From: Wayne Gatewood, Jr 
Subject: Veterans News for Tuesday , July 17, 2012

36.  VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as July 14, 2012:

37.  Today in History:

1.    Army's only garrison in Netherlands cases colors.  U.S. Army Garrison Schinnen, the only U.S. Army garrison in the Netherlands, cased its colors Wednesday, marking its end as a military command.

 

2.    Coast Guard marine safety unit to get first female leader.  When Cmdr. Lindsay N. Weaver takes charge of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Pittsburgh on Friday, she will return to what attracted her to the service in the first

3.    Preliminary plans for education center at Vietnam Veterans Memorial get green light.  The "Herculean task" of building an education center near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington took another step forward Thursday when the National Capital Planning Commission approved the preliminary building plans.

 

4.    Vet convicted under Stolen Valor Act doesn't want his record cleared.  Former soldier jailed for falsely claiming numerous honors, including three Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor, says "I wish the law had remained to prevent people like me from making absurd statements."

 

5.    US to train transitioning vets. Buffalo News  The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched a new program in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affair...

6.    'Unknown' pension available to wartime veterans.  East Valley Tribune  Through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Non-Service Connected undefined Improved Pension Benefit, also referred to as the Aid and Attendance Benefit, is available for wartime veterans who meet three main eligibility requirements. The veteran must ...

 

7.    Veterans hope for millage approval.  Royal Oak Daily Tribune  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance Pension provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who require the assistance of another person in eating, bathing, dressing or taking care of other personal needs and can provide up ...

 

8.    Santa Fe Veterans Affairs clinic seeks new location for expansion.  Santa Fe New Mexican.com  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs began a procurement process early this year to find about 7200 square feet to house what's called the Santa Fe Community Based Outpatient Clinic, currently on Brothers Road. The outpatient clinic opened at the ...

 

9.    Connecticut Veteran Wins Rare VA Appeal.  Hartford Courant  Homeless, unemployed, and feeling sick, the 17-year Navy veteran couldn't get medical care at a VA hospital because he had an "other than honorable'' discharge. "They wanted nothing to do with me,'' Norko said. A VA health care worker, who met Norko at ...

 

10.Workshop to be conducted.  Brazil Times  The Veterans' Benefit Workshop will address U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs' (VA) health care, service-connected disability compensation, VA income-based pensions, and widow/widower benefits. The workshop will be directed by an ILS attorney who ...

 

11.VA Working To Speed Up Claims Processing For Vets.  CBS2 Chicago  Many veterans have complained that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs keeps them waiting months for benefits and, in some cases, medical care; but the V.A. says it's working to speed up its process. CBS 2's Bill Kurtis has more on ...

12.Renovated veterans' facility offers intensive PTSD care, tranquillity, trout.  The Seattle Times  Renovated veterans' facility offers intensive PTSD care, tranquillity, trout. After a $7.3 million renovation, a federal Department of Veterans Affairs mental-health facility has reopened at American Lake with a program that offers intensive inpatient ...

13.Connecticut Vet Wins Rare VA Appeal; Advocates Hope It Stirs More. New Haven (CT) Register  Eight years ago, 55-year-old veteran Stephen Norko "couldn't get medical care at a VA hospital because he had an 'other than honorable' discharge." But a "VA health care worker, who met Norko at a homeless shelter, encouraged him to do what few veterans have done - fight the decision that denied him VA medical care." Norko did so and won his case this year. Advocates for veterans "say they hope the case will prompt other veterans with 'other than honorable' (OTH) discharges to seek VA benefits, which many assume are out-of-reach."

 14.VSO Says VA Is Trying To Improve Its Claims Processing System. Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle The "process for getting health and financial benefits for veterans is taking longer than it ever has before." But Denton County Veterans Service Officer (VSO) Paul Bastaich "said...VA is working hard to come up with new processes such as electronic filing and electronic copying of health records, but it will take time before these have an impact on the current backlog of claims."

 15.With Help From Rocker Jon Bon Jovi, VA Tackles Veteran Homelessness. McClatchy  In order to accomplish its goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015, Veterans Affairs is "addressing outreach and education, treatment, prevention, housing and supportive services, employment benefits and community partnerships." Eric Shinseki, VA's secretary, has stressed the need for such an approach, saying, "Ending veterans' homelessness is a test of all that we do at VA." Pointing out that VA has had success with its approach McClatchy says VA is working with "rock legend Jon Bon Jovi's foundation" on Project REACH, which has challenged "software designers to create a smartphone and Web application to help homeless" vets find needed services. McClatchy quotes Pete Dougherty, the acting executive director of VA's Homeless Veterans Initiative Office, who said his agency has a "vision to end" veteran homelessness, "not just manage it."

16.Federal Committee Says "No Confidence" In VA On Gulf War Illness. 91 Outcomes  Anthony Hardie writes, "A scathing new report publicly released this week by a federal advisory panel blasts the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for new failures related to caring for veterans of the 1991 Gulf War. The report, by the Congressionally chartered Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (RAC), reveals independent experts' and veterans' anger at VA over the agency's failure to begin treatment for the estimated 250,000 veterans suffering from Gulf War illness (GWI)." The RAC, according to Hardie, says it has "'no confidence' in VA's 'ability or demonstrated intention,' to help veterans with GWI." Hardies says the "report has been sent to the VA Secretary's office and the White House, which have not yet made a response."

17.A Utah Veterans Affairs Doctor Will See You Now. Salt Lake (UT) Tribune  "Salt Lake City's Veterans Affairs hospital has added basic obstetric and gynecological care to its quiver of tele-health offerings." Dr. Susan Rose, the "hospital's sole obstetrician and gynecologist, demonstrated the technology on Thursday." The Tribune adds, "Utah's VA has operated a women's clinic for 14 years." The KUER-FM Salt Lake City (7/13, Evans) website has a similarly positive story.

18.Military's "Epidemic Of Sexual Assault" Brought To Light At VA Event. KSL-TV "A movie that opens nationwide this month exposes what the filmmaker calls 'an epidemic of sexual assault' in the military." On Thursday, dozens of people watched "The Invisible War" at the University of Utah. KSL adds, "Women and men who have experienced" military sexual trauma (MST) "can get help through the Department of Veterans Affairs."

19.The War On Suicide? Time  No "program, outreach or initiative has worked against" a "surge in Army suicides, and no one knows why nothing works." Time does point out, however, that there is a national shortage of mental-health "personnel, which means the Army is competing" with Veterans Affairs "and other services -- not to mention the civilian world -- to hire the people it needs." Time also points out that VA "and all the services have launched resiliency-training programs and emergency hotlines."

 20.Reporter Says DOD, VA Do Not Have Enough Suicide Prevention Money. CNN's Starting Point  "If you talk to...VA," as well as the Defense Department, "they don't have the money" needed to properly address the problem of suicides committed by servicemembers and veterans. Thompson said that at VA, "veterans filing for disability have to wait months, if not years, for there claims to be adjudicated." He added, "Doing it right, doing it fast, and giving people the mental healthcare they need is a very expensive proposition."

21.Columnist Urges Refined Instruction On What It Means To Be A Strong Soldier.Time  Rajiv Srinivasan says "overcoming the stigma of using mental health resources remains the crux" of the military suicide problem. The "best we can do for our future generation of service members is refine our instruction on what it means to be strong. Sometimes being strong means accepting weakness," and that professional help is needed.

22.Prudential, USA Stiff Families Of Suicidal Veterans, Kin Claim. Courthouse News "Prudential Insurance and the Department of Veterans Affairs refuse to pay life insurance benefits to families of military veterans who commit suicide due to post-traumatic stress disorder, four families claim in Federal Court." The families "all claim that their loved ones were not informed in a timely manner about switching their policies" from Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) to Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI). The "families seek actual damages, and damages for constitutional violations, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty."

23.Cleveland VA Expands Telemedicine Program To Bring Veterans Specialty Care At Outpatient Clinics. Cleveland Plain Dealer  Veterans Affairs has "announced a new program...that with the help of telemedicine will make it possible to eventually treat thousands of veterans in their local communities for complex, chronic illnesses such as heart failure, chronic pain and Hepatitis C. SCAN-ECHO, or Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, is an expansion of Project ECHO, an existing program that originally started at the University of New Mexico in 2004 as a way to connect rural residents with medical specialists." The "Cleveland VA has been given $1.2 million to date to implement the pilot and expansion of the program, with additional funding coming in the fall." Dr. Rajiv Jain, VA's chief patient care services officer, commented on the program, saying VA "would like to provide care where the patient is."

24.Expansion Of SCAN-ECHO Will Be Systemwide. Military Times "Veterans in rural communities may have more access to specialized health care under an expansion of a physician education program announced Wednesday" by VA. The agency hopes to improve care for rural veterans with a "systemwide adoption of a program called Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes - or SCAN-ECHO - through which specialty health care providers educate primary care doctors and nurses so they can deliver the same level of care in their communities. The training will be delivered remotely, through weekly video teleconferencing clinics."

25.Simulated Training Improves Surgical Residents' Skills. FierceHealthIT  "Simulated training so improved surgical residents' performance that St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto implemented it before the organization published the results of its pilot program in the July issue of the Annals of Surgery." Simulated "training is becoming more common." For example, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) "earlier this year entered a $1 million contract to use Decision Simulation's DecisionSim as its 'virtual patient platform,'" which is "being used to help providers...explore different decision paths and observe the consequences on virtual patients."

26.A Boot Camp For Veterans To Learn Business Basics. Bloomberg BusinessWeek "President Barack Obama called for two joint-task forces last year to help solve veteran unemployment." The Boots to Business initiative, which launched on Thursday, is "one of the results." Boots to Business will "teach veterans the elements of business ownership."

 27.Veterans Sign Up For Job Retraining. Dayton (OH) Daily News  "Unemployed veterans have asked for job retraining assistance in 'record numbers' weeks before the deadline for a federal program to train prior service members for civilian work, a Department of Veterans Affairs program official said. More than 32,600 veterans have applied for the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program nationwide, according to VA data." According to the Daily News, VRAP, "which began accepting applications in mid-May, will take up to 45,000 participants until Sept. 30."

 28.Labor Dept. Awards $600K For St. Louis Work On Vet Job Training. St. Louis American  "The US Department of Labor awarded $600,000 in federal grants to be shared by the City of St. Louis and the St. Patrick Center to advance their on-going efforts to help veterans with job training and to combat homelessness among vets." The American quoted US Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), who said, "I want to personally thank President Obama and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis for supporting my efforts to take care of our veterans when they come home."

 

29.Many Working Veterans Still Can't Afford Housing, Report Says. CNNMoney  "Young returning veterans claim one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, but even those who do find work are having a hard time affording housing...finds" a recent study by the Center for Housing Policy. CNNMoney adds, "Even though the government offers training programs and other assistance to returning veterans to help them re-enter the workplace, many of the jobs they're landing don't pay enough to cover the cost of buying a median-priced home, or in some instances, the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment, according" to the study.

 30.Stand Down Fair Brings Aid To Military Veterans. South Florida Times  Veteran Roy Foster "founded an organization known as Stand Down House and recently helped organize Stand Down Against, a resource fair to provide veterans and their families with legal services, financial and housing advice and education assistance." The fair, held last month at the Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, was "sponsored by Stand Down House in partnership" with the US Department of Labor and the Veterans Affairs hospital in West Palm Beach. At the event, approximately "700 veterans had access to more than 40 vendors and resources, such as" VA "enrollment and benefits, health screenings, haircuts, obtaining IDs, job opportunities, housing and educational assistance."

 31.VFW To Host Veterans Benefits Event. Bryan College Station (TX) Eagle An event "aimed at helping veterans sort through their benefit options is set for Saturday at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4692." Representatives "from the Waco Veterans Affairs office will be available to assist with claims and appeals."

 32.VA Designs Learning Institution To Develop And Identify Talent. AOL Government A finalists for the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. According to the story, Veterans Affairs Learning University Dean Alice Muellerweiss is a finalist for the Management Excellence medal. The story adds, "As dean of VALU, Muellerweiss unified training programs operating independently across the VA, set up a wide array of new courses, and launched an innovative career management program to meet employees' developmental needs." VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould said Muellerweiss is "incredibly energetic, persistent and visionary," but Muellerweiss was modest about her accomplishments, saying there has always been "great talent within VA."

33.Reinstating The Draft: Other Perspectives. New York Times 

 

34.Vets Need Drivers For Medical Appointments. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

 

35.Veterans Groups Pull Funding For St. Joseph Community Center. Elyria (OH) Chronicle-Telegram "Several veteran organizations are pulling the donations they made to help fund a proposed transitional housing facility for needy veterans because of concerns over the future of St. Joseph Community Center, where Valor Home is supposed to be." Matthew Slater, "director of veterans services for Family and Community Services Inc., which is involved in the project, said despite the problems at St. Joe's, there's still a belief the facility will survive." According to the Chronicle-Telegram, "Valor Home has funding in the form of a $474,000 grant from the VA."

 

36.VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as July 14, 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.