1.      VA Will Release RFPs For $12 Billion In IT Outsourcing. InformationWeek (7/23, Hoover) reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs "will ramp up a $12 billion set of IT contracts on Monday, when it will release the request for proposals for the sweeping Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program, or T4. The effort will include up to $7 billion in spending on IT at the VA over the next five years, and up to $5 billion set aside to provide services" to other agencies that need to meet government requirements for contracting work out to small businesses. In a speech Tuesday to a conference on veteran-owned small businesses, VA Secretary Shinseki said that the agency has received expressions of interest from hundreds of IT vendors, has consulted directly with about 240 and drew 320 to a pre-solicitation conference last month.
     A Washington Technology (7/23, Lipowicz, 40K) blog adds that at least seven of the 15 prime contracts to be awarded by VA's T4 procurement "will be awarded to veteran-owned small businesses, Secretary Eric Shinseki announced. Four of the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4) prime contracts will go to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, while three will go to veteran-owned small businesses, a department news release said." Shinseki estimated that T$ will bring veteran-owned small businesses contracts worth between $800 million to $1 billion.

 

2.      Texas Will Build Veterans Cemetery In Corpus Christi. KIII-TV Corpus Christi, Texas (7/23, De La Rosa) reports the groundbreaking for a state veterans cemetery in the northwestern part of Corpus Christi. The cemetery, which local veterans had sought since the late 1990's, received nearly $8.5 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs and is expected to be completed in about two years.
     The website for KRIS-TV Corpus Christi (7/23, Martinez) adds that Texas presently has three veterans cemeteries. KZTV-TVCorpus Christi (7/23, Miles, 11:26 p.m. EDT) also covers the groundbreaking.

 

3.      Veteran Services Brings Nearly $30 Million To One Pennsylvania County. WKBN-TV Youngstown, Ohio (7/23, Poulton) reports that the director of the Mercer County, Pennsylvania Veterans Affairs Office, says that last year veterans there "benefited from nearly $30 million in expenditures that were made by the US Department of Veteran Affairs." Of that total $15.2 million was for medical care and $13.1 million was for direct compensation and pensions.

 

4.      Minnesota Community Works To Get Veterans Cemetery. The Marshall (MN) News Record (7/24, Adamek) reports that the commissioners of Fillmore County hope to win a state veterans cemetery for Preston, and recently traveled to observe the operations of a veterans cemetery in Little Falls.

 

5.      Ohio Delegation Urges VA To Establish Consolidated Archive In Dayton. The Dayton Daily News (7/23, Nolan, 115K) reports, "Ohio's congressional delegation is urging the US Department of Veterans Affairs to locate a consolidated archive of the department's records in Dayton." A joint news release from the state's Senators Sherrod Brown (D) and George Voinovich (R) and OH3 Rep. Mike Turner (R) said that the archive would be located in two buildings at the Dayton VAMC, if the city is chosen. The article adds that Minneapolis is also reportedly being considered if a consolidated archive is approved. WHIO-TVDayton (7/24, 6:35 a.m. ET) also reports the story.

 

6.      Senate Panel Will Probe Arlington Cemetery; McCaskill Says VA Shows Task Is Manageable. KRCG-TVColumbia, Missouri (7/23, 7:02 p.m. ET) reports that Sen. Claire McCaskill will hold hearings next week in her subcommittee on contract oversight to probe the "record-keeping disaster at Arlington National Cemetery." She "says that the Veterans Administration has demonstrated that millions of gravesites can be located with a little digital know-how, and there is nothing wrong at Arlington that expertise and software can't fix."

 

7.      Man Accused Of Collecting Mother's VA Benefits For Years After Her Death. The Sioux City Journal (7/24, Montag) reports that a Sioux City man "has been charged in court documents with felony theft for allegedly illegally collecting approximately $90,000 in federal assistance." Charles Meyers, 61, is of collecting nearly six year's worth of his mother's benefits from the Veterans Administration after she died in 2003.

 

8.      Air Force Says Agent Orange Was Never Stored At Texas Air Base. The San Antonio Express-News (7/22, Cantú, 210K) reports that Vietnam-era herbicide Agent Orange "was never stored at the former Kelly Air Force Base, local US Air Force officials said." At a July 13 meeting of area residents advising on cleaning up the site of the former base, now an industrial park, the question was raised as to whether the chemical had ever been stored there.

 

9.      New Mexico Holds Conference For Women Veterans. KRQE-TV Albuquerque (7/23) reports on its website that the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services "is presenting the Four Corners Women Veterans' Conference in Farmington on July 23 which focuses on issues affecting women military veterans." Topics that will be covered at the conference include post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma. Representatives from the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque will also be there to discuss available veterans' medical benefits and services, and Dr. Betty Moseley-Brown, associate director of the VA's Center for Women Veterans, was also scheduled to speak.

 

10.    Paper: "It's About Time" For VA Registry To Track Hexavalent Chromium Exposure In Iraq. In continuing coverage, The Oregonian (7/23, Francis, 276K) "Oregon At War" blog, on the same day that newspaper reported the VA's decision to establish a registry of US soldiers exposed to hexavalent chromium at Qarmat Ali, Iraq, is 2003, calls the exposure "frankly, scandalous," adding that "It's about time."

 

11.    VA Hospital Offering Help To Vets In Need Of Employment. The website of KGPE-TV Fresno, California (7/23, Arboleda) said that some veterans are finding "themselves in a fight for a paycheck." The "biggest resource in the Valley for vets" is the Veterans Affairs hospital "in Fresno, a place where returning and past veterans can find help with healthcare and disability benefits, education programs, job training and counseling. Having a place to go for help is good but getting vets to ask for help is the difficult part," a point stressed by "VA Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist Violet Green," who said, "It takes the courage of a warrior to ask for help."

 

12.    Disabled Iraqi Veteran Needs VA Action To Claim Habitat For Humanity Home. WCBS-TVNew York (7/23, Cole, 6:14 p.m. ET) reports that "It's been a long 13-year battle, and now a disabled Iraqi vet on the brink of getting a new home for his family of five can't move in because of bureaucratic red tape." Len Cottrell Jr. served in Korea and Bosnia and did three tours in Iraq before suffering a disabling brain injury. Waiting to move into a completed Habitat for Humanity home for a disabled veteran, he's trying to get through a "mountain of paperwork and a bureaucratic nightmare to get right pay grade so he can pay the mortgage and call this place home." He says he has been trying for nine months to get an increase in his disability payment. The Department of Veterans Affairs said that "we are looking into the issues raised in this story and will pursue it further."

 

13.    Undocumented Military Award Claims Could Lead To Public Safety Director's Ouster. The Marietta (GA) Daily Journal (7/24, Camp) reports that public safety director Mickey Lloyd is under fire for having claimed several military decorations for which documentation has not been found, and the county manager has given him until Wednesday to either document the awards or face termination. A Vietnam-era Navy veteran, Lloyd reportedly filed two separate military discharge documents in his personnel file; the most recently filed version lists the Silver Star, two Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and other awards not included on the version Lloyd originally submitted.

 

14.    Maine Commemorates Korean War Cease-Fire. The Bangor (ME) Daily News (7/23, Saucier, 53K) reports that a July 27 ceremony will be held at the Maine Korean War Memorial in the city marking the anniversary of the cease-fire that halted the Korean War in 1953.

 

15.    Schoomaker Says For Mental Health, Troops Need At Least Two Years' "Dwell Time." The Watertown (NY) Daily Times.com (7/23, Heller) reports, "Soldiers need at least two years at home, if not more, between deployments to maintain their basic mental health, the Army's top medical commander said Thursday. Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, commander of the Army Medical Command, said Army studies suggest that adequate 'dwell time' is even more critical to mental health than the military may have realized, and that shortened time at home is contributing to post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems that have grown during a decade of warfare." The account notes that Army officials "still are working to achieve a two-year dwell time across the Army sometime next year."

 

16.    Higher Incidence Of Mental Health Cases Shows Greater Stress, Resources. WVNS-TV Lewisburg, West Virginia (7/23, Smith) turns to a mental health specialist at the Beckley VAMC to explain reports that mental health problems are causing rising numbers of military discharges. Andrew Caldwell, a Vietnam veteran himself, "points to several issues including a new interest in mental health that didn't exist in the past, a different atmosphere in Iraq and Afghanistan, and multiple re-deployments." Further, mental health resources have increased (the Beckley VAMC has almost 40 mental health providers) and expanded into areas closer to veterans' homes.

 

17.    Call From Albany VA Send Police To Possibly Suicidal Upstate Man. WWNY-TVWatertown, New York (7/23, 11:03 p.m. ET) reports that there was "a peaceful ending to a three-hour standoff in Massena," which followed a morning call to local police from a Veterans Administration clinic in Albany about a suicidal man, possibly armed with a rifle." After the man was talked out of his apartment and taken for psychiatric evaluation, police reported finding several weapons in his apartment.

 

18.    VA Eases Rules On Medical Marijuana Use. The New York Times (7/23, Frosch, 1.09M) reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs "will formally allow patients treated at its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal, a policy clarification that veterans have sought for several years. A department directive, expected to take effect next week, resolves the conflict in veterans facilities between federal law, which outlaws marijuana, and the 14 states that allow medicinal use of the drug, effectively deferring to the states." Although VA physicians will not be permitted to prescribe marijuana, the policy will no longer mean automatic denial of pain medications to veterans using medical marijuana in states where it is legal.
     WNBC-TVNew York (7/23, 11:15 p.m. ET) and an LA Weekly (7/23, Romero, 174K) blog also note the policy change.

 

19.    Station For VA Hospital Suggested For Newly-Approved San Diego Trolley Line. The San Diego Union-Tribune (7/23, Hawkins, 278K) reports that the board of directors for the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional planning group, has "selected the route for a $1.2 billion extension of the San Diego Trolley north from Old Town to the UCSD campus and University Town Centre." While the approved route won a unanimous vote over two alternative proposals, several speakers "speakers encouraged trolley planners to look closely at adding a stop at the Veterans Hospital near the UCSD Campus," which is about a block away from the selected route; officials noted that adding a station there would cost $5 million.

 

20.    VA Dedicates Clinic In Riverside, California. KGTV-TV San Diego (7/23) reports that a dedication "was held Friday in Oceanside for a new Veterans Affairs clinic that will serve as a solution for more than 80,000 military veterans."

 

20.    Tuscaloosa VAMC Now Has Its Own Service Dog, Eyes Wider Program. The Tuscaloosa News (7/2, Avant) reports that the Tuscaloosa VAMC now has its "first resident therapy dog," that "will live at the VA's community living center and belong to its residents." The VAMC's director hopes to create "a companion dog program specifically for young veterans who are returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan," and the center "is in the process of applying for grants to pay for the companion dog program."

 

22.    Charleston VAMC Gets State-Of-Art Imaging System. WCIV-TV Charleston, South Carolina (7/23, McLean) reports that the Ralph A. Johnson VA Medical Center "has added a $1.8 million dollar state-of-the-art PET/CT imaging system," the first of its kind at the facility and one of the few in the area.

 

23.    Baltimore VAMC's Cancer Center Wins Re-Accreditation. Via a PR Web (7/23) release, the VA Maryland Healthcare System announces that the Baltimore VA Center "has been re-accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer."

 

24.    Letter Writers Respond To LATimes Editorial Faulting VA Efforts On Homelessness. One letter to the Los Angeles Times (7/23, 776K) disputes a recent editorial in the paper challenging VA Secretary Shinseki to do more on veterans' homelessness, while another calls for "a comprehensive plan." Los Angeles County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky writes that the Times editorial "was wrong on two fronts. First, after years of unsuccessful appeals to the Bush administration to fund the rehabilitation of three underutilized buildings at the VA, Shinseki used his executive authority to move $20 million to rehab one of the buildings, committed to funding the seismic rehab of the other two and provided a path to fund the balance of the refurbishment next year." In addition, the letter writer faults the editorial's "implied criticism of federal legislation that prevents the lease of VA property to the private sector," since it aims prevent privatization, thus preserving the property for veterans. The heads of two social agencies write to call for a broad-scale plan and "a stronger sense of urgency," noting that nearly a quarter of veterans in transitional housing "will need permanent supportive housing, and others will require a housing subsidy."

 

25.    PTSD Procedure Changes Are Welcomed. The Bedford (NH) Journal (7/23) welcomes the recently-announced change in VA procedures for PTSD claims, saying that "some false claims have undoubtedly been filed, but when it comes to our veterans, we -- as a nation -- should err on the side of belief. If we deny one legitimate claim because we fear 10 false claims, that is wrong."

 

26.    Weekend Of Commemorations In Washington Set For Kin Of Iraq, Afghan War Dead Set. The AP (7/23, Cyr) reported that about 2,000 families of military members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan "are expected to join a Weekend of Remembrance activities in Washington. Organizers say the Friday and Saturday events will be the nation's largest gathering of families of fallen military members. The group Families United is hosting the event for the second year."

 

27.    Haley VAMC Teams With Homeless Center For Stand Down Event. The West Pasco (FL) Suncoast News (7/24, Lowry) reports that the St. Jude's Homeless Veterans Resource Center, along with James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program, will host the second annual 2010 Stand Down and Homeless Health Fair." The account notes that over a fifth of Pasco County's 4,500 homeless persons are veterans.

 

28.    Missing Dementia Patient Returns Safely To VA Hospital. The SF Weekly (7/23, Eskenazi) reports, "Anthony Gardenal, a 73-year-old dementia patient who loudly stormed out of his assisted care facility on Saturday, has turned up safe, SF Weekly has learned. Social workers at the VA Medical center in the city's northwest corner phoned the Araville Residential Care Home today and informed him that Gardenal has turned up at the hospital. His whereabouts for the past week are not known." A caregiver at the hospital says that Gardenal had only lived there for around two months, and was "always yelling and shouting."

 

29.    Plans For Veterans Court Advancing In Youngstown, Ohio. WFMJ-TV Youngstown, Ohio (7/23) reports that the effort to establish a veterans court in Youngstown "is moving forward and could be operating by the end of the year. Judge Robert Milich is spear heading the effort to create a specialized court docket to assist veterans who enter the criminal justice system." A VA spokeswoman in Cleveland is quoted as saying that, if successful, the Youngstown effort "really could be a model for the rest of the state."

 

30.    Grass Fire Ignites Near National Vietnam War Museum. The Mineral Wells (TX) Index (7/23, Cluett, 3K) reports that sparks from a welder working on a new maintenance shed at the National Vietnam War Museum ignited a grass fire, which consumed adjoining pastureland but did not damage the museum.

 

31.    Soldier, Veterans' Advocate Given Full Military Burial. The Cherokee (GA) Tribune (7/23, 5K) notes the funeral of Jack Perry Harrison, who was "known statewide for his volunteer work on behalf of veterans and their families." The Vietnam veteran, after retiring from the contracting firm he founded, became a full-time advocate for veterans and is estimated to have assisted veterans with over 4,000 claims.

 

32.    Florida Foundation Gets $50K Grant For Veterans Memorial. The Orlando Business Journal (7/23) reports that the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park Foundation Inc. "has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation Inc. in Winter Park for its fundraising drive for a Veterans Memorial Park. The park will be located beside the new Orlando VA Medical Center."

 

33.    Defense Employees, Contractors Snared In Child Porn Probe. The CBS Evening News(7/23, story 9, 0:35, Couric, 6.1M) reported that, "Documents released today showed dozens of Defense Department employees and private contractors were caught with pornographic pictures of children on their computers. Some had top-level security clearance. Officials say that put them and their agencies at risk of being blackmailed."