1.      Veterans' Benefits Entangled In Red Tape.  The Washington Times (12/21, 77K) says that while leading Democrats "like to hold up" the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) "as an example of how well government can provide" healthcare, veterans "who deal with the complex federal bureaucracy have invented an unhappy refrain to describe the VBA: 'Deny, deny until you die.'" According to the Times, the "simply overwhelmed" VBA, which is part of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, "reported on Monday that there are 481,751 pending claims." But the Department "did provide information to The Washington Times attributable to a 'VA spokesman,' saying it hired an additional 4,200 people over the past three years to help reduce claims-processing times and is testing a number of pilot programs to streamline the process."
     VA Hopes Fast Track Will Improve Claims Processing. After noting that the VBA "has begun using a public online portal" called Fast Track to "accept and process new claims for Vietnam-era disabilities connected to the herbicide Agent Orange," Federal News Radio (12/21, Serbu) says VA "hopes this pilot can lead the way to improve how the agency processes claims across dozens of disability categories in the near future." Federal News Radio says VA developed Fast Track "in response to Secretary Eric Shinseki's decision to establish the presumption for Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange that certain types of leukemia," Parkinson's disease, and "heart disease are connected to their military service."
     In a story analyzing what President Obama will face politically over the next two years, Politico (12/21, Harris, Hohmann, 25K) notes that while Obama "has been in office, there was a new Veterans Affairs initiative to expand benefits for people who had been exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, coinciding with Memorial Day."
     VA Has Decided More Than 28,000 New Agent Orange Claims. The Air Force News Service (12/21) also mentions the Fast Track portal, pointing out that VA "processors have decided more than 28,000 claims in the first six weeks of processing disability compensation applications from Vietnam veterans with diseases related to exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange." The Air Force News Service reports that in a press release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said his agency is using "new technology and ongoing improvements" to "quickly" remove "roadblocks to processing benefits."

2.      In Pilot Program, New Vets Get Personalized Handbook.  The current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K) says veterans in Washington, DC, and Cleveland "will be the first to receive a new personalized health and benefits handbook under a pilot program to tailor information to individual needs." If the "handbooks work as planned in these locations," the Veterans Affairs Department will "provide tailored information to every new veteran starting next fall." In commenting on the handbooks, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said they will "give veterans everything they need to know."

3.      Bill To Promote Locating Veterans' Health Care Facility In South Jersey Clear Senate.  The Gloucester County (NJ) Times (12/21, Barna) reports, "Legislation to establish a task force to study and make recommendations on how best to build and operate a veterans' health care facility in southern New Jersey received final legislative approval on Monday." The bill, which "would create an 18-member task force to devise a plan for the veterans hospital," was "approved 79-0 by the Assembly in November and 37-0 by the Senate on Monday." According to the Times, Veterans Affairs has "small clinics in Ventnor, Cape May and Vineland, but they only perform some outpatient medical services."

4.      Spending Bill Freezes Pay For Federal Workers.  In continuing coverage, an AP (12/21, Ohlemacher) story carried by at least 48 publications reports, "Federal workers would face a two-year pay freeze under a spending bill Congress will take up this week to keep the government operating through March 4." Passing the "bill - known as a 'continuing resolution' - would prevent the government from running out of money for daily operations Tuesday night and forcing a shutdown of most federal agencies." According to the AP, one provision in the bill calls for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to "get a $460 million increase in annual funding to prevent layoffs and help reduce processing times for disability claims." CQ (12/21, Young) points out that the bill would provide "$2.1 billion" to the VBA.
     Another Extension Of Stop-Loss Payment Application Deadline Also In Bill. The Army Times (12/21, Maze, 104K) notes, "The deadline to apply for a $500 allowance for being under stop-loss orders has been punted again, as Congress appears to be in no hurry to close eligibility for a benefit that so far has been paid to fewer than half of those who earned the payments." While midnight "Tuesday is the current deadline for those who were under stop-loss orders since the 2001 terrorist attacks to apply for the extra pay," Congress is "poised to extend the deadline again to at least March 18 as part of a short-term government funding bill."

5.      One-Time $250 Payments For Social Security Recipients Rejected.  The current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K) says, "House and Senate Democrats" have "tried but failed to advance legislation to provide Social Security recipients and disabled veterans a one-time payment of $250 to make up for the fact that there was no" cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security or veterans disability compensation Dec. 1. The legislation would only have applied to "military and federal civilian retirees...who also receive Social Security or disability pay."

6.      Coburn: VA Spending To Maintain Unused Buildings Most Wasteful In Government.  CNN Newsroom (12/20, 4:38 p.m. ET) broadcast that US Sen. Tem Coburn (R-OK) has "released his list of most wasteful government spending for this whole year. Topping the list" is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which "spent a whopping $175 million...to maintain hundreds of buildings it doesn't use," a point also made in a story aired by Fox News' Special Report (12/20, 6:29 p.m. ET). However, Fox did note that VA "says it spent only $34 million last year on unused buildings."

7.      Ceremony Held To Dedicate Expanding VA Cemetery.  In continuing coverage, the KPIC-TV Roseburg, OR (12/20, Beeby) website reported, "Over the weekend, community members joined with high ranking officials" from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to dedicate an expansion of the Roseburg National Cemetery. Officials "say the expansion was necessary because they have outgrown the current four-acre site." KPIC added, "The expansion also includes upgrades that have already been finished at the current cemetery, including new fencing and walkways."

8.      Man Sentenced To 10 Months For Falsifying War Record To Collect Benefits.  The Hartford (CT) Courant (12/21, Velsey) says 61-year-old John Golino, a former US Navy "mail clerk from Connecticut," has "been sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after admitting that he fabricated a story about a traumatic military record in Vietnam, where he never served, to collect some $80,000 in...disability benefits" from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Golino will "also have to pay restitution to the government."

9.      Veterans Get Boost Designing New Careers.  USA Today (12/21, Zoroya, 1.83M) notes that spending "years in recovery" from a injuries suffered during a rocket-propelled grenade attack, Anthony Smith recently received assistance from "The Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based organization that is among several government and non-profit efforts fighting joblessness among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans." After pointing out that Smith says the help has given him a reason to get out of bed each day, USA Today says Smith has launched a "martial arts school for all ages."

10.    Life And Death Decisions Weigh On Junior Officers.  In a front page story, the New York Times (12/21, A1, Dao, 1.01M) reports, "America's front-line troops" in Afghanistan "entrust their lives to junior officers like" 33-year-old US Army Captain Adrian Bonenberger, who was in charge during a mission in which Petty Officer First Class John Kremer and Specialist Matthew Hayes were both badly injured. Kremer has "re-enlisted, saying he

wants to rejoin his explosives disposal team after he finishes rehabilitation," while Hill "says he will probably leave the Army when his rehabilitation is over next year." Bonenberger, meanwhile, is not sure if will continue with the Army, partially because of the "bad things that have happened" that he tells the Times he ultimate takes responsibility for.

11.    What We're Not Looking After: Our Eyes.  The New York Times (12/21, D2, Brody, 1.01M) says a "documentary called 'Going Blind'" features "six people whose vision was destroyed or severely impaired by disease or injury," including Patricia Williams, a "fiercely independent woman" who "continues to work as a program support assistant for the Veterans Administration." Also featured in the documentary is "Steve Baskis, a soldier blinded at age 22 by a roadside bomb in Iraq, who now lives independently and offers encouragement to others injured at war."

12.    Suicide Rate Breaks Army Record From '09.  According to the current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K), the US Army "has set a new calendar year record for soldier suicides -- with one month still to count." By the end of the year, the "2010 suicide rate will be more than 10 percent more than last year and as much as three times the rate in 2006." The Times adds that through November of this year, "127 non-active-duty Guard and Reserve soldiers killed themselves, compared to 80 such suicides in all of 2009."
     Acting Guard Director Working On Suicide Prevention, Smooth Transitions. A separate story in the current edition of the Army Times (12/27, Hoffman, 104K) says Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter, the "Army National Guard's acting director," is "working to halt a disturbing rise in suicides and to ensure the Guard transitions smoothly once deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan drop, all while the Guard continues its 19-month search for a permanent director." Raymond "said he expects to see better training to teach Guardsmen to cope better with their problems."
     Vets Attend Fundraiser Promoting Meditation As PTSD Treatment. Another story in the current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K) notes that on December 13th, British comedian Russell Brand "joined filmmaker David/Lynch, actor/director Clint Eastwood and several veterans at a fundraiser for the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and Peace," which seeks to promote transcendental meditation (TM) as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Matthew Friedman, "executive director of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, is somewhat less enthusiastic" about such treatment, stating, "There are no published randomized clinical trials testing" TM as a treatment for PTSD, although he went on to say lack of "evidence is not the same thing as negative evidence."
     Concern Expressed About Drugs Taken By Children Of Deployed Soldiers. Also in its current edition, the Army Times (12/27, Jowers, Tilghman, 104K) says mental health problems in children and the "use of powerful drugs" to treat such problems are worrying a "growing number of military families who are struggling with the impact of long, frequent deployments on their children left at home." In addition, Josephine Johnston of the "Hastings Center, a New York-based research group," says, "Many members of the pediatric psychiatric community are concerned about the [in the use of psychiatric drugs]."

13.    Battle Over Science, Money Blocks Widely Recommended TBI Therapy.  Running a very similar version of a story that first appeared on the NPR website, Stars And Stripes (12/21) says that "despite pressure from Congress and the recommendations of military and civilian experts, the Pentagon's health plan for troops and many veterans does not to cover" cognitive rehabilitation therapy -- a "limitation that could affect...tens of thousands of service members who have suffered brain damage while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan." While officials with Tricare "say the scientific evidence does not justify providing comprehensive cognitive rehabilitation," an investigation conducted by NPR and ProPublica "found that Tricare officials have privately worried about the high cost of cognitive rehabilitation, which can cost $15,000 to $50,000 per soldier. With tens of thousands of troops and veterans suffering long-term symptoms from head injuries, treatment costs could quickly soar into the hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars - a crippling additional burden on the military's overtaxed medical system."
     The NPR (12/21, Miller, Zwerdling) website profiles cognitive rehabilitation therapy provided by "Project Share, a charity to help brain-damaged soldiers." NPR says "providing the kind of care available at Project Share to even the small percentage of brain-damaged soldiers who need it would require a tremendous commitment of time and money from military and veteran medical systems." ProPublica (12/21) runs the same story.
     Intrepid Center "Making Difference" In Lives Of Wounded. The American Forces Press Service (12/21, Miles) reports, "When it officially opened its doors in June, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at the National Naval Medical Center" in Bethesda, Maryland, "set out to provide a new level of care for warfighters suffering traumatic brain injuries and psychological disorders. Six months later," the $65 million center, a "gift from the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund," is "making a difference in the lives of servicemembers struggling to deal with the unseen, signature wounds of war with hopes they can continue their military service."
     Researchers Develop Shock Wave Exposure Patch. According to the current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K), researchers with the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have "created a patch that, when attached to a service member's helmet, can signal exposure to shock waves from a bomb." The researchers "plan to calibrate the color change of the badge to indicate the intensity of the blast so medics will immediately know the potential harm to the brain."
     Researcher Suggests "Surge Against Brain Disease" May Be Needed. In an op-ed for the "Congress Blog" of The Hill (12/21, 21K), Dr. Stephen N. Xenakis, who founded a "nonprofit conducting research on brain-related diseases," says an "epidemic" facing the US is the "disabling legacy" that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and post-traumatic stress disorder have on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. According to Xenakis, blast "concussions from IEDs contribute to homelessness, suicide, unemployment, fractured families, and weaken the fighting force." Xenakis concludes, "It may be time for the White House to engage in the Surge Against Brain Disease."

14.    Fayetteville VA Medical Center Expanding As More Veterans Come Home.  The WNCN-TV Raleigh, NC (12/20, Peguero) website said the "wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have put pressure" on Veterans Affairs hospitals, including the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, which "treated about 47,000 patients last fiscal year. That's up from about 33,000 eight years ago." WNCN added, "There's no room to expand on the medical center's campus, so the center is opening new, smaller clinics elsewhere."

15.    Vietnam Veterans Honored With Christmas Tree At Memorial Wall.  The Washington (DC) Examiner (12/21, Van Horn, 93K) says Vietnam veterans were "remembered and honored this Christmas at the National Memorial Wall as Iraqi veterans joined with school children nationwide in establishing a Christmas tree outside the national memorial." According to the Times, US Marine Corps Master Sergeant William Gibson, a veteran wounded in Iraq, "helped volunteers (other Vietnam veterans) locate a Christmas tree at the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall." On its front page, meanwhile, the Washington Post (12/21, A1, 605K) prints a photo of the tree after it had been placed at the memorial.

16.    VA Takes Steps To Deal With Mounting Lejeune Water Claims.  In a story published by at least 35 news sources, McClatchy (12/21, Barrett) reports, "Responding to heightened publicity and an uneven smattering of decisions on claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs will begin training a specialized cadre of workers this week to handle disability claims related to historic water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C." After noting that VA will also consolidate such claims "at one office" in Louisville, Kentucky, McClatchy says 48-year-old Peter Devereaux, a Marine veteran who served at Camp Lejeune, then later developed cancer, praised VA's decision.

17.    95-Year-Old World War II Veteran Receives Prisoner Of War Medal In Miami.  In a front page story, the Miami Herald (12/21, A1, Rosenberg, Mazzei, 175K) notes that on Monday, the Veterans Affairs hospital in Miami honored 95-year-old World War II veteran Cornelius Reagan, awarding him the "Prison of War Medal -- 65 years after Reagan was released by the Japanese." Because he was "missing so long, the military had presumed Reagan was dead. .... 'We're here to set the record straight,'" said "Japhet Rivera, the VA's associate director."

18.    Former Mexico Grid Iron Star Gets Holiday Treat.  According to the Lewiston (ME) Sun Journal (12/20, McPhee, 4K), a call from a nurse at the Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center resulted in Bob Bernard, an older patient at the hospital, receiving a video copy of a state championship football game the vet had played in many years earlier. Bernard also received a "2010 state championship...gold ball" and a "very large and well preserved framed photo" of himself "carrying the ball during a game in...his heyday."

19.    VA Interns Help Launch Operation Holiday Cheer.  The Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail (12/21, 31K) notes that while carrying out Operation Holiday Cheer at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center on Monday, approximately "30 interns from the Veterans Administration Acquisition Academy in Frederick, Md., got a first-hand look...at what the biggest part of their jobs will be: caring for those 'who shall have borne the battle.' The interns, if they complete the three-year training program, will be buying the goods and services the 150-plus VA medical centers across the country need to operate, from medical supplies and equipment to contracted services to construction projects, even down to laundry detergent, academy spokeswoman Laura Edwards said." According to the herald-Mail, the interns "who came to Martinsburg Monday make up the academy's third class." The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (12/21, Vincent, 17K) also covers this story.

20.    VA Specialty Wing Opens At County Resource Center.  According to the Crystal River, Florida-based Citrus Daily (12/20), the opening of a new Specialty Wing "of the Veterans Administration Clinic at the Citrus County Resource Center was recently celebrated with a ribbon cutting by county and VA officials." The wing is located "behind the original" VA clinic.

21.    Veterans Serving Veterans. The Northport (NY) Patch (12/21, Campbell) reports, "Members of the Northport American Legion traveled to the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center Thursday, as they do every month, to prepare and serve dinner to displaced veterans." Their "most recent dinner was a special Christmas dinner complete with gift bags, Christmas carols," and "hand-made cards."

22.    Plan To Switch Federal Benefits To Direct Deposit Gets Exceptions.  USA Today (12/21, Dugas, 1.83M) notes that on Tuesday, the Treasury Department will release "final regulations for paperless federal benefits today that address some of the concerns raised when the rules were initially proposed." After noting that the "plan released in June said federal benefits, including Social Security and Veterans Affairs payments, will switch from checks to direct bank deposit or a Direct Express debit card," USA Today says the plan "drew fire from consumer advocates who said many older Americans aren't technologically skilled and could be confused by the changes." Now, the Treasury Department will allow those "age 90 or older," mentally "impaired people," and recipients in "some very remote areas" to "continue to receive traditional checks if they wish."

23.    Valor VA Clinic Head Left Role After Clash. The Watertown (NY) Daily Times (12/21, Munks, 23K) reports, "Richard A. Matarese, who was hired earlier this year to lead Valor Healthcare's Veterans Affairs clinic on outer Washington Street," is "no...longer in that role. He and Valor CEO Howard J. Lewin had a 'parting of ways,' Dr. Matarese said," adding that they "didn't quite agree on how to communicate with each other on the clinic."

24.    Former Marine On Trek To Honor Other Veterans. The Fredericksburg (VA) Free Lance Star (12/21, Dennen).

25.    Vet Pleads Not Guilty To Rampage Charges. The current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K).

26.    Sgt. Maj. Faces Court-Martial. The current edition of the Army Times (12/27, Gould, 104K) notes that Stoney M. Crump, a "former command sergeant major at Walter Reed Army Medical Center," who was "fired for allegedly faking his record and wearing numerous unauthorized awards and decorations," is "due to face a general court-martial in March."

27.    Vets Find Forgotten Graves. The current edition of the Army Times (12/27, 104K).

28.    Voices Of Freedom: Ralph McLain. The WJBF-TV Augusta, GA (12/20, Robinson) website.