May 5th, 2011 / Author: Monica
Conference to Address the Legal Needs of Veterans, Retirees, Active Duty and Their Families
Program features topics on child support, military financial responsibilities to families, domestic violence, divorce, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant issues, mental health, consumer affairs and more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EL PASO, TX, April 25, 2011 – The El Paso Lawyers for Patriots (EPLP) is proud to announce the much anticipated conference aimed to prepare legal professionals to better address the legal needs of the military community. Though designed for lawyers, experts will feature highly beneficial information that may be used as a tool for presidents and leaders of military organizations such as spouse clubs and veterans groups, who pass along information to members. The seminar will take place May 20-21, 2011 and is presented by the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, El Paso Lawyers for Patriots, Army OneSource, State Bar of Texas and the El Paso Bar Association, Military Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, El Paso Family Law Bar Association and the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office.
The two-day conference offers a broad range of topics to be addressed by leading experts in military legal affairs. Topics include but are not limited to: The Initial Military Client Interview, Jurisdiction & Service of Process, Special Appearance, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), AR 608-99, Military Financial Responsibilities to Families, Child Support Review, Reducing Support When Activated or Incarcerated, Enforcement of Child Support & UIFSA, Military Retirement Issues (USFSPA): The Law; Calculating, Drafting, Application, Clarification and Enforcement, When Conservators Are Deployed: Changes in duties, responsibilities, conservatorship, possession and access when conservators are in war zones, Domestic Violence-Military and Civilian Responses, Pro Se Divorce, Probate, Bankruptcy, Landlord/Tenant, Consumer Affairs and more. On Saturday, a special presentation during lunch will feature Resources Available to Serve Veterans, Servicemembers and Their Families. A second track on Saturday is dedicated exclusively to Veterans Affairs. Read more...
April 29th, 2011 / Author: Brandy Woodley
“Members can submit insurance claims on their smartphone, online, or by phone”
USAA is assisting members who have been affected by the recent outbreak of severe storms that have impacted several Southern states. Members can report claims by using USAA’s Mobile App on their Android™ or iPhone® smartphones, online at usaa.com, or by calling 1-800-531-USAA (8722). USAA already has employees on the ground assisting members in these states, but will be setting up an onsite claims filing location this week in Huntsville, Ala. The address for the onsite claims filing location will be posted on USAA’s website at www.usaa.com/help. USAA, a leading insurance provider to the military community, offers the following tips to those affected by the storms:
Make Temporary Repairs
• Take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage — for example, by covering a hole in your roof with plastic sheeting.
• Photograph debris or destroyed items before having them removed or repaired.
• Save receipts for what you spend, and submit them to your USAA adjuster for reimbursement consideration.
• Beware of contractors who ask for a large amount of money upfront and contractors whose bids are very low. They might cut corners and leave you with problems after they’re gone.
• Don’t make permanent repairs until a claims adjuster has assessed the damage.
If You Need to Relocate, Keep Your Receipts
Keep records of all additional expenses. Homeowner’s insurance policies generally provide coverage for additional living expenses if your home is damaged by a covered disaster. Review your policy coverage under My Documents at usaa.com to see the extent of this kind of coverage and how long it will last. Additionally, it’s important to review and update your contact information on usaa.com, especially if you have temporary contact information. Read more...
February 28th, 2011 / Author: Brandy Woodley
ALEXANDRIA, VA February 28, 2011— The National Military Family Association is excited to announce the states that will have 2011 Operation Purple summer camps. This free summer camp program was developed by the Association to support military children dealing with the stress of war. The eighth summer of Operation Purple camps will host children for 40 weeks of camp in 25 states as well as in Japan.
States: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia
Overseas: Japan
Information about the camp program and eligibility is available online at www.militaryfamily.org/op. Specific camp locations, dates, and contact information will be available when registration opens on March 31, 2011. Until then, interested families can sign up to receive email noticesand announcements on the website.
Camps are free to all participants thanks to support from Goldman Sachs Gives, the Sierra Club, and the Sierra Club Foundation.
About the National Military Family Association
Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation’s leaders. To learn more, visit www.MilitaryFamily.org. Read more...
February 25th, 2011 / Author: Monica
This content is provided courtesy of USAA.
Here are the top questions and answers from a USAA webinar featuring June Walbert, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner with USAA Financial Planning Services.
I have several credit cards that are paid off. Will it help or hurt my credit score to close them?
It depends on how much debt you are carrying on all your credit cards combined. Each credit card provides a line of credit to offset any debt carried on the others. By closing one, you reduce the total line of credit to help your overall ratio of credit used, to credit available to use. Ensure that your total credit card debt does not exceed 35% of your total credit available. For example, if you have $10,000 in credit available make sure you owe $3,500 or less.
The ideal would be to pay off all of your debt and then keep two or three major credit cards including one that shows the longest credit history. Make a list of all other cards you want to close. Keeping that debt-to-credit limit ratio in mind, close them in order of newest to oldest, at a rate of one to two per year, and never within six months of a major purchase like a car or home. Obtain a free credit report once a year at annualcreditreport.com.
While in the process of closing your credit card accounts, use any non-merchant cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express, to make one purchase each month and then pay the balances off in full. This will keep the cards active and good payment histories accumulating on your credit report. Payment history accounts for a whopping 35% of your credit score. Read more...
February 21st, 2011 / Author: Brandy Woodley
J.D. Power® recognizes USAA for long-term customer satisfaction results
and names USAA as a 2011 Customer Service Champion
USAA earned two significant customer service honors this week at the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Roundtable in Las Vegas.
10 Years of High Levels of Service
J.D. Power presented USAA with an exclusive recognition honoring “10 years of consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.” According to J.D. Power President Finbarr O’Neill, the recognition is meant for organizations that consistently deliver on the promises they make to their customers.
“When we look across the many syndicated studies we conduct based on the voice of the customer, there are certain brands that stand out, year after year,” commented O’Neill. “USAA has been one of the top performers in our studies for the past 10 years. This performance makes it clear that this is a company that truly embraces the concept of continuous improvement in customer satisfaction.”
“This honor means a lot to USAA because it recognizes our legendary commitment to serving our members,” said Wayne Peacock, executive vice president of member experience at USAA. “It was earned by our 22,000 employees who consistently act with passion to serve the military community and their families in an exceptional manner.”
2011 Customer Service Champions
In addition, J.D. Power today announced its 2011 Customer Service Champions, naming USAA as one of 40 companies earning this distinction. To qualify for inclusion on this elite list, companies must excel within their own industries, and stand out among leading brands in 20 major industries evaluated by J.D. Power. USAA was the only company noted for standing out in all five key customer “touch points” measured – people, presentation, process, product and price. Read more...
February 10th, 2011 / Author: Brandy Woodley
Military Saves Week is quickly approaching. Are you ready to make the most of your money? Here are a few tips from USAA’s Certified Financial Planner, Joseph Montanaro.
The 2011 Military Saves Campaign kicks off with Military Saves Week Feb. 20-27. Normally, I’m not big on keeping up with the Joneses or jumping on bandwagons; but in this case, it’s a no-brainer. Here’s why:
You won’t miss it and even a little adds up. The Thrift Savings Plan is a great way to systematically set aside money for retirement. Just start with 1 percent of your pay and bump it up with every pay raise and promotion-you’re on the way to what could be hundreds of thousands of reasons to save. Are you in the savings game? If not, visit your personnel office and sign up now. If you are, visit myPay and kick off Military Saves Week by increasing your contribution.
Stress relief. If you’ve ever lived with a big “debt cloud” hanging over your head, you would know what I mean by stress. Can you wipe out this problem overnight? Probably not, however having a plan to get your financial house in order — one that doesn’t involve burying your head in the sand — will start to give you control and allow you to shed the stress.
Curve balls. Even $25 per paycheck going into your new savings account will begin to prepare you for Murphy’s arrival on your doorstep. And if you’re fortunate enough to avoid life’s surprises for a bit, you’ll have a full-blown emergency fund.
To live your dreams. Whether it’s a family vacation or that new set of wheels, most dreams come with a price tag — sometimes, a hefty price tag. Visualize that dream as you set up your new savings program. Read more...
February 5th, 2011 / Author: Monica
The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy), Robert L. Gordon III, wants spouse to visit the discussion board and tell your stories about transferring occupational or professional licenses. How long did it take? What barriers did you encounter? What delayed the process? Tell us what needs to change. We want to know what you think would shorten and simplify the process. Have a success story to brag about? We want to hear that, too!
Those most affected by stringent licensing procedures are usually in the following career fields: counseling, accounting , health care and education. The process can be frustrating, expensive and very, very time-consuming.
The original posting is located here >>> www.DoDLive.com Topic: Military Spouses State Licensing Process and Your Career
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Let us know about your business by completing the form for Milspouse Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. Click here
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