CONGRESSMAN HELPS WORLD WAR II VET'S WIDOW

CONGRESSMAN HELPS WORLD WAR II VET'S WIDOW REGAIN BENEFITS

Especially in today's economy,

people are facing foreclosure, and I'm glad in this

case, we were able to prevent it."




Congressman John Hall (D-NY) and Rosemarie Greene, widow of World War II veteran Bud Greene.



Story here... http://www.midhudsonnew
s.com/News/August08/20/Hall_benefits-20Aug08.htm

Story below:



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Hall aids WWII vet’s widow regain benefits


NEW WINDSOR - Rosemarie Greene lives at the end of a tree-lined driveway between routes 94 and 9w in New Windsor, and traffic noise does not ruin the tranquility that she and her late husband, Bud, enjoyed here for many years.

But when Bud, a WWII vet, died of pneumonia in February, Mrs. Greene lost his service-connected VA benefits, and she was in danger of losing her home.

“I was in free fall – and nothing was catching me,” she said.

And then she contacted Congressman John Hall, D-Dover Plains, and he helped restore those benefits. Hall, a freshman lawmaker who chairs a veteran’s house subcommittee, was able to restore those benefits, and he met with Greene at her home Wednesday with the paperwork granting those benefits, which are retroactive.

The VA made an error when they denied the benefits, claiming that he did not die of a service-connected injury, which was true. But he was disabled for more than 20 years with a service-connected injury – and she was in fact entitled to those benefits.

“During an obvious time of grief, when one loses one’s spouse, Rosemarie was forced to appeal the decision of the VA and contacted us for help,” said Hall, as Rosemarie and he sat crowded on her living room couch, facing a gaggle of television news cameras.

“Especially in today’s economy, people are facing foreclosure,” said Hall, “and I’m glad in this case, we were able to prevent it.”

Greene could have appealed and may have waited as long as two years to have her case heard.

“I was willing to wait, but they refused me,” she said. “It was very, very, frightening.”

But now Greene can stay in her house, still volunteer in the community and not be forced to move to Arizona or Kansas, where her sons live.

“I’m totally delighted that I can live here.”

Hall recently gained passage of a bill he sponsored in the House to bolster the VA claims process for disabled vets and their families. If passed by the Senate and signed by the President, the legislation would create a department within the VA for family survivors of those benefits and help ensure those families are not subjected to extended waiting while a claim is being filed when a vet dies during the process.
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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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It is great to see an elected official go the distance for a constituent, especially when a government agency has made a decision that is going to cause financial hardship for a veterans family. The rule is that if a veteran has been service connected for at least 10 years it doesn not matter what was the cause of death the spouse is entitled to the DIC benefits, less than 10 years the cause of death must be a service related cause or the benefits end.

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