Free mental health training for veterans and first responders  The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) has partnered with the Detroit VA Medical Center and Frontline Strong Together to host four mental health focused training sessions for veterans who are first responders. REGISTER Upcoming training sessions: - Monday, Aug. 23, Kalamazoo, MI
- Friday, Sept. 20, Dearborn, MI
- Monday, Sept. 23, Port Huron, MI.
MVAA staff visit Camp Grayling for Northern Strike  The MVAA team walks together as they tour Camp Grayling, Aug. 6, 2024. MVAA team members had the opportunity to visit Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center during this year's Northern Strike military readiness exercise. With over 6,300 participants from 32 states and territories and five international participants, Northern Strike is one of the largest U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) reserve component readiness exercises. The Michigan National Guard began hosting Northern Strike in 2012 and is designed to build readiness with joint and partner forces in all domains of warfare. Northern Strike in the news: WWII nurse a 'trailblazer' for women veterans passes at 106  Photos of WWII nurse, Irene Hosking from MVAA archive. World War II nurse, Irene Hosking, 106, passed away Sunday, Aug. 4, at her home in Corunna, MI. In May 2021, MVAA interviewed Irene about her time in the service. 103-year-old WWII nurse a 'trailblazer' for women veterans Back in June, WILX News shared Irene's story with viewers. World War II veteran shares memories kept for more than a century Miss Michigan, Army Second Lieutenant Alma Cooper, crowned Miss USA, competes for Miss Universe in November U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Alma Cooper crowned Miss Michigan 2024 MVAA would like to congratulate U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Alma Cooper for being crowned Miss USA. She will go on to compete for the Miss Universe title in November. Officer Cooper partnered with MVAA to create a video to celebrate Women Veterans Day, June 12, 2024. WLNS News - Miss Michigan becomes Miss USA In two years of the PACT Act, VA has delivered benefits and health care to millions of toxic-exposed veterans and their survivors  Saturday, Aug. 10 is the second anniversary of President Biden signing the PACT Act into law. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a new dashboard highlighting the impact of this historic law for veterans and their survivors. Partly due to the PACT Act, VA is delivering more care and benefits to a greater number of veterans than ever before. Key results for toxic-exposed veterans and their survivors to date include: - More than 1 million veterans and their survivors have received disability compensation benefits under the PACT Act: VA has delivered more than $6.8 billion in earned PACT Act benefits to veterans and their survivors. VA is delivering these benefits to veterans at the fastest rate in the nation's history, on pace to break last year's record of claims processed by more than 27%.
- Since Aug. 10, 2022, 739,421 veterans have enrolled in VA health care — a 33% increase over the previous two-year period. This includes more than 333,767 enrollees from the PACT Act population (Vietnam, Gulf War, and Post-9/11 veterans).
- 5,690,117 veterans have received free, 10-minute screenings for toxic exposures from VA under the PACT Act — a critical step to catching and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions as early as possible.
- Record numbers of veterans are applying for earned benefits: Thanks to the largest outreach campaign in VA history, veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates. Over the past two fiscal years, VA has received 4,414,334 claims for disability compensation benefits (including 1,774,158 claims with PACT Act conditions) — 29.8% more than the two fiscal years prior. There was an all-time record number of applications in 2023, and veterans and survivors are on pace to break that record in 2024.
Read the full story at VA News. VA launches updated Burn Pit Registry, paving way for improved research into health of veterans exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving  Man and woman working together on a computer. Thursday, Aug. 1, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the launch of the redesigned Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry (Burn Pit Research Registry). The Burn Pit Registry is a database that combines veteran and service member data to help VA better understand, research and ultimately improve treatment for the health challenges facing veterans exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits during their military service. The registry is an important research tool that enables VA to identify and study health challenges spanning the veteran and service member population as a whole — providing an opportunity to help improve the care and benefits of veterans and service members in generations to come. The registry will now include more than 4.7 million veterans and service members who meet participation criteria based on Department of Defense records. Read full release at VA News. Join MVAA in supporting veterans this fall  Veteran-Friendly Schools Innovation Conference — Sept. 16 & 17 Join MVAA and fellow Veteran-Friendly Schools at East Lansing's Kellogg Center to network and discuss how Veteran-Friendly Schools impact veterans and their communities. This year's conference will also focus on how MVAA can assist in supporting of school's military-connected students and provide best practices for attracting veterans. Presenters include, the Office of the State Approval Authority, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). Attendees will also hear from experts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Michigan National Guard on Federal Tuition Assistance, GI bill programs, the State Tuition Assistance Program and how to assist veterans with post-graduation employment opportunities. Registration will open soon. For questions, please contact MVAA Education Analyst Joe Saur, at Saurj@michigan.gov.  MVAA CORE Symposium 2024 — Sept. 18 Do you work with veterans in your community? Join the MVAA and its partners at the inaugural Community Outreach and Regional Engagement (CORE) Symposium on Wednesday, Sept.18 at MSU's Kellogg Center in East Lansing. The theme is "In Your Community," and we'll discuss discovering and connecting with various resources readily available in your communities. The CORE initiative brings together a network of collaborative partners from across Michigan to deliver targeted, localized support so every veteran and their family get personalized services and resources where they live. Attend the CORE Symposium to learn best practices for serving the veterans, service members, and their families in your community and meet other members of the CORE Initiative to grow your network of partners across the state. Registration will open soon and is free of charge to attend, but seats are limited. To get an email notification when registration opens, email MVAAstrategy@michigan.gov.  Veteran-Friendly Employers Innovation Conference — Sept. 19 & 20 Join MVAA and our partners at the Veteran-Friendly Employer Innovation Conference at East Lansing's Kellogg Center to network, learn and celebrate with fellow Veteran-Friendly Employers. This year's conference will include informational sessions and panels on topics such as the power of Skillbridge, learning about travel recruitment opportunities from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), how to establish and grow your Employer Resource Group, MI Tri-Share and opportunities for child care assistance, and much more. Registration will open soon. For questions, please contact MVAA Employment Analyst Erik Schreur, at SchreurE@michigan.gov.  MVAA's Women Veterans Conference 2024 — Oct. 3–5 The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) proudly invites you to save the date for MVAA's third annual Women Veterans Conference. This year's event is being held October 3–5, at the Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Novi. We'll celebrate women who have served, those who are still serving, and people who fight for the rights of, care for and otherwise support women veterans and service members across the Mitten. The conference will include dynamic speakers, interactive activities and opportunities to advocate for yourself and other women veterans. Details about becoming a vendor, presenter and how to register will be released soon. Stay tuned!  2024 Michigan Military & Veterans Gala — Nov. 2 MVAA cordially invite you to join us Saturday, Nov. 2, at the L.V. Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids for the 2024 Michigan Military & Veterans Gala. Stay tuned for additional information in the coming months. |
