Notes from the Adjutant's Desk

Remember that Veterans Day is coming up on November 11th. Be sure to fly your flag. 2025 is also the 80thAnniversary of the end of WWII and the 250th birthday of our military services.

If you did not receive your copy of the July Lincoln Legionnaire, please let us know. For some reason some of the mailing labels that were printed on the July papers were not correct. We have received many back that had the wrong States and Zip codes on them. Each returned paper costs the Post a dollar. That is above the cost of the postage we paid when we mailed the papers. Thus, we need to get this correct before the next paper copy goes out.

2026 Renewals: As we start the 2026 Legion Year, we currently stand at 614 members. Department Life Members currently are down to 44 members, with eight members who joined the Post Everlasting this past year. Over the past three years we have lost 11 Department Life members. 69 members have renewed, one for three years. Those who took advantage and renewed for three years should not have received a renewal notice. Those who are regular PUFL members should have received your 2026 membership cards that were mailed from the National Headquarters. If you have not received your 2026 membership card, please let us know.

To date, we have 3 new members. Two transfered in, and one transferred out. Department has now paid National dues for Nebraska Life Members. As of this date, the office has processed 317 renewals for the 2026 year.

For those who did not renew for 2025, as of January first, you were classified as expired. You will stop receiving The Legion magazine, and you could be denied entry into a Legion Club.  

Those who are in the Legion Insurance program, your coverage also ended as of the 31st of December 2024.  You must be a member in good standing to be covered. 

Military Service: We still are trying to update our membership roster as to branch or service and the war era that you served. National has been printing the data that is in the Legion database on back of renewal slips. Please check and add as needed so we can correct our database.  Thanks, it makes it so much easier to reach out to you if needed. 

VSO Web Sites to visit: Nebraska’s Department of Veterans Affairs, VFW, DAV, AMVETS web sites are a great place to find current and helpful information on what Congress is currently working on and how it could affect you as a veteran.  The VA website has many tips on filling claims and links to other VA services to which you are entitled.  The VFW, DAV, etc. do an excellent job of keeping track of Congressional activities that can or will affect veterans.  

The Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs and your local County Service Office are here to serve you.  They can pull up your records of military service and help track your claims you may have filed. If you have not visited with your service officer, now would a great time to stop and visit with him/her. The 2025 Nebraska Legislature may have passed legislation that may have affected you and your benefits.

Membership: We need to talk with our younger troops that have served since the Gulf War. They will become the backbone of our VSOs in a few years. Without these younger veterans we will no longer have a strong voice in Congress.  Without a strong voice in Congress, we will keep losing funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA Health Care System. If you are a member of this group of veterans or know a veteran from these conflicts, please ask them if they are a member of a veteran service organization and if not, ask them to please join.  They may not be using VA service now, and may wish to in the future, they may find that VA services have been cut back due to a lack of a strong voice in Congress.

We thank you all for your Service and for being a member of The American Legion and Post 3.

Ed Schnabel 

Adjutant

The Lincoln COBC is now giving walk in Flu Shots.  The walk-in clinic is located near the pharmacy department.  

One of the most asked questions I am asked, “Where is the Finance Office?”  Sorry to say, the Lincoln CBOC does not have a finance office on site.  If you have a billing question, you will have to call the number that is listed on the Co-Pay notice you might have received.

The food drive to collect food items for our homeless veterans in the Lincoln area is still ongoing.  Items requested are shelf ready, power bars, and easy to  open items.  Please do not bring in food items that are past their expiration date.  They will be thrown away.  Other items that our Homeless Veterans could use are hygiene care items.  They should be the small size that would fit easily into a backpack.

As the weather changes from fall to winter, these homeless veterans could use warm clothing, hats, gloves, underwear, etc.  Volunteer Services has a list of the most requested items.  In Lincoln, they can be reached by calling 402-486-7938 or texting Ty.Andrews@va.gov.

Currently there are no mask requirements at VA clinics and hospitals.  Masks are available for those who wish to wear them at the front doors of the clinics.

Express Care is available to those who might wish to see a VA nurse without an appointment during normal hours.  Times might be different at your local clinic, so give them a call and see if they offer Express Care. The Lincoln Clinic treats 300 a month as walk-ins.

Want to serve your fellow Veterans? The VA can use more volunteers at your local clinic or hospital. You would volunteer to help veterans in the clinic, hospital, or a veteran’s home.  Hours given by the volunteers are credited with saving the VA Health at Omaha, Lincoln, and GI an equivalent of 25 full-time staff employees. This is based on an hour of service being credited at the rate of $31.50 dollars per hour.

Clinics, hospitals or veterans homes can always use a monetary donation, or you can donate activities bags for younger kids to have when they come to the clinic or hospital with a parent for their appointments. There is always a need for the younger kids who come with parents or grandparents when they are too young to be left at home alone. 

Clinics and hospitals can always use books, magazines, etc. for patients. You would need to check with your local hospital, clinic, or veteran’s home volunteer office to see what items they need or allow. This would be a great project for your church, school, or youth group.

Service animals: The only animals that should be brought into a VA Health clinic or hospital are trained service animals that quality under DAV requirements. Other pets or comfort dogs do not qualify and should be left at home.

With the signing of the PAC act, more veterans have become eligible for services, not only for those who served “boots on the ground”, but anyone who has served since the Gulf War.  If you have any questions, call your local service officer, VSO, county, or state. It only takes a few minutes to see if you might qualify for an increase, or a new VA disability rating.

The Veteran Affairs web site is a great place to visit. You can find out the latest information affecting Veterans. You can track claim status, file for travel pay, view your VA account, payments received, or Co-Pay owed.  You can make the Co-Pay payments online. 

Thanks for your service to your fellow Veterans and thanks for your service to this great country.

Ed Schnabel

American Legion Representative for the Lincoln CBOC