1.      Ad Campaign Seeks To Spread Word About VA Services. The Army Times (10/12, Maze, 104K) notes that on Monday, the Veterans Affairs Department was to begin "launching a six-city advertising campaign...aimed at spreading the word about available help for newly discharged combat veterans." The campaign is "part of an effort to address the fact that there are 23 million veterans" in the United States, while "only 8 million use VA services. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, a retired four-star general, former Army chief of staff and combat-disabled Vietnam veteran, has been pushing outreach efforts aimed at smoothing the transition to civilian life for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans by making sure they know about available resources such as disability compensation, medical treatment, education benefits and home loans."
     The Washington Post (10/12, B3, O'Keefe, 605K) reports, "The first wave of the multiyear ad campaign will cost VA about $5 million, it said." After noting that a "second ad will start airing before Thanksgiving," the Post adds, "The first batch of ads are targeted at recent veterans, but future messages will focus on older veterans, VA said." The "Federal Eye" blog for the Washington Post (10/12, O'Keefe, 605K) offers the same details on VA's ad campaign.

2.      Three Suburban Sites Under Consideration For Louisville VA Hospital. In continuing coverage, the AP (10/11) said the "Veterans Administration is continuing to search for just the right property on which to build a new hospital in Louisville, and has added three suburban sites to its list" of possibilities." The AP pointed out that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "said in a news release that final site selection may take six to 12 months." WBKO-TV Bowling Green, KY (10/11, 12:10 p.m. CT) aired a similar report.

3.      South Carolina May Require Fines From Politicians Lying About Military Records. The AP (10/9) noted that both South Carolina Republican state Rep. Chip Limehouse and James Livingston, a Medal of Honor recipient, "say politicians who lie about their military records should be required to pay a $10,000 fine to the state Ethics Commission." Limehouse "says the bill he is filing...is important in a state that plays a key role in presidential primaries. Limehouse says veterans have pushed for the legislation in reaction to misstatements by Democrat Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal about his service during the Vietnam War."

4.      Wisconsin Group Gets Grant For Homeless Veterans Program. The Beloit (WI) Daily News (10/10, Gavan, 14K) reports that Rock Valley Community Programs, Inc. says that renovations to the Caravilla Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing Program will begin in mid-month, "thanks to countless donations and the award of a capital and per diem grant from the US Veteran's Administration. Architectural plans will be drawn up in the next two to three weeks." The grant was part of the over $41.9 million in grants to community groups announced October 2 by VA Secretary Shinseki that will provide 2.568 beds for homeless veterans this year.

5.      Montana Veteran Honored For Service. The Helena (MT) Independent Record (10/9, Harrington, 14K) reports, "One of the most decorated female veterans in American military history urged Montanans to contribute to the newly christened Montana Military Museum, and to learn from the museum's displays so the country can make better decisions in the future. At a Friday afternoon dedication of the museum at Fort Harrison, retired Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught of the US Air Force said that artifacts of the country's military past are crucial for teaching the next generations." Vaught, an Air Force veteran of more than 28 years, is president of the board of directors of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, which is compiling information on every woman who ever served in the US military.

6.      Veterans Benefits Act Of 2010 Should Help Many. The syndicated "Military Update" column, appearing in the Lake County (CA) News (10/8, Philpott) and elsewhere, reports that the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010 (HR 3219), passed by each chamber of Congress and sent to President Obama for his signature, "has no clear blockbuster initiative. But it improves many veterans' benefits including some allowances for disabled veterans and various veterans' insurance options. Employment protections are toughened for those returning to civilian jobs." The column quotes representatives from the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans praising the bill for its breadth, which encompasses a number of insurance benefit improvements, increased funeral or burial benefits, and expansion of the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act in several ways: service members who transferring for 90 days or more to an area not served by their cell phone provider will be able to cancel their contracts without penalty, the Justice Department will be able to bring civil suits for expanded remedies against violators, and service members will also gain a private right of action. The bill does not contain a controversial House-passed provision that would have created a new $1,000 monthly payment for World War II merchant marine members.

7.      Justice Department "Battling To Save" Stolen Valor Act. The AP (10/12, Elliott) reports, "The Justice Department is battling to save a federal law that makes it illegal to lie about being a war hero, appealing two court rulings that the statute is an unconstitutional muzzle on free speech. The fight could be carried all the way to the US Supreme Court, where it would face an uncertain fate, legal analysts said." After noting that the "Stolen Valor Act makes it a crime punishable by up to a year in jail to falsely claim to have won a military medal, whether or not an impostor seeks financial gain," the AP points out that both a "three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and a federal district court in Denver have...ruled the law is unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds." The current issue of the Army Times (10/18, 104K) publishes a similar story.

8.      Burned Vets To Be Eligible For VA Grants. The current issue of the Army Times (10/18, 104K) reports, "Disabled veterans with severe service-connected burns will become eligible for automobile and adaptive equipment grants from the Veterans Affairs Department under an expansion of benefits approved by Congress, and the biggest grants will increase from the current $11,000 to a maximum of $18,900." The "addition of severe burns and the increase in the grant are part of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010, but do not take effect until next Oct. 1. Delayed effective dates reduce the cost of the legislation and also give VA more time to plan for the changes."

9.      VA Grant Will Provide Assistance To Homeless Vets In North Carolina. The Winston-Salem (NC) Journal (10/12, Graff) reports, "Winston-Salem has received a federal grant to help build 30 new transitional-housing apartments for homeless veterans. The $925,000" US Department of Veterans Affairs grant "will be used by the 'Veterans Helping Veterans Heal' project, which is coordinated by the United Way and the Ten-Year Commission to End Chronic Homelessness," to "buy and renovate an existing building." WXII-TV Greensboro, NC (10/11, 11:02 p.m. ET) aired a similar report.

10.    Vets Complain About VA's Ability To Handle Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefit Errors. In continuing coverage, the current issue of the Army Times (10/18, Maze, 104K) reports, "More than 149,000 service members have taken advantage of the ability to share Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits with a spouse or children, even more might use this retention benefit if procedures were less complicated, beneficiaries say." The Times speaks to veteran Terence Fitzpatrick about problems he has had trying to get Veterans Affairs to pay provide Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to his two sons, then says the difficulty Fitzpatrick "describes in trying to work with VA once problems arose echoes the complaints of many veterans trying to use the education benefits for themselves. Brian Hawthorne of Student Veterans of America said that when errors are made in benefits, 'it is very difficult to get them changed without third-party intervention' and that people who answer calls on VA's GI Bill hot line don't seem to know how to fix problems or may not have the authority to fix them."

11.    Some Families, Vets Groups Upset By Arlington Headstones. The Washington Post (10/12, B1, Davenport, 605K) reports, "Unlike in past conflicts, the overwhelming majority of headstones for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan" at Arlington National Cemetery "use the military's official names for those conflicts: Operation Enduring Freedom for Afghanistan" and "Operation Iraqi Freedom for Iraq," although that has "been rebranded Operation New Dawn. Some families and veterans groups say those slogans are little more than propaganda tactics, ways for politicians and the Pentagon to sanitize the wars and drum up public support." The Post adds, "Unlike Arlington, which is run by the Army, the Department of Veterans Affairs' 131 cemeteries across the country generally do not use operation names on headstones," although VA will do so if a family requests it.

12.    Despite Prevention Efforts, US Army Suicide Rate Still High. The New York Times (10/11, A11, McKinley, 1.01M) said a "spate of suicides" of US soldiers with some connection to Fort Hood in Texas, including the death of 26-year-old Iraq veteran Armando G. Aguilar Jr., "reflects a chilling reality: nearly 20 months after the Army began strengthening its suicide prevention program and working to remove the stigma attached to seeking psychological counseling, the suicide rate among active service members remains high and shows little sign of improvement." After noting that the "deputy director of a special task force established to reduce suicides" said the Army faces a significant shortage of mental health professionals to assist soldiers seeking help, the Times points out that veterans' advocates "say the shortage of therapists means...Army doctors tend to rely more on medication than therapy. They also say the Army screens too few soldiers for mental problems after deployments, placing the burden on the soldier to seek help rather."

13.    Americans' Efforts On Behalf Of Troops Described.  USA Today (10/12, Hampson, 1.83M) reports, "As the nation begins a 10th year of fighting in Afghanistan," Americans are "trying to express their patriotism in offbeat and idiosyncratic ways." For example, they "have school auctions, motorcycle rides and golf outings to raise money for military medical care or homeless veterans or families of deployed troops."

14.    IG Team Surveys Camp Lejeune Wounded Warrior Battalion. The Jacksonville (NC) Daily News (10/11, Hodge) reported, "A team from the Department of Defense Inspector General spent time at Camp Lejeune's Wounded Warrior Battalion East for a survey of best practices in caring for wounded, ill, and injured troops, officials said. And while officers with the battalion said conditions are better than ever for recovering Marines, some say the unit desperately needs an overhaul." The News, which pointed out that the "man who represents Camp Lejeune in Congress, Rep. Walter Jones, D-NC, said he has heard a number of troubling reports from families with troops" in Camp Lejeune's wounded warrior unit, noted that the Defense IG team's Camp Lejeune visit was the "first stop on a tour of Marine and Army installations with wounded warrior units."

15.    Gold Star Mothers Visit Iraq. In continuing coverage, the current issue of the Army Times (10/18, 104K) reports, "A group of 10 Gold Star Mothers" recently "returned to South Carolina...after spending 10 days in Iraq," where they "discovered a great sense of healing," as they visited the place where their children died. The Times adds, "FUTURE, the nonprofit group that organized the trip, plans to offer other Gold Star mothers" the same opportunity.

16.    Gold Star Mothers Travel To Iraq, Meet With Iraqi Mothers. The Greenville (SC) News (10/9, Davis) reports "The country where Ann Hampton of Easley lost her only child has become the place where she discovered a great sense of healing. Hampton returned to the Upstate Monday after spending 10 days in Iraq, where her 27-year-old daughter, helicopter pilot Capt. Kimberly Hampton, was killed in combat. Hampton described meeting the Iraqi people, who have suffered huge losses of their own, and finding them 'so welcoming, kind, generous and loving.' She said it was her best single act of healing." Hampton and other Gold Star Mothers returned Monday to Greenville "from their visit to Iraq as part of the inaugural "Hugs for Healing" flight organized and supported by Upstate-based FUTURE Families United Toward Understanding and Respect."

17.    Medal Of Honor Recipient Dies.  NBC Nightly News (10/11, story 6, 0:50, Williams, 8.37M) broadcast that on Monday, 79-year-old veteran David McNerney, passed away. After noting that President Lyndon Johnson awarded the Medal of Honor to McNerney "for his actions under fire in Vietnam," NBC said the vet's death means there are now "86 living recipients of the Medal of Honor."

18.    Following ID Bracelet Discovery, WWII Vet Buried In Mississippi. The AP (10/12, Castens) reports, "Nearly 200 kinsmen, friends and others paid their respects" as Clayton Hellums, a 28-year-old US soldier "killed during World War II," was "finally buried in his native soil" this past Saturday, at the Shady Grove Cemetery in Mississippi. Until a "part of his ID bracelet" was found in France, Hellums had been "considered missing in action." The current issue of the Army Times (10/18, 104K) publishes a similar story.

19.    VA Hospital Opens New Mental Health Center. In continuing coverage, WTVA-TV Columbus, MS (10/11, 5:02 p.m. CT) broadcast that the Veterans Affairs "medical center in Jackson is stepping up to help veterans suffering from stress and depression," by opening a new mental health center.

20.    VA Doctor Honored For PTSD Research. The Charleston (SC) Post And Courier (10/11, Dudley) said Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center psychologist Dr. Peter Tuerk, "whose research has helped hundreds of veterans overcome" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "received national recognition" last week, earning VA's "Olin E. Teague Award...for his research in a therapy that exposes veterans suffering PTSD to the triggers that cause them to be anxious or act out. Tuerk brought the breakthrough therapy to rural veterans through 'telemedicine,' treating them remotely using live feeds through cameras and computer monitors."

21.    Pineville VAMC Increases Help For Vets With PTSD. The Alexandria (LA) Town Talk (10/10, Gunn, 30K) reports that the Pineville VAMC "is about to construct a $3.8 million, 15,000-square-foot addition to the VA's psychiatric facilities to cope with an influx of soldiers with PTSD returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including troops with the National Guard who were deployed in war zones. The new wing will be completed in about a year."

22.    Long Beach VAMC Expansion Will Make Care Easier For Patients, Staff. The Contra Costa (CA) Times (10/9, Segura) reports, "The sprawling VA Long Beach Healthcare System spans some 100 acres, and its size often challenges patients needing to reach a variety of medical services during one visit. That should all change in the next few weeks with the projected completion of a new outpatient clinic that will consolidate on the western edge many of the services now scattered about the complex at 5901 E. Seventh St. That will include a new pharmacy, an emergency room and primary care." The transition, expected to be completed in January or earlier, will not be marked by ceremonies, which will wait until the facilities at the eastern end of the complex are renovated by the summer of next year.

23.    Martinsburg VAMC Wins National Award. The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (10/9, Vincent, 17K) reports, "Barbara Hartman won't soon forget her Thursday night trip to Washington, D.C., when the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center's Nutrition and Food Service unit that she manages received the prestigious national Good Neighbor Award. It's part of the 2010 GreenGov Presidential Awards program, which celebrates extraordinary federal leadership in environmental, energy and economic performance, she said." Hartman says the Martinsburg program "is specifically about trying to reduce the use -- and waste -- of natural resources because that also has an impact on the environment." After it was implemented, the VAMC sent 86 percent less food waste to a landfill and was able to donate 256 pounds of food weekly to a local nonprofit's veterans transitional housing group.

24.    Nursing Group Honors Topeka's Bilynsky For Her Work With Veterans. The Topeka Capital-Journal (10/8, Bush, 40K) profiles VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System suicide prevention case manager Marcy Bilynsky, "one of 10 nurses selected as a recipient of the Nursing: Heart of Healthcare award" from the University of Kansas School of Nursing. A 25-year veteran with the VA, Bilynsky also received the 2010 Secretary's Award for Excellence in Nursing.

25.    VA Sets Up Drive-Through Flu Shot Clinic. The Medford (OR) Mail Tribune (10/9, Fattig, 26K) reports that eligible veterans "can once again get your annual flu shot without getting out of your vehicle. The free 'drive-by shootings' will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, at the VA's Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City.

26.    Preservationists Pleased New Orleans VA Hospital Footprint Homes Are Being Moved. On its website, WWL-TV New Orleans, LA (10/11) reported, "There is another conflict between those moving forward to build the new state hospital and those who say a part of New Orleans history is being destroyed." Citizens "concerned about historic preservation," however, are "glad that on the "lake side of Galvez," the Veterans Affairs hospital footprint side, historic "homes are being moved to a new location, where new neighborhoods can grow."

27.    Proposed Vets Housing Project To Be Discussed At Public Meeting. The lead "Briefly" column item for the Omaha (NE) World Herald (10/11) noted that on Thursday, a "public meeting about a proposed housing development for low-income and homeless veterans will begin at 6 p.m." at the "Field Club, 3615 Woolworth Ave." The Veterans Village apartment development, which is "proposed for 39th and Pacific Streets," would be "operated by the Volunteers of America in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System."

28.    VA Hospital, Clinic Offering Flu Shots. According to the lead "Veterans' Journal" column story for the Providence (RI) Journal (10/11, Reilly), the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center "and its Middletown outpatient clinic will offer annual flu and pneumovax shot programs for enrolled veterans only (no spouses) in the coming weeks." Appointments for these programs "are not necessary."

29.    South Carolina Blue Star Mothers Collect Items For Soldiers' Holiday Gifts. The South Carolina Now (10/9, Holland) reports that the Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina "are now collecting items for gift boxes to send to soldiers over the holidays." Asking supermarket shoppers to buy and donate food items, and collecting cash for postage, the ladies "plan to pack and send the donations next month and always make sure to add their own personal touch. 'At the holidays last year, we put a Christmas stocking and loaded it with candy and treats to every box we sent,' said Anne Leimbach, Vice President of the Coastal Carolina chapter. 'So, we try to mom it up a little bit.'"

30.    Medal Of Honor, Students Clean Up Valley Forge Grove. The Phoenixville (PA) Phoenix (10/9, Pickering, 3K) reports, "Sammy L. Davis, a Vietnam War veteran who was the inspiration for the fictional Forrest Gump in the Tom Hanks movie, visited the Medal of Honor Grove on Friday. Davis received the Medal of Honor for rescuing wounded soldiers, and he was at the grove Friday to inspire a different kind of troops. High school students from Philadelphia and the Phoenixville Area school districts were raking leaves, gathering branches and cleaning the grove's monuments." After the 52-acre Medal of Honor Grove at the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge was reported this summer to be in poor condition, volunteers, including members of an "Army of Heroes" who agreed to donate one day this weekend to work on the grove, have pitched in to help clean it up. Those working there Friday "were rewarded with a talk from Davis and an appearance by Cory Etchberger, the son of a Berks County man who recently received the Medal of Honor award posthumously from President Barack Obama." Additional Medal of Honor winners are expected to participate throughout the Columbus Day weekend.