GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.
First business first: a gun rights rally will be held on the Capitol Campus next Friday, January 18th,. The rally will be held on the north steps of the Legislative Building and will begin at 9 a.m., ending at 12 noon. The rally is sponsored by the Gun Rights Coalition. (Yes, it’s a Friday, and unlike the people bussed in to attend many liberal rallies, gunnies have to work. Are your gun rights worth a day off?) After the formal presentation, attendees are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the campus layout (the Capitol, or “legislative” building where floor sessions are conducted, as well as the John L. O’Brien House Office Building, the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building, and the Irv Newhouse Senate Office Building. This is a great opportunity to locate your two representatives’ and one senator’s office and introduce yourself to their legislative aides. Hopefully over the coming session they’ll become familiar with your name and maybe even your face!
The legislature convenes on Monday, January 14th, for its “long” (105 day) session. This is the start of the 66th biennium, which will run through next year (2020). The primary focus of the long session is supposed to be preparation and passage of a two-year budget, but worry not – they’ll find plenty of time for gun control. If their work is not completed, they can be called back by the governor for any number of 30-day special sessions, as happened two years ago with THREE back-to-back special sessions.
Text of newly filed bills can be found at https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ Also on the bill information page are links to “New Introductions” (daily), and at the bottom, “Bills by topic” and “Bill Tracking.”
Pre-filing of bills for the new legislature begins in December, and there are already a handful of gun-related bills in the hopper.
A complete list of bills under consideration is included below in the “BILL STATUS” section. It also contains the bill’s prime sponsor, the current status of the bill (committee location) and the GOAL position on the bill. Committee abbreviations are provided at the bottom of that section. As this is written there are currently 12 gun bills available for consideration/action.
The following links can be used to contact legislators. Lists won’t be updated until new members are sworn in Monday):
http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/
Legislative e-mail addresses are available at http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx
The link contains a quick tutorial on providing testimony at public hearings on bills under consideration. I would urge you to read it and consider visiting Olympia to let YOUR voice be heard. http://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
HB 1010 Disposition of forfeited firearms by WSP Senn (D-41) H.CR&J OPPOSE
HB 1022
HB 1024
HB 1068
HB 1038
HB 1073 Undetectable and/or untraceable firearms Valdez (D-46) H.CR&J OPPOSE
SB 5016 Authorizing armed animal control officers Van De Wege UnAsg SUPPORT
SB 5027 Extreme risk protection orders, under age 18 Frockt (D-46) S.L&J OPPOSE
SB 5050 Sentence enhancement for body armor use in a crime O’Ban (R-28) S.L&J NEUTRAL
SB 5061 Undetectable and untraceable firearms Dhingra (D-45) S.L&J OPPOSE
SB 5062
SB 5072
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 21, 2018
VA’s Benefits Delivery at Discharge program improves service to Veterans
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD)program has made significant improvements in disability claim processing over the past year, with most service members who submitted claims through the program receiving decisions within 30 days of discharge.
BDD allows service members to file a claim for disability between 90 and 180 days prior to discharge from active duty, which provides time for paperwork review and medical exams prior to leaving.
“This is an important program for our service members as they transition to Veteran status,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The faster we can connect our Veterans with the benefits they deserve, the smoother their transition.”
In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the full year of the revamped program, more than 36,000 service members submitted claims through BDD and about 53 percent of completed claims received a decision on their claim within 30 days. In the first month of FY 2019, 3,437 claims were completed with 57.7 percent completed within 30 days.
Throughout FY 2018, the program made continuous improvements, which include:
By participating in BDD, service members ensure that their disability medical exams become part of their service treatment record and that service connection for their conditions may be established as early as possible. Medical conditions can get worse over time and establishing eligibility at discharge may make it is easier to increase disability ratings in the future.
For more information on the BDD program, visit www.benefits.va.gov/predischarge/claims-pre-discharge-benefits-delivery-at-discharge.asp.
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Very Respectfully,
Paula A. Paige
Office of Media Relations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Below is the annual listing of Veterans Day community outreach activities. Please feel free to share with fellow Veterans in your respective networks. The includes free meals and other items for Veterans Day 2018. Participating restaurants include Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Golden Corral and more! The whole list is at this link: https://www.thespruce.com/veterans-day-free-meals-1357348?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons
Best,
Bronwyn Emmet
Public Affairs Specialist
National Veterans Outreach Office
Department of Veterans Affairs
Explore VA today! http://explore.va.gov/
VA amends regulations on VA pension and other needs-based programs
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently amended its regulations governing entitlements toVA pension andParents’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, which are need-based programs.
“The amended regulations bring consistency to the pension process and ensure benefits are available for Veterans and survivors with financial need,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “They will help maintain the integrity of and provide clarity to our needs-based pension program.”
VA’s pension program provides monthly benefit payments to eligible wartime Veterans and their survivors with financial need.
The pension regulations, which were updated Oct. 18, cover the following:
The changes are intended to ensure VA only pays benefits to those Veterans with a genuine need.
For more information on VA’s pension program, visitwww.benefits.va.gov/PENSION/.
Sincerely,
Heather J. Patterson
Special Assistant to the VSO Liaison
Office of the Secretary
Department of Veterans Affairs
Trump Administration announces decline in Veteran homelessness
Number of homeless Veterans drops 5.4% since last year and by nearly half since 2010
WASHINGTON — Veteran homelessness in the U.S. continues to decline, according to a new national estimate announced today by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.
HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report finds the total number of reported Veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased 5.4 percent since last year, falling to nearly half the number of homeless Veterans reported in 2010.
In announcing the latest annual estimate, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie and HUD Secretary Ben Carson noted that local communities are reporting reductions in the number of Veterans in their shelter systems and on their streets. View local estimates of Veteran homelessness at this link.
“The reduction in homelessness among Veterans announced today shows that the strategies we are using to help the most vulnerable Veterans become stably housed are working,” said VA Secretary Wilkie. “This is good news for all Veterans.”
“We owe it to our Veterans to make certain they have a place to call home,” said HUD Secretary Carson. “We’ve made great strides in our efforts to end Veteran homelessness, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure those who wore our nation’s uniform have access to stable housing.”
“In ‘Home, Together,’ the new federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, we redouble our commitment to ending homelessness among Veterans and among all Americans,” said Matthew Doherty, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. “Working together at the federal, state and local level, we can and will continue to make progress until all Americans have a stable home from which they can pursue opportunity.”
Each year, thousands of local communities around the country conduct one-night “Point-in-Time” estimates of the number of persons experiencing homelessness — in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs and in unsheltered locations. This year’s estimate finds 37,878 Veterans experienced homelessness in January 2018, compared with 40,020 reported in January 2017. HUD estimates among the total number of reported Veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018, 23,312 Veterans were found in sheltered settings, while volunteers counted 14,566 Veterans living in places not meant for human habitation.
HUD also reports a nearly 10 percent decline among female Veterans experiencing homelessness. In January 2018, local communities reported 3,219 homeless female Veterans compared with 3,571 one year earlier.
The decrease in Veteran homelessness can largely be attributed to the effectiveness of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, which combines permanent HUD rental assistance with case management and clinical services provided by the VA. HUD-VASH is complemented by a continuum of VA programs that use modern tools and technology to identify the most vulnerable Veterans and rapidly connect them to the appropriate interventions to become and remain stably housed.
Last year alone, more than 4,000 Veterans, many experiencing chronic forms of homelessness, found permanent housing and critically needed support services through the HUD-VASH program. An additional 50,000 Veterans found permanent housing and supportive services through VA’s continuum of homeless programs.
To date, 64 local communities and three states have declared an effective end to Veteran homelessness, creating systems to ensure that a Veteran’s homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time. For a map of the communities that have ended homelessness, go to this link.
HUD and VA have a wide range of programs that prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, including health care, housing solutions, job training and education. More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at VA.gov/homeless. More information about HUD’s program isavailable here. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless should contact their local VA Medical Center and ask to speak to a homeless coordinator or call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
Sincerely,
Heather J. Patterson
Special Assistant to the VSO Liaison
Office of the Secretary
Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON — Yesterday evening President Donald J. Trump declared November 2018 the second annual National Veterans and Military Families Month to “salute the brave and dedicated patriots who have worn the uniform of the United States, and…celebrate the extraordinary military families whose selfless service and sacrifice make our military the finest in the world.”
Beginning in 2017, President Trump proclaimed November Veterans and Military Families Month, marking the first time America celebrated Veterans and military families for the entire month and not just on Veterans Day, in keeping with the President’s strong focus on improving care and benefits to our nation’s heroes.
That tradition continues again this year, with more than 300 events at VA hospitals, benefits offices and cemeteries across the country, including:
• • Senior leader visits to VA facilities
• • Open houses
• • Town halls
• • Benefits claims clinics
• • Volunteer recognitions
• • Homeless Veteran initiative events
• • Suicide-prevention events
• • Faith-based community events
• • Flag planting tributes at national cemeteries
In addition to the local and regional events across the country, VA is conducting a number of national events, including:
• • The annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and leadership breakfast at the National Press Club
• • White House hosting Veterans state and local leadership event Nov. 15
• • Expansion of the ChooseVA branding campaign
• • Legal Services Week during the first week of November, providing free legal services to Veterans in need
• • VetTalkX events in nine locations, which are TEDx-type local activities featuring key Veterans sharing their stories of post-military life and connecting Veterans with their communities, all to help bridge the civilian-military divide.
This year’s celebration of Veterans and Military Families Month caps an unprecedented period of improvement for VA, as the department has made groundbreaking progress over the last two years in the areas of accountability, transparency and efficiency across the department while enjoying an important series of legislative successes.
“At VA, Veterans and their families are at the center of everything we do,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. Veterans and Military Families Month is an opportunity for us to honor the service of these patriots while educating communities about VA benefits and services and our commitment to customer service improvement.”
The full list of national events for Veterans and Military Families month is available at this link.
Sincerely,
Heather J. Patterson
Special Assistant to the VSO Liaison
Office of the Secretary
Department of Veterans Affairs
Hosted by the Pierce County Marine Corps League Detachment
504 Elks Lodge 1450
314 27th st. NE Puyallup, WA 98372
Date: November 10th, 2018
Cost: $40.00 Per Person
Time: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Social: 6:00 - 6:30
Presentation of Colors, Reading of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Birthday Message
Cake Cutting and Guest Speaker: 6:30
Dinner: 7:00 - 8:00
Music and Dancing: 8:00 — 10:00
Closing: 10:00
(Formal wear recommended)
You must "RSVP" no later than November 1st, 2018
For more information regarding the MC Birthday Ball contact Jensene Linenko at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 253-255-4939)
Download the Birthday Ball Registration Form
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2018
VA and IBM Watson Health Extend Partnership to Support Veterans With Cancer
WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and IBM Watson Health announced the extension of a public-private partnership to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to help interpret cancer data in the treatment of Veteran patients.
First announced two years ago as part of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, VA oncologists have now used IBM Watson for Genomics technology to support precision oncology care for more than 2,700 Veterans with cancer.
Precision oncology is the practice of biologically directed cancer care. For example, the mutations in a cancer's genome (the cancer's DNA) can significantly impact the treatment options available to treat that cancer and the likely outcomes after treatment. By knowing the cancer genome, oncologists and patients are able to choose therapies that specifically target the patient's cancer.
VA’s precision oncology program primarily supports stage 4 cancer patients who have exhausted other treatment options. The partnership extension with IBM will enable VA oncologists to continue using Watson for Genomics through at least June 2019.
“Our mission with VA’s precision oncology program is to bring the most advanced treatment opportunities to Veterans, in hopes of giving our nation’s heroes better treatments through these breakthroughs,” said Acting VA Secretary Peter O’Rourke. “We look forward to continuing this strategic partnership to assist VA in providing the best care for our Veterans.”
VA treats 3.5 percent of the nation’s cancer patients — the largest group of cancer patients within any one health-care group. In order to bring precision oncology advances to this large group of patients, with equal access available anywhere in the country, VA established a central “hub” in Durham, North Carolina.
In this facility, a small group of oncologists and pathologists receive tumor samples from patients nationwide and sequence the tumor DNA. They then use AI — the ability of a computer program or a machine to think and learn — to help interpret the genomic data, identifying relevant mutations and potential therapeutic options that target those mutations.
More than one-third of the patients who have benefited from VA’s precision oncology program are Veterans from rural areas where it has traditionally been difficult to deliver cutting-edge medical breakthroughs.
“VA is leading the nation to scale and spread the delivery of high-quality precision oncology care, one Veteran at a time,” said Dr. Kyu Rhee, chief health officer for IBM Watson Health. “It is incredibly challenging to read, understand and stay up-to-date with the breadth and depth of the medical literature, and link them to relevant mutations for personalized cancer treatments. This is where AI can play an important role in helping to scale precision oncology, as demonstrated in our work with VA, the largest integrated health system in the U.S.”
For more information about the VA’s precision oncology program, visit https://www.research.va.gov/pubs/varqu/spring2016/4.cfm.
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Very Respectfully,
Paula A. Paige
Office of Media Relations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
VA on Facebook. Twitter. YouTube. Flickr. Blog
Download: VA and IBM Extend Public Private Partnership to Support Veterans with Cancer
WASHINGTON --
The Defense Department has identified more than 130,000 veterans who may be eligible for a refund for taxes paid on their disability severance payment, a DoD tax expert said.
Veterans who are eligible for a refund for taxes paid on their disability severance payment can submit a 1040X Amended U.S. Individual Tax Return for their reimbursement. Army Lt. Col. David Dulaney, the executive director for the Armed Forces Tax Council, said the Defense Department has identified more than 130,000 veterans who may be eligible for the refund. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando
Army Lt. Col. David Dulaney, the executive director for the Armed Forces Tax Council, said the department began mailing notices to veterans July 9.
The deadline to file for the refund is one year from the date of the Defense Department notice, or three years after the due date for filing the original return for the year the disability severance payment was made, or two years after the tax was paid for the year the disability severance payment was made, according to the IRS.
One thing every Marine has in common is that none will ever forget that they are a Marine first and foremost, regardless of any other title or position that they hold, ever held, or ever will hold.
MOS? Irrelevant. Duty Station? Irrelevant. EGA? Totally relevant.
I would imagine that if the first Marines were able to meet the Marines of today, they would give today’s Marines a hard time, because that is just what the old salts do. But I am also sure that the first Marines would be proud to see that the very essence of a Marine stands today as it did in 1775.
A Marine is a Marine is a Marine.
It is not the gear, gadgets, types of weapons, or trucks that make any difference in the Marine. The Marines do with what they have to get done what needs to be done, regardless of where it needs to be done. It is the Marine, not the things or places that matter.
The Essence of a Marine.
Marines never leave the Corps. Sure, the end of active service may come for some. Others may have given their lives in duty, but none ever leave the Corps. The Corps is instilled and hardened in Marines as if sealed in amber. Those who live on past their service days might no longer run a perfect fitness test, or be able to carry the heavy packs that they carried many moons prior, but their hearts beat with the values of the Marine Corps, and those with enough left to give, still give every day to others.
The essence of a Marine is that Marines don’t believe that they are better than anyone else, or stronger, or faster. Marines just know that they will do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission first. A key point is that the missions are never for the individual Marine, but missions for others. For the Brotherhood. For the Corps. For the country. That is what makes Marines different: giving all for others. The essence of a Marine.
Duty Day, July 17, 2018 at Tahoma National Cemetery rendering military honors for comrades in arms.
Members of U.S. Marine Corps Evergreen State Platoon 3041 take part in a ceremony in the rotunda at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., Thursday, July 12, 2018. The event was held to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of when members of the platoon joined the Marines in 1968. Many of the platoon served in the Vietnam War, including six who were killed in action. The Spokesman-Review
