15.Companies Seek To Dismiss Suit On Burn-Pit Risk.  Army Times  A "Federal judge in Maryland will hear a motion Monday to dismiss a group of lawsuits filed against Kellogg, Brown and Root and Halliburton for operating open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan." The motion calls for "tossing out the consolidated lawsuits based on 'derivative-sovereign immunity and preemption,' meaning the companies believe they are exempt from litigation because they were providing services to the government." The case involves "43 lawsuits from 42 states charging that the plaintiffs were harmed by toxic emissions and contaminated water resulting from burning waste in open pits Iraq and Afghanistan." Meanwhile, a House panel on Friday vote in favor of requiring Veterans Affairs to "establish a registry of those exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from burn pits."

 16.Today's Veterans Have Resources, Come Home To Job Support.  Bergen (NJ) Record  That although Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are "returning to a struggling economy," there are plenty of available resources to help them including "job fairs, benefits seminars and an alphabet soup of job-opportunity websites for organizations like Hero2Hired and the GI Go Fund." Moreover, there's the DOD Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, which "steers soldiers to employment, training and healthcare resources"; and the "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 protects" service members' right to resume previously held jobs when they return from combat. At present, there are about "17,000 unemployed veterans in New Jersey," according to state labor data; and according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, about "7.8 percent of New Jersey veterans were unemployed in May, compared with 11.9 percent nationally."

 17.New Program Geared To Help Vets Start Businesses. South Florida Sun-Sentinel  The "Federal government is rolling out a training program for transitioning service members and veterans to becoming entrepreneurs and create jobs. 'Operations Boots to Business' is a national initiative involving the Small Business Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and US Marines." According to the Veteran Business Opportunity's South Florida representative Robert Chavarria, the "goal is to reach 250,000 in that category every year." He said SBA-guaranteed loans of "up to $500,000 are available to veterans through the Patriot Express program"; and thus far this year, the SBA has "guaranteed 73 loans worth $39.5 million to veterans in South Florida."

 18.July Proclaimed "Hire A Veteran Month."  Alexandria (MN) Echo Press Gov. Mark Dayton released an official proclamation (pdf) making "July 2012 'Hire a Veteran Month.'" Earlier this week, Dayton along with "Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Shellito, Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Richard Nash, Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Mark Phillips, and Minnesota Yellow Ribbon Company US Bank," issued the proclamation and kicked off the Minnesota Veterans Career Fair. More than "1,000 current and former veterans and 120 Minnesota businesses with employment opportunities were expected to participate in the event," which was sponsored by the DEED, the Minnesota National Guard and the Minnesota VA.

  19.Towns Form Safety Net For Returning Vets.  Attleboro (MA) Sun Chronicle "Just a few months into its existence, the new Crossroads Veterans Service District serving Foxboro, Mansfield, Easton and Norton is an early success. Selectmen in each of the four towns backed the district as a vehicle to provide more comprehensive service, while potentially saving money down the road." The district is also "working to establish public transportation to the closest VA hospital, located in Brockton, for veterans who might be elderly, handicapped or unable to drive."

 20.Fourteen Veterans Hired "On the Spot" At 100,000 Jobs Event In Milwaukee. WDJT-TV  "The US Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs for a hiring fair Thursday at the War Memorial. Sixty local companies took part; and of the 450 local veterans who showed up, 14 of them were hired on the spot." East Peoria (IL) Times Courier  Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday "called on employers throughout Illinois to hire 100,000 Veterans by 2020." The "100,000 Jobs Mission hiring event is being held in collaboration with the Illinois Employment Security Department, Illinois Veterans' Affairs, JP Morgan Chase, Joining Forces, University of Illinois, American Legion, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Student Veterans of America, US Department of Labor – VETS, US Veterans Affairs Department and the VFW." The "Hiring Veterans Tax Credit," which Quinn "called for in his 2012 State of the State address," provides a "significant additional tax credit of up to $5,000 for every unemployed" post 9/11 veteran an Illinois company hires.

 21.New Veteran Unemployment Falls In June. Stars and Stripes  The jobless rate for veterans of the "post-Sept. 11 era dropped to 9.5 percent in June, potentially indicating a positive trend in veterans hiring even as national employment remains stagnant." Notably, the June "young veteran unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics mark the fourth month this year that the rate has dipped below 10 percent. From January 2010 to December 2011, it dropped below 10 percent only twice"; in May, the rate was "12.7 percent"; and one year ago, "more than 13 percent of those veterans" were unemployed. At present, about "800,000 veterans" across the US are "looking for work" of whom about 200,000 are post-9/11 vets, according to the BLS data.

 22.VA Responds To Orlando Contractor's Plan To Finish Delayed Hospital. Orlando Sentinel  "After reviewing the contractor's proposed plan to speed up construction at the delayed VA Medical Center in Orlando, the VA has responded to Brasfield & Gorrie with a challenge: Prove it." Earlier this week, the VA "told the primary hospital contractor that the agency 'would closely monitor Brasfield & Gorrie's activities over the next four weeks to ensure that the project is moving forward.'" The VA also "said it is still waiting on the updated construction schedule the contractor was to furnish by April 30."

 23.Veterans Court Hears First Cases. Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent  "22-year-old Iraq war veteran" Devonte Moericke was the "first person to enter Outagamie County's new veterans court system Friday afternoon. The throng watched him plead no contest to felony and misdemeanor charges, including holding a knife up to a woman's throat, jumping bail and fleeing from an officer who pulled him over for driving drunk. Instead of more jail time, he received two years of probation for the misdemeanors and deferred sentences for the felonies."

 24.Kentucky Unveils Veterans License Plate. WPSD-TV "Kentucky now offers a license plate to honor veterans. Gov. Steve Beshear announced today that the new 'I Support Veterans' plate is available for purchase. Beshear said it not only serves as a visible reminder of support for veterans, but part of the fee of the plate will go to support programs for veterans. Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ken Lucas said the new plates are being offered because residents expressed an interest in them."

 25.San Diego Stand Down Reaches Out To Homeless Veterans. KUSI-TV "We are two hours into 25th the Operation Stand Down upper athletics fields at the San Diego High School. The event offers homeless veterans everything from health screenings to job trainings and other services. But as you can see this is this is a mostly male population. Sadly, we also have women and children here. And one woman is US Coast Guard veteran Crystal Lewis, who is here to talk with us." Lewis: "I'm homeless and I have recurrent depression and anxiety issues; and it has taken a toll on my work. It's been a struggle and I'm here to get assistance."

 26.CU-Boulder Researchers Help Oscar Pistorius Become First Amputee To Compete In Olympics. Colorado Daily Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was barred from the 2008 "Olympics after a German study concluded that his blade-like, carbon fiber leg prostheses gave him an advantage." But University of Colorado professors Alena Grabowski and Rodger Kram "joined a team of researchers who discovered that, if anything, the prostheses were a disadvantage for the runner," who will compete in the upcoming London Olympics. Grabowski, who "specializes in prosthetics research, is currently working with the Veterans Administration in Denver to improve the BiOM device - a battery-powered foot."

 27.Iraq Veteran Wants To Adopt His Service Dog. AP  "More than once, a bomb-sniffing dog saved former Army Sgt. Logan Black's life in Iraq. Now Black wants to be reunited with his old partner, Diego, as the 8-year-old yellow Labrador retriever nears retirement age." Black was "parted from Diego in January 2007 when he returned from Iraq and left the Army." Black, who is now a master's student at the University of Missouri, recently discovered that Diego is "being used for training" at an Air Force base in San Antonio. He expects the dog "will be retired within a year," but would "love to have Diego now." Black even has backing from PETA, which petitioned its members to "call or write to request that Diego be turned over to Black."

 28.2 Convicted Of Selling Drugs At Bedford VA Hospital. AP  "Two military veterans have been convicted of selling drugs to others at a Veterans Administration hospital in Massachusetts." Federal authorities "say 49-year-old Steve Jakaitis of Lowell pleaded guilty Thursday to distribution of buprenorphine and conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, while 53-year-old David Robson of Tewksbury pleaded guilty to distribution and conspiracy to distribute of oxycodone." According to prosecutors, the two men "sold drugs to undercover agents last year at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford." They are "scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5," and each "face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison."

 29.Don'tOverturn My Conviction, Faker Says. AP  Richard David McClanahan "no longer considers himself a veteran. Convicted of embellishing his military record and claiming awards he never won, McClanahan says he doesn't attend Veterans Day parades or Memorial Day events out of shame." Although the Supreme Court overturned the Stolen Valor Act last month, McClanahan "says he doesn't want his criminal record cleared. 'I have no desire to have my record expunged. ... The law was put into place for a very good reason,'" he said.

 30.American Legion Commander Lobbying Congress For New Stolen Valor Act. Naples (FL) Daily News  "As incensed local veterans try to understand why someone would lie," American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong is "lobbying Congress for a new version of the Stolen Valor Act." Wong has been "gathering support to try to rewrite the Stolen Valor Act in a way that protects the integrity of military veterans and conforms to the Constitution." American Legion News Media Manager Mark Seavy said Wong's effort is "being backed by almost all the veterans services organizations."

 31.Thanks To All For First Responder Event.  Cortlandt (NY) Daily Voice  New York State Sen. Greg Ball (R), noted that on July 7, "I had the privilege of hosting the First Responders Appreciation Day event at beautiful Camp Kiwi in Carmel, N.Y. ... I'd like to personally thank VA Hudson Valley Health Care System for merging its Welcome Home Event with the First Responders Appreciation Day and for bringing its Mobile Outreach van for so that on-site evaluations could be offered to the veterans. It provided comprehensive information" about VA benefits and healthcare services, as well as the "supportive services for families and/or significant others; and services of the OEF-OIF-OND program (Returning Veterans Program)."

 32.A World War II POW's Proper Send-Off. Nantucket (MA) Independent

VA Urges Churches To Aid Veterans "Hurting And Looking For Help." AP 

WWII Vet From Clarksville Gets A Fete With Honorary Diploma. Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal 

 33.Governors Discuss Veterans And Medicaid Issues. C-SPAN.org

 34.VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as July 16, 2012:

            July 18, 2012.  Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Thomas Sowers II to be Assistant Secretary, Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.  10:00 A.M.; 418 Russell

       July 18, 2012.  Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations, will hold a hearing on the backlog of pending disability claims.  10:00 A.M., 2247 Rayburn House Office Building

       July 18, 2012. HVAC, Disability and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, will hold a hearing entitled: “Invisible Wounds: Examining the Disability Compensation Benefits Process for Victims of Military Sexual Trauma.”  2:00 P.M; 334 Cannon House Office Building

       July 25, 2012.  The House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the House Armed Services Committee will hold a joint hearing titled “Back from the Battlefield: DOD and VA Collaboration to Assist Service Members Returning to Civilian Life.”  10:00 AM; 2118 Rayburn HOB

       August 2, 2012 (Tentative).  HVAC, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations may hold a joint hearing to discuss the SDVOSB/VOSB certification process.