August 2023 Michigan Veteran Homes Newsletter

Serving Michigan Veterans with Skilled Nursing Care

Michigan Veteran Homes A Place of Honor & Compassion August 2023 Make an Impact with MVH It's an exciting time at Michigan Veteran Homes. MVH at Grand Rapids was replaced in 2021 with a beautiful new home on their historic campus. MVH at Chesterfield Township opened in 2021 also: a new home, and MVH's first footprint in southeast Michigan. MVH D.J. Jacobetti in Marquette will have a new home in a few years also, thanks to state and federal funding. We're providing excellent care and quality of life to those who've served us - a pretty special mission. There are many ways you can make an impact in that mission as well. Volunteer. Sponsor a life enriching experience for our members. Stay abreast of our career opportunities. Donate to our Charitable Support Fund. However you do so, we encourage you to consider MVH as a means to make an impact, and leave a legacy. It's special and important work. Consider joining our mission. 130-Year-Old Fountain Rededicated at MVHGR On July 8th, MVH staff, volunteers, members, families, donors, and board members gathered at Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids (MVHGR) to rededicate the Home's recently refurbished 130-year-old fountain.  "This exemplifies the power of an incredible community with a passion for giving," stated Anne Zerbe, MVH Executive Director. "Because of generosity, this fountain will decorate our campus - for our veterans and for this community - for decades to come." The power of private giving can make a remarkable impact on our veterans. Find your way to impact.   Walk. Run. Remember. Honor. Support. Veterans Day is still 3+ months away, though it's never too early to start considering how you might spend that special day to honor those who've served. Consider joining MVH at Grand Rapids (MVHGR), by registering for the "Veterans Day 5". The event will start and finish at the Home, and offer participants a choice between a timed 5k, 5 mile, or an untimed .5-mile remembrance walk. Whatever your finish time, the real winners will be the members of MVHGR, as all proceeds from the event will be deposited into the Home's Charitable Support Fund. This fund of donated private dollars supports quality of life and life enriching experiences for members of the Home, and allows MVH to "do more" when it comes to caring for veterans and their loved ones. Whether you (or your organization) want to walk, run, roll, sponsor, or otherwise get involved, we encourage you to consider spending YOUR Veterans Day with Michigan Veteran Homes. Our work is special. Consider supporting our mission. Selfless Service to Those Who've Served July 12th was a special day at Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti (MVHDJJ) in Marquette, as the Home honored those individuals who selflessly give their time and passion to serving members of the Jacobetti, at the Home's annual volunteer banquet. This year's banquet was especially memorable, as the annual tradition was last held in 2019 due to the impacts of the pandemic. Chaplain Dr. Jim Elenbaas gave the invocation and benediction, after which members of the Home led the pledge of allegiance for all present. State Representative Jenn Hill was in attendance, as were representatives from the office of Senator Debbie Stabenow, the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and MVH Board Member Brad Slagle - each sharing their humble gratitude for the selfless service volunteers provide to the Home and its veterans every day.  The small event and gesture, while wonderful, can never repay the countless hours these volunteers donate and dedicate to our members. They make MVH, the care, and the quality of life we provide special for those who've served.   Donations to MVH are tax-deductible under section 170(c) of the IRC. Michigan Veteran Homes are making a difference in the lives of MI veterans and their loved ones. Join us. Riding for Veterans at MVHCT Michigan Veteran Homes at Chesterfield Township (MVHCT) is just over two years old, and American Legion Post 4 Mount Clemens has been supporting the Home since the beginning. On July 17th, they hosted their 2nd annual motorcycle ride and rally that began and ended at MVHCT. With bikes aplenty, tables upon tables of delicious food, great music, and some special camaraderie, the event created lots of smiles for the bikers, members of the Home, staff, and all involved. It takes a village to effectively serve those who've served, and because of partners in the community - we do it better for those who've worn the uniform. If you're interested in getting your organization more involved in our special mission, contact us to explore opportunities. Careers With Impact There are many ways to serve those men and women who've served us. One fulfilling way to do so, is to make serving veterans your career. With locations in Grand Rapids, Marquette, and Chesterfield Township, MVH is hiring passionate and caring certified nursing assistants, LPNs, RNs, and other positions. We're seeking remarkable people, to serve remarkable people. At MVH, it's more than a job: it's committed people using their skills and compassion to provide excellent care and quality of life to those who've served us. And, there are great benefits too. Keep an eye on our State of Michigan positions, as well as positions with some of our contracted service providers, and/or share them with a friend. Reach out to MVH, ask questions, and consider joining our mission. Michigan Veteran Homes • www.michigan.gov/mvh Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by Michigan Veteran Homes. This email was sent to mcclellanjoseph43@yahoo.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Department of Military & Veterans Affairs · 3411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. · Lansing, MI 48906

VFW Riders Events - VFW National Home Ride

VFW Riders Events             Event Coordinator Bill Schaffer Form Date 08-04-2023 Riders Event Description VFW Riders Day at VFW National Home Ride Destination VFW National Home Destination Address - Optional 3573 S Waverly Rd, Eaton Rapids, MI, 48827 Comments Riders members will stage at the American Legion Fort Dearborn Post at 0645 am. KSU is scheduled for 0700 am with the ride to Eaton Rapids via Michigan Ave. The ride back home will take place early afternoon from Eaton Rapids. Ride Type OTHER Other Ride Type VFW National Home Visit Ride Date 08-19-2023 Staging Location American Legion Post Fort Dearborn Staging Address 3001 S. Telegraph, Dearborn, MI, 48124 Staging Time 6:45 AM KSU 7:00 AM

You can edit this submission and view all your submissions easily.

Woodmere Cemetery Veterans Headstone cleaning

We are thrilled to share that our District 4 Riders Group has been recognized as the winner of Sam Bernstein's law office's charitable contest for August 2023. This contest celebrates non-profit organizations that are making a positive impact in Michigan communities. Our group received this honor for our dedicated efforts in clearing Veterans' headstones at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.

On Wednesday, August 2, 2023, members of our Riders Group gathered at Woodmere Cemetery for a video shoot, where we continued our work of clearing headstones. We were joined by District 4 Commander Matt Dzikowicz and Flat Rock Post Commander Mike Lewis. During the event, a few of our members were interviewed, and we will also be presented with a check for $1,000.

Our Group has been working tirelessly to clear hundreds of headstones at this Cemetery over the past few years, and we cleared 65 headstones at this event. We are grateful for the recognition from Sam Bernstein's law office and hope our efforts will continue positively impacting our community.

VFW Riders Events - Woodmere Cemetery

VFW Riders Events             Event Coordinator Bill Schaffer Form Date 07-27-2023 Riders Event Description Woodmere Cemetery Sam Bernstein Event Ride Destination Woodmere Cemetery Destination Address - Optional 9400 W. Fort Street, Detroit, MI, 48209 Comments Bill Schaffer entered our Riders Group in a contest sponsored by Sam Bernstein's law office earlier this year. The competition recognizes non-profit organizations that make positive impacts in communities across Michigan. We are thrilled to have been selected as the August winner. Our group will soon gather at Woodmere Cemetery to participate in a video shoot where we will clear headstones. They will also conduct interviews with our members and present us with a $1000.00 check. Our group has already cleared hundreds of headstones at this Cemetery over the past couple of years, which was a critical factor in our selection. We invite all D4 Riders to join us on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, for this special event.  Ride Type OTHER Other Ride Type Sam Bernstein donation event Ride Date 08-02-2023 Staging Location McDonalds Staging Address 1469 Fort S, Lincoln Park, MI, 48146 Staging Time 9:00 AM KSU 9:30 AM

You can edit this submission and view all your submissions easily.

Michigan Veterans News & Resources for July 24, 2023

Michigan veterans from all backgrounds tell their stories in MVAA's 'I Am a Veteran' campaign MVAA Director Adam Hollier, left, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson introduce the I Am a Veteran campaign. The MVAA has launched the latest wave of veterans' stories in its "I Served. I Am a Veteran" outreach and marketing campaign. As MVAA Director Adam Hollier and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson discuss in this introduction video, the campaign features veterans from all walks of life. Among the veterans featured: a Latino combat veteran who survived a suicide attempt, a Marine veteran who advocates for his fellow tribal veterans on their Upper Peninsula reservation and a biracial woman veteran who overcame verbal abuse and racism in the Army and became a respected leader. The stories are being shared at michigan.gov/IAmAVeteran, in TV and radio advertising and on social media. The campaign highlights the adversities and triumphs of Michigan veterans from all eras and backgrounds as they move through each chapter of their lives. By engaging more veterans, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) aims to link them to the benefits that will help them thrive and avoid the issues that can lead to suicidal ideation. Call us at 1-800-MICH-VET or visit michigan.gov/MVAA to inquire about benefits and resources. Funded by the State of Michigan, the campaign is part of a larger effort to prevent veteran suicide by Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration. The governor's budget includes $1.2 million for veteran suicide prevention. "Veteran suicide remains a persistent problem in Michigan and across the nation," Whitmer said. "Together, we must have our veterans' backs and address the issues that can lead to suicidal ideation, including homelessness, unemployment, PTSD, and lack of quality health care. By engaging our veterans and sharing their stories, we can get them the care and services they need." Veterans, we want your stories! Veterans of all backgrounds and eras are encouraged to let their voices be heard. Dependents of veterans are also encouraged to tell their loved one's story. To submit a story, fill out this nomination form and send it to MVAA-Newsroom@michigan.gov.  If you're a veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention 24/7/365. Call 988 and press 1, text to 838255 or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net.  Guard 'temporarily' pauses some student loan repayments due to funding The Army National Guard has "temporarily suspended" payments to soldiers eligible for student loan repayment incentives, according to a National Guard Bureau spokesperson. "The Army National Guard temporarily suspended Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) payments that were owed between FY20-FY22," said bureau spokesperson Deidre Forster in a statement emailed to Army Times. Forster pointed to "insufficient funding specific to the SLRP incentive" as the reason for the halt. Read the full story at Military Times. VA lays groundwork for first major survey of moral injury in veterans Air Force personnel load passengers aboard a C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation in August 2021. Photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen The most familiar moral and ethical dilemmas in warfare have to do with inflicting harm: deciding whether to fire on a person who represents an uncertain threat, for example, or living with the knowledge of civilian collateral damage of battle. Moral injury is the aftermath of circumstances that force a person to participate in or bear witness to events that contradict their own moral beliefs and expectations. The military withdrawal from Afghanistan spurred a new rash of moral injury diagnoses, as troops and veterans questioned the meaning of what they'd fought for and grappled with the reality of Afghan allies left behind and in danger. While not new, the phenomenon of moral injury and its implications are under-studied, with very little scientific research. The Department of Veterans Affairs is now working to lay the groundwork for better understanding and treatment by undertaking the first-ever large-scale population study of moral injury to be conducted among veterans of the post-9/11 wars. According to a solicitation published in June, the VA office of Research and Development plans to conduct a mixed-methods study "to determine the U.S. veteran population prevalence of moral injury." The research effort will include an online survey of "a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. veterans," expected to include 3,000 respondents; and a secondary comparison study in which 20 veterans who identify as having moral injury and 20 who do not, all with similar exposure to "morally injurious events" participate in a series of interviews about their thinking and experiences. Read the full story in Military Times. Veterans groups petition VA to follow anti-discrimination law More than a dozen veterans and LGBTQ+ groups, as well as a Democratic senator, are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to better prevent what they describe as pervasive discrimination against women and gender-nonconforming veterans by issuing formal anti-discrimination regulations. The 13 organizations filed a petition Thursday requesting VA regulations to enforce existing anti-discrimination law, arguing that a formal rule is needed to strengthen protections for women and LGBTQ+ veterans. "For far too long, minority veterans, including racial minorities, women, LGBTQ+ and religious minority veterans, have faced pervasive discrimination when seeking health care at VA," Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, which is leading the petition, said Thursday at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol building. Read the full story in military.com. Bill to protect veterans' gun rights prompts heated debate in House A VA public service announcement emphasizes firearms safety as part of ongoing efforts to decrease suicide among veterans. (Department of Veterans Affairs) Republican lawmakers are accusing VA leaders of depriving some veterans of their right to own firearms and promised changes in coming weeks, but Democratic critics say those proposed moves could end up leading to more suicides and self-harm among vulnerable veterans. At issue is legislation proposed by House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., dubbed the "Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act." The measure would block VA officials from sharing some information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, a federal database used to determine whether an individual can buy firearms. Bost said about 8,000 veterans were reported to the system last year, most for financial incompetence reasons and not criminal acts or specific mental health problems. But the VA action would bar all of those veterans from purchasing weapons regardless of the underlying issues. The legislation would allow veterans to be reported to the background check database if a judge or other judicial authority rules that an individual veteran "is a danger to themselves or others." Republican supporters said without such protections, veterans will avoid seeking help from VA for financial or mental health issues for fear of losing their constitutional rights. But Democratic lawmakers — and Veterans Affairs officials — said that language is impractical, mandating extra rounds of bureaucracy to solve a nearly non-existent problem. Read the full story in Military Times. VA burial benefits for military spouses and children could become permanent under proposed bill Burial benefits for family members who die before service members could be extended permanently under new legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators. The measure would give the Department of Veterans Affairs lasting authority to bury the spouse or dependent child of an active-duty service member in a national cemetery and provide a memorial headstone or marker for cases in which remains are unavailable. Such benefits have been provided for years on a temporary basis and are due to expire Oct. 1, 2024, without congressional action. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., described the bill as "common sense." Peters, a former lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the legislation alongside Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Read the full story at Stars & Stripes. VA Substance Abuse Treatment Program key road to recovery Jeffrey Decresie, a former infantryman in the U.S. Army, lived with alcohol dependency for nearly 25 years. After turning to a VA treatment program, he was able to discover sobriety and a new outlook on life. Jeffrey Decresie separated from the Army in 1997. The experiences he lived through during his time in war, combined with an unshakable feeling that he'd left his brothers behind, became the cradle of an alcohol dependency. It would take nearly 25 years and the VA Substance Abuse Treatment Program to shake his addiction. He joined the Florida National Guard and later became a sheriff's deputy with Pinellas County. But in 2015, he ended his career in law enforcement and found himself descending into a place he never thought he'd be. Perhaps it was the guilt of leaving active duty finally catching up to him or the weight that comes with constantly adjusting to meet the needs of others. A habit that he once viewed as a casual pastime took root as a disease which slowly began to erode everything around him. "For quite a few years, I was using alcohol a little more than everyone else. I was still able to function and contribute, so to me everything was fine. But in 2020 my alcohol dependency made me extremely ill. I couldn't keep weight on or hold a job," he said. Read the full story in VA News. Learn more about VA's substance use treatment programs. IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE ARE IN CRISIS: The Veterans Crisis Line is staffed by caring, qualified crisis responders who are there to help. Many of these responders are veterans themselves. Online Resources LEAN ON US: Call 1-800-MICH-VET (1-800-642-4838) Visit Michigan.gov/MVAA      Follow Us on Social Media

If you wish to no longer receive emails from the MVAA,
please update your preferences here:
Manage Preferences | Subscriber Help

Need further assistance? Contact Us

Visit us on our website: Michigan.gov/MVAA

---

This email was sent to jmc001@ameritech.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Department of Military & Veterans Affairs · 3411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. · Lansing, MI 48906