1.      VA Funding Transitional Housing Facilities In South Dakota, South Carolina. The Butte County (SD) Post (10/8, Dailey) reports, "Housing for homeless women veterans moved a step closer with a $412,422 grant for C-VISN based in Belle Fourche to develop a 28 bed female veterans' transitional housing facility" and to purchase one van. After noting that C-VISN stands for Community Volunteers in Service of the Neighborhood, the Post points out that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "made the announcement of the grant along with similar grants in 39 other states. 'These grants wouldn't have happened without the extraordinary partnerships forged with community organizers,' said" Shinseki. The Rapid City (SD) Journal (10/8) publishes the same story.
     The Charleston (SC) Regional Business Journal (10/8) says, "Crisis Ministries homeless shelter and soup kitchen in Charleston will receive about $1.2 million" from the US VA to "build transitional housing for male veterans who are homeless. The grant is among $41.9 million" VA "awarded to community groups in 40 states this month to provide beds for homeless veterans."

2.      Project ARCH Headed To Kansas. In continuing coverage, the Pratt (KS) Tribune (10/8, Rose, 2K) says, "Pratt County veterans who drive to Wichita for medical services" at the Robert J. Dole Veterans Affairs Medical Center "will be able to get care right at home, as a result of Pratt's selection as a pilot site for Project ARCH (Access Received Closer to Home). Just where the services will be provided has not been determined, said Ken Allensworth," the hospital's strategic planner. The Tribune notes that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has commented on Project ARCH, saying its intention is to "expand VA's ability to serve veterans who live far from VA facilities."

3.      VA Considering Three More Sites For New Hospital In Kentucky.  Business First Of Louisville (10/8) reports, "The US Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that it has added three sites in Jefferson County that will be considered for a new medical center for veterans, according to a news release. The additional possible sites for the new Robley Rex VA Medical Center are 'greenfield' sites, generally defined as property that is minimally improved and located in a mid-to-low density area." Business First points out that in the news release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki says a new hospital will "improve...customer service in a pleasant environment for patients."
     According to the Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (10/8, Shafer), the three new sites under consideration by VA, located "near Holiday Manor, Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant and the new Mercy Academy," will "be evaluated along with two previously discussed sites: land adjacent to the existing Robley Rex VA hospital off Zorn Avenue, which many veterans prefer; and a five-block area north of Broadway and near University Hospital, which has support of city" and University of Louisville officials.

 4.      County VA Director Appointed To Advisory Council In Pennsylvania. According to the Hazleton (PA) Standard Speaker (10/7, Ragan), Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has "appointed Carbon County Veterans Affairs Director Henry Desrosiers to the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center advisory council," which "makes recommendations to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs."

5.      Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Organizes Deer Hunt. The Roanoke (VA) Times (10/8, Sturgeon) noted that on Thursday, the "state-run Virginia Wounded Warrior Program" organized a deer hunt for veterans in Radford. The Times says the program "provides behavioral health and rehabilitation support to veterans and their families through the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. Virginia is home to 800,000 veterans."

6.      Baker Does Not Anticipate Increase In VA IT Spending In Fiscal 2012.  FierceGovernmentIT (10/7, Perera) reported, "The Veterans Affairs Department will likely not request additional information technology funding for fiscal 2012, its chief information officer told a Senate panel Oct. 6. 'We will request no increase -- sorry, I'm not allowed to talk about the president's budget -- but I would not anticipate the VA requiring an IT increase going into [fiscal] '12," said VA CIO Roger Baker while testifying before the Senate Veterans Affair Committee." Baker's agency is the "only cabinet department in which the CIO has authority over the entire department's IT spend--approximately $3.3 billion in fiscal 2010, which ended on Sept. 30."

7.      CBO Estimates Substantial Increase In Vets' Health Costs Over Next Decade.  CQ (10/8, Donnelly) reports, "Spending on veterans' health care could soar by tens of billions of dollars in the next decade, according to a report issued Thursday" by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which found that by fiscal year 2020, Veterans Affairs appropriations could rise by as much as 75 percent to $85 billion, from the $48 billion appropriated for VA in fiscal year 2010. According to CQ, most of the increase in costs would "come from meeting the needs of an aging population of veterans as medical inflation continues."
     CBO Also Says Legislation To Improve Post-9/11 GI Bill Would Cost $1.3 Billion. The Army Times (10/8, Maze, 104K) says "A bipartisan bill to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill - paying book allowances to active-duty members, adding non-degree vocational training as a covered benefit and expanding eligibility for National Guard and reserve members - has a $1.3 billion problem. That is what the Congressional Budget Office, the non-partisan arm of Congress responsible for determining the cost of pending legislation, estimates the package would cost over five years." After noting that under "congressional budget rules, that expense would have to be offset by cuts in other entitlement programs or an increase in revenue," the Times adds, "Supporters of the bill believe it can be made cost-neutral through a 'few tweaks,' said a representative of a major veterans group who asked not to be identified."

8.      MilCon-VA Bill One Of Only Two Fiscal 2011 Spending Bills Passed In House. In a story noting that House Republicans "have asked that earmarks be kept" out of "any spending bills advanced in the lame-duck session that will follow the Nov. 2 midterm elections," CQ (10/8, Young) reports, "Only two of the 12 fiscal 2011 spending bills," including the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill (HR 5822), "have been passed by the House," while the Senate has "not acted on any of the spending measures."

9.      Indictment Accuses Man Of Stealing VA Disability Payments. The WNCT-TV Greenville, NC (10/7, Brown) website said Michael Hamilton is "accused of pretending to be a Marine Corps Colonel" and "stealing thousands of dollars" from the Department of Veterans Affairs. An indictment "says...Hamilton lied to officials at the Office of Veterans Affairs about injuries sustained during battle and about the medals he received during his service. The US Attorney's office said those lies allowed Hamilton to receive more than $30,000 in disability payments" from VA since 2007.

10.    GAO Says VA Should Review Ambulance Contract Provider Decision. The Roseburg (OR) News-Review (10/8, Morse, 18K) reports, "The Government Accountability Office has sided with a Douglas County public ambulance service" called Medcom, "finding that Veterans Affairs should review its decision to strip the service of a lucrative contract to transport veterans from Roseburg to other VA hospitals." The News-Review adds, "The ruling, announced earlier this week, will compel...VA to reevaluate the bids from the two ambulance services... said" VA attorney David Fagan.

11.    Settlement Reached In Contract Dispute Between Dartmouth, VA Hospital. In continuing coverage, Dartmouth College's The Dartmouth (10/7, Webster) noted that on Tuesday, the "office of Tristram Coffin, US Attorney for the District of Vermont, released additional details...about a dispute over contracts between Dartmouth" and a Veterans Affairs hospital in Vermont. The dispute "'involved allegations of improper conduct by agents and employees of Dartmouth College' in six contracts, according to a press release." After noting that the college "agreed to pay $275,000 to the federal government to settle the claims," The Dartmouth added, "Dartmouth's conduct first fell under scrutiny in 2004 when the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General audited six contracts and claimed to have discovered conflicts of interest, according to Tuesday's press release."

12.    VA Co-Creates Veterans Court In Arizona. On its website, KVOA-TV Tucson, AZ (10/7) reported, "The total number of veterans, nationwide, in the courts system is near 703,000 according" to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Tucson City Court "and the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System (SAVAHCS) have teamed up and created a Veterans Court to address the need." According to the website, VA social worker Debra White "sees how well" the court is working and says veterans "that are successful and have been dismissed of their charges through our court...work really hard."

13.    Family Praises Vet Killed During 12th Deployment.  ABC World News (10/7, story 5, 2:00, Sawyer, 8.2M) broadcast that the body of Army Ranger Lance Vogeler, who was recently killed in Afghanistan, arrived home in the United States on Thursday. After pointing out that Vogeler, "had been deployed 12 times, four to Iraq, eight to Afghanistan," ABC showed footage of Vogeler's deaf parents, as well as his one of his fellow soldiers, expressing their love and admiration for the fallen vet.

14.    Posthumous Medal Honor Given To Afghanistan Vet's Parents. In continuing coverage, the Army Times (10/8, Gould, 104K) says that during a "solemn White House Medal of Honor ceremony" held Wednesday, President Obama gave a "posthumous Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration," to the parents of deceased Afghanistan vet Robert J. Miller, who "sacrificed his life to save" other soldiers during a battle with Taliban fighters. Miller's parents "read a brief statement after the ceremony in which they recognized other fallen soldiers and their parents, in perhaps an oblique reference to the low number of Medal of Honor recipients. There have been seven recipients since the start of the current wars; an eighth Medal of Honor will be awarded to Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the only living recipient from the wars."

15.    Corey Shea's Mother Invited To Meet Obama. The Mansfield (MA) News (10/8, Holford) reports, "Army Specialist Corey Shea's mother, Denise Anderson, thanked selectmen Wednesday for their support after the loss of her son in Iraq in November 2008, and during her much publicized bid to be allowed a burial site near her son." The Corey Shea Act, which "allows parents of fallen service men and woman to be buried with their children if that child has no living spouse," is now "sitting on the President's desk, waiting to be signed off," said Anderson, who "also told the board preparations are now underway for her to meet President Barack Obama on Oct. 16." Anderson "received the invitation...from the office" of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

16.    False Arrest Leads To Benefits Dispute With VA.  KPTV-TV Portland, OR (10/7, 10:35 p.m. PT) broadcast that Shawn Dunbar, an Iraq veteran in Oklahoma who had been receiving disability benefits from Veterans Affairs, "says a case of mistaken identity...cost him his reputation." Dunbar, who was mistakenly arrested for aggravated battery because the "real suspect just happened" to share his name, was cleared by the alleged victim of the crime. The vet, however, "says...VA has asked him to send back thousands of dollars in benefits and he's not sure why."

17.    Vets Group Protests Deployment Of Wounded Soldiers. According to the CNN (10/7) website, a "group of war veterans angry about what they call the unacceptable practice of deploying wounded soldiers back into war zones protested Thursday, the ninth anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan." Members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) "gathered outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center" in Washington, DC, as "part of an effort called Operation Recovery that seeks to stop the deployment of troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma and other problems." CNN said the "group of about 14 veterans planned to march six miles to Capitol Hill, where a news conference was scheduled for later in the day." The WUSA-TV Washington, DC (10/7, Gonçalves) website published a similar story.
     In a related op-ed for "Congress Blog," which is published by The Hill (10/7, 21K), Clare Bayard, director of the Protecting Democracy Institute of Catalyst Project in San Francisco, California, writes, "Deployment and re-deployment of traumatized servicemembers moves beyond insult, past injury, into increasing danger," because servicemembers "who struggle with serious mental health conditions may not be fit to protect themselves, each other, or the safety and dignity of the Iraqi and Afghan people. IVAW offers" the United States a "new and needed vision: applying warriors' courage to the massive undertaking of healing themselves, our country, and those countries our military continues to devastate. Will we allow the military to continue standing in the way, or support these troops?"

18.    Two Vietnam Vets Win Local Phase Of National Creative Arts Festival. According to the Stillwater, Minnesota-based St. Croix Valley Press (10/8, Kink), Vietnam vets Steve Gates and John Bilello each "recently received a blue ribbon for their artwork as part of competition for the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, an annual program that showcases art, creative writing, dance, drama and music created by veterans treated" in Veterans Affairs' "national health care system." The 2010 "competition will culminate in an Oct. 24 exhibit" in La Crosse, Wisconsin, although neither Gates or Bilello, who both have post-traumatic stress disorder, were "selected to go to the national level." Still, both men, who "credit the VA system for recognizing the value of the arts," are "pleased that their works each won first prize locally."

19.    Ceremony Marks Reopening Of Togus National Cemetery's East Section. In continuing coverage, the Augusta, Maine-based Kennebec Journal (10/7, Crosby) said the "headstones of more than 1,000 US soldiers buried at Togus National Cemetery have been restored after years battered by water and weather." On Wednesday, the US Department of Veterans Affairs "held a brief ceremony...to reopen the East Cemetery section of the national cemetery, located on the campus of the Togus VA Medical Center. The ceremony marked the completion of a three-year, $1.9 million effort to renovate and replace the headstones."

20.    Ribbon Cut On New VA Clinic. In continuing coverage, the Gallipolis (OH) Daily Tribune (10/8, Carter) reports, "Veterans in the tri-county area will no longer have to make the trip to Huntington, W.Va., or Chillicothe, Ohio, for primary care outpatient services now" that the Gallipolis Veterans Affairs Clinic is open. While the clinic has "been serving area veterans for nearly a month, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday afternoon outside the facility, which is located at 323A Upper River Road in Gallipolis." The Tribune adds, "In his remarks to the crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting," US Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-OH) "said the opening of the clinic is one way to honor veterans in this area for their service to the United States." The Point Pleasant (WV) Register (10/8, 4K) runs the same story, while the WSAZ-TV Charleston, WV (10/7, Cline) website published a similar one.