Veteran Louis Gibson wins $3, 518, 000 settlement in employment suit

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 6, 2011


In a settlement filed recently in a federal court in Georgia, R.A.N. Network Inc. has
agreed to pay $3, 518, 000 to veteran Louis Gibson it had refused to rehire upon his
return from active service..

The Justice Department had filed the suit in U.S. District Court after the
Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training investigated the
complaint by Marcus Fletcher.

Information on veterans employment and reemployment rights is available at the
Labor Department’s Web site at www.dol.gov/vets or by calling the department’s
toll-free help line at (866) 4USA-DOL (487-2365). To learn more, read the full
article at
http://www.military.com/news/article/iraq-vet-sues-over-reemployment-and-wins.ht
ml

VA benefits not taxable

As veterans prepare their 2008 income tax returns, the Department of Veterans
Affairs reminds them that they should not include in their income any veterans’
benefits paid under any law, regulation or administrative practice administered
by the VA.

These nontaxable benefits include education, training and subsistence
allowances, disability compensation or pension payments for disabilities, grants
for homes designed for wheelchair living or grants for motor vehicles for
veterans who lost their sight or the use of their limbs. Also included are
veterans’ insurance proceeds and dividends, benefits under a dependent-care
assistance program or payments made under the compensated work-therapy program.

Specific tax information for members of the military and military veterans is
available on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov/individuals/military/index.html.

Help for disabled

The Aid and Attendance pension benefit program is available to war veterans and
surviving spouses who have in-home care or who live in nursing homes or
assisted-living facilities. It is particularly applicable to severely disabled
Iraq and Afghanistan service personnel who may be without other financial
support.

Also, it is available to limited-income retired senior service members and their
spouses. To qualify, veterans must be incapable of self-support and in need of
regular personal assistance. For more information, call (800) 827-1000, or apply
online at the VA’s Web site at www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

Social Security expedites veterans’ disability claims

The Social Security Web site advises military service members who became
disabled while on active duty that they will receive expedited processing of
their disability claims.

The expedited process is for personnel who were disabled on or after Oct. 1,
2001, regardless of where the disability occurred. People in the military can
apply for and receive benefits even while receiving military pay.

Also, Social Security has developed a new Web site about benefits for wounded
personnel that includes a link to apply for disability benefits. Applicants can
also call (800) 772-1213 to schedule an appointment at their local Social
Security office.

Academic credit for service

A new publication from the American Council on Education will assist service
members and veterans in understanding how academic credit can be awarded by
institutions of higher education for military training and occupational
experiences.

A Transfer Guide: Understanding Your Military Transcript and ACE Credit
Recommendations provides simple, straightforward guidance on understanding
military credit recommendations and transcripts and includes definitions of
common terms, answers to frequently asked questions and a transfer credit
checklist.

The publication is available as a PDF file at
www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/MilitaryPrograms/WhereCre
dit_Brochure(Nov08).pdf on ACE’s Web site —
www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/MilitaryPrograms/Transfer
_Guide.htm

You can learn more about credit for military service at
www.military.com/timesaving programs/college-credit-for-military-experience.

•American Legion

East Greenwich Post 15, at 1016 Main St., meets at 7 p.m. Monday. Post 39 will
meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Neighborhood Guild, Columbia St., Peace Dale.

•Bristol Veterans Council

The council meets at 7 p.m. Monday in the Byfield School, on High Street.

•Fleet Reserve Association

Blackstone Valley Branch 132 meets Monday at 7 p.m. in VFW Post 306, 171
Fountain St., Pawtucket.

•Marine Corps League

Higgins Detachment meets at 7 p.m. Monday in the Mainstay Best Western Hotel,
151 Admiral Kalbfus Rd., Newport.

•Veterans of Foreign Wars

Gilbert Burton Auxiliary 4487 will host a bingo at the Rhode Island Veterans
Home, on Metacom Avenue in Bristol, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Auxiliary
Department of Rhode Island will visit the Heatherwood Nursing Home, in Newport,
at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday; for more information, call Rosemary at (401) 683-2692.

Send meeting notices and veterans news items to George W. Reilly at
VeteransColumn@... or write to The Veterans Journal Column at The
Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, R.I. 02902In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information
for research and educational purposes. Reference:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml