VA Vets News for Friday, July 15, 2011.  Thanks as usual to Kevin Secor at VA HQ!

 

1.    VA Clinic in Billings receives $105000 to help homeless veterans.  Billings Gazette  Cowie credits the HUD-VASH program with helping him have a home for his family. The US Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that 107000 veterans were homeless last year. Veterans make up roughly a quarter of the homeless population. ... 

2.    Fargo agency receives $52396 to help veterans.  In-Forum  The funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is a coordinated effort by HUD, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and local housing agencies. It will be spent to help veterans transition into a permanent home through vouchers to ... 

3.    Suicide Among Veterans All Too Common, Study Finds.  U.S. News & World Report  An estimated 18 US military veterans commit suicide each day, according to information in the news release. The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides more information on veterans and suicide. 

4.    Feds dedicate millions to help homeless vets.  Stars and Stripes (blog)  The funding was announced Thursday by US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and US Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “Working with our partners at HUD and in Congress, we continue to make good progress to ... 

5.    DMV helps veterans with benefits.  Monterey County Herald  The state departments of Veterans Affairs and Motor Vehicles have begun a program to connect California veterans with services and benefits they have earned. Veterans applying for a new driver's license, license renewal or identification card may check ... 

6.    Edward Lotterman: Some government growth isn't growth at all.  Pioneer Press  When, on reading the county budget in the local newspaper, I asked why the county hired a "Veteran's Service Officer" when most veteran's affairs were federal. "Oh," she said, "he is so good at getting old veterans or their widows on VA pensions that ... 

7.    Veterans help out at Jubilee Farm.  Illinois Times  That worry seems to have already come to fruition, according to a 2009 report from the US Department of Veterans Affairs which says that almost 45 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who sought VA services through September 2008 were diagnosed ... 

8.    Serving those who serve.  News@Northeastern  A provision of the post-9/11 GI Bill, this partnership between the US Department of Veterans Affairs and participating colleges and universities provides funding toward tuition and fees for eligible veterans. 

9.    Bob Woodruff: Are We Serving Our Veterans?  Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)  After the Civil War, many state veterans homes were established and then in 1930 – July 21 – one day after my anniversary, the government stood up the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Today, it is the government's second largest department 

10.                       HUD, VA to provide permanent housing and support to 550 homeless vets in Florida.  PR NewsChannel  US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and US Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $3773463 to public housing agencies in Florida to supply permanent housing and case ... 

11.                       Walker signs veterans secretary appointment bill.  CanadianBusiness.com  Scott Walker signed into law Wednesday a bill that gives the governor the power to appoint the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a proposal that has divided the state veterans community. Walker signed the bill surrounded by ... 

12.                       AFA taking action in veteran cemetery case.  OneNewsNow  Of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and The National Memorial Ladies over allegations of religious hostility and unlawful censorship by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and its director of the Houston National Cemetery. ... 

13.                       Walker Signs Veterans Secretary Appointment Bill.  AP  On Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker "signed into law...a bill that gives the governor the power to appoint the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a proposal that has divided the state veterans community." Walker "said Wednesday the new law will make the department and board more accountable. The board and the department have been the subjects of much controversy in recent years, resulting in the firing of a secretary, the resignation of his successor, claims of discrimination and an audit that highlighted financial problems at the veterans homes," 

14.                       Lawmakers Help Fund Veterans' Home. St. George (UT) Spectrum  "Southern Utah lawmakers banded together Tuesday to give $15,000 to a fundraising effort for a new nursing home for veterans. Crews hope to break ground on the new Ivins facility in the fall, but in the interim, area veterans are trying to raise enough money to make the home nicer for its future inhabitants." There is a need to do so quickly because the US Department of Veterans Affairs "will match at a 65-to-35 ratio any funds raised before it sets its budget July 15, meaning each dollar donated locally before then will bring in nearly three dollars from the federal government." 

15.                       Bill Would Help NC's Homeless Veterans.  WHQR-FM  "Helping Our Homeless Veterans Act is a bill now in the Senate Committee of Veteran's Affairs." If "passed, the legislation would allow the VA to partner with state, local, tribal, and community providers to administer assistance to rural and underserved veterans." The bill "would provide veterans with low-income housing vouchers and case management services."

 

16.                       Bill Would Combine Commissaries, Exchanges.  WVEC-TV  "A bill to cover medical care for veterans and their families at Camp Lejeune, NC would be funded by consolidating military commissaries and exchanges." Under Senate Bill 277, the Defense Department would reimburse Veterans Affairs "for the costs of all the care" of "thousands of North Carolina families who developed health problems after being exposed to contaminated water" at Camp Lejeune. WVEC added, "About 750,000 people were exposed to probable and known carcinogens in drinking water at Camp Lejeune between the 1950s and 1980s."

 

17.                       Obama To Speak To Veterans, Families At American Legion Convention In Minneapolis On Aug. 30.   AP  "President Barack Obama will address thousands of veterans and their families at the American Legion's national convention in Minneapolis on Aug. 30." It will be Obama's "first time addressing the veterans' organization in person," and the war in Afghanistan is "likely to be of interest" to those in attendance. The AP adds, "Jimmie Foster, the American Legion's national commander, says the group wants to hear about the administration's vision for the economy, national security and the Department of Veterans Affairs."

 

18.                       Tests See Metal Where Veterans Claim To Have Buried Agent Orange.  KPHO-TV A joint investigative "team of US and Korean officials found evidence of metal drums buried on a US military base in South Korea. These results are crucial, because they show there is in fact something suspicious in the exact spot where a valley veteran and two other soldiers say they buried Agent Orange in 55-gallon metal drums, three decades ago." The "next set of test results are expected later this month."

 

19.                       MSU To Open Veteran Support Center This Fall. Liberty County (MT) Times  Montana State University (MSU) President Waded Cruzado recently "announced...that the university will open a Veteran Support Center to serve the growing number of veterans on the MSU campus." Cruzado "made the announcement at the beginning of a veterans' forum held at MSU Thursday attended by US Secretary of Veterans' Affairs Eric Shinseki and US Senator Jon Tester of Montana, who sits on the US Committee of Veterans' Affairs. The two listened to feedback about the VA from panel members, including MSU students and staff who are veterans," then "took questions from the audience."

 

20.                       Veterans Administration Aims To Scale Up Health Data Exchange Project.  iHealthBeat  "This fall, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to expand a program that allows it to exchange electronic health care data with the Department of Defense and private-sector health care providers, NextGov reports. In September, VA plans to increase the number of testing sites for its health data exchange program from five geographical regions to 11, according to a VA fact sheet." Also "this fall, VA plans to launch a Web portal allowing veterans to authorize the release of medical information to health care providers."

 

21.                       A Place To Call Home. Somerville (NJ) Courier News  Construction "should begin by the end of the year on what is considered to be the largest permanent housing project for disabled homeless veterans in Central and Northern Jersey." Valley Brook Village, is "targeted for a 16-acre tract on the campus of the Veterans Affairs hospital in the Lyons section of the township." A "major milestone in the project was recently reached when it received 50 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development...said" Community Hope's Julia Ahmet.

 

22.                       Copper's Antibacterial Properties Gets A Boost From DOD.  Metal Miner  "A recent article in Reuters reports on trials of anti-bacterial properties of copper carried out in the US by teams of doctors" at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in South Carolina and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Reports "from elsewhere support the findings." The research was "funded by the Defense Department."

 

23.                       Nurse Accused Of Stealing Narcotics From Erie Veterans Hospital.  Erie (PA) Times-News  Pamela Sue Hartleb "has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that she stole prescription narcotics that were meant for patients at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center." Hartleb "faces one felony count of possession of a controlled substance by fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge." A spokeswoman for the hospital "was not immediately available for comment."

 

24.                       VA Worker Placed On Leave After Being Charged With Stealing Drugs From Facility.  WCPO-TV  A worker at Veterans Affairs' facility in Fort Thomas is "facing allegations that she stole drugs." After "her arrest on July 5th, she was placed on leave as the criminal case plays out. VA Spokesperson Todd Sledge says an alert co-worker of the suspect reported her alleged actions." According to the WCPO website, the hospital said patient care was not compromised by the nurse.

 

25.                       Former County Revenue Commissioner Found Guilty Of Defrauding VA. WEMT-TV  Former Dickenson County Revenue Commissioner Ronnie Robbins will "spend two years in prison and pay more than $70,000 in restitution." Earlier this week, Robbins was "found guilty of defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs and lying about his military service."

 

26.                       Working Together To Help Veterans.  Superior (WI) Telegram  One of the Disabled American Veterans' "most critical outreach efforts in Superior is a transportation program that provides area veterans with rides to medical appointments at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center. 'Transportation is a big deal to us,' said Dr. Clyde Markon of the Superior-based Twin Ports VA Outpatient Clinic," who said, "It's everything." The Telegram adds, "The clinic and its transportation program are partnerships that cross state lines, available to veterans throughout the area."

 

27.                       Not All Vets To Get Free Transportation In West Haven.  WTNH-TV  Veterans are concerned about transportation to the Veterans Affairs hospital in West Haven, Connecticut. A hospital spokesperson said that previously, there was no oversight regarding who was getting on special mode vans heading to the hospital. Now, however, "van drivers will be VA employees and rules previously ignored will be enforced, requiring vets to be evaluated by a physician to get a free ride."

 

28.                       MN Homegrown Produce Makes A Come Back. Isanti-Chisago (MN) County Star  "Locally grown produce is once again available to those passing along Highway 95." The produce stand has been shut down for the last two years because "owner Tom Hollingsworth underwent a liver and kidney operation. After receiving treatments" from Veterans Affairs, Hollingsworth "gained about 90 percent of his health back. 'If it weren't for the VA, I wouldn't be here,' said Hollingsworth."

 

29.                       Columbia Hospitals Move Toward Healthier Foods In Cafeterias. Columbia (MO) Missourian  Hospitals in Columbia are trying to encourage their workers and patients to eat healthier. The "Veterans Canteen Service, the division of the Veterans Administration responsible for food service nationwide in hospital cafeterias, has a similar program to make healthy food more affordable. The program offers healthy meals that are priced for the volunteers that work at the hospitals."

 

30.                       Six String Heroes. St. Louis Post-Dispatch "At the Veterans Administration at Jefferson Barracks," a program called Six String Heroes teaches 25-year-old Army Sgt. Nate Shumaker, who lost a leg to an exploding mortar round, and some other "veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to play guitar." Veterans "sign up for eight weekly sessions and earn a guitar if they attend six of them. So far, 18 have taken home guitars."

 

31.                       Troops Can Get Property Tax Exemption. St. Petersburg (FL) Times  "Hernando County Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek has announced an additional property tax exemption that is now available for certain military personnel." It can go to "service members who were deployed during the preceding calendar year on active duty outside the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii in support" of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. The Times adds, "Proof of deployment, including dates, from the Veterans Administration or military branch is required."

 

32.                       EH Resident Named First Female State Commander Of American Legion.  Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer

 

33.                       Vietnam Veteran Pens Inspiring Memoir. Midlothian (VA) Exchange

 

34.                       Lending A Helping Paw. Southern Illinoisan

 

35.                       Veteran-Friendly Firms To Be At Upcoming Job Fair. Beckley (WV) Register-Herald

 

36.                       "Welcome Home Night" To Salute Returning Soldiers. State College (PA) Centre Daily Times  The James E. Van Zandt Veterans Affairs Medical Center will "host a 'Welcome Home Night' to honor service members recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Blair County Ballpark on Aug. 17." The event is free.

 

37.                       County Sees $16K Deficit In 2010. Huron (MI) Daily Tribune "The county's general fund ended slightly in the red in 2010," according to an audit report by Hyzer, Hill Kuzak & Co., P.C. Don Kuzak, who works for the firm, "reported the county will recover the $16,802 shortfall in 2011 through reimbursement and lease payments from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the VA clinic in Bad Axe."

 

38.                       Disabled Lee Vet At Bat. Foster's Daily Democrat

 

39.                       Firefly Artists Shine Their Light On Splashes Of Hope. Northport (NY) Patch  "The energy inside the Firefly Artists Gallery was palpable as members of the newly formed artists' cooperative hosted their first Charity Gala on Saturday night. The event was organized by Marianne Moreno, an oil and encaustic painter and Justin Mayer, a painter, sculptor and ceramicist, to benefit Splashes of Hope, a Huntington-based non-profit organization which uses art to heal by bringing murals and other artistic works to medical and social service facilities worldwide." During the gala, a beach scene painting was unveiled. The "work was presented to Brian Yudewitz, Splashes of Hope's President, for placement in the Northport Veterans Hospital."

 

40.                       MUGSHOT: Lee County Veteran Arrested, Accused Of Stalking Social Worker.  Naples (FL) Daily News   "A man being treated at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic had been charged with stalking his clinical social worker." The 53-year-old Donald Edward Gray "was denied bond on the aggravated stalking charge."

 

41.                       Veterans Hit Hard By Unemployment. WTVF-TV "Veteran unemployment numbers are higher than the national average, by at least more than 2 percent." Nashvillian Shawn Seibold is a "Vietnam veteran with 20 years of manufacturing experience, but he's been working temporary jobs and has yet to find full-time employment." WTVF added, "Experts expect unemployment numbers for veterans to get worse as soldiers returns from Iraq and Afghanistan."