As has been reported a number of times, the Mission Act of 2018 will go into effect on 6 June 2019. While the Mission Act will provide more access to community care paid by the VA and will expand care giver support to all veterans, it is not without controversy. The issue is that there are some in the political community that would like to privatize the VA, in other words, eliminate the VA healthcare (VHA) system. Most all, if not all, the veteran service organizations, including the American Legion is opposed to the privatization of veteran healthcare. Our Congressional Delegation is also opposed to privatizing the VA. Many see the Mission Act as the start of the slippery slope towards that privatization. It seems like both sides of the political aisle, except for a powerful few, are in support of maintaining the VHA but agree that improvements need to be made. As of this writing, the details of the Mission Act roll out are not known and some parts of it might be delayed beyond the 6 June deadline. For us on the Boothbay peninsula, we will have the opportunity to learn more about the details of the Mission Act and the new rules being put into place regarding access to community care. We will learn what care giver support will be available for the older generation of veterans, and how all veterans will be able to use our Urgent Care facility that will be paid for by the VA with “no questions asked.” The VA Seminar being held at our Legion Hall on 8 June will cover all of these subjects and more.

Another issue that is facing many of our veterans of all generations is the affects of exposure to “burn pits.” Burn Pits were/are extensively used in Iraq and Afghanistan as a means of destroying wastes that include chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans, munitions and other unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics, rubber, wood, and discarded food. Toxins in burn pit smoke may affect the skin, eyes, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, astrointestinal tract and internal organs. On 31 May, VA Dr. Parsons (a Vietnam veteran) will be holding an information session at the Mid-Coast Veterans Resource Center located on Brunswick Landing so all veterans and those interested can learn more about veteran’s exposure to burn pits and what the VA is doing about it.

The next Post meeting will be 13 May and, as always, dinner at 1730 with the meeting starting at 1800. A reminder that at this meeting, there will be the induction of new members and the election of new officers.

Guests are always welcome!