1.      Lawmakers Urge Shinseki To Reconsider Roanoke VA Office Renovations. The Augusta Free (VA) Press (7/30) notes that on Thursday, US Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both Democrats from Virginia, "sent a letter requesting Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and General Services Administrator Martha Johnson re-evaluate plans to renovate the Roanoke Veterans Affairs Regional Office. The renovations, as currently planned, would likely exacerbate the VARO's high backlog rate without solving some of its major infrastructure needs, the senators are saying." The lawmakers "suggested that rather than spending over $50 million to refurbish the Poff Building, the VA could construct a new facility that meets federal environmental efficiency standards, addresses Roanoke's current infrastructure needs, allows claims processing staff to continue working without disruption during construction, and improves convenience for veterans."
     The WSLS-TV Roanoke, VA (7/29) website said US Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) is "getting some help from Virginia's Senators, in his fight to stop a planned $51 million renovation of the Poff Federal Building in Downtown Roanoke." After taking note of the letter to Shinseki from Warner and Webb, WSLS pointed out that VA "has told Rep. Goodlatte that it may have to move the Roanoke VA office to four separate locations."

2.      Shinseki: VA Improving Care For Women Vets. In continuing coverage, the American Forces Press Service (7/30, Carden) reports, "Women in today's military serve closer to the front lines of combat than ever before, and as they become veterans the Veterans Affairs Department will be ready to handle their care, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said" on Wednesday. Shinseki, who made his comments during a "forum on women veterans at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial" in Arlington, Virginia, "underscored the need to improve care for women veterans, citing their military contributions and the complexity of issues women may return with from battle." The Secretary, who "explained that VA experienced a 20 percent spike in women using the department's health care system in 2009," went on to note some improvements VA has already made in caring for such veterans, including placing full-time women veterans' program managers at each of the agency's 144 hospitals.

3.      VA Grant To Fund Veterans Cemetery Improvements. According to the Reno (NV) Gazette-Journal (7/29), a "$499,900 Department of Veterans Affairs grant" will allow the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery to "provide burial sites for veterans for an estimated 10 years." After noting that the "grant funds will be used to construct full casketed gravesites, cremains burial areas, additional visitor parking, landscaping, irrigation, and supporting infrastructure," the Gazette-Journal says in a press release, US Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) thanked VA Secretary Eric Shinseki for awarding the funds.

4.      Florida VA Director Killed In Bike Accident. The AP (7/30) reports, "Retired Adm. LeRoy Collins Jr., a former US Senate candidate and current director of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, was killed Thursday morning when he was hit by an SUV while riding his bicycle, police said." After noting that Collins was 75, the AP quotes Steve Murray, a "Collins friend and communications director" for the Florida VA, who said his agency is "deeply saddened." The St. Petersburg (FL) Times (7/30, Danielson, Velde, Silva)
     According to the Jacksonville (FL) Observer (7/30, Florida), Florida Gov. Charlie Crist "announced Collins' death during a Cabinet meeting," calling it a "tremendous loss." Crist "later requested that all flags at the Capitol, Veterans Affairs buildings, and all state buildings, courthouses and city halls in Hillsborough County be lowered to half-staff." The St. Petersburg (FL) Times (7/30, Danielson, Velde, Silva) publishes a similar story.

5.      Cemetery, Wyoming Vets Commission To Host Memorial Service. The Casper (WY) Tribune (7/29) noted that on Friday, the "Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville will host a memorial service," as "part of a statewide effort to help bring closure to families who've lost veterans." The service, which "will be conducted in...partnership with the Wyoming Veterans Commission," is the "second such ceremony around the state to be held on the last working day of the month."

6.      Senators Grill Arlington National Cemetery's Former Leaders. NBC Nightly News(7/29, story 2, 0:50, Miklaszewski) broadcast that on Thursday, the US Army "came under fire" for problems uncovered at Arlington National Cemetery. NBC continued, "Angry Senators," including Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill, "grilled the cemetery's former leadership, demanding to know how more than 200 graves could have been mismarked or have no headstones at all." After noting that McCaskill "said the actual number could be as high as 6,600," NBC said former cemetery "superintendent John Metzler accepted responsibility," while his former deputy, Thurman Higginbotham, "refused to even answer most questions, invoking the 5th amendment."
     The CBS Evening News(7/29, story 4, 1:35, Couric) broadcast that during his appearance before senators, Metzler "said he only discovered" Arlington's problems recently, a statement that was angrily disputed by McCaskill, who "calls this a case of heartbreaking incompetence." CBS added, however, that the "new team in charge...of Arlington says eventually all the discrepancies will be corrected."
     McCaskill Calls For Section-By-Section Investigation Of Cemetery. ABC World News(7/29, story 6, 0:40, Sawyer) broadcast that McCaskill is "calling for a section-by-section investigation of Arlington," which would involve "300,000 grave sites." A brief report on Thursday's Senate activity was also aired by CNN's The Situation Room (7/29, 6:47 p.m. ET). The Los Angeles Times (7/30, Love), meanwhile, notes that Thursday's hearing was conducted by the "Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee," which is chaired by McCaskill. The Chicago Tribune (7/30) runs the same story.
     Former Deputy Superintendent Refuses To Answer Questions About Contracts. The Washington Post (7/30, Davenport, Davis) reports, "Invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination," Higginbotham during his testimony before a "heated Senate subcommittee" hearing, Higginbotham "refused Thursday to answer...questions about his role in approving millions of dollars' worth of botched contracts" at Arlington.
     The AP (7/30, Flaherty), meanwhile, says, "While Army officials have described Metzler as an ineffective manager who turned a blind eye" to Arlington's problems, "investigators accuse Higginbotham of botching contracts and creating an 'unhealthy organizational climate' for employees."
     Gibbs: Extent Of Problems At Arlington Is "Completely Unacceptable." AFP (7/30) reports, "US military authorities lost track or mishandled remains at thousands of gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery, where many national heroes are buried, a Senate report revealed Thursday." In response to the report, released at Thursday's Senate hearing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs "said that the latest figures were 'shocking' and 'completely unacceptable,'" although he "added that Army Secretary John McHugh 'has made correct personnel changes.'"
     Man Who Ran Arlington Says VA Grave Site System Was Incompatible With Army's. USA Today (7/30, Brook) notes that during Thursday's hearing, US Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) "asked Metzler why Arlington had not adopted the automated system the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to keep track of its grave sites." When Metzler "responded that...VA's system wasn't compatible with the Army's and could not be transferred," Collins said, "This just sounds like bureaucracy at its worst."
     

7.      Officials Tout Culture Of Innovation At VA. The "Wired Workplace" blog for NextGov (7/29, Ballenstedt) said that when it "comes to changing the culture at federal agencies to support more innovation, it appears as though federal managers could learn a lot from the example being set at the Veterans Affairs Department." During a Tuesday evening "event...at the Partnership for Public Service, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker and VA Chief Technology Officer Peter Levin said that three changes must take place at an agency to make innovation possible: cultural change, which is the hardest; infrastructural change, which is the easiest; and process change." Levin "said even the cultural change turned out to be easier than expected, in part because employees responded in such large numbers to innovation initiatives and contests," while Baker took note of a "red flag process," which he said allows employees to fail at innovation attempts without it being a "negative thing," thus giving them the courage to make the attempts.

8.      Obama To Speak At Disabled American Veterans Convention. The AP (7/30) reports, "President Barack Obama is coming to Atlanta next week." The White House recently "announced...that Obama is scheduled to be in town Monday to speak to the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans."

9.      Following Change In VA Policy, Group Challenges US Stance On Medical Marijuana. In continuing coverage, a blog for the California-based LA Weekly (7/29, Romero) said medical marijuana "advocates have seized" the US Department of Veterans Affairs' "new marijuana-friendly policy to challenge federal law." LA Weekly continued, "The group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) this week filed a legal brief in its own longstanding Ninth Circuit court case in California that challenges the federal government's assertion that 'marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,' according to a statement from the group." The blog added that under VA's new policy, the agency "will allow vets to use prescribed pot in states where it's legal, but it still will not allow its own doctors to recommend the drug."
     VA Commended, Urged To Allow Its Doctors To Recommend Medical Marijuana Directly. Daniel Robelo, a "research associate at the Drug Policy Alliance," says in a letter to the editor of the New York Times (7/30), that while VA "deserves to be commended for ceasing to penalize veterans who use medical marijuana in states where it is legal," veterans and "advocates have called on the department to allow its doctors to recommend medical marijuana directly. The very least we can do for returning veterans is to provide unfettered access to the medicine that works best for their conditions."
     In a more positive editorial, the Denver Post (7/30) says it is "glad...VA" decided to "allow patients to use medical marijuana in the 14 states where it is legal, including Colorado." The Post argues that it thinks the move is in "keeping with the Obama administration's law enforcement policy on medical marijuana. Last October, the Justice Department issued a memorandum directing US attorneys to steer clear of prosecuting people who are using medical marijuana in 'clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws,'" although Attorney General Eric Holder "made clear...that going after commercial enterprises that were unlawfully marketing and selling marijuana was to remain a priority."

10.    VA Doctor Builds Booths To Test Hearing Loss In Soldiers. According to the Portland, Oregon-based Oregon Public Broadcasting (7/30, Templeton), which notes that the "Veterans Administration spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on hearing aids and rehabilitation," Dr. Robert Folmer, who "manages a hearing loss prevention program for the Department of Defense and...VA," has "built three small soundproof booths that allow soldiers to test their own hearing and learn about hearing loss. The first has been installed in the VA center" at the Oregon Health & Science University. Folmer's "educational hearing booths will also be shipped to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and Fort Lewis in North Carolina."

11.    VA, New York Investigating Death Benefit Accounts. In continuing coverage, the CBS Evening News(7/29, story 3, 3:10, Couric) broadcast that the Department of Veterans Affairs "and the state of New York are investigating whether life insurance companies are taking advantage of grieving families when they're most vulnerable, by placing death benefits in corporate accounts." CBS added that on Thursday, Prudential -- one of the companies earning such interest – "told us it's in talks now with the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the concerns that have now been raised." Bloomberg News (7/30, Capaccio, Evans), which also notes VA's investigation, points out that the American Council of Life Insurers has "released a statement saying retained-asset accounts help survivors."
     Gates Pledges To Assist VA Investigation. Bloomberg News (7/30, Frye, Evans) also reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has "pledged to help the US Department of Veterans Affairs" with its investigation. Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has begun a "fraud probe into the life insurance industry and subpoenaed MetLife Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. for information about profits on the retained death benefits." Bloomberg adds the New York State Insurance Department is also investigating, while Bloomberg's Final Word(7/29, 3:02 p.m. ET) aired a report noting all three probes. The Wall Street Journal (7/30, Scism, Holm) meanwhile, focuses its coverage on the Cuomo investigation.
     Prudential To Cooperate With AG, VA. The AP (7/30) notes, "Prudential Financial spokesman Bob DeFillippo said the company would cooperate fully with the attorney general's investigation." Prudential "also said it would work with the Department of Veteran Affairs to resolve any questions about its policies for military personnel."
     Prudential Facing Lawsuit, In Talks With VA Over Agency's Concerns. Bloomberg News (7/30, Rosenblatt) says that on Thursday, Prudential Insurance Co. of America was sued in Federal court by the parents of a deceased veteran, "over claims it earns interest of more than 5.69 percent on veterans' life-insurance policies and pays beneficiaries only 1 percent." The suit "seeks class action, or group, status."
     Meanwhile, in her "Talk Of The Day" column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (7/30), Amanda St. Amand points out that the accounts being investigated "have become standard in much of the insurance industry." She asks, however, "does that make it right?"

12.    "Devastating" Report From US Army Reveals Suicide, Drug Abuse Problems. NBC Nightly News(7/29, lead story, 2:35, Williams) broadcast that a "devastating new report" released by the US Army on Thursday "reveals that after nine years of war, thousands of soldiers never survive their own personal battles." NBC added, "Last year, more than 1,700 soldiers attempted suicide, 160 succeeded -- the highest number in 30 years." And, based on the same report, "drug abuse is a huge problem."
     In the report it aired on this story, the CBS Evening News(7/29, story 2, 0:50, Couric) said that while the "Army's been trying hard to bring down its suicide rate," the "opening paragraph" of Thursday's "report is just brutally honest. It says, 'We are often more dangerous to ourselves than the enemy.'"
     Most Report Recommendations Already Implemented. ABC World News(7/29, story 5, 2:30, Sawyer) broadcast, "The report blames the Army for failing to detect signs of troubling behavior while it focuses on fighting two wars." However, while there are "250 recommendations in the report," the Army "has already implemented 240 of them, and has made some progress."
     USA Today (7/30, Zoroya) notes, "The report shows the Army's efforts 'to understand the factors involved in the unacceptable rate of suicide,' said" US Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), "head of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee." AFP (7/30, De Luce), meanwhile, says the "report, titled Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention, is the result of a 15-month effort to better understand" an "alarming increase in suicides."
     The Army Times (7/30, Kennedy) reports that Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, "said the report would allow his leaders to better understand who is at risk and how to help them." CNN (7/30, Starr) also took n note of the report.

13.    VA To Host Events For Iraq, Afghanistan Vets In Nebraska, Alabama. The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star (7/29), noted that on Saturday, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans "can learn about benefits they have earned by attending a Department of Veteran Affairs event...at the Heartland Event Center" in Grand Island, Nebraska. The VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System's "third annual Welcome Home celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m." Also on Saturday, according to the Tuscaloosa (AL) News (7/28), a welcome home picnic for Iraq and Afghanistan vets and "their families will be held" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

14.    During Symposium, Counselor Touts VA Efforts To Assist Returning Vets. After saying "college and university campuses are becoming more 'veteran friendly,'" the Beckley (WV) Register-Herald (7/29, Jordan) noted that on Wednesday, the "West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Office of Veterans Education and Training Programs conducted a symposium for veterans education...to provide background on the needs of veterans who are also students. Keynote speaker Dr. Al Batres, chief readjustment counseling officer" for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, "said...VA has a long history of serving veterans when they return home."

15.    War Spending Bill Includes Funds For Vets Exposed To Agent Orange. In continuing coverage, the AP (7/30) reports, "President Barack Obama on Thursday signed legislation to fund his troop surge in Afghanistan, even though it was stripped of money for domestic stimulus programs." The bill "includes...$13.4 billion in benefits for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange," a point also made by Bloomberg News (7/30, Johnston, Faler) and AFP (7/30).

16.    Disabled Vet Says VA Has Helped Him Stay Athletically Competitive. The Auburn (WA) Reporter (7/30, Skager) says Paul Kozma, a 63-year-old Auburn resident and "disabled Vietnam veteran who is undergoing treatment" for epilepsy, "recently won gold and silver at the Washington State Senior Games." Kozma "credits the Veterans Administration healthcare system and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for helping him to stay competitive at the national level. 'A lot of credit has to be given to the VA Healthcare System,'" which "'enabled me to build a new life through their cognitive rehab and then vision clinic,' Kozma said."

17.    Vets Protest Possible Cuts At VA Hospital. On its website, KPIC-TV Roseburg, OR (7/29, Bain) reported, "Veterans and supporters lined the entrances to the Roseburg Veterans Administration Medical Center Tuesday morning, and they plan to keep doing it to call attention to the possible cuts in services at the hospital. The veterans held signs demanding that VA officials stop the downsizing and keep the Roseburg facility as a full service hospital." KPIC went on to say that Jim Little of the Douglas County Veterans Forum "says anyone is welcome to come out and stand with them each Tuesday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m."

18.    Former VA Nurse Sentenced To Probation For Stealing Oxycodone. The AP (7/29) noted that 24-year-old Sarah Halley Kusick, who "worked as a nurse" at the Fort Meade Veterans Affairs Medical Center, has been "sentenced to three years of probation for stealing oxycodone pills."

19.    Woman Pleads Guilty To Misappropriating Vets Benefits. The Stratford (CT) Star (7/29, Kovach) noted that 64-year-old Ellen Pack "pleaded guilty July 27 to one count of misappropriating US Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits while acting as a fiduciary for an incompetent military veteran." The "matter was investigated by special agents of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General."