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We Make Every Day Veterans Day AARP - RHODE ISLAND
by C AT H E R I N E TAY LO R
AARP has a long history of proud service to veterans, active military and their families, and we work hard every day to strengthen our outreach and support. There are nearly six million AARP members who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military, making AARP the country’s largest veterans support organization. According to the latest figures, Rhode Island is home to 70,621 veterans, active military and their families. Some 78% of those who served are 50 and older and within that demographic, 68% are 65 or older. When it comes to health and well-being, 14% of all Rhode Island veterans of all ages have a service-related disability and 27% have used the Veteran’s Administration for healthcare. Rhode Island veterans are diverse in many ways: 29% have a bachelor’s degree with 3% enrolled in college; 6% are women; median income is close to $66,000 and veterans own thousands of thriving Rhode Island businesses. And yet, many struggle. In 2018, AARP launched an initiative to improve veterans’ overall health and well-being as they navigate life’s transitions. Our mission is to empower veterans by focusing on key issues, forming supportive collaborations, and providing programming in the areas of Caregiving, Fighting Fraud, Work & Jobs and Connecting to Earned Service Benefits. AARP Rhode Island hosted a free Veterans Resources Tele-Town Hall on Thursday, November 10 at 10 a.m. Our guest, Kasim Yarn, Director of the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services, covered a wide-ranging discussion of available services with answers to specific questions about benefits and resources. You may watch the recording at www.aarp.org/RIReplays. Meanwhile, I want to direct veterans and their families to the AARP Veterans Resource Center at www.aarp.org/veterans. Here you will find news and formation, and you can download our Health Benefits Navigator: A Tool to Help Veterans and Their Families Find and Obtain Service-Related Health Benefits. While there, you can subscribe to the AARP Veteran Report, a free newsletter that salutes your service and celebrates the contributions of military families to our country and our communities. It provides practical help and relevant information. Inspiring stories and news you can use arrive in your inbox twice per month. Finally, I would like to call you attention the AARP Veterans Fraud Center (www.aarp.org/ vetsfraudcenter), an online education and resource site to help protect veterans, service members and their families against fraud. The statistics are startling. According to an AARP survey, one in three military/veteran adults have lost money to scams that relentlessly target the military. Veterans, active-duty service members and their families are 40% more likely to lose money to scams and fraud than the civilian population. These individuals lost more than $267 million in 2021, up from $102 million in 2020 (a 162% increase), according to the Federal Trade Commission. About one-third to half of those surveyed have encountered these top scams: •
Phony benefit buyouts: Turning over U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pension and/or disability benefits for a supposed lump-sum payment that never materializes (47%).
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Fraudulent records scam: Paying for updated personal military records (32%).
• Fake charitable giving requests: Donating to non-existent veteran charities (32%). The AARP Veterans Fraud Center’s free resources include the new AARP Watchdog Alert Handbook: Veterans’ Edition, highlighting tips to detect the most common ways con artists target veterans and military families, and Operation Protect Veterans, a joint program of the AARP Fraud Watch Network and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. On Friday, November 11, we observed Veterans Day, but at AARP every day is time to honor and serve our veterans and military community. Thank you for your service!
More Fraud-Fighting Resources Nearly 42 million Americans were victims of identity fraud in 2021, costing consumers $52 billion in total losses. AARP Rhode Island helps fight fraud and identity theft in many ways, including by supporting free shredding events. It’s always wise to safely and properly dispose of paperwork that includes any personal information. There are two no-contact community events on our November calendar – no businesses, please. • •
East Providence Senior Center, 610 Waterman Avenue, East Providence, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, November 19.
Cumberland City Hall, 1464 Diamond Hill Rd., Cumberland, 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, November 19. But wait, there’s more: Join AARP Rhode Island’s free Holiday Fraud Prevention Tele-Town Hall with Attorney General Peter Neronha, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 1. Register at www.aarp.org/RIEVents. Remember, if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam. Stay one step ahead of scammers of all sorts by signing up for free AARP Fraud Watch Alerts at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.