VA News for Tuesday, November 30, 2010

1.      House Postpones Debate On "Women Veterans Bill Of Rights." CQ (11/30, Symes) reports, "House leaders postponed a debate scheduled for Monday on a measure that would require Department of Veterans Affairs facilities to display a so-called 'Women Veterans Bill of Rights' amid Republican concerns over abortion and the addition of language on injured and amputee veterans." The legislation, HR 5953, "would direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs...to ensure" that the list of rights include the "'right to request and get treatment by clinicians with specific training and experience in women's health issues.' Republican opponents have warned that by identifying such rights, the bill could establish a legal basis for mandating abortion coverage and require the VA to hire abortion providers."

2.      Congress Expected To Adjourn Without Enacting Homeless Vets Aid Bill. CQ (11/30, Mulero) reports, "Congress is expected to adjourn without enacting legislation that would authorize more money for homeless veterans' programs, despite concerns that lawmakers could fall short on their pledge to end the problem by 2015. In March, the House" cast a 413-0 vote, passing a "bill (HR 4810) that would increase the annual authorization for the Veterans Affairs Department to carry out programs to assist homeless veterans, from $150 million to $200 million." In the Senate, however, which has a version of the legislation that has "not advanced beyond committee," Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) has "explained...he has not put the legislation on a to-do list for the lame-duck session because the Senate calendar is too limited."

3.      Improvements To New GI Bill Could Mean End Of Old One. The current issue of the Army Times (12/6, Maze, 104K) reports, "The price of improving" the one-year-old Post-9/11 GI Bill "may be the death of the 24-year-old Montgomery GI Bill. The tradeoff is part of a package of changes to the new GI Bill program that advocates are trying to ensure does not increase the government's overall costs." The Times says that while most veterans "wouldn't miss the Montgomery GI Bill and its flat-rate monthly benefit because they can get more money under" the Post-9/11 GI Bill, "some students are better off...under the old program, such as those attending schools in low-cost areas where tuition is discounted or free for veterans."
     New Bill Offered Through VA. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based Temple University's The Temple News (11/30, Savidge) reports, "Effective since August 2009, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act – known as the new GI Bill – aids soldiers who hope to further their education with registration and reintegration. Offered through" the US Department of Veterans Affairs, "it includes 36 months of tuition, financial benefits, yearly book stipends and housing assistance."

4.      VA Provides Tools To Track Hospital Quality. Government Health IT (11/30, Mosquera) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department is 'raising the bar' for its healthcare centers by providing online tools so veterans can compare how well" the agency's "153 hospitals perform, with the ultimate goal of spurring further improvements at those facilities. Acute care, patient safety and intensive care are the principal areas targeted by the tools, which veterans and their families can access through the Linking Information Knowledge and Systems (Links) dashboard at VA's Hospital Compare Web site," which can be found at http://www.hospitalcompare.va.gov. Government Health IT adds, "The dashboard shows the relative strengths in traffic light colors of hospitals in these three areas, as well as the areas that need improvement, at the national, regional and local hospital level, said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA's under secretary for health," who pointed out that Aspire, another dashboard system, documents VA's progress in meeting quality and patient safety goals.

5.      Contract For Alabama Nursing Home Project Awarded To Company That Built US VA Clinic. The Talladega (AL) Daily Home (11/30, Hodnett, 10K) reports, "The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the new VA nursing home project" to "Doster Construction Company of Birmingham." After noting that on Tuesday, a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility will be held at "1 p.m. at Jefferson State Community College's Pell City campus," the Daily Home adds, "Robert Horton, public information officer for the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, said Doster built the US Department of Veterans Affairs new outpatient clinic that opened recently in Guntersville and was awarded a contract to build another VA clinic in Carbondale, Ill."

6.      Union Leader On Federal Pay Freeze: "Sticking It" To VA Workers Not Right. In a front page story, the New York Times (11/30, A1, Baker, Calmes, 1.01M) reports, "President Obama on Monday announced a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal workers as he sought to address concerns over high annual deficits and appealed to Republicans to find a common approach to restoring the nation's economic and fiscal health." The Times points out that while Republicans "cheered the pay freeze," union leaders "accused Mr. Obama of playing politics. 'Sticking it to'" a Veterans Affairs "'nurse...is not the way to go,'" said "John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees." Bloomberg News (11/30, Runningen) notes that Gage also said, "The American people didn't vote to stick it to a Veterans Administration nursing assistant making $28,000 a year." The "It's All Politics" blog for NPR (11/30, James) takes note of the same quote.
     According to the Providence (RI) Journal (11/30, Grimaldi), the "pay freeze would affect a few thousand" people in Rhode Island who "work for more than a dozen agencies," including the US VA. The Journal adds, "Worker representatives said they'll do what they can to blunt the pay-freeze plan though, Derrick Thomas, of the government employees' federation, acknowledged they face an 'uphill' battle to kill the proposal outright."

7.      Judge Rejects Attempt To Block VA Office's Relocation. The Roanoke (VA) Times (11/30, Hammack) says US District Court Judge Norman Moon has "rejected an attempt" by veterans lobbying group Boots at the Booth to "block the relocation of the regional Veteran Affairs office while the building it occupies in downtown Roanoke undergoes a major renovation. The request for a preliminary injunction, filed two weeks ago by a veterans lobbying group without legal assistance, failed to state a claim...wrote" Moon in "dismissing the case." Robert Helton, "chief operating officer of Boots at the Booth, said the group hopes to refile its request."

8.      Man Using Own Experiences To Help Other Vets. According to the Florence (AL) Times Daily (11/29, Singleton-Rickman, 29K), Vietnam vet Herchial Allen has "taken his experiences with agent orange, post-traumatic stress disorder - which is commonly referred to as PTSD, and what he learned from dealings" with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and "turned them into a campaign to help other veterans." Dr. Ehtsham Haq, the chief of psychiatry for the VA hospital "in Birmingham, said PTSD is a complicated and chronic disorder for which therapy is proven to be the best treatment."

9.      Report Stresses Importance Of Face Shield On Combat Helmets. The current issue of the Army Times (12/6, 104K) reports, "Adding a face shield to the combat helmets worn by troops could significantly reduce traumatic brain injury, researchers have found." A recently published report "from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...says that such protection is vital because pressure waves from explosions are mainly transmitted to the brain through the face." The Times points out that while the US Army and the US Marine Corps are in the "process of developing and testing a combat helmet that can stop a 7.62mm round," the "services have not announced any addition of a face shield to help reduce incidents of traumatic brain injury."

10.    Essay Gets Iraq Vet Suspended From College. The current issue of the Army Times (12/6, Gould, 104K) reports, "An Iraq War vet whose college essay about his addiction to killing and war got him suspended from classes" at the Community College of Baltimore County has "undergone a psychiatric exam, as ordered by the school, but he isn't sure he wants to go back," saying the school "embarrassed the hell out" of him. According to the Times, Charles Whittington was "interviewed by a local Veterans Affairs Department psychiatrist Nov. 23, four weeks after his essay, 'War is a Drug,' was published in the school newspaper. But he was told by VA he must wait 20 days to receive his evaluation, and the fall semester will be over by then."

11.    VA Proposes Presumed Service Connection For Some GI Disorders In Gulf War Vets. In its current issue, the Army Times (12/6, 104K) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department published proposed rules Nov. 17 stating that some gastro-intestinal disorders in veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War will be presumed to be service-connected for benefits" and healthcare purposes. According to the Times, this will "include irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia, which are among the unexplained chronic," multi-symptom "illnesses that have appeared in people who served in Southwest Asia in that conflict."

12.    Vet Presents Photo Of Korean War Memorial To VA Clinic. The Grayson County (KY) News-Gazette (11/30, Armstrong) says a picture of the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC, will "soon appear on the waiting room walls of the Grayson County Veterans Administration Clinic," after the photo was presented to the clinic by Korean War Veteran Ron DeVore, whose image is on the memorial. The News-Gazette quotes DeVore, who said, "I love this clinic" and "I thought it would be a nice gesture to add this picture to those already on the walls here."

13.    VA Approves Correction Of Error On Civil War Vet's Tombstone. According to an AP (11/30) story published by at least 14 news sources, Maryland resident John Goff is "correcting an error on the tombstone of his great-great grandfather that misidentifies the man as a Confederate soldier." The US Department of Veterans Affairs has "given Goff clearance to replace" James D. Alexander's "grave marker at Hart's Cemetery in Elk Neck with one for a Union Army veteran. The new marker is expected to arrive in several months."

14.    Several Fort Scott National Cemetery Upgrades Completed. The Fort Scott (KS) Tribune (11/30, Pommier) reports, "Since receiving renovation recommendations in 2001, the Fort Scott National Cemetery has been making progress on its upgrades," more of which "are on the way." William Owensby, the facility's director, "said that several upgrades have recently been completed including...installing a new irrigation system and resurfacing the roads." Owensby, "who also serves as director of the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery and the Leavenworth National Cemetery, said he is proud of the work done in Fort Scott."

15.    Vets "Fighting Mad" About Tahoma National Cemetery Thefts. The KOMO-TV Seattle, WA (11/29) website said veterans are "fighting mad after someone stole nearly a dozen memorial plaques from the Tahoma National Cemetery." The facility's director, Jim Trimbo, is also upset about the thefts, telling KOMO he is "mad as hell."

16.    Chattanooga Vet Center To Co-Present Assistance Conference. The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Chattanoogan (11/30) notes that this Friday, veterans "in the greater Chattanooga region are invited" to the "Sheraton Read House hotel in downtown Chattanooga," where they can "attend 'We Are Veterans,' a one-day conference aimed at helping veterans learn more about the resources available to them in the community." According to the Chattanoogan, the event will be presented by several organizations, including the Chattanooga Vet Center.

17.    Non-Profit Administrator Working With VA To Assist Homeless Vets. The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (11/30, Samuels) reports, "Helping veterans reconnect with long-lost family members is just one of many duties" for LaShanda Holland, "42, who works as executive administrator" for the non-profit Homeless Veterans Emergency Housing Facility. The "150-bed facility" on the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System's Menlo Park campus "gives homeless veterans a place to stay while they await or undergo treatment at the VA, finish treatment and start looking for work, or simply need somewhere to live."

18.    Steel Demand Increases Costs Of VA Hospital. The Las Vegas Business Press (11/30, Emerson, 10K) notes that the budget for the "Department of Veterans Affairs' new hospital project in Southern Nevada" has gone from $300 million to $600.4 million. Dave Martinez, a spokesman for VA told the Press that the "cost of everything skyrocketed when China bought up all the steel" to use for construction of China's Three Gorges Dam. The Press points out that in addition to the hospital, VA is "building four primary care clinics that will be located in four corners of the Las Vegas Valley."

19.    Texas Senate Select Committee Holds Hearing On Healthcare For Vets. The Brownsville (TX) Herald (11/30, Armendariz) reports, "The story of a veteran who died of blood loss after an outpatient visit to San Antonio's Veterans Administration center was among the most shocking testimony shared at a hearing of the Texas Senate's Select Committee on Veterans Health held" in Harlingen, Texas, on Monday. The committee "has been charged with reviewing state and federal health care benefits for Texas veterans, including VA hospitals, to improve access and quality." Rey Molano, "president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 856 of Harlingen, told" the committee that the vet's death from blood loss, which began when he was 75 miles outside San Antonio, is "justification as to why" a hospital is needed in the Rio Grande Valley.

20.    Big Spring VAMC Sends Care Packages To Overseas Troops. The KOSA-TV Odessa, TX (11/29, Sherman) website said the Big Spring Veterans Affairs Medical Center has "sent 123 care packages overseas to our troops as part of Operation Soldier Holiday," a program "started by Dr. Brian Phemester while he was employed at the Orlando (Fla.) VA." Phemester "brought the program with him when he came to Big Spring." KOSA noted that the care packages, which were "made with donations from employees and the public," include "everything from food and essentials to fun items, such as footballs."

21.    Vets Hospital To Test Creatine As Depression Treatment. The Deseret (UT) Morning News (11/30, Yeates) reports, "Utah researchers have discovered a unique treatment for depression and bipolar" illnesses -- using of creatine and uradine, "two natural substances made by our own bodies." Clinical "trials using creatine to treat depression in adults will soon begin at Salt Lake's Veterans Hospital."

22.    Drawing Classes Offered At VA Hospital. The Del Mar (CA) Times (11/30, Welch) says Joel Harris, who "teaches...drawing at the Solana Beach Library," has also taught vets in "Scripps Hospital's Wounded Warrior program." When Harris "took this same concept" to the Veterans Affairs hospital "in La Jolla they suggested he work with the spinal cord injured, paraplegics and quadriplegics and his 'Drawing with Joel' classes were initiated."

23.    Local Officials Approve Handicap Parking Space For VA Clinic. The Williston (ND) Herald (11/30, Smith, 5K) notes that last week, the Williston City Commission "approved the placement of a handicap parking space outside" a new Veterans Affairs clinic, "located at 205 Main St." The "vote was unanimous, by a five votes to none margin."

24.    A Witness Lies, The Court Shrugs And Veterans Are Outraged. The "Sidebar" column for the New York Times (11/30, Liptak, 1.01M) says a decision by a US Court of Appeals to maintain a murder solicitation conviction against David R. Hinkson has "outraged" the Korean War Veterans Association. According to the Times, veterans are upset because Elven J. Swisher, who "testified that the defendant had tried to hire him to kill three federal officials," has "since been convicted of lying to federal officials" about his having seen combat in the Korean War, "wearing fake medals and defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs of benefits for combat injuries."

25.    Too Many Vets Victimized By Lung Cancer. An op-ed for Stars And Stripes (11/30) by Charles T. Horner III, a "retired Army lieutenant colonel."

26.    Education Benefits Focus Of Program. The "Veterans Journal" column in the Providence (RI) Journal(11/30, Reilly).

27.    A Veteran's Affair. Bradley D. Wentworth's column for the Frederick (MD) News-Post (11/30, 35K).

28.    Computer Crash Holds Up LSU/VA Hospital. The WDSU-TV New Orleans, LA (11/29) website said its investigative team has "learned the multi-million dollar" Louisiana State University/Veterans Affairs hospital "project and thousands of Louisiana Road Home properties" have been "affected by last month's computer crash at Civil Clerk's Office." Clerk of Court Dale Atkins sent "out an update through her spokesperson saying that she now has 58 people working on the problem, including four people on loan from the Jefferson Parish Clerk's Office. Without the data, home buyers cannot get title insurance or a clear title on property."