Veterans News for Friday, June 10, 2011.  Thanks to Kevin Secor at VA HQ!

 

1.    Program Uses Sports To Help Disabled Veterans.  Capital Public Radio News  So is the 150 thousand dollar grant for the city's paralympic program from US Department of Veterans Affairs and the US Olympic Committee. ANNIE DESALERNOS: "If they're at home isolating, isolation is the place you develop your negatives. ... 

2.    The human touch.  University of Texas at Austin News  Social work is the best way to help veterans and military personnel. We can be of help in every facet of their lives undefined physical and emotional needs and even end-of-life care.” The US Department of Veteran Affairs is the largest employer of master's ... 

3.    Homeless Vets Sue Veterans Affairs Over Housing.  The Beverly Hills Courier  A coalition representing homeless veterans sued the US Department of Veterans Affairs today, alleging the federal agency failed to provide stable housing at its West Los Angeles facility for vets suffering from mental disorders. ... 

4.    A Veteran Of The Korean War Honored.  WETM-TV  Albany, NY-Senator Tom O'Mara (RC, Big Flats) and his state Senate colleagues will pay tribute to Philip C. Smith, a highly decorated Korean War combat veteran and well-known figure in Schuyler County government and veterans' affairs, by inducting him ...

 5.    Veterans Affairs Committee.  Connectcut Plus  Modernize the Department of Veterans Affairs. A 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs must streamline the transition from active service to veteran status, have a responsive board of veterans appeals, and constantly be updating pensions to ... 

6.     Supermarket of Veterans Benefits.  State of Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs ... an effort to draw federal , state, and local agencies together in a single location at various venues ... 

7.    Flag Day.  Hometownlife.com  There are more, and you can find them on the website of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. But these guidelines give you a good idea of ways to treat the American flag with respect. During ceremonies such as the recent Memorial Day activities, ... 

8.    U.S. Veterans Affairs Sued for Leasing Giant Parcel in West L.A. to Enterprise.  LA Weekly (blog)  Though the Department of Veterans Affairs has always defended these leases by saying rent money is going toward the war-hero cause, the Los Angeles Times reports that the ACLU, skeptical as ever, is now demanding proof -- in addition to a promise for ... 

9.    Wis. Legislature Approves Vet Sec Appointment. AP  In Wisconsin on Wednesday, state "lawmakers have passed a Republican bill that would give the governor the power to appoint the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary." The "bill now goes to Gov. Scott Walker, who can sign it into law or veto it. Walker's spokesman wouldn't say if the governor supports the proposal."

 

10.                       VA Reviewing GAO's "Scathing" Report On Sexual Assault Incidents.  CNN Newsroom  A "stunning story on alleged sex assaults" in the Veteran Affairs system, "some 284 cases in a three-and-a-half year period." That is according to a "scathing and disturbing" new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which CNN called a "congressional watchdog." CNN added, "By all accounts, the report says, the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't have an appropriate system in place to catch these cases when they happen to report them, to keep track of them over time, and the bottom line is, they really don't even know the extent of the problem." CNN also noted, however, that VA, which "says it takes all of this very seriously," is examining how the situation can be improved.

 

11.                       House Panel To Hold Hearing Next Week On GAO Findings. Washington Post The House Veterans Affairs Committee has "scheduled a hearing for next week to examine" GAO's findings.

 

12.                       Bill To Help Camp Lejeune Water Victims Faces Uphill Fight.  McClatchy"Legislation that could offer healthcare to hundreds of thousands of victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, N.C., continues to have trouble gaining traction on a debt-wary Capitol Hill." While US Sen. Richard Burr (R–NC) said that he expects the bill to be approved by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in the coming month, the bill has encountered stiff opposition from the Obama Administration. At a hearing of the committee on Wednesday, "both the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs said they oppose the legislation, calling it overbroad and possibly unnecessary."

 

13.                       DoD Objects To Provisions Of Veterans Job Bill.  Army Times  "The Defense Department is raising objections to key parts of a bipartisan veterans employment bill, but it may end up being costs - not those complaints - that force lawmakers to scale back on the ambitious legislation." The DoD provided a Hiring Heroes Act of 2011-related statement to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. The statement "raised objections to many parts of the bill, including" a requirement "that all the services adopt the Marine Corps' policy of making attendance mandatory for all separating and retiring personnel at the 2½-day Transition Assistance Program workshops, designed to help troops find post-service jobs. Defense officials said they would be required to retain National Guard and Reserve members and people receiving administrative discharges on extended active duty until they could attend the classes, and would incur other expenses in providing transition help to about 160,000 people who now leave service without attending TAP courses."

14.                       VA Offers Patient And Caregiver Education On Epilepsy And Seizures. Atascocita (TX) Observer  "The VA Epilepsy Center of Excellence is hosting a series of free audio conferences providing education and training to veterans and caregivers to improve the health and well-being of patients with epilepsy and other seizure disorders." Epileptologist Nina Garga, M.D., at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, will explain on Thursday "what is a seizure and what is epilepsy, and how they differ; the different types of seizures; what causes seizures and how to respond when individual has a seizure." 

15.                       VA Gives Housing Voucher To One Of Vets On Whose Behalf Lawsuit Was Filed.  Los Angeles Times  Greg Valenti, one of the vets on whose behalf the suit was filed, "learned on Tuesday that he got a long-awaited housing voucher from...VA." This will "allow him to move into his own apartment in August. Valentini hopes the lawsuit will do some good for other vets." 

16.                       GMC Commencement Friday. Milledgeville (GA) Union-Recorder VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "will present a commencement address to nearly 200 Georgia Military College graduates Friday at 7 p.m., on Grant Parade. In addition to those from the Milledgeville campus, graduates from the Madison, Sandersville, and Columbus campuses will participate in the commencement ceremony." Shinseki "holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the US Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Arts degree from Duke University, and is a graduate of the National War College."

 

17.                       Program Bringing Wounded Warriors Back To Iraq. CBS Evening News   "We're going now to Iraq to see a therapy for our wounded warriors that seemed to us hard to imagine -- troops who are recovering from serious injuries are taken back to the place where they were wounded. On assignment for '60 Minutes' recently, we met eight wounded Americans on the journey of their lives," returning to Iraq because of a "program called 'Operation Proper Exit.'" With the help of the US military, the program has "brought more than 60 wounded warriors back to Iraq about eight at a time."

 

18.                       Traumatic Brain Injury? There's An App for That.  Wall Street Journal The Pentagon wants to use smart-phones applications to help soldiers with traumatic brain injuries. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense announced that it had released a new app for helping identify mild version so the injury, better known as concussions. The mobile phone app is free for download on an Android phone.

 

19.                       Veteran Groups To Be At Red Cross.  Columbus (NE) Telegram "The Omaha Vet Center, an office of the Readjustment Counseling Services division of the Veteran's Administration, will be facilitating two support groups on the second Monday of each month at the Prairie Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, 2905 23rd St." From 6-7 p.m., the "Spouses Group, a group for significant others/spouses of veterans, will meet." The "Veterans Group, for veterans who have served in a combat zone, will meet from 7-8 p.m."

 

20.                       VHA System In United States Provides Better Cancer Care.  HealthDay  "The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system in the United States provides similar or better care for older men with cancer than fee-for-service Medicare, although some new technologies are less available, according to a study published in the June 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine." The "study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs."  HealthLeaders Media "A major revamping of Veterans Health Administration care for more than six million Americans in the 1990s corrected many problems in the then 'dysfunctional' system. And since then, research has documented that the VA's major improvements in preventive and long-term care, and for care for several acute and chronic conditions, has made the system at least as good as the private sector, and in some cases better." For example, a "study in Monday's Annals of Internal Medicine...found that process improvements in care for colorectal, lung or prostate cancer, or lymphoma or multiple myeloma are now 'similar to or better than care for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.'"

 

21.                       Pentagon Management Chiefs Pursue "Cross-Functionality."  Government Executive  "Integrating and modernizing the Defense Department's mammoth business operations requires 'collaboration and conversation across organizations in which everyone has equity,' the department's deputy chief management officer said Tuesday." Beth McGrath "spoke on topics such as electronic health records, insourcing and speeding up security clearances at a breakfast in Government Executive's Leadership Briefings series." While discussing a joint electronic health record project planned by DOD and Veterans Affairs, she said the "goal is a more data-driven, modular product that is 'available to anyone who is authorized – it's a fundamental change.'"

 

22.                       Repairs Fail To Fix Cracks At Tomb Of The Unknowns.  Washington Post"Repairs made last year to cracks that zigzag across the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery are failing, and officials said Wednesday that they are trying to figure out how to fix them." The Post notes that US Army officials "who oversee the cemetery said they were happy to slow the process so that preservationists can weigh in on the complicated project and be assured that the monument will be treated with the utmost care. They also said that because of the recent hot weather, which would wreak havoc on the grout used to repair the cracks, the work would not have moved forward this week anyway."

 

23.                       SC Military Veterans Hold 4-day Rally For Homeless.  AP The "American Legion Post 1 in Florence is helping organize a four-day rally to give homeless military veterans a chance to put their lives back on track." According to the Legion, officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and the state Department of Employment and Workforce will be present at the event, which began on Wednesday and runs through Saturday, to assist veterans in attendance.

 

24.                       VA Promotes Gun Safety In California. KFSN-TV "The Veterans Administration is doing its part to promote gun safety here in the Valley" by holding a gun safety workshop and giving away free gunlocks to veterans. The VA is trying to increase gun safety awareness in the wake of a recent tragedy involving six-year-old Emily Lavender, the "daughter of a veteran." She was "shot and killed by her younger brother last week" when he fired a "gun that their step-father reportedly left unsecured."

 

25.                       Companion Dogs For Soldiers.  Orlando Sentinel On Wednesday, professional dog trainer David Cantara presented Marley, a golden retriever rescue dog who survived neglect, "to Kyle Evans, an Army veteran from Orlando who was wounded in the war in Iraq." This was the "first companion-therapy canine that Cantara's nonprofit group, Carolina Patriot Rovers, has placed in Florida. " The CFN13-TV (6/8) website said, "Marley will follow Evans everywhere, including to his job at a VA clinic."

 

26.                       Hospice Unit Opens At Maine VA Hospital.  AP "The Department of Veterans Affairs hospital for Maine veterans has a new 12-room hospice unit. The $3.1 million unit for end-of-life care opened Tuesday after a wing of the hospital in the Togus section of Augusta was renovated." Among other things, the unit has a "room where families can meet and a common area that includes a double-sided fireplace with gas logs and a flat-screen television." 

27.                       VA Called "Leader In End-Of-Life Care."  Kennebec Journal An open house was held on Tuesday for a "new $3.1 million Hospice Unit" at the Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The event "drew dozens of veterans, families, employees and political dignitaries, including US Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, and representatives for US Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, R-Maine." The Journal quoted Kandyce Powell, executive director of the Maine Hospice Council, who said "VA is emerging as a leader in end-of-life care." 

28.                       Veteran Volunteer.  Fayetteville (NC) Observer  82-year-old veteran William Carter was diagnosed with lung cancer last year, but despite his condition, he "continues to volunteer his time to help others at the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center."

 

29.                       Brier Creek Dialysis Clinic A Relief For Veterans.  North Raleigh (NC) News  With the recent "opening of a VA Dialysis Clinic at Brier Creek," 48 "local veterans will now be able to receive all their medical care within the VA health care system." The new facility is "one of only four freestanding dialysis clinics in the VA health care system and the second VA clinic in North Carolina; a clinic opened in Fayetteville last month." The News added, "Brier Creek was selected as the location of the new clinic because it is within a 30-minute drive of the majority of the veterans who were receiving treatment in the community and because provides easy access to the Durham VA Medical Center."

 

30.                       Mary Hansen Named Commandant Of The Wisconsin Veterans Home At King.  Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent  "The state Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the selection of Mary Hansen as commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King." Hansen, who will begin her duties on June 27, will be "responsible for overseeing the King campus and the skilled nursing facilities" at King. Hansen is a licensed Wisconsin nursing home administrator with over 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector.

 

31.                       Louisville Lands VA Grant For Mass Spec.  GenomeWeb News  "The University of Louisville's Proteomics Biomarkers Discovery Core lab has won a $375,000 grant from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase a new mass spectrometer for use in protein assessment, sequencing, glycomic and lipidomic analysis, and tissue imaging. The Shared Equipment Evaluation Program (ShEEP) grant from the VA, which was won in part through an endorsement from Louisville VA hospital, was bolstered by $125,000 from the university's School of Medicine." The ShEEP program is run by the "Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development and aims to provide common resources or shared equipment for biomedical research that benefits veterans."

 

32.                       Bureau Of Veterans Affairs Cited For Condemned House In New Brighton.  Beaver County (PA) Times