F.M.L.A. CHANGE GRANTS MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS TIME TO DEAL WITH DEPLOYMENTS

Allows federal employees to take up to 12 weeks off to deal with situation at home
Photo by Lance Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez


OCT. 11, 2011 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Many service members will say one of the toughest parts about a deployment is saying goodbye to their family. Soon new changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will make that farewell easier to handle. Beginning October 31, federal employees who have an active duty family member will be allowed to take up to 12 weeks off of unpaid time to deal with the emotional stress at home that often times accompanies deployment.

“If you haven’t experienced this moment of goodbye then you just don’t get it. This law change allows a person to take the time off and deal with the emotional toll that this farewell imposes. It gives them the mental security of knowing their job will be safe when they return” said Lisa Windsor, retired Army colonel currently practicing Military Law at Tully Rinckey PLLC. “Someone is looking into the eyes of their loved one who they will not see again for months if not years so the last thing they should be concerned about is their job.”

The new changes will also apply to all military-run, deployment related counseling services for the employee and the service member’s child. Finding child care, attending school related conferences and making financial and legal preparations could qualify as FMLA-covered leave. It will even allow a family member to spend some quality time (up to 5 days) with the service member when he or she returns home on leave.

“This law change is brand new and many employers will not be aware of it. Employees face a personal crisis when a loved one is called to active duty. Employers who give them a hard time for attempting to address such a crisis will soon be facing one of their own – only it will be prompted by a civil lawsuit” said Ms. Windsor, a former Army JAG attorney.

The FMLA was created in 1993 to provide job protection for employees taking time off to deal with approved medical and family reasons. In 2008 Congress made the first of what would be many revisions to the act to further protect employees with family members serving in the military.

AMVETS PASSES RESOLUTION SUPPORTING VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS

LANHAM, MD., Sept. 1, 2011— Newly-elected AMVETS National Commander Gary Fry announced today the passage of AMVETS Resolution 12-26, “Establish Veterans Treatment Courts,” at the 67th annual AMVETS National Convention in St. Louis, Mo.

Resolution 12-26 outlines the significant benefits of Veteran Treatment Courts to the veterans’ community, and calls upon existing Drug Courts and Mental Health Courts to assess veteran involvement within their programs and better assist this underserved population.

Fry, of Sugar Grove, Pa., said veterans suffering from substance abuse and/or mental health conditions in his home state and elsewhere have benefitted from Veterans Treatment Courts by receiving life-changing drug treatment and mental health counseling in lieu of incarceration.

“We have an obligation to ensure the men and women who have served their nation honorably have access to the benefits and treatment to which they are entitled,” said Fry. “To allow them to slip through the cracks of our criminal justice system is a national disgrace and an affront to all who have worn and continue to wear the uniform.”

With one in five veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom suffering symptoms of a mental disorder or cognitive impairment, and one in six veterans of OEF/OIF suffering substance abuse problems, unprecedented numbers of veterans are appearing in criminal courts facing charges stemming directly from these charges. Veterans Treatment Courts connect these veterans with benefits and services to which they are entitled from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care networks and the Veterans Benefits Administration, and assistance provided by veterans service organizations including AMVETS.

The nation’s first Veterans Treatment Court was established in early 2008 in Buffalo, New York. Since then, nearly 80 programs have been launched throughout the United States. With over 2,600 Drug Courts in operation, Justice For Vets sees the potential for a significant increase in the number of Veterans Treatment Courts in the coming years.

“The infrastructure is in place to expand this model throughout the United States to serve every eligible veteran in need. As we do so, it is critical that we have the support of our most respected veteran’s organizations,” said Justice For Vets Director of Development and Outreach Matt Stiner. “AMVETS has an unmatched reputation for serving veterans, and AMVETS’ involvement in local Veterans Treatment Courts is proving to be an invaluable tool for getting veterans stabilized and connected to the appropriate treatment and benefits. We are deeply honored to have this support.”

Fry said the expanded use of Veterans Treatment Courts nationwide is a key component of his agenda for his term as AMVETS national commander for the 2011-2012 year, and to this end, he will seek to forge strategic relationships between AMVETS and veterans legal advocacy groups, including Justice for Vets and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

READ RESOLUTION 12-26


About NADCP and Justice For Vets:
Drug Courts combine rigorous drug treatment and accountability to compel and support drug-using offenders to change their lives. After 22 years of innovation, there are now over 2,600 Drug Courts located in all 50 states. Since 1994 the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), a non-profit organization 501 (c) (3) representing over 27,000 multi-disciplinary justice professionals and community leaders, has worked tirelessly at the national, state and local level to create and enhance Drug Courts. Now, the Drug Court community is answering the call of duty at home to meet the needs of justice-involved veterans struggling with substance abuse and/or mental illness. In the country’s first Veterans Treatment Courts, veterans have the opportunity to go through the treatment court process with the support of other veterans and a team of court staff that understands military culture and the specific issues with which veterans are faced. NADCP is now recognized as the experts in the field of addiction and the criminal justice system. In 2009, NADCP launched Justice For Vets: The National Clearinghouse for Veterans Treatment Courts with the goal of ensuring a Veterans Treatment Court is within reach of every eligible veteran in need. For more information, visit JusticeForVets.

AMVETS partners with Bass Pro Shops during the Bass Pro Shops Honoring Our Heroes Labor Day Event

AMVETS will process donations and distribute to active duty service members

Washington, August 30, 2011— AMVETS will support Bass Pro Shops retail locations** across the U.S. during the Honoring Our Heroes Event during Labor Day weekend September 3rd –4th and again September 10th –11th, by distributing donations received during the event to deployed troops.

Bass Pro Shops retail locations will offer free family activities from 1-5pm each of those days and free crafts from 2-4pm (while supplies last) Labor Day weekend, September 3rd and 4th and again Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th and it’s all free!

Show your appreciation for our troops, most of whom won’t be able to get home for the holiday, by bringing in new or gently used DVDs, video games or books. All donated items will be sent to our troops through AMVETS. The first 50 people at each store to donate, beginning at 10am each day, will receive a Sportsman’s Racing Team poster.

Families can also register to win one of two exciting prizes being given away. One winner will be selected nationally to win the Grand Prize of a trip to Charlotte, NC and meet NASCAR® driver of the #1 Bass Pro Shops car Jamie McMurray. The Grand Prize Package includes two tickets to the May 2012 Sprint Cup All-Star race in Charlotte, three-night hotel accommodations, special meet-n-greet with Jamie McMurray, a Bass Pro Shops® themed go-cart, one pair of Oakley® sunglasses, a tour of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and a $300 Bass Pro Shops gift card to spend at the Charlotte store. You may enter to win at the store or online at http://www.basspro.com/winatrip.

This Labor Day, help show your appreciation for all the everyday heroes plus our troops and squeeze the last drop out of summer fun without putting any pressure on your budget, by bringing the family to Bass Pro Shops Honoring Our Heroes Event.

**Bass Pro Shops retail locations in Miami, FL and Branson, MO will not have the event but will honor sale prices. Event details for Canadian locations can be found here.



About Bass Pro Shops Group:
Bass Pro Shops -56 retail stores in 26 states and Canada visited by over 110 million people annually, international catalog and internet retailing, American Rod & Gun wholesale division selling to over 7,000 independently owned retail stores worldwide, Outdoor World Incentives also selling Bass Pro Shops gift cards through over 132,000 retail outlets across America and a restaurant division with 26 locations. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops store locations, products or special events, please visit http://www.basspro.com. To request a free catalog call 1-800-BASS PRO.

Live from Convention: 2009 AMVETS Expo opens

Yesterday, the 2009 AMVETS Expo opened at the Sheraton New Orleans for the AMVETS National Convention. More than 25 exhibitors from the VA, Department of Defense, veterans' non-profits, and veteran-supportive colleges and businesses were on hand to speak with AMVETS and local veterans.

Expo visitors who have at least 20 exhibitors' initials on their AMVETS Expo sheet can enter to win a $50 or $100 gift certificate to the National Quartermaster courtesy of the AMVETS Department of Ohio, five gift packages courtesy of Paws for the Cause, or a Budweiser chess set and a Bud Light Tiffany lamp courtesy of Anheuser-Busch. Entries must be returned to the registration table by 2 p.m. on Friday to be eligible for Saturday's drawing.

The AMVETS Expo is open on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Salon D of the Sheraton's Grand Ballroom.

Here is a list of this year's exhibitors:

Addus Health Care; Air Compassion for Veteras, Mercy Medical Airlift; AMVETS Membership Department; AMVETS Programs Department; Columbia College; Crowne Plaza Riverfront and Hilton Garden St. Paul, Minn.; DeVry University; Empire State College; Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge; John Tracy Clinic; Hilton Atlanta Hotel; Hyant Regency Dearborn, Mich.; Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command; Kaplan University; MCS Direct; MyHealtheVet; Office of the Chief of Army Reserve; Paws with a Cause; SheerBliss Ice Cream; St. Judes Children's Research Hospital; University of Phoenix; VA National Cemetery Administration; VA Office of Veterans Health Communication; VA Research and Development Communication; VAVS; VHA Web Communications; and Wireless Affinity Enterprises.

(Photos: Top: AMVETS visiting New Orleans for the 2009 National Convention visit with exhibitors at the 2009 AMVETS Expo. Middle: Jody Shifflett from Air Compassion for Veterans explains his organization's program to provide critical transportation to veterans and their loved ones during times of emergency. Shifflett addressed the AMVETS delegation on the convention floor earlier in the day. Bottom: Sarah, a member of the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, discusses the benefits of service dogs such as Gus with visitors to the expo. Sarah credits Gus with changing her life and motivating her to advocate for veterans' service dogs. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)