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28 APRIL 2008------------------------------------------- 
Military Report is the most comprehensive military benefits and quality-of-life newsletter for military personnel and retirees. Make sure that you and your colleagues subscribe for this free update publication. -------------------------------- 14 APRIL 2008------------------------------------------- TRICARE Providers on the Increase Deal of the Week: Best Damn Military Discount 2008 Federal Employee Media Survey The Importance of Supplementing Your SGLI Military.com Offers Free Business Cards Top 5 Jobs for Veterans Featured Job: Leadership is Encouraged New Air Force Travel Uniform Policy Military Retirement, Worth Millions Month of the Military Child Camp Pendleton Career Fair Army Goes Phishing, E-mail Style Social Security Numbers Dropped from IDs Emergency Relief for Soldiers Free Admission to Dinner Show Getting Information from TRICARE Honoring Retiring AF Reservists Tragedy Assistance Mentors Sought Navy Hosts Marksmanship Competition Apply Now to Become a Navy Nurse Prize Giveaway for Children TRICARE Information for Guard, Reserve Navy Environmental Impact Comments Scholarship Deadlines Welcome Home Pennsylvania Vets' Bonus Moose Permits in Vermont Non-resident Game Permits in Missouri Marine Family Conference Print and Post This Week's Military Report Headline Military News **A Note from our Sponsor** Join the ROTC Network Find old friends and stay in touch with your ROTC unit. Build a page, post messages and pictures, search for friends and more -- join the network today - Sponsored by USAA TRICARE Providers on the Increase There's good news for TRICARE Standard beneficiaries. More civilian providers are accepting new patients, according to a recently released survey. More Deal of the Week: Best Damn Military Discount Active duty and Reserves of the U.S. Military can save up to thousands on select 2008/2009 GM vehicles. More 2008 Federal Employee Media Survey The goal of this survey to better understand the role that active duty servicemen and women play in the approval and acquisition of products and services for government. More The Importance of Supplementing Your SGLI Unless you're independently wealthy, SGLI doesn't completely cover your insurance responsibilities. More **A Note from our Sponsor** Prepare to advance with an AA, BA or BS Earn a world-class education even if you're a world away. Move your career forward with a traditional undergrad degree 100% online from top-rated Florida Tech anywhere, 24/7. You could pay $0 tuition. Military.com Offers Free Business Cards We've teamed up with Vista Print to offer all our members free business cards. You can design your cards with patriotic themes. More Top 5 Jobs for Veterans To increase your chances of getting a high paying job that is challenging and maximizes your skills, you need a degree. More Featured Job: Leadership is Encouraged Leadership and entrepreneurism are encouraged at every level within WellPoint. More New Air Force Travel Uniform Policy Air Force leaders authorized Airmen to wear the Airman battle uniform, battle dress uniform and desert camouflage uniform while traveling in an official capacity. More Military Retirement, Worth Millions A military retirement can be worth millions of dollars over the course of a lifetime. More Month of the Military Child April is the "Month of the Military Child." More than 1.7 million American children under the age of 18 have at least one parent serving in the military. More Camp Pendleton Career Fair The semi annual fall Camp Pendleton Career Fair will be held April 24th from 1000-1500 at the South Mesa Club. More Army Goes Phishing, E-mail Style More than 10,000 Soldiers, civilians and Family members with military e-mail addresses received an e-mail promising free tickets to area theme parks. More Social Security Numbers Dropped from IDs The Defense Department will no longer issue identification cards with full Social Security numbers. More Emergency Relief for Soldiers The Army Emergency Relief program's Command Referral Program allows company commanders and first sergeants to authorize interest-free loans to their Soldiers. More Free Admission to Dinner Show The popular dinner show, Pirates Dinner Adventure, located in Orlando, Fla., announced free admission for all active-duty military throughout the month of May 2008. More Getting Information from TRICARE TRICARE has many resources available for beneficiaries to access information about their benefits. More Honoring Retiring AF Reservists Honoring retiring Air Force reservists with an American flag just got easier through a centralized process at the Air Reserve Personnel Center (AFPC). More Tragedy Assistance Mentors Sought The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is recruiting more than 300 mentors to help at its 14th annual Good Grief Camp being held Memorial Day Weekend. More Navy Hosts Marksmanship Competition Sailors can receive training and improve their marksmanship skills at the United States Fleet Forces Command All-Navy Rifle and Pistol (East) Championships. More Apply Now to Become a Navy Nurse The Navy's Nurse Corps Medical Enlisted Commission Program (MECP) Selection Board will convene on Nov. 8, 2008. More Prize Giveaway for Children United Concordia is supporting April's "Month of the Military Child" celebrations by sponsoring a Web-based, random drawing. More TRICARE Information for Guard, Reserve Humana Military Healthcare Services offers a new online resource for National Guard and Reserve members. More Navy Environmental Impact Comments The U.S. Navy prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the Southern California (SOCAL) Range Complex. More Scholarship Deadlines Most scholarship application deadlines occur between March and June, but it's not too late. More Welcome Home On Saturday, May 17, 2008, the St. Louis VA Medical Center will sponsor a Welcome Home Celebration for returning combat service personnel and their families. More Pennsylvania Vets' Bonus Applications for the State of Pennsylvania's Persian Gulf Conflict Veterans' Benefit Program are now available. More Moose Permits in Vermont Vermont Gov. James Douglas signed into law a special moose permit lottery for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More Non-resident Game Permits in Missouri A recent decision by the Missouri Conservation Commission extended small-game hunting and fishing permit exemptions to all qualifying disabled veterans. More Marine Family Conference The Fifth Annual National Marine Family Conference will be held in Chantilly, VA (just outside Washington DC) on July 25-27, 2008. More
By Kenneth Danilson
Recent media reports and congressional hearings have called the reputations of several veterans charities into question. Conspicuously absent from the reports have been programs administered by The American Legion. “Why don’t you have hearings on us?” American Legion National Adjutant Robert W. Spanogle once asked former Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming. “Because you guys do it right,” Simpson said. Although a couple of decades have passed since the exchange, it is clear that The American Legion still “does it right.” “I am quite proud of our record of delivering donations,” said National Commander Marty Conatser. “When people donate to one of our programs, they can be assured that their donation goes to the cause for which it was intended. Promotional expenses are usually quite low and staff salaries are paid from our general budget, not the charitable donations.” One such program is the National Emergency Fund. The NEF was created in aftermath of Hurricane Camille in 1969 to provide funds to Legionnaires victimized by natural disasters. During the unprecedented hurricane season of 2005, which included Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, more than $2.1 million in NEF grants were awarded. Relying mostly on publicity from The American Legion Magazine, Dispatch, the national web site, department publications and post newsletters, the NEF only paid $7,083 in expenses that year, an amazing 3/10ths of one percent of the $2.36 million it received in donations. The NEF continues its outstanding fiscal prudence, having spent only $10,520 in 2007 expenses (through Nov. 30) and awarding $159,950 in grants. Donors gave $401,835 in 2007, with most of the money going into interest-earning accounts to be used for future disasters. The American Legion Endowment Fund was established in 1925 with $5 million after a year-long fundraising drive. The Endowment Fund is still used today to provide grants to military families in need and to support veterans rehabilitation programs. In 2007, $301,240 in grants were awarded by November 30, even though the fund only received $64,386 in donations. This is possible in part because of the investment revenue which exceeded $595,000 during the same period. Money set aside in American Legion accounts are in a metaphorical “lock box.” In other words, money can not be transferred from one program to another. The programs themselves are authorized by the National Executive Committee, a body with representatives from all 55 American Legion departments which serves as the organization’s board of directors. One of the more recent programs, The American Legion’s Legacy Scholarship Fund, was established shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The fund helps pay college costs for children of fallen servicemembers who are killed on active-duty since Sept. 11, 2001. With nearly $2.1 million in the account, the only 2007 expenses through November (besides actual scholarships) were the $9,045 investment fees. The American Legion would like the fund to continue to grow so it can operate on investment earnings, thus always having money available to cover the increasing number of students needing scholarships. Fitting in with The American Legion’s long tradition of helping America’s youth is the Child Welfare Foundation. Created in 1954, the CWF provides grants for projects and programs that “contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children and youth.” In the first 11 months of 2007, the CWF awarded $536,500 in grants. Donations to the CWF were $595,682 and the $6.67 million fund balance earned $587,685 in investment revenue. Administrative expenses for the CWF were only 1.97 percent of the fund’s balance. As a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization, The American Legion files a report on its activities annually with the U.S. Congress. Moreover, each of The American Legion’s major funds – the Endowment, the NEF, CWF and American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund – are separately incorporated or chartered, each with its own articles, bylaws, purposes and trustees. Each of these nonprofit corporations files an annual Form 990 with the IRS. The financial reports for the funds are included as part of The American Legion’s annual audit, which is printed in the National Convention program and distributed to all delegates, alternate delegates and registered guests attending the convention. Legion audits and 990 tax returns are available to any member of the public who requests to see them. This has been the case since The American Legion’s founding in 1919. “The American Legion has always believed in transparency regarding our finances,” Conatser said. “We are ethical and efficient. Regardless of what one may read about other charitable organizations, our members and donors should be confident and proud of the way The American Legion administers its charities.” Kenneth Danilson is chairman of the American Legion National Finance Commission.
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