1.      House Passes Bill Requiring Army To Account For All Graves At ArlingtonCemetery.  The Washington Post (12/17, Davenport, 605K) notes that on Thursday, the House "overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring the secretary of the Army to provide Congress with an accounting of all 320,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery." The legislation, previously approved by the Senate, "comes on the heels of a growing scandal" involving "unmarked or mislabeled graves" at the "nation's most hallowed military burial ground." According to the Post, the bill passed on Thursday would also "require a review of the contracts issued to digitize the cemetery's paper records and a study to determine whether authority over the cemetery should be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs."

2.      Changes To Post-Sept. 11 GI Bill Cleared By House.  In continuing coverage, CQ (12/17, Symes) says that by a vote of 409-3, the House "cleared a measure Thursday that would make changes to education benefits available under" the Post-9/11 GI Bill. President Obama is "expected to sign" the bill, which was passed earlier this week by the Senate. After noting that US Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) "emphasized that he and members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee had worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans service organizations to develop the changes contained in the bill," CQ adds, "While the measure expands many benefits, it would reduce the maximum possible allowance for tuition and fees to $17,500 from $20,000" and "would require that certain benefits not be paid out before Oct. 1, 2011." In his "What's Brewin'" blog for NextGov (12/17), Bob Brewin criticizes the bill, saying it will "effectively reduce housing stipends and cap tuition fees."

3.      Head Of Spokane Veterans Program Honored.  The Spokane (WA) Spokesman Review (12/17) notes that during a ceremony last week in Washington, DC, the "head of Spokane's homeless veterans program for the Department of Veterans Affairs received national honors." John Davis, who "coordinates the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program from his office in downtown Spokane, received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Services to Homeless Veterans from VA Secretary Eric Shinseki." Davis' program, which "last year provided medical care, housing and other social services to more than 1,200 veterans, was recently honored as one of the best in the nation."

4.      Wal-Mart Helps Couple Assist Homeless Vets.  NBC's The Today Show (12/16, 8:45 a.m. ET) broadcast that "Lacey And Mike Bryant, a young couple" in Oregon, operate "Lacey's House of Dreams, a home for the once homeless veterans" of US wars. After noting that the "home was recently forced to downsize from 30 beds to 10," NBC informed the Bryants that Wal-Mart is giving $25,000 to Lacey's House, as well as donating presents and food to vets living there.

5.      Probe Of Hastings Veterans Home Yields Mixed Results.  The KARE-TV Minneapolis, MN (12/16, Croman) website reported, "Investigators wrapped up their investigation into retaliation claims at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings with mixed results. According to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the state agency that operates the residential center for 200 veterans, nursing director Connie Ball did retaliate against staff members but did not take such actions against residents who complained." However, an investigation "carried out by the staff of the VA Hospital in Minneapolis, listed the claims of retaliation against residents and staff members as 'substantiated.'" A story aired by WCCO-TV Minneapolis, MN (12/16, 6:37 a.m. CT) also took note of the report.
     Suspended Administrators Will Not Return To Home. The Duluth (MN) News Tribune (12/16) said two administrators at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings "will not be going back to their old positions." Administrator Chip Cox and "Director of Nursing Connie Ball were both placed on paid administrative leave" when the Minnesota VA's "investigation began. According to a press release, both have 'recently left state service.'"
     Minnesota Governor Impressed By New Facility For Homeless Vets. The KJBR-TV Duluth, MN (12/16) website said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was in Duluth earlier this week, "touring the new Veterans Place in West Duluth," where "homeless veterans will live, while receiving support to get back on their feet." In commenting on the facility, which has yet to open, Pawlenty "says he was impressed by what he saw. He hopes his successor will continue to support programs like this --- as well as the proposal to develop a Veterans Cemetery near Jay Cook State Park." KDLH-TV Duluth, MN (12/16, 6:48 a.m. CT) and WDIO-TV Duluth, MN (12/16, 6:15 p.m. CT) aired similar reports.

6.      Veterans Go To The Supermarket.  The WALB-TV Albany, GA (12/16, Bulecza) website reported, "Nearly 3,000 veterans and their families learned about benefits they could qualify for Wednesday," when the Georgia Department of Veterans Services sponsored its "45th Supermarket of Veterans Benefits in Valdosta."

7.      Crowd Pays Special Holiday Tribute At Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery.  The Sanford (ME) News (12/16, Todd, 6K) reported, "More than 100 people took the time from their holiday preparations" this past Saturday to "attend the first Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Springvale."
     LouisianaVets Cemetery Graves Decorated With Holiday Wreaths. The KTBS-TV Shreveport, LA (12/16) website noted that on Thursday, More than "400 graves...were decorated with a holiday wreath" at the "Northwest LA Veterans Cemetery in Keithville." This was "part of a national movement called Wreaths Across America." KSLA-TV Shreveport, LA (12/16, 6:21 p.m. CT) aired a similar report, while the Shreveport (LA) Times (12/17, Prime) publishes a similar one.

8.      VA To Institute Medicare-Based Fees For Certain Services.  Government Executive (12/17, Sternstein) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department is instituting standard fees based on Medicare rates for certain medical services performed at non-VA facilities to gain greater price consistency. But the change may restrict access to care for some retired military members with kidney problems, according to some members of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, patient advocacy groups and health care providers." The new regulations, to "take effect Feb. 16," will "affect coverage of veterans who obtain treatments from non-VA clinicians for end stage renal disease, ambulatory surgical center care, anesthesia and clinical laboratory services."

9.      MedVirginia Shares Data With VA, DOD In Hampton Roads Pilot.  Government Health IT (12/17, Mosquera) reports, "The MedVirginia health information exchange has started sharing patient records with the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments in the Hampton Roads, Va., area, the second community to start testing the virtual lifetime electronic record (VLER)." According to Government Health IT adds, "VLER is the Obama administration's effort to develop a single electronic system to track the medical, benefits and administrative records of service members when they enlist in the military throughout the remainder of their lives as veterans."

10.    Yale Law Clinic Sues To Get Veterans' Health Data.  In continuing coverage, the New Haven (CT) Register (12/16) said the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School has "filed a freedom of information suit in US District Court to get the Department of Defense to release records on disabled veterans believed to show they were incorrectly diagnosed. Law school intern Melissa Ader said the department discharged 22,600 veterans between 2001-2007, claiming they suffered from personality disorders, a pre-existing condition," instead of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that entitles veterans to benefits. The Register pointed out that the Ader's clinic "wants to examine the records to determine if there is a pattern of misdiagnosis."

11.    Flags Lowered In Honor Of NH Fallen Marine.  In a story run by at least 20 publications, the AP (12/17) reports, "Flags on New Hampshire state buildings are being lowered to half-staff in honor" of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Michael Geary, a "Marine from Derry who was killed" last week in Afghanistan. Geary's "funeral will be held Friday morning at St. Thomas Aquinas in Derry, followed by burial with military honors at the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen."

12.    Veteran Charged In ND Rampage Pleads Not Guilty.  At least 14 publications run an AP (12/17) story noting that 28-year-old Iraq veteran Brock Savelkoul, who is "accused of going on a suicidal rampage" in North Dakota, has "pleaded not guilty" to "felony charges of reckless endangerment, fleeing police and terrorizing, and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving." After pointing out that authorities "say...Savelkoul led police on a high-speed chase and threatened a person in a Watford City convenience store with guns," the AP adds.
     The Bismarck Tribune reports that Savelkoul was medically discharged from the Army last year with post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury, and was recovering from a shrapnel leg wound." Savelkoul, who "left a suicide note for his family in Minot before the Sept. 21 incident" in Watford City, has been "ordered by the court to get treatment at Veterans Affairs facilities in Fargo and in St. Cloud, Minn."

13.    The Impact Of War.  The WHYY-FM Philadelphia, PA (12/16) website said it has been "almost...a year since the Philadelphia municipal court launched its new Veterans Court program," which "focuses on linking veterans arrested for minor crimes with treatment and other benefits they're entitled to through the Veterans Administration." The website posted audio of its story, which focused an Iraq war vet who was inspired by his participation in the program and is now in school and getting his life "on track."

14.    VA Expands Care For Female Vets.  According to the Newport News (VA) Daily Press (12/16, Salasky, 69K), an increase in the "number of women in the military is changing the way the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center does business." The Daily Press added, "To take care of the current and projected demand, mostly from women under age 45, the Hampton center is adding comprehensive primary care for women, a 'one-stop-shop' type of care delivery for general and gender-specific problems, according to spokesperson Jennifer Askey."

15.    "Christmas Feast" Served To Several Dozen Homeless Female Vets.  KABC-TV Los Angeles, CA (12/16, 4:19 p.m. PT) broadcast that on Thursday in Alhambra, California, American Legion Post 139 served a "Christmas feast" to "several dozen" homeless female veterans. KABC added, "According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are an estimated 6,500 homeless female veterans on America's streets, double the number than a decade ago."

16.    Mobile Vet Center Visits Logan Friday.  The Logan, Utah-based Cache Valley Daily (12/17, Christensen) says the Utah Mobile Vet Center (MVC) "will be visiting Cache Valley Workforce Services" in Logan on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The MVC is a "new program of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Readjustment Counseling Service, more commonly known as the Vet Center. Vet centers provide professional counseling to combat veterans and their families."

17.    Center Gathers Food For Needy Veterans.  The Chattanooga (TN) Times Free Press (12/16, South) noted that on Wednesday, "Chattanooga Vet Center volunteers started packing boxes of food for area veterans in need." The facility is "taking donations of food, toys and gift cards until Tuesday for...15 local veteran families selected by the staff."

18.    Super Clinic Size Splits Groups.  The Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser (12/16, Brown, 32K) reported, "Square footage continues to be a sticking point between the Veterans Administration and the Lafayette-based Veterans Action Coalition of Acadiana, although the two sides agree that a Super Clinic is sorely needed in South Louisiana." Gracie Specks, administrator of the VA hospital in Pineville, Louisiana, "was on hand for Wednesday night's coalition meeting at the South Regional Library to provide a list of services that the VA expects to provide in the Super Clinic."

19.    Roseburg VA Hosts Town Hall.  In continuing coverage, the Roseburg (OR) News-Review (12/16, Bajandas, 18K) reported, "Veterans and Oregon federal lawmakers Tuesday criticized a consultant's recommendation that Veterans Affairs not expand inpatient services or reopen an intensive care unit at its Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center." The "consultants want veterans to increasingly connect with doctors by telephone or via the Internet." The KVAL-TV Eugene, OR (12/16, Beeby) website published a similar story.

20.    Director Spells Out History Of The Tuskegee VA During Eggs And Issues.  The Tuskegee (AL) News (12/17, Rhodes, 4K) notes that on Tuesday, as guest speaker at an "Annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast for the Tuskegee Area Chamber Commerce," Glen E. Struchtemeyer, who directs the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care Systems (CAVHCS), talked about the history of the Tuskegee VA Hospital and about why VA chose to close the emergency room in Tuskegee and put one in Montgomery. Struchtemeyer "said the short answer is 'veteran population.'"

21.    Federal Workers Donate To Charities.  The Tuscaloosa (AL) News (12/16, Avant) reported, "Federal employees in central Alabama donated about $1.1 million to charities this year that will be distributed in 2011." On Wednesday, the "total raised in the Heart of Alabama Combined Federal Campaign was announced during a ceremony...at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center," whose employees "pledged $49,438, the most in the Tuscaloosa subregion. The amount was 108 percent of the VA's goal." A similar, positive story was aired by WIAT-TV Birmingham, AL (12/15, 5:13 p.m. CT).
     San DiegoVA Employees Provide Food, Toys To Needy Families. The KGTV-TV San Diego, CA (12/16) website noted that on Wednesday, employees with VA and the Metropolitan Transit System "brightened the holiday season...for needy families" around San Diego County by packing "425 boxes with food and toys" during "their 23rd annual 'Care & Share' drive." The employees "raised money for the event with bake sales, conducted a food drive and received gifts from vendors." The boxes were to be "delivered on Thursday." The La Jolla (CA) Light (12/16, 30K) also took note of the drive.
     The XETV-TV San Diego, CA (12/16) website pointed out that the food and toys donated by employees of the VA San Diego Healthcare System are "expected to benefit nearly 1,000 people, 306 of whom are children." The KGTV-TV San Diego, CA (12/16) website published the same story, which also appears in the Del Mar (CA) Times (12/17, 6K).

22.    Vets Clinic Planned For Taos Amid Expansions.  The Taos (NM) News (12/16, Johnson) noted that on Wednesday, the "Department of Veterans Affairs announced...that veteran's services will soon be available in clinics in Northern New Mexico - including Taos. Clinics in Española and Las Vegas will have contracted veteran's health services in clinics effective this April, the VA said in a statement, and similar services will be available in Taos in 'late 2011.'" Next Wednesday, according to the News, representatives of the New Mexico VA Health Care System will discuss the clinic plans during a meeting at the Kit Carson Electric Board Room.

23.    Vet, Wife Frustrated By Surgery Postponement. WISN-TV Milwaukee, WI (12/16, 10:14 p.m. CT) broadcast that veteran Gerald Mackenzie was "scheduled to have lifesaving surgery for colon cancer more than a week ago at Milwaukee's" Veterans Affairs hospital. However, Mackenzie's surgery and the surgeries of "more than a hundred other vets were put on hold," because a "VA employee voiced concerns about whether surgical instruments were being properly sterilized" at the hospital. The station spoke to Mackenzie's wife, who expressed anger and frustration about the situation, although it was noted that VA "apologized to the Mackenzies if there was a communication breakdown and said they'll be reaching out to them in the same manner that...VA has been doing for dozens of other veterans whose surgeries were postponed."

24.    Programs Offer Job Hopes For People With Disabilities.  On its website, KGO-TV San Francisco, CA (12/16, Johnson) reported, "For more than 30 years, San Jose-based Project HIRED has been helping people" like Sharon Milner, who has multiple sclerosis, "find meaningful employment -- help that's particularly welcome in these economic times." Milner, who answers calls at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, found the job "through Project HIRED, a South Bay non-profit specializing in helping people with disabilities find and keep jobs." According to the website, VA has "partnered with Project HIRED since 1994, bringing people like Milner" into VA "and helping veterans find work as well."

25.    Deceased Man's Father Carries On Effort To Assist Needy Vets. WTRF-TV Wheeling, WV (12/16, 12:18 p.m. ET) broadcast, "Recruits are busy as elves" at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, "packing presents for vets in honor of someone who is no longer here, David Turner Jr." Prior to his death "of an apparent heart arrhythmia," Turner, who worked at the hospital's Veterans Canteen Service, "began a sock drive for vets who couldn't afford them." Inspired by his son, Turner's father has expanded the drive to collect many essentials veterans "sometimes can't afford." KYW-TV Philadelphia, PA (12/16, 6:46 a.m. ET) aired a similar report.

26.    Roseburg National Cemetery Celebrates Groundbreaking.  The Roseburg (OR) News-Review (12/17, Bajandas) reports, "A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday to celebrate a 20-acre expansion of the Roseburg National Cemetery on the grounds" of the Veterans Affairs hospital in Roseburg.

28.    Rape Victims Ask, Military Won't Tell On Crimes.  In her column for Bloomberg News (12/17), Ann Woolner notes that the Service Women's Action Network, along with the "American Civil Liberties Union and its Connecticut," have "gone to court with its claim that the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are stonewalling its request for more data" on sexual assault in the US military. Woolner concludes, "The idea that members and veterans" of the US military "would have to go to court to get this information is astounding."

29.    Compassion First. In an editorial, the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune (12/16) said it is pleased that the Federal government has "altered its rules so that veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder will not be required to document the series of events that left them emotionally scarred and requiring some level of treatment and/or disability pay."

33.    More Local Vets Could UseVA Clinic. The Chelan, Washington-based Lake Chelan Mirror (12/16, Lovato) reported, "Veterans Administration health clinic officials hope the veterans in North Central Washington don't forget to use the buddy system. Many vets who have health care insurance don't register to get into the system but if more did, it could lead to more services for their fellow vets who do." Members of the Chelan-Manson American Legion Post are "trying to get the word out" about the importance of registering.