1.    Catholic Social Services pursues residential housing for homeless veterans.  
Scranton Times-Tribune The US Department of Veterans Affairs conducted a one-point-in-time count in 2009 and determined there were 1440 homeless veterans out of a total homeless

2.    In Our View: In Service to Vets.  The Columbian As Beau Bergeron, former head of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, told The (Tacoma) News Tribune: “I've been in a number of meetings ...

3.    California Southern University to Accept U.S. Military Tuition Assistance.  Benzinga
CalSouthern is also approved by the US Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) to offer military education programs to veterans who qualify for Vocational

4.    Gates, Rumsfeld Sued Over US Military's Rape Epidemic.  Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone
But women aren't the only victims; statistics from the US Department of Veterans Affairs indicate that more than half of those who screen positive for

5.    Veterans Say Rape Cases Mishandled. by The Associated Press  More than a dozen female and two male current or former service members say servicemen get away with rape and other sexual abuse and victims are too often ordered to continue to serve alongside those they say attacked them.

6.    Guam citizens' lawsuit going to court in September.  A lawsuit by Guam citizens opposing U.S. military plans to build Marine Corps training ranges on indigenous land will be heard in court Sept. 19, according to a schedule set this week in Hawaii district court.

7.    Budget breakdown: Veterans Affairs.  While many agencies are cutting back or barely holding steady, the Department of Veterans Affairs budget is growing.

8.    Pentagon looks to cut spending with 2012 budget request.  Pentagon officials asked for $42 billion less to fund the wars next year and an increase of less than 1 percent in the militarys base budget for fiscal 2012, holding defense costs down as Congress stresses fiscal restraint.

9.    Budget breakdown: Navy and Marine Corps.  With $176.4 billion to spend the most in history the Navy and Marine Corps will buy more weapons systems in fiscal 2012 that enable them to do more remote-control fighting from afar and, when called upon, get closer in to shore for future conflicts. 

10.                       Budget breakdown: Army.  Under pressure to hold the line on defense spending, the Armys $145 billion fiscal 2012 budget is about as much as the service requested for this fiscal year: $143 billion.

11.                       Budget breakdown: Air Force. WASHINGTON This years defense budget includes the first planned decrease in the Air Forces annual funding in 15 years, as the service trims back on research and construction spending.

12.                       VA plans for Veteran Cemetery in WNY.  WIVB  CLARENCE, NY (WIVB) - Release: Tuesday the US Department of Veterans Affairs announced action they are taking to begin the process of locating a National ...

13.                       Ocean freeholders: County needs voice on task force.  Tri-Town News
While the US Department of Veterans Affairs does operate the James J. Howard Clinic in Brick Township, veterans needing access to a full hospital must

14.                       Tennis courts or homeless vets? ACLU calls for investigation of VA land use.  Los Angeles Times  Claiming that the federal Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles is not doing enough to help homeless veterans, the ACLU of Southern California is calling for an investigation into the VA's stewardship of its sprawling Westside campus,

15.                       Scams, Frauds and Patriots.  Thom Stoddert

16.                       Oregon Sues Veterans 'Charity,' Says Founder Diverted Funds Oregon War Veterans Association also made illegal political contributions, suit charges  Oregon Attorney General John Kroger has filed a lawsuit alleging that the founder of two charities personally kept at least $690,000 of funds raised to help Oregon veterans and improperly used charitable donations to make unreported political contributions. 

17.                       Highlights Of Obama's $3.73 Trillion Budget. Obama Requests 4.5 Percent Spending Increase For VA In 2012.AP "What President Barack Obama has requested in his $3.73 trillion budget for the 2012 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1." For the Veterans Affairs Department, "$129 billion" has been requested, which is a "4.5 percent increase" from 2011. The proposal "would provide $208 million in aid to caregivers who are family members of the severely wounded from the recent" wars, "invest $183 million to help jumpstart VA's effort to reduce its massive claims backlog...by starting to implement a paperless claims" system, "invest $939 million to help expand services for homeless veterans through private and public partnerships," and "provide $6 billion for programs targeting the mental health needs of veterans, including those with traumatic brain injury."

18.                       Request Includes Money For Wounded Vets, Paperless Claims Processing. Bloomberg News On Monday, Obama "proposed a $61.85 billion budget for discretionary spending on US military veterans in fiscal year 2012, including $6 billion to treat troops who return from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars with post-traumatic stress disorders and brain injuries." Obama is also "proposing $183 million for a paperless claims processing system. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki...had planned to implement a paperless claims processing system by 2012 to reduce the disability claims processing time to 125 days."

19.                       Based On Request Figures, VA Labeled A Winner. Washington Post "Some agencies gain, some lose" with Obama's budget request. The Post adds, "Big winners include the departments of Education, Energy and Veterans Affairs, while the EPA, Interior and Agriculture would suffer." 

20.                       House Appropriations Committee Cuts VA's 2011 IT Budget. Government Executive "The House Appropriations Committee sliced $160 million from the Veterans Affairs Department's 2011 information technology budget in a broad spending plan that the panel introduced late Friday to cut $100 billion from this year's" Federal budget. The "2011 continuing resolution sets the department's IT budget at $3.147 billion, 5.1 percent below the $3.307 billion VA requested. The Appropriations Committee said the budget cuts reflect savings VA achieved from canceling projects." 

21.                       VA, HUD Release Analysis Of Homeless Vets. Coastal Courier "The Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs departments released last week what officials say is an authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among military veterans. According to HUD and VA's assessment, nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009, while roughly 136,000 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year." After noting that the assessment is "part of President Barack Obama's plan to prevent and end homelessness in America," the Courier quoted, "We continue to work toward our goal of finding every veteran safe housing and access to needed services." 

22.                       VA Officials Optimistic About Turning Tide On Claims Backlog By 2012. Army Times "Veterans Affairs Department officials say they can now see an end to the long nightmare of an ever-growing mountain of disability and compensation claims that has long infuriated veterans and their families. By 2012," such officials "expect dramatic improvements in both the speed and accuracy of claims processing,"

23.                       Jobless Rate Up Again For Young Vets. Unemployment Rate For Young Vets Still Rising.Army Times "The unemployment rate for young veterans continues to rise despite modest improvements in the overall job market, according to the...January employment report" from the Labor Department. The report shows "15.2 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are out of work." 

24.                       Congress Urged To Press For Review Of Veteran Employment Assistance Efforts. Army Times "Congress should press the Pentagon," the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the "Labor Department for an immediate review of existing" employment assistance efforts.

      25.                       Department Of Veterans Affairs To Expand Therapy Treatment. VA To Offer Cognitive Processing Therapy.Las Vegas Business Press "In response to a Government Accountability Office report on post-traumatic stress disorder, the Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to offer cognitive processing therapy and prolonged-exposure therapy to treat the disorder at its facilities." According to the Press, VA "estimates that up to 20 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, and demand for treatment may be increasing."

26.                       Families Of Wounded Veterans Waiting For Benefits Signed Into Law By Obama. Wife Of Injured Vet Worried About Receiving Caregiver Benefits.Huffington Post "President Obama authorized a benefit expansion nine months ago for caregivers of military service members, but the Department of Veterans Affairs missed the Jan. 31 deadline for implementing the program, the Washington Post reports. On top of the delay, fewer families might receive the benefits than previously thought." The Post adds, "Sarah Wade, who quit her job to care for her husband who was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, says she might not receive monthly living stipends she originally thought she'd qualify for, according to Stars and Stripes, the Department of Defense newspaper. Wade says she's devastated because she stood next to President Obama when he signed the bill last year."

27.                       Project Aims To Help Women Vets Heal The Wounds Of War. Retreat Held In California For Women Veterans Of Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan.KPBS-FM "Last weekend, a retreat...in San Diego was held for women veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. It was sponsored by the Coming Home Project," an "organization made up of psychotherapists, veterans and interfaith leaders. It's one of several outreach programs that the Coming Home Project offers to Service Members transitioning back to life at home."

28.                       Vets With Prosthetics To Get More Clothing Allowances. VA Amending Prosthetic Clothing Allowance Rules.Army Times "The Veterans Affairs Department is amending rules for providing a clothing allowance to disabled veterans whose garments are subject to wear because of prosthetic or orthopedic devices." Before "now, veterans have been limited to getting one payment, currently $716 a year, but rules proposed Feb. 2 will allow two payments if a veteran has multiple devices wearing out his clothing. The change results from a federal court ruling involving a Vietnam veteran...who requested two clothing payments because he had lost both legs and an arm during the war."

29.                       VA Psychiatrist Stresses Importance Of New ICU Protocols.Wall Street Journal An increasing number of hospitals are instituting new intensive-care unit (ICU) protocols that include lighter patient sedation when possible and efforts to get patients moving as soon as possible in order to help restore their physical and mental equilibrium. The Journal quotes Barbara Kamholz, a psychiatrist with the Veterans Affairs hospital in Durham, North Carolina, who said, "The whole purpose of an ICU visit is to get well enough to get back to your life. If we are disabling people in the process it isn't consistent with the goal of recovery."

30.                       Soldiers: US Army Must Do More After Mental Health Treatment Ends.Army Times soldiers have "said that while the US Army has stood up a suicide prevention task force and instituted programs to deal with depression, more work needs to be done when the soldier leaves a hospital or counselor's office. The problem seems acute in the National Guard and Reserve." The Times notes that Guard and Reserve "soldiers aren't always together or near treatment facilities."

31.                       Specialized Courts Helping Troubled Vets.Army Times  "more than 50" veterans courts have been "created overt the past three years across the nation." The courts specialize in "working with troubled veterans to get them counseling," linking "them to government benefits," helping "them regain the sense of discipline and camaraderie they had in uniform," and steering "them onto a more positive course in life." Veterans Affairs hospitals "increasingly engage with these local courts to provide better, more immediate services to troubled vets."

32.                       Mobile Vet Center Reaching Out To Vets In California.Gilroy (CA) Dispatch "A Mobile Vet Center offering outreach and counseling will be in Gilroy from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and March 17 at the Gilroy Veterans Memorial Building at 74 West Sixth St. The center is a traveling resource housed in a state-of-the-art motor coach" that is "outfitted with satellite capabilities.  

33.                       Pentagon Unveils Plan To Increase Some Tricare Fees.Army Times "Health care coverage rates for working-age military retirees would increase about 13 percent under a controversial plan unveiled by Pentagon officials Monday." The Tricare fee increases, which do not affect "active-duty members and their families or...Medicare-eligible Tricare for Life beneficiaries," are "part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' broader plan to cut $7 billion from the military health system's budget during the next five years." Gates "said...the budget is the latest step in his effort to curtail spending and preempt efforts by Congress to impose even more severe cuts." 

34.                       VA Reaching Out To Vets In Nebraska.Lincoln (NE) Journal Star "The national and state Departments of Veterans Affairs will host two open houses at the Cass County fairgrounds in Weeping Water, noon to 7 p.m. March 4 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 5, to provide information and counseling to rural-area veterans. The sessions in the expo building, 8420 114th St., will feature representatives" from the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, "Veterans Benefit Administration Regional Office, Vet Centers, Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs and the Nebraska Transition Assistance Adviser." 

35.                       VA Hospital To Honor Black History Month.Greece (NY) Messenger Post "African Americans and the Civil War is the theme of a festive event Feb. 24, 1- 3 p.m.," at the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in honor of Black History Month." The "community is invited to participate" in the event, which "takes place in Building 5 Auditorium and includes guest speakers, music, dancers and poems."

36.                       New "Support Our Veterans" License Tag Goes On Sale. License Tags Will Raise Funds For Louisiana Military Family Assistance Fund.New Orleans Times-Picayune "A new license tag that shows support" for Louisiana's "active and retired military members went on sale Monday for a one-time cost of $25 above the regular plates. State Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Lane Carson said that 400 'SUPPORT OUR VETERANS' tags have been printed so far, and more can be ordered if the demand requires." Carson "said the $25 royalty fee will go to the Louisiana Military Family Assistance Fund, which is used to help the families of active duty Guard and Reserve troops when they run into financial trouble."

37.                       Homeless Resources Face Cuts. Budget Proposal Would Reduce Transitional Housing For Vets In Charlotte County, Florida.Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune "Just as advocates" in Charlotte County, Florida, "begin work on a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness, they fear that necessary resources could disappear through state budget cuts." Florida Gov. Rick Scott's "budget proposal includes cutting $178.5 million in the Department of Children & Families, which oversees homelessness, substance abuse and mental health."

38.                       Redwood County Delegation Raises Issues With Area Legislative Leaders. Delegation Inquires About Funding For Vets Cemetery In Minnesota. The Redwood Falls (MN) Gazette "With the 2011 Minnesota legislative session in full swing, members of the House and Senate are hearing about constituent concerns, whether that is by phone, e-mail, mail or even a few face to face discussions. Meeting face to face with area legislators is what a delegation from Redwood County did this past Wednesday when it made a trip to St. Paul." Among other things, the delegation wanted to confirm that funding is still there for a Veterans cemetery that the Minnesota legislature dedicated funds to two years ago.

39.                       Hobbled Veterans Regain Sense Of Self Through Active Living. McClatchy

40.                       A Soldier Named Lucky, Part 3: Lucky Deals With Post-Traumatic Stress And Declining Health. Southeast Missourian

41.                       SEAL Faker: "I Was Trying To Help Out Vets." USA Today

42.                       Teens Show Veterans Love, Gratitude. The Detroit Free Press

43.                       "Troops Need You" Keeps Wounded Service Members On Path To Recovery. Huffington Post (2/15).