Vision Statement....
CARING FOR AMERICA'S HEROES
Mission....
We are dedicated to serving Idaho's veterans and their families by providing
superior advocacy, excellent assistance with benefits and education, high
quality long-term care, and respectful interment services in a dignified final
resting place.
Values....
....Compassion for All
....Unending Accountability
....Absolute Integrity
....Outstanding Communication
....Dignity for Everyone
....Unconditional Honesty
To view the entire Idaho Division of Veterans Services Strategic Plan,
click here.
How can I get a copy of my DD-214?
Click here, for a link to take you to the Military archives
to request and fill out your SF-180 (Standard Form 180) to attain your DD-214. The OVA “Office of
Veterans Advocacy” can also assist you with this process as well by clicking on the Veterans Advocacy
menu selection in the left column.
Post 9/11 GI Bill Accepting Applications
HAVE YOU HEARD?
VA starts accepting applications for the Post 9/11 GI Bill today, May 1, 2009. We will issue
Certificates of Eligibility for eligible applicants, and begin making payments August 1, 2009,
the first day benefits can be paid under this law. Veterans, service members, reservists, and
National Guard members with active duty service since September 11, 2001, may be eligible for
this benefit. Individuals may apply on-line through the GI Bill website at www.GIBILL.VA.gov. The
Post 9/11 GI Bill marks the most expansive increase in veterans’ education benefits since World War II.
Not only does it provide eligible individuals with college tuition assistance, but for many participants
it also provides a housing allowance, a stipend for books and supplies, and the option of sharing these
benefits with family members. Information about the new program and VA’s other educational benefits can
be obtained through the website www.gibill.va.gov
or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). Local contact information: Phil Wickliff,
Veterans Education Coordinator, Idaho Professional Technical Education, 650 West State Street Boise, ID 83720,
phone 208-429-5539.
Jury Duty Scam
This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below).
Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should
you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out
on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.
The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for
jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can
verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo;
your identity was just stolen. The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma,
Illinois, and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over
the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system.
The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers
about the fraud.
www.fbi.gov/page2/june06.htm
www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp
News and updates
Wireless capability now available at
all three State Veterans homes.
Disabled Veteran Hunt
Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 Disabled Veteran
Hunting Trip. For more information
click here.
Gold Star License Plates
Gold Star License plates are now available for those who
qualify. Applicants need to obtain an Eligibility Certificate from the Idaho Division of
Veterans Services click here and mail it along with
the ITD Application available at
www.itd.idaho.gov/dmv/VehicleServices/
documents/vsmil
Idaho Women Veterans Conference
Idaho Women Veterans Conference in Boise on August 29, 2009,
for more information
click here.
3rd Annual Reunion for Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq
3rd Annual Reunion for Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq
Click here.
Idaho Veterans Network is doing its 3rd Annual Reunion for Veterans of Afghanistan and
Iraq on July 11th at Meridian Speedway. We would like to invite you as our guests to
meet our younger veterans and their families. We include ALL branches of service no
matter where they deployed from, their support staff, and families.
This year we will have a Nacho feed, static displays, the National Guard Drag bike,
the POW/MIA Drag truck, and door prizes. The speedway is giving free entrance to the races
for these younger veterans and their families. We then have an Honor Guard, an Apache and
Blackhawk flyover, and have added a lap with each branch carrying their own flag. It will be a
very patriotic event. Also, if you run into any of these younger veterans feel free to tell them about it.
JULY 11 from 3-5 p.m., and then into the speedway for races at 6 p.m.
Nacho Feed, tanks, vehicles, booths
Special event for our younger veterans and their families.
Contact Information: Marnie Bernard Idaho
Veterans Network 440-3939 or Tom Obstarczyk Idaho National Guard Family Programs 866-5378.
