August Krieser

joined the Paralyzed Veterans of America in 1980 and was elected to the WPVA board in 1990. Augie is the Government Relations Officer [GRO] and he is the Chair of the Advocacy/Legislation Committee. He received the Chapter President’s Award in 1992.

Employed by the City of Manitowoc, Wisconsin as a Firefighter for many years, Augie was also certified as an Emergency Medical Technician [EMT] and as an EMT Instructor. Due to a motorcycle accident in 1980 that resulted in quadriplegia, Augie received a medical retirement. He is a member of the Retired Professional Firefighter’s Association [RPFA] Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW], Disabled American Veterans [DAV], American Veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam [AMVETS], and the Vietnam Veterans of America [VVA].

From 1964-67, Augie was a member of the United States Army and trained in the field of aviation. While stationed in Vietnam Augie was a Crew Chief on an OV1-Mohawk and later a CV-2 Caribou. While in Vietnam, his duties included gathering military intelligence for the Marines on the DMZ and Ho Chi Minh Trail in I Corps by night aerial surveillance. He was assigned to the 20th ASTA Detachment at a small landing field at Hue-Phu Bai. He finished his stint in the military at Fort Benning, Georgia as a Maintenance Chief.

Augie Krieser graduated from Lincoln High School in Manitowoc with the Class of ’64. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc Campus and at Silver Lake College, Augie earned a BA Degree in Psychology and Family Studies, an MA Degree in Political Science, and a BSW Degree in Social work. He is currently working on his MSW Degree in Social Work.

Augie enjoys wheelchair racing, fishing, and target practice. He is a tireless advocate for accessibility, and he derives great pleasure in educating his hometown on ADA requirements. Augie resides in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and is employed full time by a disability rights and advocacy organization known as Holiday House.
ADVOCACY REPORT

An updated version of the Disability Law Handbook is now available from the Southwest ADA Center. Free copies may be downloaded in PDF format at http://www.southwestada.org/html/publications/dlh/index/html at no charge. If you have a home computer, it is best to download it to your “favorites” section on your browser or save it in your saved files that can be accessed without having your Internet browser operating in the background. The updated handbook incorporates all new legislation and coat decisions that pertain to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you are not able to download a copy, or do not have the means to access this site, copies may be obtained from the Southwest ADA Center at a nominal fee. It may be prudent to order a copy because the handbook is 6 pages in length and it would be more cost effective to order the handbook, rather than print it out. You may also call 1-800-949-4232 (voice or TTY) to request a copy. This revised 64 page handbook is written in frequently asked question (FAQ) format and answers many questions that were previously unclear about the ADA, employment practices under the ADA, an explanation of the ADA Amendments Act, and a myriad of answers to updated laws and court decisions that pertain to the ADA as the law is interpreted today. It is a worthwhile venture to check into for individuals with any type of disability, illness, or sensory impairment that may exclude person of any age for participating in the realm of employment, independent living, or social activities with their respective communities.

There are a large number of webinars, webcasts, and teleconferences available through various advocacy groups throughout the country. The majority of these presentations is free of charge and sponsored by the ILRU, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) and other noteworthy advocacy groups. The primary thrust of these presentations is on independent living and demonstrating the cost effectiveness of having an individual residing in his or her own home rather than being institutionalized. Several of the presentations have dealt with cross cultural issues and the impact these factors have on our society. This issue is a salient one because the Veterans Administration has been a forerunner in working with persons with different ethnic/cultural backgrounds before this became a noted issue with the private sector.

Other presentations that are coming up in future programs concern keeping your Social Security benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) when returning to work. Much of this is tied to the Ticket to Work- Work Incentives Incentive Act (TWWIIA) and PVA had a great deal of input in implementing this program. The Social Security Administration, and other federal agencies have gotten involved and a number of states have additional employment networks (EN) in addition to the mandated Division of Workforce Development (DWD) and its subdivision, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). The aforementioned state entities will offer a potential employer accessibility upgrades to the workplace if a person is disabled, yet can still perform the job.

Also, in Wisconsin, there I a DVR program that will underwrite 50% of a potential employee for a predetermined time until the individual can acclimate to the job setting or tasks involved in performing the job. Much of keeping SSA or SSDI benefits and continuing working can be found at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/twwiia/ Another avenue is to stop at your local Job Center or county Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) for more information.

On the state level, much is being done through various state agencies, including the Independent Living Council-Wisconsin with inclusive housing, mass transportation in rural and urban areas and the utilization of federal funds under 5310 and 5816.

Locally, the city is going through a major pedestrian accessibility phase that s reassessed every 5 years. A number of mass transit issues that integrate rural and urban mass transit have been resolved and now being implemented. Also, accessibility issues pertaining to Title II entities are moving ahead and serious planning for philanthropic and community involvement have been undertaken. This is a sensitive issue because of the cost factor; however city official and department heads have accepted the fact that a semblance of total accessibility is the wave of the future.

GRO REPORT

The co-authors of the Independent Budget (IB) praised the Administration for submitting a historic VA budget for FY 211. The President’s recommendations included significant funding increases for health care and benefits, but also included for the first time, advance appropriations for the VA health care system for FY 2012. The IB does; however have issues with the level of funding recommended for all facets of construction projects within the VA system. Much of this has to do with replacement of existing VA Medical Centers. Many are 40 to 50 years old and have been altered with major construction projects, but still fall short of being efficient and centers that are capable of caring for the veteran in an up to date setting. Hospitals and medical centers in the private sector are demolished or revamped within a 20 year cycle in order to keep current with JAHCO and other national hospital standards. Or own VAMC (Zablocki VAMC) was constructed in 1969, which make it over 40 years old. There is only a certain amount of upgrading that can be done until the original structure begins to physically deteriorate to a point where replacement is the only viable alternative. We are fortunate to have the new SCI/D center in the beginning stages of construction at Zablocki VAMC. This is a small facet throughout the VA health care system and numerous other VAMC’s will be needed to be replaced in future years.

The Legislative/Advocacy Seminar was held in Washington D.C. from March 1st to March 5th this year. This is an important seminar in which the participants are presented with “point papers” on veterans’ issues, as well as advocacy issues that are germane to disabled veterans, as well as the gestalt population of disabled citizens of our nation. PVA is a forerunner in all aspects of disability issues and a salient member of a number of disability coalitions. The “point papers” were similar to those of last year and included in PVA’s President Gene Crayton’s testimony before the joint Congressional hearing of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. A number of issues were reiterated from last year’s “point papers”. These included elimination of co-payments for Category 4 veterans in the realm of healthcare, the revamping of funding for service-connected veterans who are receiving housing grants, automobile grants and other grants in order to stay even with the cost of living and inflation factors. President Crayton’s testimony to Congress may be found on the www.pva.org website and it is strongly recommended that all members of PVA, including members of our Chapter read through it. It demonstrates what the National staff and input from all Chapters put into the effort to get the point across to Congress what needs to be done in order that all veterans can live in dignity and have their needs be met in order to be an asset to society, rather than a burden.

Other veteran service organizations (VSOs) also presented their testimonies during this time (March 4th) and their testimonies were also directed toward timely and adequate health care for all veterans. Every year there are several “waves” of VSOs that have seminars in Washington or the surrounding area and make their congressional visits to their respective members of Congress in order to reinforce the issue of the importance of adequate health care and ancillary benefits due to our nation’s veterans.

If you served on active duty anytime between 1957 and 2001, you may qualify for higher Social Security payments because of your military service. Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings during those years can be credited to your record for Social Security purposes. Special earnings credits are granted for active duty or active duty training. For further information, check out the website http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm If you feel you may have a larger Social Security payment due, check with your National Service Officer (NSO) or your local Social Security office to assist you.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has been instrumental in setting up two more veteran outreach centers in Wisconsin. One will be located in Brown County and the other will be located in LaCrosse County. These centers are used to disseminate information to the veteran who is unaware of any federal or state benefits that he or she may be entitled to receive. This is a troublesome area of concern to recently discharged service members, as well as those who are nearing the end of their life cycle. There are a large number of veterans who are completely unaware of any rightfully earned benefits due to them and this is the focal point of establishing these veteran service centers.

State and Local – WDVA Secretary Ken Black has affirmed his presence at the May quarterly meeting of the Manitowoc County Allied Veterans’ Council. It should be a very interesting meeting. The Manitowoc County CVSO sent a notification of an “I Owe You” veterans’ fair to be held at Cleveland, WI. The fair will be held June 4th and June 5th at the Cleveland VA satellite clinic located 15 miles north of Sheboygan, WI. This fair will encompass a large rural geographical area.