2016 DEPARTMENT CONVENTION
I would like to thank everyone for your participation at the Department Convention this year. It was nice to be in a different location this year as a change of pace, however we also learned we have some work to do in order to improve upon accommodations and support from the hotels. Some things need to be addressed and we will be looking at those issues sooner more so then later.
Through all of the issues it was a good convention and we learned a lot of what to do and not to do for next year. I hope everyone came away with something from this year’s convention.
I congratulate our new Department Commander Tom Wiley and all the newly elected Department Officers on your selections. I look forward to working with all of you. The work of the Legion is never done and with the leadership selected this year we will continue to move forward and carry on the traditions of this Department for the way ahead.
Your Department Officers for 2016-2017 are:
Department Commander: Tom Wiley
National Executive Committeeman: Bill Roy
Alternate NEC: Ken Maynard
Department Vice Commander: Emil Ouellette
Department Vice Commander: Charlie Arkwell
Department Vice Commander: Gerard LeDuc
Department Vice Commander: Sherm Philbrick
Department Adjutant: Daniel Yoder
Department Treasurer: Bob Dionne
Judge Advocate: Doug Micklon
Chaplain: Joe DiChiaro Jr.
Ass. Chaplain: Francis Galvin
Auditor: Mark Vatcher
Sergeant-At-Arms: Mike Consenting
District Officers 2016-2017 are:
District 1 Commander: Charlie Cook
District 1 Vice Commander: Vacant
District 2 Commander: Paul Comeau
District 2 Vice Commander: Ed Laford Sr.
District 3 Commander: Mariann Germain
District 3 Vice Commander: Bill Caron
District 4 Commander: Rick Bickerstaff
District 4 Vice Commander: Dennis Coleman
District 5 Commander: Rick Dube
District 5 Vice Commander: Todd Connor
District 6 Commander: Leo Paquin
District 6 Vice Commander: Wayne Aldrich
District 7 Commander: Bill Firth
District 7 Vice Commander: Steve Bracy
District 8 Commander: Maurice Anderson
District 8 Vice Commander: Vacant
Congratulations to all our newly elected officers.
2016 NATIONAL CONVENTION
Now it is time to turn attention to the work of preparing this Department for the Legion National Convention. This year’s National Convention will be held August 26 – September 1, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Department will be staying at the Hilton Cincinnati Airport Hotel, 7373 Turfway Road, Florence Kentucky. This hotel is actually across the river from the City of Cincinnati and about 15 to 20 minutes from the convention center. This will make some travel difficult but National will have buses running as they normally do.
The cost per room is 137.00 this year which includes an 11.3% tax. I have 27 rooms available right now, 3 King, 2 ADA, and 22 Queens. I recommend you get your reservation into me sooner than later. I will need one night deposit of $137.00, along with the national convention form you need to fill out giving me the nights and accommodation requests. Additional occupants in a room will be an additional $10.00 per person for (3-4) people. A rollaway will also be an additional $10.00 a night. So if you have more than 2 people in your room make sure you include in your deposit that additional rate.
Parking at the hotel is also free this year which will be a plus for those planning to drive out like me.
There is a restaurant located in the hotel along with a bar/lounge. The breakfast buffet is $16.00 or there is a full menu for lunch and dinner as well. There are also a few other chain restaurants in or around the hotel within walking distance.
National Commander’s Banquet tickets are still available at $46.00 per ticket. Banquet is Tuesday evening, August 30 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Seating is Rounds of 10. Commander Barnett has selected Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers as the entertainment. Menu is Fresh Spring Mixed Salad, Roasted Beef Short Rib and Stuffed
Chicken Breast, Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potato Cake, Asparagus and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The deadline for getting tickets for this is March 15th. National needs the count and if we wait much longer we run the chance of being split up to other tables around the banquet. The Department does not have the money this year to pay for tickets up front. I am limiting it to 30 right now so get it in to me ASAP.
I would appreciate it is those considering on going to this year’s convention to submit your housing forms as soon as possible so I can see if we will meet our percentages for room reservations and adjust if I need to. However the deadline is July 1.
We only had 11 people sign up to be delegates to the convention this year which is the worse we have ever had for this Department. I understand completely the cost involved but we need to represent this Department the best we can and our voice does count.
Let me know if you have any questions and information will be posted to the website as I get it.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend
VA Announces Community Care Call Center to Help Veterans with
Choice Program Billing Issues
WASHINGTON – Veterans can now work directly with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to resolve debt collection issues resulting from inappropriate or delayed Choice Program billing. In step with MyVA’s efforts to modernize VA’s customer-focused, Veteran-centered services capabilities, a Community Care Call Center has been set up for Veterans experiencing adverse credit reporting or debt collection resulting from inappropriately billed Choice Program claims. Veterans experiencing these problems can call 1-877-881-7618 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) for assistance. “As a result of the Veterans Choice Program, community providers have seen thousands of Veterans. We continue to work to make the program more Veteran-friendly,” said Dr. David Shulkin, Under Secretary for Health. “There should be no bureaucratic burden that stands in the way of Veterans getting care.”
The new call center will work to resolve instances of improper Veteran billing and assist community care medical providers with delayed payments. VA staff are also trained and ready to work with the medical providers to expunge adverse credit reporting on Veterans resulting from delayed payments to providers.VA is urging Veterans to continue working with their VA primary care team to obtain necessary health care services regardless of adverse credit reporting or debt collection activity.
VA acknowledges that delayed payments and inappropriately billed claims are unacceptable and have caused stress for Veterans and providers alike. The new call center is the first step in addressing these issues. VA presented The Plan to Consolidate Community Care in October of 2015 that outlines additional solutions to streamline processes and improve timely provider payment.
For more details about the Veterans Choice Program and VA’s progress, visit: www.va.gov/opa/choiceact . Veterans seeking to use the Veterans Choice Program can call1-866-606-8198 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) to find out more about the program, confirm their eligibility and schedule an appointment.
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