1.    Houston man admits defrauding veterans charity.  A Houston businessman has pleaded guilty to mail fraud after federal investigators alleged he stole $100,000 from a charitable organization for veterans, federal officials said Monday.

 

2.    Veteran with PTSD fights to keep his job as firefighter.  The Troy fire chief is trying to fire a firefighter who is undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder related to his military service in the Iraq war.

 

3.    US Army pulling out of NASCAR at end of season.  After 10 years as a NASCAR sponsor, the Army has decided to stop pouring funds into the car-racing sport, according to an Associated Press report.

4.    Lawmakers push for new Stolen Valor Act.  Measures would make it illegal for individuals to benefit from lying about their military service or receiving awards

 

5.    Lack of resources creating backlog for new high-tech leg brace.  Severely injured servicemembers, once barely able to walk, can run again undefined even go back to war undefined with the aid of an advanced orthotic device created here a few years ago. But the team that builds it is so under-resourced that only a fraction of the troops and veterans in need have one 

 6.    Rail industry aims to hire 5000 veterans this year.  CNN  The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday an initiative in which the rail sector will hire more than 5000 veterans this year. ... The railroad association is working with the Department of Veteran Affairs to make sure that 500 railroad ...

 

7.    UnitedHealthcare Adopting VA's Blue Button Technology for Patient Records.  eWeek
Developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Health and Human Services, the technology allows patients, or consumers, to download their personal health data as a PDF or text file. UnitedHealthcare announced it would use Blue ...

8.    New Training Model Yields Faster, More Accurate Claims Processing.  MarketWatch  A report released today by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairsreveals that new training initiatives for VA employees who process and evaluate Veterans' disability claims are yielding faster, more ...

 

9.    US Military Buries Airmen Killed In 1965 Crash. AP  The remains of six US airmen who went missing over Laos in 1965 "were buried in a single casket Monday at Arlington National Cemetery." Such a burial is "common in situations where remains can't be conclusively linked to a specific individual. The remains are representative of six Air Force servicemen: Col. Joseph Christiano of Rochester, N.Y.; Col. Derrell B. Jeffords of Florence, S.C.; Lt. Col. Dennis L. Eilers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chief Master Sgt. William K. Colwell of Glen Cove, N.Y.; Chief Master Sgt. Arden K. Hassenger of Lebanon, Ore.; and Chief Master Sgt. Larry C. Thornton of Idaho Falls, Idaho."

 

10.House Approves COLA Bill For Veterans.  Military Times "The House of Representatives moved Monday to try to eliminate one bit of financial uncertainty by passing a bill guaranteeing a Dec. 1 cost-of-living adjustment in veterans disability and survivor benefits that will match whatever increase is provided to Social Security beneficiaries. The bill, HR 4114, is necessary because Congress has clung to a decades-old practice of passing an annual COLA bill for veterans, while Social Security, military and federal civilian retired pay and federal annuities automatically increase each year by a formula set in law." The bill, passed in the House by a vote of 369 to zero, "now moves to the Senate for action."  CQ  "The Senate is expected either to move" on S 2259, its version of HR 4114, "or take up the House measure sometime this month. The aim is to send a bill to the president's desk before the August recess, aides said." CQ adds, "The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that it will provide more than 3.6 million veterans and survivors with compensation benefits in fiscal 2013."

 

11.Committee Looks To Create Registry For Veterans Exposed To Open Burn Pits.   CQ  Under legislation the House Veterans Affairs Committee "plans to mark up Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs would have to create a database to track veterans who have been exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan." Curtis Coy, deputy undersecretary for economic development at VA, which opposes HR 3337, "said last month that the department has other ways to track veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who were exposed to such fumes, and he argued the VA is not convinced that burn pits cause health complications." Also this week, according to CQ, the House Veterans Affairs Committee will consider other veterans-related bills, including one that "would provide mortgage protection for certain veterans."

12.Battle Over Service Presumption For Illnesses. Army Times "Congress and the Veterans Affairs Department are fighting over whether post-9/11 combat veterans should receive the...presumption that unexplained medical conditions could be the result of military service." The same presumption, which "has applied to veterans of the 1991 Gulf War," expires in 2016, and VA is willing to extend it for Gulf War vets and Iraq vets. But VA opposes extending the deadline for Afghanistan vets "because there has been no indication of similar health problems" in such vets.

  

13.Quinn Signs Veterans' Tax Credit Increase Into Law.  AP  "Legislation that gives Illinois employers more incentive in hiring veterans by doubling the state's income tax credit was signed into law Monday" by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn signed a "bill that increases the tax credit from 10 percent to 20 percent of annual wages. It also increases the annual cap from $1,200 to $5,000."

  

14.Loaves And Fishes Pantry Reaching Out To Help Veterans. Chicago Daily Herald "While it may be more closely associated with its efforts to help feed those in need, the Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry in Naperville has added a new program to a growing list of services." The nonprofit organization is "partnering with the state's Department of Veterans Affairs for a program designed to ensure area vets receive the federal and state benefits available to them." Organizers "say the program is in a test phase."

 

15.Death Prompts Changes At GR Vets Home. WOOD-TV "The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans made some changes in the way they handle Alzheimer's patients following the death of 84-year-old" World War II veteran Andrew Ball in April. Ball, who had "Alzheimer's, wandered into another resident's home at 4 a.m. and was hit by the man in that room, who also suffers from Alzheimer's." A new document shows that the Michigan Veterans Affairs Department made several changes following Ball's death, including that another "caregiver has been added to the nightshift" at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

 

16.Minnesota Hosting Veterans Career Fair Wednesday.  Minnesota Public Radio "Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development is hosting a career fair Wednesday for the state's unemployed veterans." In recent years, Minnesota "has had one of the highest rates of veteran unemployment in the nation."

17.Churches Offer Guidance For Veterans Of War.  AP  "As hundreds of thousands of veterans return with physical and psychological injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA hopes to enlist clergy of all faiths to work toward similar outcomes." That message was delivered by Chaplain Jeni Cook, associate director of VA's National Chaplain Center, who spoke to "about 100 area clergy members at a daylong conference at General Butler State Park in Carrollton this spring that was geared toward helping veterans in their communities. The VA seminar was part of a pilot set of eight one-day training sessions around the country known as the Rural Clergy Training Program, launched because rural veterans in particular may lack close access to veterans' services."

 

18.VA Offers Help For Caregivers. Moultrie (GA) Observer  Residents of Colquitt County, Georgia, "work to form a local chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, they are leaning on NAMI's chapter in Albany for direction and help ... not only in the formation of the local group but also in the daily issues facing the families of those with mental illness. On Tuesday, July 10, NAMI Albany will host a speaker from the Veterans Administration who will describe services the VA provides for family caregivers." The Observer added, "Jacqueline Jackson, caregiver support coordinator for the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., will be the speaker, and she will focus on the new VA Caregiver Support Program, according to a press release from NAMI Albany."

 

19.UTHealth Researchers To Study Trauma Patients For Insights Into PTSD.   HealthCanal Dr. Paul Schulz, "whose clinical experience includes 25 years of working with soldiers suffering" from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and a team of researchers are "trying to determine risk factors for PTSD by enrolling 400 patients who have experienced trauma." The "'Holy Grail,' he said, is trying to find ways to prevent the conversion of acute stress disorder into chronic PTSD. 'Once we can identify a group of people who are more likely to develop it, we can offer intensive anti-anxiety treatment in a controlled study to see whether it will prevent the development of PTSD,' Schulz said."

 

20.Reducing Mental Health Treatment Time At VA Medical Center.  WSYR-TV "To anticipate the needs of returning veterans, the VA Department is hiring 1,600 additional mental health providers for VA Medical Centers across the country. The goal is to reduce wait times for veterans seeking treatment." WSYR adds, "Forty new mental health providers have been added to the Syracuse Medical Clinic's staff in the past few years and administrators say it has drastically cut down on wait time for veterans looking for treatment."

 

21.iEHR To Include Clinical Decision Support Tool.  FierceGovernmentIT  "The Veterans Affairs and Defense departments' integrated electronic health record, or iEHR, will include a clinical decision support tool, according to a June 27 request for information posted to FedBizOpps. In the RFI," which is "being facilitated by the Interior Department's National Business Center, VA says it needs help defining interface specifications for incorporating a CDS within the iEHR, while using a service-oriented architecture approach. The specifications would support the iEHR's anticipated CDS and serve as the basis of international health IT standards, says the RFI."

 

22.Hospitals Face Medical Device Security Challenge.  iHealthBeat Hospitals "patrolling their IT systems for security flaws have another group of assets to consider: medical devices that increasingly use wireless technology." Veterans Affairs uses Virtual LANs, or VLANs, which "help isolate a network that carries sensitive information," as "part of its Medical Device Protection Program." Kevin Fu, an associate professor of computer science, and electrical and computer engineering at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, "called VA's isolation process sophisticated, noting that the department is a leader in medical device security."

 

23."Vets Helping Vets" Event Set For Friday, Saturday. Walla Walla (WA) Union-Bulletin "On Friday and Saturday, veterans can join other veterans at the National Guard Armory, 113 S. Colville St., for the fourth annual 'Vets Helping Vets' event. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., veterans can get help with learning about filing claims, get enrolled for benefits and learn about what help is available through the new Walla Walla Vet Center." On "Friday only, staff from the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center will vaccinate all eligible veterans" for whooping cough.

 

24.Runners of All Ages, Abilities Cross Finish Line At 6th Missoula Marathon.   Missoulian On Sunday, Jess Dickson, who works as a Veterans Affairs health technician in Missoula, "ran 8.2 miles" of the Missoula Marathon "as part of a VA employee relay team that included Jenny Murney, Holly Claussen and Susan Curtis." Dickson said he was promoting "wellness for veterans." She added, "I just wanted to do something to get the VA in the spotlight, to do something for our veterans. We owe them a lot."

 

25.Medical Center Offers Veterans Cutting-Edge Artificial Heart Valve. Ultimate Bellaire  "The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) has become the first VA to offer an artificial heart valve, recently approved for commercial use" by the US Food and Drug Administration. The "Sapien heart valve is implanted through a catheter as an alternative to open heart surgery for patients with inoperable aortic valve stenosis disease." This "'new technology could add years to the lives of our patients,' said Dr. Samir S. Awad, operative care line executive at MEDVAMC." Awad added, "We are proud the center has some of the best doctors and nurses in the country and offers the latest, minimally invasive alternatives for our veterans."

 

26.VA Hospital In Jackson, Miss., Plans Patient Wi-Fi System. NextGov The Veterans Affairs hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, "plans to install a Wi-Fi system for patients and guests, following similar plans by VA hospitals in Denver and Augusta, Ga." Recently, the Jackson VA "said...it needs a vendor to install and operate the Wi-Fi system, which will use 42 access points to cover the 163-bed facility." NextGov adds, "VA plans to upgrade Wi-Fi installations in 111 of its hospitals to support medical applications, including Real-Time Location Systems to track supplies."

 

27.Helping Homeless Veterans. KIMT-TV  The Minnesota-based Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority "has been given 10 vouchers to give to qualified homeless vets to provide them with secure housing." The vouchers come from a program operated by the "United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs." The program is "part of a bigger initiative to help struggling vets lead better lives." Franki Rezek of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System said, "We need to address any barrier that gets in the way of veterans being successful in the community. It could be addressing mental health issues, substance issues," or "extensive legal history."

 

28.Hearing Held For Woman Accused Of Stealing $3 Million. KGTV-TV  "A woman accused of embezzling more than $3 million from a La Jolla restaurant where she worked as a bookkeeper also defrauded her mother-in-law of $1.8 million, a police detective testified Monday." The accuses, Tara Virginia Moore, "faces grand theft, embezzlement, financial elder abuse and forgery charges. It was also revealed, on the first day of a preliminary hearing to determine whether she will stand trial on those counts, that she is under investigation for allegedly pocketing Veterans Administration death benefits to which she was not entitled."

 

29.Arlington National Cemetery Volunteer Cleanup Draws Hundreds.  AP  The "rain that fell on Arlington National Cemetery on Monday did not wash away the excitement and gratitude of hundreds of volunteers who worked to beautify the solemn resting place of fallen soldiers. Nearly 400 adults, accompanied by 48 of their children, took the day off from landscaping companies in 29 states to help beautify the grounds at the famous cemetery." The "rain and tornado warnings that had gone out for the greater Washington area did not stop the volunteers, some of whom arrived at the cemetery as early as 6 a.m."

 

30.Veterans Administration Taking Step Forward In Dealing With Mental Health Issues Among Veterans.  Treasure Coast Palm  Veterans Affairs is adding "1,600 mental health clinicians and 300 support personnel to help deal with the mental health needs of the 1.3 million veterans it treats annually." Recently, VA "announced it planned to hire 40 mental health clinicians and eight support personnel within in the next six to 12 months to be assigned to its West Palm Beach Medical Center, with about a quarter of them being assigned to outpatient clinics in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties." The Palm urges veterans to "recognize they need help and have the encouragement and support to overcome some of the wounds service to their nation has caused."

 

31.Disabled Veterans Face Increased Struggle In Workforce. Green Bay (WI) Press-Gazette

 

32.Brothers Hope To Educate Through Documentary. Richmond (KY) Register

 

33.Stand Down For Homeless Veterans And Their Families In Morristown, Aug. 18, 19.  Chatham (NJ) Independent Press

 

34.Veteran's Benefits Representative Travels Across Western Slope.  KREX-TV

 

35.RenovatingHope Helps Iraq War Veteran. YNN-TV

 

36.Study: Military Spouses Suffer PTS Symptoms.  KTAR-FM

 

37.VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as July 11, 2012:

July 11, 2012.  House Veterans Affairs Committee will conduct a full committee mark up of pending legislation: 

• H.R. 5948 - Veterans Fiduciary Reform Act of 2012
• H.R. 5747 - Military Family Home Protection Act
• H.R. 4057 - Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2012

9:30 A.M.; 334 Cannon