1.    Homeless Veterans in Ohio and Michigan to Benefit From $11M in Housing.  PR Newswire   The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides the bulk of remaining funding for the $11 million of total housing development costs.

2.    Veterans are 12% of Mass. homeless. Boston Globe ... among veterans, according to an analysis published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

3.    Agency readies its next project.  WatertownDailyTimes.com  Center employees can help veterans learn about US Department of Veterans Affairs services "or help find a continuum of care for physical and behavioral

4.    Pilot program gives veterans benefit access.  Montrose Daily Press  The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is piloting a program on the Western Slope that gives veterans better access to services that they've earned.

5.    Audit finds problems at state veteran homes.  The Legislative Audit Bureau's review the homes' staffs have been at odds with state Department of Veterans Affairs management in Madison for years.

6.    American Legion Opposes Changes to Veterans' Affairs Oversight.  KSJB  Eliminating Veterans from the Administrative Committee to replace them with state officials is a serious blow to veteran input and involvement in providing

7.    Variety of veteran services will greet Medal of Honor recipient.  The Coloradoan  New Start tailors a re-entry system for veterans to help them begin local career and educational pursuits. New Start pairs returned veterans with a buddy

8.    Administration, Pentagon Focus On Veterans Issues.  DoD Live  But the image may fade with time, particularly as the administration seeks $57 billion in additional funding for the US Department of Veterans Affairs

9.    Huntington, Federal Home Loan Bank to finance housing for military vets.  Columbus Business First
The Federal Home Loan Bank also will extend a $550000 Affordable Housing Program grant to the project while the US Department of Veterans Affairs will pay

10.                       Affordable Home Projects break ground for Veterans.  Property Magazine  The remaining balance is going to be shouldered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The CEO and president of Huntington, Steve Steinour said..... 

11.                       Lawmaker: Better screening for veterans would save AHCCCS millions.  East Valley Tribune  In some cases, the benefits veterans are seeking from Arizona are available through the US Department of Veterans Affairs, he said.

12.                       Chairman Asks Communities to Help Veterans Reach Their Dreams - Department of Defense.  Patriot-NewsChairman Asks Communities to Help Veterans Reach Their DreamsDepartment of DefenseVeterans have seen their lives change, but their dreams remain the same, he said: “They still want to go to school, they want to have a family

13.                       VA's Caregiver Assistance Plan Criticized.AP "A long-awaited plan to give caregivers of severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans some extra help was unveiled Wednesday by the Veterans Affairs Department with few specifics about when it would be fully implemented and potentially fewer families reaping the benefit than expected." The plan was criticized by "Jeremy Chwat, a spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project," and US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Murray deemed the plan "simply not good enough," but VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts "said...VA and Congress were 'engaging in conversation about the appropriate approach on eligibility.'"

14.                       USMC Holds Off On Immediate Changes To Camp Lejeune Water Pollution Booklet.St. Petersburg (FL) Times The US Marine Corps "won't withdraw or immediately revise a booklet about water pollution at Camp Lejeune, N.C., that critics say contains errors and omissions. Scientists at the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry had urged the Corps to withdraw the booklet because of 'misleading' language that might lead some to think the water pollution isn't a problem." In addition, several "members of Congress...called on the Corps to withdraw the booklet or fix inaccuracies," but "after a meeting Tuesday between Corps representatives and staff from several congressional offices, the Marine Corps stopped short of acknowledging inaccuracies and said the booklet would be revised in July 'to keep it current.'"

15.                       Duke To Award Honorary Degree To Shinseki.Duke University "Duke University will award seven honorary degrees at its commencement exercises May 15, Duke President Richard H. Brodhead announced Wednesday. The degree recipients" include US Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, who "earned a...master's degree in English from Duke."

16.                       Spouses At Odds With DOD Over "Widows' Tax."AP "Tens of thousands of the nation's war widows find it perplexing and downright disrespectful to their late military husbands: In order to fully collect on insurance their husbands bought for them when alive, they must marry another man," because the "'widows' tax'" says a "military spouse whose loved one dies from a service-related cause can't collect both survivor's benefits and the full annuity benefits from insurance the couple bought from the Defense Department at retirement."

17.                       Group Aims To Help Significant Others Cope With Deployment-Related Stress.American Forces Press Service "During a week in which the White House pledged a vigorous, whole-of-government approach to supporting military families, 11 women" took part in the charter class of the Significant Others Support Group, where they "worked diligently...to learn to cope with the stresses of their husbands' multiple deployments and the post-traumatic stress that affects many of them when they return home." The group "is an offshoot of the Specialized Care Program their husbands completed following a diagnosis of combat stress or post-traumatic stress, or because they had difficulty readjusting to home life after war. Both programs are based on resilience and strength-building education conducted by the Defense Health Clinical Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center."

18.                       VA Blog Using Anti-Suicide Communications Policy To Help Troubled Vets.Federal Computer Week "The Veterans Affairs Department's Vantage Point blog of three months is dealing with apparent suicide threats published as comments on its pages." Under a "policy outlined" by "Alex Horton, one of...VA's official bloggers," when "VA bloggers become aware of comments expressing hopelessness or a reference to harming themselves, they immediately notify VA mental health professionals to assess the situation. Once notified mental health staff members assess the comments and determine if making contact is necessary," which it often is, according to Horton, whose agency "may be the first federal organization to start an anti-suicide communications policy on its blog."

19.                       VA Initiative Honors Development Of New Health Technologies.Federal News Radio An "alternative pilot project at the Washington VA that extends the functions of VA's electronic medical records" is one of four "pilot projects at the Veterans Affairs Department" that have been "honored by the VA Innovation Initiative for developing new veterans health technologies." Jonah Czerwinski, "director of the Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2), said on the Federal Drive," that the initiative allows VA to "turn to the industry, private sector, academia and non-profit community" for assistance in solving problems faced by veterans. Czerwinski "added that the announcement of the awards last week was important because innovation was a major aspect of President Obama's State of the Union address."

20.                       Probe Of Orlando's VA Medical Center Complex Underway.AP "Federal and state investigators have launched a probe into contractors working on Orlando's new $665 million Veterans Affairs Medical Center complex, although they won't say what the investigation is about." The probe, which is "being led by the state Department of Financial Services," became "public Tuesday when agents with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed up at the construction site."

21.                       Flu Outbreak Leads To Visitor Restrictions At VA Facilities In North Carolina.Fayetteville (NC) Observer "The Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center and its clinics are imposing visitor restrictions due to the recent flu outbreak. Anybody under the age of 18 is not permitted at the hospital or its clinics, hospital officials said." The Observer adds, "The restrictions will be in place until further notice, officials said."

22.                       Valentines For Veterans Concert Rescheduled.Muskogee (OK) Phoenix "The Valentines for Veterans concert at the Muskogee Civic Center has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17." Hosted by the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the "concert is free to the public as organizers believe 'the price has already been paid by our veteran's sacrifices.' The concert is one of 17 concerts being held at VA medical centers nationwide as part of VA's annual National Salute to Veteran Patients."

23.                       Study: Vets More Likely Than Other Americans To Be Homeless.USA Today "Military veterans are much more likely to be homeless than other Americans, according to the government's first in-depth study of homelessness among former servicemembers." After noting that approximately "16% of homeless adults in a one-night survey in January 2009 were veterans, though vets make up only 10% of the adult population,"

24.                       American Legion In North Dakota Opposed To Committee Changes.KSJB-AM Jamestown, ND "The American Legion, Department of North Dakota, issued a press release saying that the organization is 'adamantly opposed' to ND House Bill 1379.," which "would reportedly eliminate the fifteen veterans on the Administrative Committee On Veterans Affairs and replace them with three State government officials, and three non-voting advisory members."

25.                       Grief -- When To Treat It.  Medscape  By "Dr. Sidney Zisook, Professor of Psychiatry at University of California San Diego and at the San Diego Veteran's Administration Hospital."

26.                       I Will Be There For You. Chicago Tribune "From Chihuahuas to Labrador retrievers, dogs are increasingly complementing modern medicine, learning to defuse panic attacks, carry juice bottles to diabetics with low blood sugar, even dial 911." Research "suggests veterans" with post-traumatic stress disorder "experience fewer symptoms and need less medication when paired with dogs. The canines help veterans ease back into society by sensing panic attacks before they begin, gauging the safety of surrounding areas, and jolting their handlers out of flashbacks."

27.                       CrystalRiver Ceremony Saturday Will Honor Fallen, Wounded Heroes Of The War On Terror. The St. Petersburg (FL) Times

28.                       Marker To Honor Graves Of African-American Soldiers From The Civil War. Wilmington (NC) Star News (2/10, Steelman).