Roughly 1.1 million veterans who hold government-administered life insurance policies will receive a share of $349 million in annual dividends this year from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The dividends come from the earnings of trust funds into which veterans have paid insurance premiums over the years and are linked to returns on investments in U.S. government securities. The amount of the dividend varies, depending on age and on the duration and type of coverage.

Veterans who are due refunds should receive them on the anniversary dates of their policies. Most are holders of the World War II-era National Service Life Insurance (V) policies. Holders of Veterans Reopened Insurance (J, JR, JS) policies, Veterans Special Life Insurance (RS, W) policies, and U.S. Government Life Insurance (K) policies will also receive dividends.

For more information, call (800) 669-8477 or visit www.insurance.va.gov.

Grants program expanded

For years, severely disabled veterans have been eligible to apply for one-time adaptive-housing grants, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, they can apply for as many as three such grants to make their homes easier to live in.

More than 16,000 veterans will soon receive letters from the VA notifying them of their eligibility for the expanded benefit.

Until last year, the VA received an average of 1,000 grant applications a year. Last year, the number more than quadrupled.

Since the program began in 1948, it has provided more than $650 million in grants to about 34,000 seriously disabled veterans. For eligibility requirements and other information, contact the VA at (800) 827-1000 or at www.homeloans.va.gov/sah.htm on the Web.

Mad-cow and blood

Due to outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy — commonly known as mad-cow disease — in Europe over the last 25 years, millions of veterans and service members who served in affected areas no longer meet the American Red Cross’s eligibility rules for donating blood.

Veterans and service members who spent a total of six months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas no longer qualify: from 1980 to 1990 in Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany; from 1980 to 1996 in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece; and from 1980 to 1996 if you visited or lived a total of five years anywhere in Europe.

For more information, read the American Red Cross’s Web donation eligibility guidelines, at www.redcross.org/services/biomed.

Report praises VA care

The health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs received a highly favorable review in an interim report by the Congressional Budget Office. The report credits organizational restructuring and management systems, performance measurement and information technology as contributing to VA’s success.

The interim report is featured on the CBO’s Web site at www.cbo.gov. Completed at the request of the chairmen of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, it reviews the quality of VA’s health care, examines VA’s achievements and looks at lessons learned from both its management initiatives and application of information technology.

From 1999 through 2007, enrollment in the VA health-care system, mandated by the Veterans’ Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, swelled to nearly 8 million veterans from just over 3 million. Consequently, the number of veteran patients treated each year increased to more than 5 million from 3.2 million.

VFW

Gatchell Post 306 and Auxiliary units will meet tonight at 7 in the post home, 171 Fountain St., Pawtucket. Bingos will be hosted this week at the Providence VA Medical Center at 830 Chalkstone Ave. in Providence, at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow by Euart Auxiliary 602, and at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday by Gatchell Auxiliary 306. At 1 p.m. Saturday, the Department will visit the Brockton VA Medical Center to host a bingo game and pass out goodie bags. The winners of the annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen writing competitions will be announced on Sunday at a 1 p.m. awards dinner at Kelley-Gazzerro Post 2812, 1418 Plainfield Pike, Cranston; call headquarters to reserve $16 tickets.

Iraq veterans’ support group

The support group for Iraq war veterans will meet tomorrow, from 7 to 9 p.m., at 500 Prospect St., Pawtucket. For more information, call Scotti DiDonato at (401) 725-6453.

Italian-American war vets

The Department’s monthly meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in conference room 1 of the Providence VA Medical Center.

DAV

The Department executive committee will meet Thursday at 7 p.m., in classroom 3 (fifth floor) at the Providence VA Medical Center.

American Legion

Armstrong-Gladding Post 69 and Auxiliary will sponsor a children and youth breakfast at 2 Salem St., Providence, on Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon.

George W. Reilly can be reached at VeteransColumn@verizon.net or by writing to The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, R.I. 02902.