1.      Senator Murray to Succeed Senator Akaka as Chair of Senate Veteran's Affairs. GIBill.com  "As Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have a tremendous duty to the 22 million veterans across the country who have stepped up to serve

2.      Ancient Play to Help Heal Modern War Wounds.  Virginia Military Institute The panel for the VMI event will include support members of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Salem medical center and VMI's leader-in-residence Craig ...

3.      Supporters start final push to get Vang Pao buried at Arlington.  Kansas City Star Some efforts have been public, as when Costa wrote the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs on Jan. 11 urging that Vang be given the

4.      PTSD's Diagnostic Trap.  American Enterprise Institute See B. Christopher Frueh, et al., "US Department of Veterans Affairs disability policies for PTSD: Administrative trends and implications for treatment,

5.      Final rest delayed for Korean War Vet.  Lewiston Sun Journal The US Department of Veterans Affairs spent thousands of dollars last September to treat Lyon as his health failed. Richeson believes it ought to spend the

6.      Veterans cemetery under construction in Leesville.  Alexandria Town Talk A grant of more than $6 million from the US Department of Veterans Affairs is funding the construction of a main entrance, combined administration and

7.      Agent Orange's unending war: Connie Schultz.  Plain Dealer Last week, the US Department of Veterans Affairs announced that any veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, "in a unit determined

8.      Homeless Veterans Stand Down makes debut in Onslow County.  Camp Lejeune Globe However, the US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates more than 107000 men and women who once fought and defended this country now sleep on its streets

9.      Specialty courts: Justice system partners find solutions to ease budgets.  WisBar “The beauty of veteran's diversion courts is that treatment for those eligible is paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Funding does not come from the

10. Diesel Truck Driver Training School Offers Online Training.  Truckinginfo It is also recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and is eligible to train veterans. The quarterly Fleet Sentiment Report Buying Index as 

11. 5th Guam Womens Veteran Conference March 4th.  Pacific News Center The event is jointly sponsored by the Guam Vet Center, US Department of Veterans Affairs , the Purple Ribbon Campaign and the Department of Labor.

12. Army Post To Utilize Successful Veteran-To-Veteran Counseling Program.AP "In response to a record number of suicides in 2010, one of the nation's largest Army posts is turning to a successful veteran-to-veteran counseling program in New Jersey for help." The "University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will provide a toll-free, 24-hour helpline for soldiers and families at Fort Hood in Texas.

13.  Concern Expressed About Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Pamphlet. McClatchy "Congressional investigators will meet with Navy officials as soon as next week to pressure the military to reconsider a public relations booklet about historic water contamination at Camp Lejeune that they say is misleading. The booklet contains inaccurate information and could hurt scientists' efforts to survey thousands of former Lejeune residents and their family members about their health, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta."

14. Homeless Shelter On Campus Of VA Hospital To Close April 30.Menlo Park (CA) Almanac "Clara-Mateo Alliance, a shelter for homeless families and single adults, located on the campus of the VA Medical Center in Menlo Park, will be phased out over three months and will close April 30, its parent organization InnVision announced Jan. 26. The decision came after several months of analysis, according to a statement released by the InnVision board of directors and CEO." In a statement, InnVision President and CEO Christine Burroughs "said InnVision is committed to placing current residents in other InnVision programs or in facilities run by other nonprofit service providers."

15. VA San Diego Director Steers System Toward "Patient-Centered Care."Smart Business San Diego Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System Director Stan Johnson, "wants everyone aligned on delivering the best possible experience to the system's customers - its patients." In order to provide such "patient-centered care," leaders at Johnson's system "put a template in place by becoming an affiliate of the Planetree Alliance - a nonprofit partnership of health care organizations that advocates for care that is centered on an overall positive experience for the patient." While that "alignment with Planetree gave Johnson a path to follow when he assumed control of the health care system in 2009," Johnson still "had to bring the plan to life every day and coach more than 2,000 employees to do the same."

16. VA To Phase In Electronic Compensation Payments Over Next Two Years.Gainesville (FL) Sun The "Veterans Administration will phase out paper checks and phase in electronic payments over the next two years for veterans who receive monthly pensions or other regular compensation."

17. Officials: Automated System Accelerated New GI Bill Claims Processing.Federal News Radio On Monday, US Department of Veterans Affairs officials "said...a new automated claims processing system designed for education benefits under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill had succeeded in accelerating the process of delivering benefits to veteran students." Federal News Radio states, VA "intends to put the lessons it learned with the GI Bill software development process into practice on other large projects.

18. VA Launches TeleBenefits Program In Colorado.KREX-TV Local Veterans Affairs "hospitals and clinics are making it easier for veterans to learn about what benefits are available to them. Tuesday, the VA launched" TeleBenefits, a "first of its kind pilot program that allows vets to video chat with benefits counselors in Denver." After noting that the "program...uses the VA's already existing TeleHealth System, which can allow doctors to check their patients even if they're hundreds of miles away,"

19.  Report Blames Arlington Cemetery Problems On Paper Records, Poor Oversight.Washington Post  "Antiquated paper record-keeping and lack of oversight led to the mishandling of dozens of remains at the nation's most important military burial ground, according to a three-month review of Arlington National Cemetery's operations" by the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a "consortium of technology companies." In the report it issued Monday, the consortium said the "'confusion that results from poor records management leads to loss of public trust.' To regain that trust, the cemetery must digitize its records, improve its scheduling system and establish a rigorous chain of custody for remains as they move from funeral homes to burial, the report said."