Virtual Benefits Workshop

Greetings all,

We will be hosting a virtual Benefits Workshop for Veterans and supporters of Veterans in Hawaii & American Samoa on Thursday, December 15, 2022 from 4PM to 6PM (Hawaii Local Time) / 3PM to 5PM (American Samoa Local Time). This will be a virtual workshop using Cisco Webex.

The Benefits Workshop now includes the following topic: PACT Act

Please help us to get the word out.

v/r

Faafetai Lefiti (Tai)
Assistant Coach
Veterans Benefits Administration
Honolulu Regional Office
Phone: 808-433-0515
Fax: 808-433-0384

Virtual Benefits Workshop for Veterans and Supporters of Veterans

Greetings all,

We will be hosting a virtual Benefits Workshop for Veterans and supporters of Veterans in Hawaii & American Samoa on Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 4PM to 6PM (Hawaii Local Time) / 3PM to 5PM (American Samoa Local Time)

This will be a virtual workshop using Cisco Webex.

The Benefits Workshop now includes the following topic: PACT Act

Please help us to get the word out.

Eric Gaskin

Coach
Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Benefits Administration

Honolulu Regional Office

P.O. Box 29040

Honolulu, HI 96820-1440

Maui Caregiver to Caregiver Breakfast Workshop

FREE
Maui Beach Hotel – Thursday, November 17th 9AM – 12PM

Sign Up Required
Online: http://aarp.cvent.com/HI_Care
Or Call: (toll free) 1-877-926-8300

Check in and resource tables will be available at 8:15 AM.
SPACE IS LIMITED.
A breakfast buffet will be provided..

Are you helping a family member or friend to age at home in the community? You are not alone! Across the state more than 157,000 “family caregivers” are providing transportation, friendly visits, meals, help with finances, sharing their homes and much more!

Let’s learn from one another! Share your challenges and wins. Find out about community resources and the latest tools that can help you. Give yourself a chance to refuel and relax!

VAPIHCS Veterans News

VAPIHCS Veterans,

Health Care When You Travel

If you are a veteran and you are planning a trip, make sure that you let your Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) know. If you are injured while on vacation, or if your bags are lost and you need to renew a prescription, your care can be coordinated to ensure that you can get help wherever you are. If you have questions, please call (808) 838-6591 or (808) 433-0202.

Seeking Land in Hilo

VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) is seeking to purchase a parcel of land on which to construct a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). VAPIHCS is looking for a parcel that is no less than 2 acres in the Hilo area. To be considered, the site must be outside the Tsunami Inundation Zone. For additional information, contact Marianne Marinucci at (202) 632-5468 or Marianna.marinucci@va.gov

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

The Department of Education recently expanded the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program which may forgive the remaining balance on your student loans. Under the PSLF Limited Waiver, which expires on October 31, 2022, borrowers may receive credit for periods of repayment on loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

For many years prior to 1954, it was believed by many sports experts that it was simply impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes. But there was one individual, Roger Bannister, who sought to defy the odds and attempt to challenge that belief. On the morning of May 6, 1954, Sir Roger Bannister did the impossible, becoming the first person to run a mile in under four minutes! Before the announcer could even finish saying 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, the audience erupted in a sea of applause. He accomplished a great feat indeed. But what’s even more interesting is what happened afterwards.

Just 46 days after Bannister’s victory, John Landy, an Australian runner, not only broke the same 4 minute barrier again, but this time with a time of 3 minutes 58 seconds. Then, just a year later, three runners broke the four-minute barrier all in a single race. And over the past half century, more than a thousand runners have conquered a barrier that had once been considered humanly impossible.

The question becomes, did human nature magically change just 46 days after Mr. Bannister’s victory? No. Instead, what changed was their mindset. That is, the runners of the past had been held back by a belief that said they could not surpass the four-minute mile, and that artificial limit became the invisible barrier holding them back. Runners must have unknowingly adjusted their abilities to fit the popular belief of the time, leaving them to lose the race to beat the 4-minute time before the race even began.

Are there artificial limits that you have accepted as being true? Can those artificial limits have an impact on what you can accomplish? Henry Ford once said: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”

One Team, One Ohana!

Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE

Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System

VADM, MC, USN, (RET)

36th Surgeon General, USN

Benefits Workshop for Veterans and supporters of Veterans in Hawaii & American Samoa

Greetings all,

We will be hosting a virtual Benefits Workshop for Veterans and supporters of Veterans in Hawaii & American Samoa on Thursday, August 25, 2022 from 4PM to 6PM (Hawaii Local Time) / 3PM to 5PM (American Samoa Local Time)

(see attached flyer). This will be a virtual workshop using Cisco Webex.

The Benefits Workshop now includes the following topics: Military Sexual Trauma, Homelessness, Character of Discharge, and women Veterans

Please help us to get the word out.

v/r

Faafetai Lefiti (Tai)

Assistant Coach

Veterans Benefits Administration

Honolulu Regional Office

Phone: 808-433-0515

Fax: 808-433-0384