1.    VFW has boots on the ground in Afghanistan.   After finally catching some much-needed sleep and shaking off some (not all) of the jet lag, the first full day in-country brought with it an opportunity to… 

2.    Health Highlights: May 11, 2011.  U.S. News & World Report  The US Department of Veterans Affairs has been ordered by a federal appeals court to fix its mental health care system in order to better serve patients. In its ruling, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals noted that an average of 18 veterans a day ... 

3.    Arguing cuts to veterans services is unproductive, irresponsible.  Marshall Independent  These cuts would result in closure of a veteran's home, increased burial fees at the State Veterans Cemetery, staff reductions, and compromise essential federal funds to the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. In fact, 

4.    LightBridge Hospice recognized as state leader in Veteran care.  PRLog.Org  The program, founded by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and Veterans Affairs, is designed to empower hospice professionals to meet the unique needs of dying Veterans. “Because San Diego has such a large military presence, ... 

5.    Veterans outreach expanded in Delaware County with appointment of liaison.  Delco News Network  New Delaware County veterans affairs liaison Ralph Galati (c) and John Christo (r), veterans benefits coordinator for the Veterans Affairs Department meet in their ground floor office in the Government Center, adjacent to the Courthouse, Media, ... 

6.    GSC added to special program that eases path to college for military.  Access North Georgia  The centers also help service members with housing availability, counseling, work-study opportunities and campus activities as well as serving as a hub for military student and veteran social activities. "Service members and veterans who are making the ...

7.    Hundreds attend SS Wellness Fair.  Reno Gazette Journal  This was the first year the Wellness Fair included veterans' services, as HCC partnered with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Rural Heal and VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System to provide health care information to veterans, soldiers and ...

8.    Bastrop County Veterans' Benefits Fair This Saturday .  Elgin Courier  Representatives will be on hand to assist veterans and their families from the Bastrop County Veterans Service Office, US Department of Veterans Affairs including veterans benefits counselors, minority, elderly and women's program coordinators. ...

9.    4 accused of Palo Alto VA bribery .  Bizjournals.com  A federal grand jury in San Jose has charged four people in connection with a bribery scheme that involved contracting officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs' Palo Alto Health Care System, prosecutors said Wednesday. ...

10.                       VA must step up for our veterans .  Nashua Telegraph  That's why New Hampshire's two US senators – Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Kelly Ayotte – have introduced the Veterans Health Equity Act of 2011 (S. 910), which would require the US Department of Veterans Affairs to either open a full-service ...

11.                       Federal audit reviews medical services offered to local vets .  Virgin Islands Daily News  The review, by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General's Office, was prompted by a letter that VI Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen wrote to the agency in June. During a telephone press conference Tuesday afternoon, ...

12.                       Missouri vets received $1B in VA benefits in 2010 .  St. Louis American  According to Fiscal Year 2010 data recently released by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, over $1 billion in compensation and pension payments were awarded to veterans, surviving spouses and dependents in Missouri by the VA, an increase of $115 ...

13.                       Veteran's gravestone finally commemorates black Civil War soldier's service .  NorthJersey.com (press release)  At the same time, Engelbart contacted Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) and asked him for help in procuring information about Schuyler from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as for assistance in securing a veteran's headstone. ...

14.                       VA details new rules for program that compensates family caregivers .  Advocates for wounded troops are hailing major changes to the Veterans Affairs caregivers program announced last week, and military families can formally apply for the benefits starting Monday.

15.                       When the severely wounded come home, families can be thrust into caregiver roles . On April 20, 2007, Ivonne and Anthony Thompson crossed into the perilous new world of those who survive serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, injuries that in previous wars would likely have killed the soldiers.

16.                       Health care costs a hefty price tag for Pentagon .  A military built for fighting wars is looking more and more like a health care entitlement program. Costs of the program that provides health coverage to some 10 million active duty personnel, retirees, reservists and their families have jumped from $19 billion in 2001 to $53 billion in the Pentagon's latest budget request.

17.                       Accusing VA Of "Unchecked Incompetence," Court Orders Change In Mental Healthcare. PBS' Newshour On Tuesday, a "Federal appeals court in San Francisco issued a sharp rebuke" to the US Veterans Affairs Department. The court "accused...VA of 'unchecked incompetence' in handling" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) "and other conditions." Ruling unanimously, the court "ordered...VA to work out a new mental healthcare plan with two veterans groups" that had sued VA. 

18.                       Appeals court blasts VA mental health care system. AP  The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals "said it often takes weeks for a suicidal vet to get a first appointment. The 'unchecked incompetence' in handling the flood of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health claims is unconstitutional, the court said." Agency spokesman Josh Taylor declined comment on the ruling against VA, which "could ask the appeals court to reconsider its decision with a special 11-judge panel; ask the US Supreme Court to take the case; or abide by the ruling." 

19.                       Army Marks 10-Year Stryker Anniversary. Army News Service  "What began as an ambitious vision in the minds of Army leaders in 1999 -- to build a medium-class armored vehicle able to deploy quickly, transport troops safely, and bring agility and lethality across multiple platforms -- has evolved into the battle-tested Stryker vehicle now celebrating its 10-year anniversary." "Praising the Stryker platform's numerous technologies and the Soldiers who put them to use, current and former Army leaders, officers, Soldiers and industry partners from General Dynamics Land Systems gathered May 5, 2011, in Sterling Heights, Mich., to attend a program management review and commemorate the anniversary of the Stryker program."

20.                       Maui Man Posthumously Awarded Medal Of Honor For Valor In Korean War. Rafu Shimpo  Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and US Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) "attended a ceremony May 2 at the White House to posthumously award Army Pfc. Anthony T. Kaho`ohanohano with the Medal of Honor. President Barack Obama presented Kaho`ohanohano's medal to his nephew, George Kaho`ohanohano, who had worked with Akaka and other members of the Hawaii congressional delegation to get his uncle's Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to a Medal of Honor for nearly a decade." Rafu Shimpo adds, "Pfc. Henry Svehla...was also awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor at the ceremony for his actions in Korea."

21.                       Bill Would Require US Troops To Receive Job Training Before Leaving Military.  Washington Post  "Legislation to be introduced in Congress on Wednesday would require all US service members to undergo job-skills training before leaving the military, a measure that supporters say is aimed at cutting the high unemployment rate among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." The "legislation, called the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, would require all departing service members to participate in the Transition Assistance Program, which is administered by the Labor Department in partnership with the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The training, which is now voluntary, includes job-search techniques, resume writing and interviewing tips." The bill is "drawing support from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Officers Association of America and the Disabled American Veterans."

22.                       Iraq War Service Influences Judge's Sentence In Bomb Threat Case. Bland County (VA) Messenger  "A Chilhowie man's military service and post-traumatic stress disorder brought him a reduced sentence on charges of phoning false bomb threats to Walmart at Exit 7 in Bristol and lying about an accomplice. US District Judge James P. Jones gave Michael Fred Atkins of St. Clair St., Chilhowie, an 18-month sentence, six months less than the minimum guideline. ... Doug Fender, a special agent and bomb technician with the FBI, said last year the use of 'interstate facilities' such as a telephone in the commission of a crime, qualifies the case for federal prosecution." 

23.                       Jack Wheeler's Widow Craves Answers. USA Today Unanswered questions surrounding the death of former Pentagon official Jack Wheeler "tug hard at Wheeler's widow and grown son." Wheeler, "well-known in defense circles and a driving force in creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, served in jobs that gave him access to plenty of government secrets, including a stint from 2005 through 2008 as a top assistant to the secretary of the Air Force. And...many" cannot "help but wonder whether his death could have had some connection to his work."

24.                       Veterans Administration Malpractice Data Reveals Millions In Payouts.  FierceHealthcare  "Failure to obtain informed consent and delays in diagnosis and treatment are among the causes of more than a dozen million-dollar malpractice payouts by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a spreadsheet of VA data published by the Project On Government Oversight. The data, obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and published April 29 as part of the watchdog group's 'FOIA Fridays' series, details more than 12,000 claims against the VA from 1989 - 2008, with several thousand related to medical malpractice." Veterans Affairs, however, is "publicizing" its failures, having recently hired Alex Horton, "one of its most vocal critics," to "blog about his frustrations with the department,".

25.                        Air Force Lesbian Who Won Reinstatement Retiring.   AP   47-year-old Maj. Margaret Witt, an "Air Force Reserve flight nurse who sued to overturn her dismissal under the 'don't ask, don't tell' law against gays serving openly" in the US military, "said Tuesday she is retiring with full benefits rather than resuming service." Witt "continues to work as a rehabilitation coordinator at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Spokane and has started working toward a doctorate."

26.                       Jacksonville National Cemetery A Big Plus For Families Of Veterans. Florida Times-Union On Monday, "two members of Congress toured the 559-acre" Jacksonville National Cemetery "to learn about ongoing preparations for an anticipated growth in burials, now about 20 a week. The cemetery opened in 2009 and already is host to more than 1,000 deceased veterans. Officials say it has greatly relieved pressure on the nearest national cemetery, located in Bushnell, and have already proven to be a major convenience to veterans and their families in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia."

27.                       Hiring Reform: Veterans Affairs Department. Government Executive The Federal government "is in the midst of a complex overhaul of its complex hiring process." Agencies are "making progress at various speeds, but the Veterans Affairs Department already has achieved milestones in reducing time to hire, exploiting new technologies and training managers in the updated process." Government Executive added, "Agencies should focus on training managers and HR professionals, many of whom are accustomed to traditional hiring practices and systems, to work together and use new technologies...said" VA Chief Human Capital Officer John Sepulveda.

28.                       Thune Runs At Front Of Pack In Washington Footrace. Mitchell (SD) Daily Republic On Wednesday, US Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was "once again the fastest member of Congress in the ACLI Capital Challenge, a three-mile footrace at Hains Point, which is in East Potomac Park in southwest Washington." The "race had two wheelchair competitors, Chris Nowak and Tammy Duckworth, both of the Department of Veterans Affairs."

29.                       Softball Diamond Field Of Dreams For Recovering Vets. Springfield (VA) Connection  On Friday, the Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) played its "first game on the campus of George Mason University." Players on the team, coached by David Van Sleet, "ran down fly balls and slammed home runs as they crushed the opposing FBI team in a 35-10 victory." Currently the "prosthetics manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Tucson, Ariz., Van Sleet said he combined his love of softball with an expertise in prosthetics to launch the WWAST as a way to honor and highlight US soldiers' ability to rise above any challenge."

30.                       Veterans Housing Complex In SOMA Receives 107 Million Federal Grant. San Francisco Appeal  San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced Tuesday "a housing complex for chronically homeless and senior veterans in the city's South of Market neighborhood has received a federal grant of more than $1 million," noting that a HUD grant totaling $1.07 million "will go to the Veterans Commons housing project at 150 Otis Street." The facility plans to offer permanent housing and services for 75 veterans, and it will be finished in January 2013. In a statement, Lee said, "San Francisco is committed to helping veterans transition out of military service after returning home and providing them services they need."

31.                       Veterans Affairs Quietly Awards Dell $476 Million Contract For 600,000 Personal Computers. NextGov  "The Veterans Affairs Department chose an obscure way to announce a $476.6 million contract with Dell Inc. for 600,000 personal computers: The department quietly posted a notice on the FedBizOpps website at the end of April." According to NextGov, a "spokeswoman for the House Veterans Affairs Committee said the department had not informed the committee of the contract award to Dell.

32.                       Tricare Fees May Rise, But Major Retooling Needed To Contain Costs. CQ "Defense health care analysts agreed Tuesday that fees charged to working retirees in Tricare, the Defense Department health care program for servicemembers, retirees and their families, are heading up." The analysts, however, also "said many more changes are needed to contain the system's ballooning costs. 'People are going to have to pay more,' David S. Chu, president of the Institute for Defense Analyses, told a panel on Tricare sponsored by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think thank," who also heard Chu say the debate is over how much more they will pay.

33.                       Veterans Cemetery Expansion Celebrated In Milledgeville. WMAZ-TV "Veterans, family, and friends came out to Milledgeville Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the expansion of the State Veterans Cemetery." Russell Feagin, the "cemetery's director, says the expansion should provide enough space for the next ten years."

34.                       VA Study Leads To Call For More Rigorous Antibiotic Stewardship. Modern Medicine

35.                       US Rebuffed In Glaxo Misconduct Case. The Wall Street Journal

36.                       Padres Visit Milwaukee Medical Center. Major League Baseball  "Before Tuesday's game at Miller Field, a trio" of San Diego Padres "paid a visit to the patients and staff members as well as the hospital volunteers at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee."

37.                       Amedisys Hospice Recognized As Partner For Veterans Program. Connellsville (PA) Daily Courier

38.                       UI Reaches Out To Aid Veterans. The Daily Iowan

39.                       Final Salute For Homeless Veteran. Tampa Tribune