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1. Lawmakers moving to block defense cuts. Lawmakers overseeing defense spending are moving to block or modify deep cuts proposed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, setting up a key vote this week that could help determine the success of the administration’s attempt to shrink the …
2. VA taking requests for family caregiver program. Home caregivers of post-9/11 veterans can apply for a stipend, mental health services and access to health care insurance, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday. "Every day is a challenge for our most seriously injured veterans and their family caregivers," said Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "I urge them
3. Vacaville Memorial Day remembrances set. Contra Costa Times Local elected officials, veteran's leadership, members of Travis Air Force Base, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, along with area high school students to include the Vanden High School JROTC group, Vacaville High School Band members, ...
4. VA medical center provides special care for heroes. Wilkes Barre Times-Leader The Edwardsville resident is the deputy nurse executive at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which serves more than 40000 veterans in 19 counties throughout Pennsylvania and southern New York. “You can work in a helicopter or an ...
5. News In Brief. St. George Daily Spectrum However, some of the items needed for the building, such as furnishings, could be paid for through donations to the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs. A local Navy veteran named Robert Hansberry presented a $4000 check to Ivins city and a VA ...
6. U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka returns to work after rib injury. Honolulu Star-Advertiser The games, sponsored by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, are expected to draw more than 700 competitors along with family and friends. More than 1200 participant are expected to spend nearly $5.8 million.
7. Appeals Court Cites VA for "Unchecked Incompetence.". The Bay Citizen Accusing it of "unchecked incompetence," a federal appeals court in San Francisco ordered the US Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul the way it provides mental health care and disability benefits. ...
8. US begins responding to vet suicides. Press TV The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has received orders from a federal appeals court to overhaul its mental health care system, largely over the fact that 18 US veterans commit suicide every day on average. The 9th US Circuit Court of ...
9. SGT. SHAFT: Retired veterans create. Dear Sgt Shaft: As we approach Memorial Day, please remind your readers of the …
10. Advocating for Survivors of America’s Veterans. For everyone, the death of a loved one is a life changing event. VA is here to assist survivors in making the necessary transition with benefits assistance, counseling and support during the weeks, months and years ahead.
11. Veterans Seeking Donations. St. George (UT) Spectrum "Work crews expect to break ground on a new veterans nursing home in Ivins sometime this year, and area veterans are trying to raise funds to help pay for some of the upgrades." The "Veterans Health Administration and state of Utah will …
12. Ceremony To Mark Veterans Cemetery Expansion. Milledgeville (GA) Union-Recorder Georgia Commissioner of Veterans Service Pete Wheeler "and the Veterans Service Board of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service hosted the dedication...of the Phase II Expansion of the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Milledgeville." The cemetery was "established on 142 acres the department received from the Georgia Forestry Commission and was dedicated in December 2001."
13. Capitol Notebook: Budget War Draws In Veterans. Alexandria (MN) Echo Press "Minnesota veterans know about fighting, but on Friday" they "witnessed something new to many of them: a fierce political battle over funding programs that serve them. Dozens of veterans, many wearing American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars hats, packed a legislative committee room after Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Shellito sent Gov. Mark Dayton a letter saying a veterans' home could close if the Republican-written budget is enacted," which upset Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, chairman of the House State Government Finance Committee.
14. Training Launched For Family Caregivers For Iraq And Afghanistan Vets. An effort by Veterans Affairs to provide more help to those caring for vets injured in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to generate positive news stories, with some focused on VA's implementation of the law setting up such assistance and some dealing with VA's training of such caregivers. CQ for example, reports, "New services are now available for family members who care for veterans seriously injured in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Easter Seals announced Monday. Family caregivers may apply for comprehensive training that's been developed by Easter Seals in collaboration with VA experts." "The training for caregivers is a key part of support for the recent veterans, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said in a written statement," adding, "We at VA are committed to providing the family caregivers who share our sacred duty to care for those who have borne the battle with the best services available."
15. Atlanta VA Employees Note Challenges Faced By Injured Vets And Their Families. WebMD "As of January, 1,525 troops had lost a limb in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense." Marci Covington, a physical therapist at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Atlanta, "tells WebMD that learning to bathe, dress, and eat and to walk on different terrains is not as difficult as the emotional challenges." Kim Whitmoyer, who coordinates spinal cord injuries at the same hospital, "tells WebMD that rehabilitation involves the entire family."
16. VA Honors Health IT Innovators. Modern Healthcare "Three of the six awards presented last week in the Industry Innovation Competition sponsored" by the US Veterans Affairs Department "went to companies and not-for-profit organizations developing healthcare information technology applications." In a news release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said, "Continuously evaluating new solutions drives VA's transformation and helps us deliver better care with responsible cost containment." "The program's goal is to improve veterans' access to VA services, quality of care and satisfaction while reducing healthcare costs, according to the release."
17. Blue Button Team Among Finalists For Top Government Award. Healthcare IT News "Kim Nazi and the Blue Button Initiative Team are among four finalists," all from Veterans Affairs, "for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, which honors outstanding federal employees who are making high-impact contributions critical to the health, safety and well-being of Americans." Nazi and the team were "nominated for establishing a simple process – a blue button – that allows veterans and beneficiaries at VA and the Department of Defense health systems to download their personal health information." The other finalists are "Alfonso Batres, chief officer, Readjustment Counseling Service; Matthew Friedman, MD, executive director, National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);" and "W. Todd Grams, acting assistant secretary for management and chief financial officer."
18. Today's Question: Do You Trust The Medical Establishment To Keep Your Information Secure? Minnesota Public Radio Readers are asked if they "trust the medical establishment to keep" their information secure. One of the "answers collected from MPRnews.org and Facebook" read, "'I trust the VA. There are no paper records in the VA, and their electronic records are quite secure.' -- Maria via Facebook."Data
19. Deluge Reveals Embarrassing Facts About VA Hospital. Kansas City Star "It was one of the biggest efforts ever to open a hospital system to public scrutiny - and it held some cause for embarrassment to the Kansas City VA Medical Center. Buried in the gush of hospital quality and safety data that began pouring from the Department of Veterans Affairs website last fall was a startling statistic: The number of deaths among surgery patients at the Kansas City hospital was 79 percent higher than what was expected." As result, the hospital made improvements, which is why VA Secretary Eric Shinseki decided to make VA's safety data available to the public, noted William Duncan, VA's associate deputy undersecretary for health quality and safety.
20. Duke To Award More Than 4,500 Degrees During Sunday's Commencement. Duke University "will award more than 4,500 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees during its annual commencement ceremony Sunday, May 15, in Wallace Wade Stadium." The website pointed out that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is among its "honorary degree recipients."
21. US Full Face Transplant Patient Makes Appearance. AP On Monday, Dallas Wiens, the "nation's first full face transplant recipient," joined surgeons "at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston" for "his first public appearance since the 15-hour procedure in March. 'It feels natural,' said the 25-year-old Texas, man, who received a new nose, lips, skin, muscle and nerves from an anonymous donor. The operation was paid" for by the US military, "which hopes to use findings from the procedure to help soldiers with severe facial wounds."
22. Army And Veteran's Affairs Sign Deal: Local Army Agency To Provide Training For VA Hospitals Nationwide. Orlando Sentinel "In a landmark deal, the Army's Orlando-based training-and-simulation agency has won a $5 million contract to provide medical-care training systems" for the US Department of Veterans Affairs' "new Orlando medical center and for VA hospitals nationwide. The one-year deal - the first of its kind by the VA - begins what is expected to become a long-term relationship potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to the Army agency and to Central Florida's training-and-simulation industry, officials said Monday. Terms call for the Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training & Instrumentation, known as PEO-STRI, to become the acquisition agent for all medical simulation-training systems used by VA hospitals throughout the country."
23. NOTCH Critical Link For Vets Seeking Mental Health Help. St. Albans (VT) Messenger "For the past year and a half, veterans in Northern Vermont have been able to avoid a long trip to White River Junction, thanks to a television and the Northern Tier Center for Heath (NOTCH) in Richford. And while many people have not taken advantage of this program – called Tele-Mental Heath – it is available for patients and non-patients of the heath center." The program, funded by a Veterans Affairs Rural Health grant, "allows patients to teleconference with mental health professionals privately using a television screen for a virtual face-to-face session via T1 Internet access paid for by the VA."
24. VA Centers Provide Help To Military Vets. Greater Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin "Many military veterans may feel that the US government did not treat them well after they were discharged, but there are federal agencies that can provide assistance." For example, "New York state features six" VA hospitals and "29 community-based outpatient clinics." There "also are six Veterans Centers, including one at 53 Chenango St. in Binghamton, where vets can stop in and have a cup of coffee."
25. Among Thousands Of Film Festivals, One About GIs. New York Times "The fifth annual G.I. Film Festival begins Monday in Washington, with screenings and events scheduled all week. Like the previous four" such festivals, "this year's version will feature films that range across American military history, including Vietnam, Korea and World War II, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. For the first time, however, the festival will also screen films about other countries, including a narrative short about Australia during World War II ('The Telegram Man') and a documentary about a Dutch resistance fighter, also from World War II, ('We Were the Vanquished.')"
26. Mission: Homefront, Part 1. WPTZ-TV "As more of our troops return from overseas, many of them are suffering" from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Ann Lopez "is a clinical social worker at the VA in White River Junction, and said sometimes it's hard to hear from so many soldiers who are suffering." But according to WPTZ, PTSD Coach, a new app that was just released on iTunes, helps "vets manage their stress, and it's free."
27. Woman Denied Benefits By VA. Albuquerque Journal "Gina Montoya believes she is owed benefits by the federal government because of debilitating deformities that might be a direct result of her father's service in Vietnam." And while US Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) has agreed to help Montoya appeal her benefits denial, Veterans Affairs "says rules prohibit giving her benefits, because she wasn't diagnosed with spina bifida at birth." According to the Journal, Montoya's father, a Vietnam vet, "remembers loading barrels into trucks during his service, and he remembers an orange band around the drums, from which the chemical inside got its name: Agent Orange."
28. VA Medical Center Provides Special Care For Heroes. Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader "Registered nurse Linda Zaneski believes the field of nursing is filled with exciting opportunities and rewards. The Edwardsville resident is the deputy nurse executive" at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital that "serves more than 40,000 veterans in 19 counties throughout Pennsylvania and southern New York." Zaneski is "proud of the work being done at the VA medical center and are excited about the field of nursing."
29. Kinzinger Earns VA Voluntary Service Male Volunteer Of The Year Award. Southgate (MI) News Herald "John Kinzinger, an active volunteer at the Veterans Administration Ann Arbor Healthcare System and in the Ann Arbor community, was recently recognized nationally as the 2010 VA Voluntary Service Male Volunteer of the Year." Kinzinger received his "award at the 65th annual VA Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 27."
30. VA Disability Evaluations Are Taking Even Longer. Army Times "A new system designed to speed up disability evaluations for wounded vets and injured service members is proving less speedy that envisioned in recent months, according" to auditors with the Government Accountability Office, who testified about the collaboration between Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense at a recent congressional hearing. At the same hearing, John Medve, VA's executive director of VA/DoD Collaboration Service, "said VA is taking a hard look at ensuring that sites using the new system have the required amount of medical and other personnel, and other resources. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki 'considers this a leadership issue, Medve said."
31. At VA, A Blogger Criticizes From The Inside. Washington Post When Iraq veteran Alex Horton went from criticizing Veterans Affairs in his own blog to working for VA on its VAntage Point blog, it was a "watershed for one of the government's most maligned bureaucracies." Now, the agency "hopes to use the Internet - and a critic operating from the inside - to help turn around its reputation as obstructionist, antiquated and overwhelmed. The goal is not just to answer veterans' questions faster and in real time but also to open the bureaucracy to scrutiny," something that VA Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth says the agency needs in order to make changes that help veterans.
32. Government Tries Again To Develop Old Military Base. Baltimore Sun Fort Howard "saw its last major activity end nearly a decade ago, when the veterans hospital there closed in 2002." But if "plans by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which owns the site, and private developers come through, Fort Howard will become a veterans community with mixed-income housing, health care and amenities such as restaurants and museums." Dennis Smith, director of the Maryland VA Health Care System, expressed excitement about the project, which is "subject to County Council approval" and which "must ensure compliance with environmental and traffic regulations."
33. American Legion Plans Outreach To Homeless Vets. Access North Georgia "An American Legion Post plans a fall event reaching out to homeless veterans in the Gainesville area." The event, which is "planned for mid-September," will "include a meal and assistance from the Veterans Administration and other agencies. Johnny Varner, commander of American Legion Post 328, says ID cards will also be made for those homeless vets who need them."
34. Medical News: Overscreening For Colon Cancer Cited. MedPage Today "For many older patients, screening for colorectal cancer is performed too often or is more likely to harm than help...said" researchers working on a "study published online in Archives of Internal Medicine." Another "study appearing online in the same journal found that only relatively healthy older patients are likely to see a net benefit from fecal occult blood testing (FOBT)."
A welcoming home for our Troops.
