have epistemic, I don't know how you say it, heart disease.
SPEAKER_00Epistemic.
SPEAKER_01Yes, that's a sword. If they have heart disease, they can go to a certain website and type in their social security number and see if they qualify to get free dental, because not everybody gets free dental with the VA, you have to be either 100% or have um your service connected for somehow uh dental-wise. And so if they are that have this eczemic um heart disease and they're a Vietnam era veteran, they could type in their social and see if they're eligible. More than likely, if they due to agent orange um exposure and things like that, they would be eligible to get free dental.
SPEAKER_00That's a nice step. Let's talk a little while clicking uh
Monthly Meetings And Local Events
SPEAKER_00real quickly. I understand that you guys, uh, your organization have meetings every month now. So what all do you uh what all do you work on?
SPEAKER_01We have our meeting, the um, sorry, my mind just blanked out. The third meet Monday of every month, and it is held at Ashland Community Church. Um, our chaplain is the pastor at that church there, 7 p.m. And we talk about, you know, if anybody is in the hospital, if anybody has passed away, if there are any veterans that are needing assistance, um, if we have any fundraisers coming up, if we have any um events or activities um that are coming up. Uh most recently we uh were in the uh Wamigo Fourth of July parade. That's always to do that. Yeah, that's always really fun. And I I think the next event we'll be having will be our um annual picnic. We usually wait until September when it's somewhat cooler, not always. But that's that's what we we talk about in our in our meetings. We're always always looking for new new members. You do not have to be disabled by VA rating. Almost everybody in the military is on some form of hearing loss. You can self um self-qualify that you're a disabled veteran and join if you if anybody listening decides they want to.
SPEAKER_00They just go on the website and do that.
SPEAKER_01Yes, d'a v dot org.
SPEAKER_00Sounds good.
How To Join DAV And Wrap Up
SPEAKER_00Carta, thanks for joining us. Thanks for your service and all the great things you do in our community. It's always a delight to have you on the GMCF community hour.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, Dave. Have a good day.
SPEAKER_00Planning on doing so. Our next segment, Dane Malone will be joining us. He is the co founder of Twitch Wicked Studios. They are downtown. We'll learn more about what they're all about here in just a couple of moments. This is the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio, KMAN.