Dear Comrades,

 

This is your APRIL Newsletter. Please note that elections are coming up. Please make sure to attend the Post meeting and vote.  The Post meets every 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1900hrs. All post members are welcome to attend. 

 

969 is continually striving to increase its veteran of foreign wars membership. Our mission is to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in arms, and in doing so we have fostered a fun, family friendly environment consisting of individuals who have shared interests.

 

So please:

1. Bring a friend

2. Reach out to former members

3. Invite your families to our events

4. Bring to us your recruitment ideas

 

Respectfully,

 

Andrea Pace, Commander VFW Post 969

 

 

Dear Members,

SPECIAL NOTICE: Effective April 19, 2022 the Auxiliary will be going back to regular meetings beginning at 6:30 p.m. the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month.

We want to thank everyone who came to the Post on St. Patrick’s Day and enjoyed the super meal put on by the Auxiliary for a fantastic St. Patrick’s Day corned beef dinner. It was a lot work and the results were rumored to be yummy in your tummy!

Now calling all Auxiliary members. The year is coming to an end and our elections for next year’s officers will take place at our April meeting. Please, it is important that you attend and make your vote count and/ or run for a position. We do accomplish a lot and have fun doing so.

We have recently adopted the ROTC from Lincoln High and are hoping to adopt a company at JBLM this next month. This means we will have a lot of activity and interaction in our community. Hurray!

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and that is the time of year that we attend several memorial services for Ray C. Roberts, Eric G. Sandstrom, Tahoma, Fir Lane and Mountain View. It would be great if you honor our veterans at one of these services. The dates and time times will be posted.

On the same memorial weekend, the Post and Auxiliary have also set up Buddy "Poppy” memorial and distribution of "poppies” tables at various store locations during the Memorial Day weekend. This is a public reminder of our brothers and sisters who have served since 1921. The donations that we receive go exclusively toward the Post and Auxiliary relief fund to help our Veterans and families. PLEASE, we need volunteers to attend to these Buddy "Poppy” distribution tables. Contact Tracie Tomsen to volunteer your hours of service to attend these tables. Hours are Friday thru Monday 9-1 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. Two to four persons per shift. We expect to have tables at 38th Street Safeway, 56th street Safeway, Co-op in north end of town and hope to have QFC in Browns Point. We will have only one location open each day. We are still feeling the Covid affect and don’t expect to have the Post member forces to accommodate more than this. No worries, we will have an experienced person with you. We need you!

Oh, don’t forget, we are looking for donations for the children’s Easter Party that will take place April 9th. Once again, we are working with the ABATE to make this a fantastic Easter for the kids this year. The party will take place at Post 969, 1-3 p.m.

Sincerely,

 

Eloise Sharp, President Auxiliary

 

Hello everyone,

 

I just have a small note, I am praying that all is well with everyone. I would like to take this time to say no matter your religion or your beliefs praying is the most human thing that we do.  Having faith changes life it is what gives us strength to fight another day.  I would like for all of us before we lay our heads down, to pray for our deployed, to pray for our ill and homeless. In God's name Amen.

 

If you know of someone in need of a Get Well Card, Thinking of you or Sympathy Card please call VFW Post 969 at 253-272-1405 or text me at 253-988-5419 with the Name and Address of the person in need.  Also, on that note if you have any extra cards please leave them at the bar and I will pick them up.  It would be greatly appreciated.  

 

ATTENTION District 3 Memorial: April 3rd at Post 91 2000S Union Ave Tacoma, WA 98405 @ 2pm. We will be Honoring our District 2 of 8 Auxiliary's and 10 Post Deceased Members.  

 

God Bless,

 

Dolores Lopez, Chaplain Auxiliary Post 969

 

Can You Work When Your Rated 100%?

Recently, I’ve received several questions about being able to work if you are rated 100% with the VA, so I thought I’d address it this month. In short, you can work but it depends on how you are rated and may have limitations on how much income you can make.

If you are rated with a 100% Permanent and Total VA disability rating or what is called a 100 percent schedular disability rating, there are no restrictions on your work activities. When you have this rating, you have a service-connected disability and the VA has rated one disability at the 100 percent rate as outlined by the criteria for that health condition, or you have several service-connected disabilities that combine to reach 100 percent and the VA has deemed them to be permanent and total.

However, if you are rated 100% through the VA program called Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability or TDIU because you are unable to meet substantially gainful employment as a result of your service-connected disabilities, you are limited to marginal employment. Marginal employment is where you are working but are unable to meet or exceed the federal poverty threshold for a single person. If you work and meet or exceed the federal poverty threshold for a single person, this is considered substantially gainful employment. In this case, your rating will most likely revert back to your schedular rating.

In certain circumstances, if you work in a protected work environment that creates accommodations that allow you to work and without them, you would not be able to continue working, you can work and meet or exceed substantial gainful employment income limits. In this case, the VA doesn’t consider work in a protected environment substantial gainful employment. This can create another problem because the VA hasn't defined what a protected work environment actually is, and it is left up to the Regional Office or the Board of Veterans Appeals using the facts or evidence in the case which could be an uphill battle.

In conclusion, you can work if you are rated 100% but there are limitations depending on how you received that rating from the VA. If you have any questions about this or need help to apply for TDIU or another claim, please reach out and we can discuss your unique situation and develop a plan to get you rated for your service-connected disabilities.

If you have questions or need help submitting your VA claim, contact Mel West at 253-376-8216 or vso@vfw969.org.

 

If you would like to rent the VFW hall for a party or event please contact our Post Junior Vice Tracy Worwood @ (253) 766-7171.

 

Our Club Board is looking for volunteers who may want to bolster up their resumes by volunteering at our Canteen (Cooking, Serving, Bar work).  For details please contact Club Board Chairman Tracy Worwood @ (253) 766-7171 

 

We also are looking for member volunteers to help with event planning, set up, and clean up.  We take pride in creating fun activities and events.  Your ideas are important to us and we are here to listen!  

   

FOR PUBLISHING PURPOSES, PLEASE SUBMIT NEWSLETTER COMMENTS AND FLIERS TO POST ADJUTANT LEYLA OXFORD AT ADJ@VFW969.ORG NO LATER THAN 7 CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE 1ST OF EACH MONTH