Today we celebrate the sacrifices made by Veterans. But do we really understand the sacrifice? Can it really be summed up in one day of remembrance?
How do we console the family members who do not get to see their beloved Veterans anymore? How do we make up for missed births, birthdays, dance recitals, swimming competitions, school debates, anniversaries, and so much more? What about the first steps or first words of a baby? How do we only remember for one day that we are losing more than 22 veterans per day? How do we count the days of a soldier who has not been found or returned home?
Can we really celebrate for one day the daily pain many Veterans face due to their unwavering service to our country? Agent Orange and burn pit side effects, lost limbs, and mental health does not rest for 364 days until the next Veteran’s Day.
As we honor our Veteran heroes, we must not honor them for only one day. We must honor the never-ending pain and struggles they confront daily.
No Veteran Left Behind, Conflict, Does Not End on the Battlefield!
Vet info is honored to receive a $2000 grant from Bass Pro. The funds will be used to further our cause of improving the quality of life of military veterans.
Bass Pro has been instrumental in our success and ability to serve the Military Veteran community. We are a grassroots organization with no employees. Support from Bass Pro and other organizations who want to serve military is truly inspiring and appreciated.
In 2022, Bass Pro Miami, Tampa, and Ft. Myers help us with providing t-shirts for Veterans living in retirement homes. We provided over 400 gift packages that included shirts, puzzle books, hygiene supplies, and a holiday card written by high school students.
One of Vet Info’s programs is kayaking. Sometimes we fish too. Bass Pro helped us with the purchase of the Kayaks. We are very grateful for the two Old Towne PDL 120s and the four Ascend 12ts. This photo was taken at the Miami Lakes Veteran’s Day Parade 2023.
The Veteran below never thought he could ever go and kayak. He suffers from many issues onset from Agent Orange when he served as a Marine in Vietnam. He found kayaking to be fun and easy to do and has even thought of buying his own kayak.
Vet Info participated in the Suicide Awareness Month event at the William “Bill” Kling Community Outpatient Clinic with the Miami VA. Many community organizations/non-profits participated to share how we all support our hero military veterans. Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs spoke at the event and conveyed the importance of the need for the community and the VA to unite and combat the epidemic of suicides amongst veterans.
Dr. Elnahal, Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veteran Affairs was kind enough to give us a plug about our bracelet at 2:36. “No Veteran Left Behind”
In an effort to add to quality of life of the Veterans living in South Florida, Vet Info donated 10 guitars to the Music Therapy Program. Some of the guitars were placed in wards around the VA and the rest will be used in indivual therapy classes and given to Veterans who meet certain criteria.
Vet Info teamed up with VISN8 LPOP-Tampa to honor our Veterans who lost the fight or continue to fight with lung-related issues. The American Lung Association held its annual Fight for Air Climb at the Bank of America Building in Downtown Tampa.
This climb consisted of 42 stories, equal to 914 steps which all team members who could participate completed in under 27 minutes. Team Vet Info / VISN8 LPOP raised $1,145.00 for this worthy cause, met numerous Veterans during the event, and spread the word about Lung Cancer Screening and Research! Well over One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars was raised during the day-long event, with ages ranging from 10 years old to 80 years old facing the challenge.
The Stars of the show were the local firefighters who donned full safety gear weighing over 90 pounds and raced to the finish line on the 42nd floor. No Veteran Left Behind!
Vet Info sat down to have dinner with a Veterans group of 31 members out of Tampa, Florida in honor and appreciation for their sacrifice to our country.
At the event, we were able to fellowship and break bread. We heard stories of some of their experiences while we played games like chess, checkers, and cards.
We are grateful for the time we spent together and in hope of having many more activities together.
Precious Leaks-Gutierrez, Vet Info Community Outreach Director, hosted a Women’s History Month breakfast at Bob Evans restaurant in Temple Terrace, FL, on Saturday, March 25, to honor Veteran women who are part of history by serving in the military. Veterans were treated to breakfast, gift bags, and a fun time.
Thank you to the veterans that attended and all our sponsors.
Members of the Department of Veteran Affairs Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness Holding VISN8 LPOP Challenge Coins presented during a parent committee meeting held in Oahu Hawaii.
During the Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf War Illness Research Advisory Committee meeting held at the Oahu Vet Center in Hawaii members were presented with Challenge coins by the VISN8 LPOP Veteran Advocate who was present. This was given for the hard work and dedication of the advisory members. The Hawaiian Islands are home to 112,000 Military Veterans, 50,000+ Active Duty Service Members, and 9,600 Hawaii State Guard members.
Today Veterans from all over South Florida came to the city of Doral in a somber ceremony celebrating our Nation’s Hero’s. Key Note Speaker Admiral Faller took the time to Thank all the Veterans Past and Present for their Service.
En español | The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Oct. 13 that its annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be 1.3 percent, an average boost to retirement benefits of about $20 per month for individuals starting in January.
The modest gain for monthly benefits is the latest in a decade of meager COLA increases. Social Security COLAs have averaged a 1.65 percent increase annually the past decade, with no increase at all to benefits in 2016. The increase that went into effect in January 2020 was 1.6 percent.
“Today’s announcement of a 1.3 percent COLA increase — while modest — is needed to help Social Security beneficiaries and their families try to keep up with rising costs,” says AARP Chief Executive Officer Jo Ann Jenkins. “The guaranteed benefits provided by Social Security and the COLA increase are more crucial than ever as millions of Americans continue to face the one-two punch of the coronavirus’s health and economic consequences. In fact, thanks to recently enacted changes supported by AARP to lower the Medicare premium for next year, more seniors will at least see a small monthly COLA.”
Why so low?
COLAs have been low because inflation has been tame. The annual COLA is based on the change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the previous year to the third quarter of the current year. The CPI-W represents the prices paid by workers for a basket of goods and services. It is not based on a market basket that reflects what retirees purchase — the CPI-E — which represents a market basket that better reflects retiree spending, such as higher costs for health care.
This year’s COLA calculation looks at the average CPI-W index numbers for July, August and September of 2019 and compares them with the numbers for the same three-month span in 2020. The percentage change between the two quarterly averages is the COLA for the following year starting in January. If there’s no change, or if there’s a decline in the CPI-W, there’s no increase in Social Security benefits.
Since Congress initiated automatic annual COLAs in 1975, there have been three years in which benefits didn’t increase at all: 2010, 2011 and 2016. The single biggest increase, 14.3 percent, went into effect in January 1981.
Social Security is funded by a payroll tax of 12.4 percent on eligible wages — employees pay 6.2 percent and employers pay the other 6.2 percent (with self-employed workers paying the entire 12.4 percent). Next year, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax will increase to $142,800 from $137,700. The money paid in by today’s workers goes to cover current benefits, with any excess going into the Social Security trust fund.
Because of the growing number of Social Security beneficiaries — and, in part, a decrease in payroll taxes collected because of pandemic-driven job losses — the Social Security system is facing increased stress. In their annual report, Social Security’s trustees estimated that the trust fund for retired workers and their survivors will run short of money in 2034. A more pessimistic forecast from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the reserves in the trust fund for retired workers and their survivors will be depleted in 2031. Even at that point, over three-quarters of benefits could still be paid out from incoming payroll taxes.
