VA News for Saturday, December 11, 2010

1.      Senator Questions VA, Defense Spending On Tutiton Aid To Vets In For-Profit Schools.  In continuing coverage, a press release from Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, reprinted in the eNews Park Forest website (12/10) says that after reviewing a report "showing that for-profit colleges are charging the highest tuition rates to veterans and servicemembers leading to a record number of student loan defaults,: Durbin "vowed to work to increase scrutiny of for-profit colleges and universities." The report from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee "shows a nearly 700% growth over the last four years in the amount of Department of Veterans Affairs' Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and the Department of Defense's Tuition Assistance Program going to for-profit colleges and universities." Durbin, along with Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) wrote this summer to Defense and VA Secretaries asking for data on tuition assistance to for-profit colleges and agency oversight. Durbin also notes that in 2009, the Department of Defense "spent $424 million on tuition assistance and the Department of Veterans Affairs spent $3.58 billion."
     In a PRNewswire (12/9) release, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities criticized the Senate Committee chairman's report for "looking at the issue from the wrong end of the telescope." It added that the "rapid growth of servicemembers, veterans and their families in higher education is a very positive development that should be celebrated, not denigrated."

2.      Shinseki Will Speak At Eastern Kentucky Commencement.  The Richmond (KY) Register (12/10) reports that Secretary Shinseki and Hall of Fame football coach Roy Kidd "will address 1,202 degree candidates at Eastern Kentucky University's annual Fall Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 18. The morning ceremony at 9:30 a.m. will feature Shinseki and honor candidates from the Colleges of Education, Health Sciences and Justice & Safety."

3.      Column Notes VA Plans For Individualized Benefits Handbooks. The syndicated "Sgt. Shaft" column appearing on Military.com and elsewhere (12/10, Fales) notes that the VA "is piloting new, personalized Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks. The handbooks are tailored to provide enrolled veterans with the most relevant health benefits information based on their own specific eligibility. In essence, each handbook will be written for the individual veteran." VA Secretary Shinseki says that the new handbooks will give veterans "a comprehensive, easy to understand roadmap to the medical benefits they earned with their service."

4.      California DVA Launches Gold Star Family License Plates. KFSN-TV Fresno, CA (12/10, 9:53 p.m. EST) reports on the start of California's Gold Star Family license plates honoring families that have lost a member during active duty military service. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "gave out the first three Gold Star family license plates at the State Veterans Memorial yesterday." The account notes that legislation creating the program was passed in 2008, "but it took a few years for Department of Veterans Affairs to raise the $300,000 dollars need to start up the program."

5.      State Veterans Officials Particpate In Wreaths Across America Events.  The Newport News (VA) Daily Press (12/10, Lessig) reports, "Evergreen wreaths honoring Virginia's veterans will be placed on all gravesites at the Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans' Cemetery on Saturday. The event is part of the national Wreaths Across America observance." The commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services will speak at the ceremony.
     Wreaths Across America to Stop at MN Veterans Cemetery. The website of the Mille Lacs (MN) Messenger (12/10) reports that the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs "invites the community to gather and honor all those laid to rest at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls during a wreath laying ceremony at the cemetery's main flag pole. The event, part of the national Wreaths Across America project, will take place Saturday, Dec. 11 at 11 a.m."

6.      New House Veterans Affairs Chairman Says VA Has Had "Little, If Any Oversight."  The Holmes County Times Advertiser (12/10, McLaughlin) notes that newly-named House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, FL1 Rep. Jeff Miller (R ), said in a phone interview that his main priority heading the panel "will be 'general oversight and investigation of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. 'This is the second largest agency in the federal government and we have had very little, if any, oversight,' he said. Miller said he has spent some time recently studying the agency. 'I'm seeing some areas where spending is being done that I think anyone would agree no one needs to do,' he said." Miller also noted that the committee would have "a lot of new members," as 13 of 17 Democrats who served there in this Congress will not be back in the 112 Congress, due to one retirement and 12 electoral defeats.
     The website of the Crestview (FL) Bulletin (12/10) adds that Miller "plans for a return to strict oversight, focusing on issues such as claims backlogs as well as safety and security breaches within the department."

7.      VA Will Centrally Process Claims On Camp Wtaer Contamination.  In continuing coverage, NEWS14-TV Charlotte, NC (12/10) reports that "officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs said the disability claims of those suffering from issues related to water contamination at Camp Lejeune will soon be processed at a central location." Reportedly, all claims related to contaminants in Camp Lejeune water will be sent to a VA Center in Louisville, as a way to track the claims and keep their handling consistent.

8.      VA Stresses Interagency Cooperation At NIH Conference on TBI.  An American Forces Press Service release (12/10) reports that "helping severely wounded veterans and servicemembers recover and reintegrate into their families and communities was the theme of a joint Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and National Institutes of Health two-day conference at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md." The Third Annual Trauma Spectrum Disorders Conference: Emerging Research on Polytrauma, Recovery and Reintegration of Servicemembers, Veterans and Their Families, which convened December 7-8, was a "forum for leading experts to share the latest approaches in research and care focused on polytrauma -- multiple, severe wounds -- and related issues such as limb loss, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder." Opening remarks by VA Chief Research and Development Officer Dr. Joel Kupersmith "emphasized the importance of collaboration among federal partners." VA undersecretary of health Dr. Robert Patzel said that the annual conference was "a prime opportunity for our investigators and clinicians to exchange ideas and knowledge with their colleagues in the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and the National Institutes of Health." Keynote speaker was Dr. Elaine Peskind of the VA and the University of Washington in Seattle, "described her work using sophisticated brain scans, such as positron emission tomography, to understand the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury." Another session focused on "smart home" technology being evaluated at the Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program at the Tampa VA Medical Center. Gregory Goodrich, Ph.D., of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, made a presentation on TBI-related vision problems.

9.      Sausalito Officials Gear Up To Preserve Building VA Plans To Demolish.  The Sausalito, California-based Marinscope (12/8, Mullins) reports that officials in Sausalito, California "have been scrambling to save a historic building from demolition in the Marinship. In October, representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs told the Sausalito City Council the department planned to raze a large building at 25 Liberty Ship Way and construct a new one, close to the waterfront." The VA told the council in October that it "plans to construct a roughly 15,000-square-foot modern building." VA also said that the original 45,000-square-foot building, which is labeled "machine shop" in large red letters, "was too deteriorated to renovate." The city planner told the council that site is historically significant, adding that city staff was already working to add it to the city's register. Asked by the mayor "Burns what kind of experiences other people have had with the VA in similar situations," the city planner responded that she had "heard the VA is known for bulldozing ahead" on projects it has begun, The city architect added that the VA ""is one of the most unresponsive government agencies I've dealt with. You really need to be in their face to get their attention."

10.    Canandaigua Housing Project Makes Slow Progress.  The Canandaigua Messenger Post (12/10, Sherwood) reports on progress on VA plans, announced last winter, to build a $10 million housing project for homeless veterans in a vacant building on the Canandaigua VAMC. The account notes that the VA "required an archeological survey" of the site, and that a consultant's survey has not found anything of significance. That survey is scheduled to be finished this week and its report sent to VA headquarters for review. A spokesman for the Canandaigua VAMC disclaimed any knowledge of the timetable for VA's review.

11.    Cemetery Director Responds To Letter Urging Upright Headstones.  In the Battle Creek Enquirer (12/11), the director of the Fort Custer National Cemetery responds to an earlier letter expressing the opinion that the cemetery should have upright headstones, saying that the facility "was specifically designed to be a flat marker cemetery by the National Cemetery Administration in the early 1980s. NCA wanted to create a park-like setting with open burial meadows surrounded by natural woodlands."

12.    Departing Sacramento Vallet Ccemetery Director Honored.  The Dixon (CA) Patch (12/9, Villatoro) reports that "friends, colleagues and members of the community congregated at Dixon's Veterans Hall to honor Dean Moline, the director of Sacramento Valley National Cemetery who is leaving Dixon to be the director of Riverside National Cemetery." Moline came to the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in 2006 from his previous post as assistant director of Riverside National Cemetery. Proceeds from The December 8 lunch in his honor will go to the local Wreaths Across America event on December 11.

13.    Iraq, Afghan War Dead's Relatives Receive American Airlines Trip.  The Tulsa World (12/9, Gamallo) reports, "Six regional families who lost loved ones in recent wars were treated to a royal sendoff at Tulsa International Airport on Thursday as they headed to Dallas-Fort Worth for a weekend show of appreciation for their personal sacrifices. The families, mostly children who lost fathers in war, were among 1,300 widows and children from across the country who are being feted to the all-expense-paid trip by Snowball Express in partnership with American Airlines, which is providing round-trip flights from 48 cities." In Dallas-Fort Worth, the families "in Dallas-Fort Worth, the families will be honored in a welcome tribute at American Airlines Victory Plaza," with entertainment by a Las Vegas ventriloquist and actor Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band.

14.    Dallas Restaurateur Sends Steaks, Cooks To Troops Overseas.  The Dallas Morning News (12/11, Schmitt) reports, "For a soldier stationed in Iraq, nothing beats an 8-ounce tenderloin steak -- except maybe having his father grill it to order. David Eisenlohr traveled from his home in Dallas to Camp Diamondback in Mosul, Iraq, this fall to fix his son and several other soldiers a meal, thanks to local red-meat magnate Harvey Gough's Steak Team Mission." Since 2002, the restaurant has "grilled up thousands of meals for soldiers across the country and overseas."

15.    Tree Planting Honors Korean War Vets.  The Tennessean (12/10, Young) reports that members of the Nashville Korean-American Senior Association, Korean War Veterans Association, Tennessee Korean News, Metro Public Works and Metro Beautification and Environment "will have a tree planting on Korean Veterans Memorial Boulevard at 2 p.m. Saturday." Last year, Nashville-area Koreans planted 37 hibiscus, or Rose of Sharon, trees in the medians along the Korean Veterans Memorial Boulevard as a way to thank the American veterans who fought in the Korean War.

16.    Honor Flight Representatives Will Speak At Truman VAMC-Sponsored Breakfast.  The Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune (12/10, A2) reports, that Tuesday's monthly Military Morning breakfast for veterans and service members, held in conjunction with the Truman Memorial VAMC, will feature speakers from the Central Missouri Honor Flight.

17.    Peral Harbor Observance Held In South Florida.  The Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune (12/10, Williams) reports a local commemoration, sponsored by a VFW and American Legion Posts, of the attack on American forces in Pearl Harbor and Manila.

18.    VietNam Groups Enter Agreement On Agent Orange Work.  Viet Nam News (12/11) reports that the Viet Nam Red Cross and the Viet Nam's Agent Orange Victims Association entered an agreement Thursday to collaborate more closely to carry out policies for Agent Orange victims and to work together for new policies and international support.

19.    Greenbrier Village Offers Nursing Care To Vets In Enid, Oklahoma.  Enid (OK) News and Eagle (12/10, Malan) reports on the Greenbrier VAMC's new residential center, noting praise for the facility and its staff from several residents. The first veteran to take up residence there says that, ""Not one person on the staff, when it comes to nurse's aides, are anything but professional," while the second arrival says that it is the best of the six nursing homes in which he's lived. The Greenbrier Village residential home several months ago "began working on a contract with Oklahoma City VA Medical Center to provide a VA residential center in Enid."

20.    Coatesville VAMC Launches Medical Foster Home Program. In a letter to the Lansdale (PA) Reporter (12/9, Devansky), the director if the Coatesville VAMC announces the start of the the Medical Foster Home Program, whose concept "concept is similar to how traditional foster homes work. A family or individual opens their home to a veteran, who lives there among the family. The family also provides some physical assistance and communicates often with staff at the medical center about the veteran's health and well-being."

21.    Mobile Clinics Make Their Rounds. The Logan (UT) Herald Journal (12/10) reports that the Utah Mobile Vet Center will visit the Logan Work Force Services office every Friday.
     Mobile VA Clinic At American Legion Post Today. The Lancaster (OH) Eagle (12/10) reports that the Chillicothe VA Medical Center Mobile Outreach Clinic will be at the American Legion Post 11, 279 Canal St., Lancaster, from 1 to 7 p.m. today.

22.    Nevada Clinic Plans Event Honoring Veteraans.  The Lahontan Valley (NV) News (12/10, Ranson) reports that the Lahontan Valley VA (Veterans Administration) Clinic will hold an event Tuesday to honor area veterans, and adds in passing that Winnemucca "will eventually open its own VA clinic."

23.    Ailing Porn Merchant Stays At New York VA Hospital.  The New York Magazine (12/10, Thornburgh) reports on former pornography kingpin Al Goldstein, now recovering at a New York V hospital from a stroke, "On a high floor of the VA hospital on East 23rd Street, a 74-year-old patient (history of diabetes, manic depression, obesity, and heavy tobacco use; reports 7,000 lifetime sexual partners) is taking his morning medications. ... Not all that long ago, Al Goldstein was a Manhattan porn pioneer with powerful friends and enemies; a Pompano Beach mansion; and, by his count, $1.5 million in wristwatches." But recently, he "spent almost a year in Bellevue Hospital and at the Brooklyn VA for a variety of maladies, both psychological and physical."

24.    Lebanon VAMC Cited As A Reason Area Is One Of Best In Nation For Veterans.  The Lebanon (PA) Daily News (12/10, Rhen) reports that the Lebanon VA Medical Center "was cited in a recent survey as one of the reasons Lebanon County was named the ninth best small-metro in the country for military retirees to live in."

25.    SBA Veterans' Business Loan Program Is Extended For Three Years.  The New Mexico Business Weekly (12/10) reports, "A business loan program for veterans is being renewed for three more years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Patriot Express, a streamlined pilot loan product based on the agency's SBA Express program, offers an enhanced guaranty and interest rate on loans to small businesses owned by veterans, reservists and their spouses. In three-and-a-half years, the program has provided roughly $560 million in loan guarantees to nearly 7,000 veterans to start or expand small businesses."

26.    Bogus Claims Of Links To VA, HUD Bring AG Lawsuits. . KUSA-TV Denver (12/11) reports that Colorado's attorney general "is suing Englewood business Assurity Financial Services for allegedly deceptive advertisements, falsely claiming the company was affiliated with the U.S. Veterans Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development." The company "is also accused of misleading customers through mailers they sent out asking people to apply for refunds of their mortgage insurance premiums and escrow accounts. According to a news release the mailers appeared to be from the federal government although Assurity did not have the government's authority to send out official notices."
     Legal Newsline (12/10, Loria) reports a similar false advertising lawsuit filed by the Florida attorney general against Assurity Financial Services.

27.    Veterans Benefit Fair Set For Upstate New York.  The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (12/11) reports that a veterans benefit fair hosted by a local chapter of Vietnam Veterans Of America and an American Legion Post "will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Chili American Legion Post, 450 Chili-Scottsville Road, Chili. The fair will present information from the Veterans Administration on health care and from the Monroe County Veterans Agency on compensation from a service-connected disability and benefits that were earned because of service."