Meeting Cancelled....

THE MEETING ON APRIL 9, 2013, HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO PREDICTED BLIZZARD. Thank you to all who made the banquet such a success yesterday. A special thanks goes out to Governor John Hickenlooper and our keynote speaker VA Assistant Secretary Jose D. “Joe” Riojas. We look forward to seeing you in May! Please check the calendar at www.unitedveteranscommittee.com on the "events" link. I am currently updating. Jenn Latini, Secretary.

Dear UVC Friends, The Banquet As the banquet rapidly approaches, we are making the final days' push to sell raffle tickets for two $250 gift certificates from Frontier Airlines. Raffle tickets are $5, and the winners need not be present. If you want to purchase and/or sell raffle tickets, and do not have any, please contact UVC's Banquet Chairman Ken Melcher at kcmelcher@juno.com or call me (secretary) at (408) 800-2862. Your call will be returned within a day if I can not answer.

The Agenda Tuesday, 09 April Please review and/or print your agenda prior to coming to the meeting. From a friend of Combat Vets - TRYING TO FIND A VET WITH BOTH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND EPILEPSY. Read on why: (From Ann Marie Bezuyen) I am the director of a program called Heads Up For Vets. It is about TBI, but TBI resulting in epilepsy. I work for the Anita Kaufmann Foundation. Here's the website: http://www.akfus.org/. Look in the program tab and you can see my program. We have collaborated with the VA and I developed the educational materials. What I've been looking for is a Veteran with TBI and epilepsy who is willing to talk about it. So far, no takers. TBI is an awful diagnosis and adding epilepsy to the mix is an unbelievable challenge. What we are afraid of is the soldiers being released with a TBI, knowing they may have a seizure, but they (and their families) really don't know what one can look like. It's not always convulsive. If you can be of help, please contact Jenn Latini by clicking this link: jennlatini@gmail.com.

Also from Combat Vets: One of our long-time members has been laid off and seeking employment for quite some time. This man is a leader in CVMA, Patriot Guard Riders, active with New England regional Veteran-oriented organizations (VSO’s, VA related, etc), and this man is the kind that would give the shirt off his back to a Vet in need. On Easter Sunday, he lost his father to sudden illness that has been deemed service connected, cancerous tumors due to Agent Orange. He is driving to Texas on Tuesday, April 3, to settle his father’s affairs as executor of the will, and escort his body to Arlington National Cemetery. If you can chip in, please visit CVMA Colorado’s web home page and click “Donate.” You can use this paypal button or write Ruffian. (That's Jenn Latini) Toward the end of your transaction (I think it’s the last page you go through) you may designate "Bob" and the funds will be seen to him ASAP. Sincerely, Jenn Latini, UVC Secretary

Senate and House Bill hearings, week of April 1

These are the hearings that will be at the Capitol building in Denver this week. I am going to try to get these to you each week. It is important that UVC has a presence there! Monday April 1st: HB 1080, Aircraft Manufacturer Employee Income Tax Credit, House Appropriations, 7:30am, Room LSB-A (Monitor) SB 235, Transfer To The Colorado State Veterans Trust Fund, Senate State Affairs, 1:30pm, Room 353 (Support) HB 1123, Waive Confidentiality Unemployment Benefits, Senate Business, 1:30pm, Room 354 (Support) Wednesday, April 3rd: HB 1152, Nursing Facility Per Diem Rates, Senate State Affairs, 1:30pm, Room 356 (Monitor) Friday, April 5th: SB 040, Complete Cemetery Expansion At Homelake Center, Senate Appropriations, 7:30am, Room 356 (Support) SB 111, Require Reports Of Elder Abuse And Exploitation, Senate Appropriations, 7:30am, Room 356 (Support)

Here is a letter from Senator Michael Bennet regarding Veterans' and constituents' concerns about the new drone warfare medal:
Letter to Secretary of Defense Hagel

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From the office of Congressman Ed Perlmutter:
This is a flyer with information about free legal clinics for Veterans by attorneys with the Larimer County Bar Association.  This is available to ALL Veterans. The dates are Wednesday, April 17 (Fort Collins) and Wednesday, July 17 (Loveland).  Please help us reach Veterans who could benefit from these clinics.
Veterans Outreach Flyer for Free Veterans' Legal Clinics

New stuff

I'm sure anyone who opens their email now knows that a whole new system is being put in place to share our distribution emails more efficiently. I would like to know if anyone has a problem with the file links, if there's anything confusing (and DON'T think you're just not figuring out something simple, there are other people probably with the same questions!), if you have information that may help us move things along, anything. When things are new, some people adapt more easily than others. Let me learn from your insight, I'm open for opinions too. When something doesn't work well for you, that doesn't work well for me either, and as your secretary I'd like to try to bridge all the gaps early on. I can be reached at uvccolorado@gmail.com and look forward to hearing from you! Jenn

Please visit THIS LINK to view the minutes from February's meeting. The secretary was out of Colorado and the comments may not have all been recorded. If you wish to record comments you made for the minutes that have not been published in the previous link, please visit www.uvcform.com and the minutes will be amended.

Public Censure

Blue Water Navy Association (click here) has provided this link by request of the membership.