American Legion Post Service Officers are a veteran’s first line of communication when inquiring about filing a claim for disability services through the Veterans Administration. Veterans who seek assistance who are seeking information regarding the Veterans Administration can reach out first to a Post Service Officer. Help begins at the post level who will assist with sorting out information. One thing a Veteran can expect is to always have members at American Legion posts to greet them. Service Officers are there to open the door for new members who also meet prospecting members in the community. Service Officers are their advocates. You do not need to be a member to speak with a Post Service Officer.

American Legion website link: https://www.legion.org/

Service Officers are community ushers for veterans who may be confused about where to turn when filing or opening a claim. As a Service Officer to Post 501 of Madison, WI, I would like to invite all who are discouraged about their future with claiming VA benefits to take a moment and tour the VA.gov website, but first, you will need to register. The First Step to exploring http://www.VA.gov is to click on the link below.

Please take a minute to register for access to VA claim information: https://www.va.gov/

Please take a minute to review VA.gov website first. Take your time and survey the great rewards the Veterans Administration provides for your service. It is my pleasure to serve all of you who have served. Please leave comments or go to our American Legion Post 501 Madison, WI, link on our homepage to reach out to our Service Officer on our website or Facebook links.

According to American Legion Post Service Officer Guide, “an effective Post Service Officer understands benefits afforded to veterans and dependants; however, the PSO is not allowed to file claims on behalf of the claimant. PSOs serve as valuable resources to veterans in local posts to ensure that our veterans and their dependents receive their earned benefits.”

What Service Officers can do: 

•  Assist veterans with rideshare information available for their appointments.
•  Contact Department Service Officer at intake.
•  Share literature available at the local post.
•  Visit with members at VA hospitals or assist members with making appointments.
•  Research community programs available like Dryhootch and reach out for assistance.
•  A handshake for your service to the United States Military

What Service Officers cannot do:

•  Offer legal advice.
•  Speculate the outcome of any claim.
•  Assist with filling out paperwork.
•  Order prescriptions.
•  Share sensitive information covered under the Privacy Act of 1974.

Information regarding the Privacy Act of 1974 website can be viewed at https://www.justice.gov/opcl/privacy-act-1974

How to begin filing a claim by registering at VA.gov:

Please go here to register for access to VA claim information: https://www.va.gov

Registering at VA.gov starts by clicking on the “sign-in” feature at the home page in the upper right corner.
• Go to the next page and click on “DS Logon.” This will take you to the sign-in page.
Click on “need an account?”
• Follow instructions for creating a DS Logon account.
• Once you click on the DS Logon sign-in feature you must read the disclaimer.
• Scroll down and enter the DS Logon username and DS Logon password.

Note: Ebenefits has moved to the VA.gov website. You can still access Ebenefits, but will need to use the VA.gov website to review and track claims. The VA is currently in the process of transferring from Ebenefits to The VA.gov registry.  There will be times the VA.gov website will instruct the user to revert back to Ebenefits, which is confusing. Do not be alarmed. Follow procedures until the VA develops its online interface.

Navigating the VA.gov website starts by clicking on programs and links. Feel free to explore services and locate claims information. Claims information will help the patient navigate past VA appointments and offer premium access to explore federal programs available once registered with an approved service-connected claim. Service Officers assist with confusing navigation of VA programs on the web.

If you or a loved one need assistance, please leave a comment and our administrators will reach out as soon as we can. Thank you for your service to the United States military and welcome to the VA claims system. Good luck with your future and reach out on our American Legion Post 501 Madison, WI, page Facebook link to connect with a Madison area Service Officer when visiting the Madison VA Hospital.

 

 

The 11th Hour was the hour I lost hope in America. The Veterans Administration’s solution to treating those of us who have served in America’s outposts is to over medicate with opiates. I started my “pain management” program early on in life prior to 9/11 and made several attempts to treat my service-connected condition through physical therapy that failed.

I was offered Hydrocodone two tablets of 2000 mg twice per day for over two years along with muscle relaxers and Gabapentin. I was up to a total of 15,000 mgs of mixed pharmaceuticals to include VA prescribed Ibuprofen per day.

In 2008, the VA introduced its “Pharmaceutical Pain Management Program,” which led me into a near-death experience. The VA refers to opiates as a “pain management program,” which really translates to being a Veteran test subject who will be subjected to a long and slow death through a journey of taking and becoming addicted to pharmaceutical Heroin.

My 11th hour was in August of 2010 when the VA took me off opioids’ cold turkey without treatment. My blood pressure was 220/190 and had come in ten days early for my prescription refill in hopes of avoiding certain death. I paid a visit to the VA for a refill after dropping my prescription in the toilet from the shakes. I would come to know the feeling of overwhelming dread being cut off by the VA forever. Being cut off forever changed my life as my prescription suddenly ran out after the Pharmacist said, “Get lost! You are not getting a refill!” What I was about to experience would take me through a journey that would leave me all alone.

My 11th hour was the minute I went into cardiac arrest and passed out in my living room without help. My phone was shut off after running out of minutes and had no way to call for help. I lost consciousness due to tremors I was experiencing as a result of painkiller over-prescription. I knew I was done. America finally gave up on me.

My defining moment began the morning of August 13, 2010, when I woke up in a stream of cold sweat that left me confined to my bed. My body began to go into detox.

I began to develop thoughts of despair that ravaged my mind like a driving force of a hundred horses in a stampede. All I could think about was finding a safe place to die. I knew I would not be able to make it to the closet where I knew my kids would not find me.

The struggle to maintain my pain manifested into throwing up from the pit of my soul. Detoxing from VA pain prescriptions is nothing short of demonic possession. As I attempted to take each step towards the door, I felt my body give out and went into convulsions.

My Veterans Administration pain medication had me for keeps. Thoughts raced through my head about my mother who would find me lying face-down on the floor. I began to weep over missing my children’s birthdays and especially their graduation. I began to see the room grow dim and the light of the doorway shine under the threshold. Shards of glass from broken bottles covered the kitchen floor due to scrambling to find my pills.

I crawled over to the linoleum to cool myself down. I began to vomit once again and had accidentally inhaled shards of glass in my mouth that cut my tongue. The taste of opiate withdrawal mixed with shards of glass took a once standing tall soldier and threw them in the gutter.

Vomit soaked teeth from the dry heaves started me down the path into the Valley of the Shadow of VA Opiate death. I laid on the floor crying for help and nobody heard a word as I went into cardiac arrest. I had called my sister the week before in a fit to say mean things to her. She was my only hope. She was all I had left. My brothers gave up on me and told me I was hopeless.

I could not possibly trouble my mother after living in her basement and overstaying my welcome.

My heart raced and I passed out. Not a single person at the Tayco Street Apartments in Menasha, WI, heard a word I said. I did not know what to do and began to slip into a coma. I did not know how I could possibly live one more minute.

The benevolent light led me through the maze back into life as I vowed to do anything for just one more chance. The hand of life shoved me back into my body and awoke to a massive head contusion. I was alive and that was all that mattered. Whatever the higher power was that saved my life, I have dedicated my life to it. Today I am nine years opiate free and have returned to school as a result.