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VETERANS BENEFITS: OPERATION INDEPENDENCE MOBILITY VEHICLE PROGRAM

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VETERANS BENEFITS
Come to VMi New England Mobility Center and learn more about the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Operation Independence
veteran mobility equipment VMi New England
OPERATION INDEPENDENCE
VMI is the premier manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vans. At the VMi New England Mobility Center we are experts in mobility assessment and customization. We have combined our knowledge with the Veterans across America to increase awareness with disabled veterans regarding VA vehicle benefits, and help them get the benefits they have earned while serving our country:
•  You may be entitled to VA funding for adaptive automotive equipment
•  In many cases, you may also be entitled to a one-time auto allowance for the vehicle itself.Operation Independence helps veterans get into their first wheelchair accessible van. Whether you are entitled to the auto allowance grant or will be personally funding your first wheelchair accessible van, the VMi New England Mobility Center will give you a $1,000 rebate towards the van we are converting for you.VETERAN MOBILITY BENEFITS
To be eligible for financial assistance in purchasing a new or used automobile (or other conveyance), a Veteran or serviceperson must have acquired one of the following disabilities as a result of injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service, or as a result of medical treatment or examination, vocations rehabilitation, or compensated work therapy provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (38 U.S.C. 1151):•  Loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet
•  Loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both hands, or
•  Permanent impairment of vision in both eyes with a
•  Central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses, or
•  Central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a field defect in which the peripheral field has contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of visual field has an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees in the better eye
Even if you are not entitled to the auto allowance grant (21-4502), you may still qualify for an adaptive automotive equipment grant (10-1394) for a wheelchair accessible conversion on a vehicle which you would fund through alternative means. .
“FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR VETERANS, DEPENDENTS AND SURVIVORS”
veteran mobility equipment

The VMi New England Mobility Center values our veterans and the services they provided to protect our freedoms. We see first hand the impact of the sacrifices they have made defending our country. As a result we have put together information that will make it easier for them to find the benefits and support they need.

Key areas of benefits are focused on here:
1. Service Connected Disabilities
2. VA4502 Grant
3. Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE)

Service-Connected Disabilities
Disability Compensation Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are considered to be service-connected.
Click here to review the Federal Benefits for Veterans
http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book/benefits_chap02.asp

VA 4502 GRANT
Can a Veteran Receive Financial Assistance From VA to Purchase an Automobile?
Yes. Financial assistance, in the form of a grant, is available to purchase a new or used automobile (or other conveyance) to accommodate a veteran or service member with certain disabilities that resulted from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service. The grant may also be paid, if disabilities are a result of medical treatment, examination, vocational rehabilitation, or compensated work therapy provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

 

The grant is paid directly to the seller of the automobile for the total price (up to $18,900) of the automobile. The veteran or service member may only receive the automobile grant once in his/her lifetime.
Effective October 1, 2011

Section 804- Enhancement of automobile assistance allowance for veterans would increase automobile assistance from $11,000 to $18,900, effective October 1, 2011

Click here to see a pdf for more details Automobile and Special Adaptive Equipment Grants Click here to review the Federal Form VBA-21-4502
http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-4502-ARE.pdf

Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE)
The Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) program permits physically challenged persons to enter, exit, and/or operate a motor vehicle or other conveyance.

Veterans are trained, through the VA Driver’s Rehabilitation Program, how to safely operate their vehicle on our nation’s roadways.

The VA also provides necessary equipment such as platform wheelchair lifts, UVLs (under vehicle lifts), power door openers, lowered floors/raised roofs, raised doors, hand controls, left foot gas pedals, reduced effort and zero effort steering and braking, and digital driving systems.

Additionally, VA’s program provides reimbursements for standard equipment including, but not limited to, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, and other special equipment necessary for the safe operation of an approved vehicle. For more information click on the link below.
http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/AAE.asp

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

“Automobile and Special Adaptive Equipment Grants”

Can a Veteran Receive Financial Assistance From VA to Purchase an Automobile?
Yes. Financial assistance, in the form of a grant, is available to purchase a new or used automobile (or other conveyance) to accommodate a veteran or servicemember with certain disabilities that resulted from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service. The grant may also be paid, if disabilities are a result of medical treatment, examination, vocational rehabilitation, or compensated work therapy provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The grant is paid directly to the seller of the automobile for the total price (up to $11,000) of the automobile. The veteran or servicemember may only receive the automobile grant once in his/her lifetime.

What Disabilities Must You Have to Qualify for the Automobile Grant?
A veteran or servicemember must have one of the following disabilities to qualify for the automobile grant:

  •  loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both feet
•  loss, or permanent loss of use, of one or both hands, or
•  permanent impairment of vision in both eyes to a certain degree

Does VA Pay to Adapt a Vehicle?
Yes. Those qualified for the automobile grant, and veterans or servicemembers with ankylosis (immobility of the joint) of one or both knees or hips resulting from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated by active military service may also qualify for the adaptive equipment grant.

Adaptive equipment includes, but is not limited to, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, and special equipment necessary to assist the eligible person into and out of the vehicle. Contact should be made with your local VA medical center’s Prosthetic Department prior to purchasing any equipment.

The adaptive equipment grant may be paid more than once, and it may be paid to either the seller or the veteran.

How Can I Apply for an Automobile and/or Special Adaptive Equipment Grant?
You can apply for the automobile and/or the special adaptive equipment grant by completing VA Form 21-4502, Application for Automobile or Other Conveyance and Adaptive Equipment and submitting it to your local VA regional office. The instructions on the VA Form 21-4502 contain a list of adaptive equipment that has been pre-approved for particular disabilities.

Note: After you complete and submit Section I of the application, VA will complete Section II and return the original to you. You are responsible for obtaining the invoice from the seller, updating Section III, and submitting the form to your local VA regional office for payment.

If you are entitled to adaptive equipment only (i.e., service connected for ankylosis of knees or hips) you should complete VA Form 10-1394, Application for Adaptive Equipment – Motor Vehicle and submit it to your local VA medical center. Additionally, VA Form 10-1394 should be completed for approval of equipment not specified on the VA Form 21-4502.

2013 National Veterans Wheelchair Games Expo to Feature More than 75 Exhibitors

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Paralyzed veteran with service dog at 2012 Expo

More than 600 athletes and thousands of visitors will gather in Tampa on July 13, 2013, for the Disabled Sports, Recreation and Fitness Exposition (Expo) — the official kickoff to the 33rd National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The event will take place at the Tampa Convention Center, East Hall from 9 AM to 4 PM.

This year’s Expo will feature more than 75 exhibitors, including booths held by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, featuring Paralyzed Veterans’ programs like Wheels Helping Warriors and Operation PAVE. Some longtime private sector supporters of the games, including Invacare Corporation, Iron Bow Technologies and UPS, also will have booths at the games, said Elizabeth Aulwes, program manager for corporate and cause marketing at Paralyzed Veterans.

This year’s Expo also will include some new corporate faces, including Mountain Trike, a United Kingdom-based all-terrain wheelchair company, and Bioderm Inc./Men’s Liberty, a provider of external men’s catheters, Aulwes said.

“We always try to bring in new exhibitors who have exciting services to offer,” Aulwes said. “The Expo presents the opportunity to check out new products and services that serve those in the disability community.”

Kelly Barry, senior marketing manager for Hollister Continence Care, a returning exhibitor at the Expo, expressed the company’s continued support for Paralyzed Veterans and the Games.

“Hollister Continence Care shares Paralyzed Veterans of America’s ongoing commitment to care and to help veterans live the full, rewarding lives they deserve,” Barry said.

Aulwes said the Games Expo is unique in that it provides an opportunity for exhibitors to reach out to disabled veterans in a way no other Expo provides, allowing companies to network with the VA and work directly with the veteran community.

But the value of the Expo extends beyond just the marketing aspects; it also serves as a central gathering place for veterans, exhibitors and others to reconnect with old friends, Aulwes added. Many of the returning exhibitors who have participated in the games over the past 30 years have built friendships with the athletes, so it’s a great time for them to reconnect as well, Aulwes added.

“The Expo is always the central gathering point for the wheelchair games on that day,” she said. “Everyone spends the majority of the day there to reconnect with old friends; it’s almost like a big reunion.”

Read about featured exhibitors at the 2013 Expo

Find information, results, and more from the 33rd NVWG

New Operation PAVE Tampa Office Will Help Veterans Find New Careers

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Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Operation PAVE Provides Free Training, Education, Job Counseling & Placement Assistance

 

Tampa Operation PAVE Opening
View photos from Operation PAVE Tampa Opening

A national vocational program that equips veterans with job skills and helps them find employment opened its Florida office Friday, July 12, 2013, at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

 

Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Veterans Employment), a vocational assistance program helps all veterans find jobs and navigate their employment, education and benefits options.

The Tampa office is the seventh PAVE center opened by Paralyzed Veterans of America, which operates offices at VA facilities in San Antonio, Long Beach, Minneapolis, Richmond, Boston and Augusta, GA. The organization plans to open an eighth center in Chicago next year.

“It’s unacceptable that so many of our nation’s veterans who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms are struggling to find jobs,” said Bill Lawson, National President of Paralyzed Veterans of America, who officially opened the Tampa office. “Through Operation PAVE, we hope to reach these veterans, place them with employers who are looking to hire veterans and cut the unemployment rate among veterans.”

Joining Lawson at the grand opening was Rich Brooks, President of Agility Defense & Government Services Inc., the private sector partner that raised the money to fund the Tampa PAVE center.

“We owe a great debt to those who have served our country. We need to make sure they get every chance to find and thrive in productive, meaningful careers,” Brooks said. “I’m confident that employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area and across Florida will step up and look to this center for help in hiring veterans. They understand the value veterans bring to the workplace.”

Representative Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, applauded PAVE’s public-private partnership as a much-needed new resource to help veterans find meaningful careers.

“The PAVE program is a fine example of how the private sector and government are working  together to give our nation’s wounded heroes a better chance at achieving the American dream.”

Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, also commended PAVE’s collaborative efforts and innovative supported employment model.

“I applaud the partnership between the Paralyzed Veterans of America and James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and welcome Operation PAVE to the Tampa Bay area. I am confident that through this program, many of Florida’s veterans will obtain the support they need to find jobs and pursue education opportunities, paving a better and brighter future.”

Congresswoman Kathy Castor of Florida’s 14th district and Congressional Representative for the Haley VA Medical Center welcomed PAVE as a valuable new resource for service members in the 14th district and across Florida.

“The launching of the Operation PAVE Tampa office will provide a valuable resource to Florida veterans who are returning home. Because PAVE is funded completely by private donations, the program will be provided free of charge to Florida Veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much for their country.”

Florida is home to the country’s third-largest veterans population and the third-largest number of disabled veterans, according to the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs. The state is expected to experience a large influx of veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq as those veterans resettle, move into the civilian workforce or retire.

Anthony Hopkins, an Air Force veteran living in the Tampa area, also attended the center opening. He is going through the PAVE program and currently working with Tampa PAVE counselor Susan Deguzman.

“Working with Susan and the PAVE program has really helped with the transition from my military career to the civilian world,” said Hopkins, a 23 year Air Force veteran. “I highly recommend that any veteran seeking employment or looking for assistance with where to start should contact their closest PAVE program center – they are truly there to help.

Operation PAVE provides free one-on-one employment assistance, benefits counseling and support to any veteran and his/her family. The program also helps employers who are committed to hiring veterans.

Tampa’s Operation PAVE office is part of a national network built by Paralyzed Veterans through an innovative public-private partnership. For more information about Operation PAVE, visit www.operationpave.org.

Since 2007, 1,500 veterans have received services through the PAVE program, and 700+ companies and organizations in the PAVE Employer Network have committed to hiring a PAVE client.