Come celebrate Mother's Day at the Legion Breakfast this Sunday from 7 to 9 a.m. Those of you who attended last weeks breakfast know that we have a new tradition where we provide free raffle tickets to everyone who comes in and then have four to six drawings through out the breakfast. All items are donated and vary in value from not much to not too much. So, come and enjoy the fun and give your favorite Mom a real treat!

A reminder about the two Veteran Affairs Administrations in Maine — The VA Healthcare Administration (VHA) and the VA Benefits Administration (VBA). For those of us who get our healthcare at Togus, we are in the VHA system. For those who have a disability rating, you had to file for that rating through the VBA. The VBA sets veteran's disability rating. The VBA and VHA are co-located at Togus, but they aren't connected administratively in any way. The VBA is called the Togus Regional Office. What you may not know is that the Togus RO reviews claims and assigns ratings for claims that are generated by veterans anywhere in the country. If a Maine veteran files a claim, it could be reviewed by an RO in California. Most can attest to the fact that the VHA provides great health care to our veterans. So, how is Togus VBA RO doing? "Togus Regional Office (RO) scored the highest in the Nation on the All Employee Survey (AES) and was recognized in a virtual ceremony by Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) leadership on March 23, 2021." Togus has "created a culture of veterans first."

The VA recently put out an alert concerning financial scams on our elderly veteran population known as "pension poaching." "These predators can vary in profession, to include private caregivers, care giver agencies, attorneys, private organizations, and individuals." VA pensions are for war time veterans and survivors who meet certain age and disability requirements and whose net worth are within congressionally established limits. The VA states: "Pension Poaching is a financial scam targeting Veterans, survivors, and their families who are potentially eligible for VA benefits. A popular scam occurs when an unethical advisor profits by assisting a claimant in artificially qualifying them for VA Pension benefits." Individuals and organizations (like the American Legion) are available to help you file a VA pension claim free of charge. A searchable list of VA-accredited representatives including Veterans Service Organizations, agents, and attorneys is available at the VA website: www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp.

For those who have veterans buried in one of our region's cemeteries, please let us know if their graves don't have a flag holder. We will ensure one is placed and a flag put out before Memorial Day.

There will be lots to discuss and decide at our next Post meeting on May 10 at 6 p.m. Post officer elections and Memorial Day parade planning top the list. A social 30 minutes with snacks will start at 5:30.