26.                       Group Picked To Develop VA Campus In Lincoln. Lincoln (NE) Journal Star  "A local nonprofit will lease and develop the health campus for Lincoln's Department of Veterans' Affairs. Seniors Foundation, a Lincoln-based group dedicated to supporting Aging Partners, will develop the 59-acre complex at 600 S. 70th St. that includes a health clinic and other services, according to a VA news release." After noting that development plans include a new health clinic, the Journal Star quotes VA spokesman Will Ackerman, who said, "We don't expect to see any interruption in services we're currently providing. We anticipate with this process that we'll see an increase in what we're providing there."

27.                       Houston VA Leads Fight Against Esophageal Cancer. Cyprus (TX) Times  "An outpatient treatment that destroys pre-cancerous tissue in the lining of the esophagus is now widely available" for veterans at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Times adds, "Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation therapy has been in pilot use at the DeBakey VA for more than four years and was recently featured in the New England Journal of Medicine as a highly effective treatment for complete eradication of Barrett's esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition that affects one to two million adults in the United States each year."

28.                       Vets Groups Question Benefit Claims Via Email. Army Times  "A seemingly simple idea - to have the Veterans Affairs Department send out emails to speed up notifications to veterans that their disability claims have been received - has drawn complaints from major veterans groups that say the idea would be more expedient but not necessarily fair. Representatives of Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American, testifying Wednesday before a House subcommittee about HR 2383, the Modernizing Notice to Claimants Act, said they are concerned" about the bill because of possible waived rights if the emails are not clear or veterans do not read the fine print. But Thomas Murphy, VA's compensation service director, said this method "would significantly enhance" efficiency and "provide increased flexibility," while also having the potential to "significantly shorten overall claim development time."

29.                       Louisville Gets Grant To House Homeless Veterans. Louisville Courier-Journal "Louisville has been awarded $243,500 in federal funds to provide housing and case management for homeless veterans, officials with the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs announced." The "VA in Louisville will handle case management." The Courier-Journal added, "The awards bring the number of vouchers to 225 in Louisville as part of a program meant to get homeless veterans into housing and provide support services...said" Todd Dedas, a VA healthcare coordinator.

30.                       VA Funding Pilot Program That Assists Homeless Vets. Waco (TX) Tribune-Herald "The Waco Salvation Army was awarded a $158,479 grant from a state veterans' advocacy agency to provide emergency shelter and support to homeless veterans, their families and surviving spouses. The grant comes from the Texas Veterans Commissions' Fund for Veterans' Assistance." Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, is paying two million dollars to fund the Veterans Homeless Prevention Demonstration Pilot, which "offers rental and utility assistance, help in job training or employment searches, and rapid rehousing for veterans who have been homeless for less than 90 days."

31.                       California Lawmaker Praises VA Effort To Assist Homeless. San Diego Union-Tribune  Toni Atkins, a California Democrat representing the 76th Assembly District, says the Obama Administration "recently announced a priority goal of ending veterans' homelessness within five years and is putting resources behind that pledge." The city of San Diego, California, has "been a leader in this effort, including being the home of the nation's first Stand Down and the recent creation of an Ending Homelessness Downtown Campaign. The campaign's leadership includes" the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

32.                       The VA VistA Screw-Up Bill. NextGov  US Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) "has a bill (H.R. 2470) in the works that...would transfer management of the Veterans Affairs Department's Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) electronic health record system from the VA to a VA/Defense Department Interagency Program Office (IPO), chartered to manage development of a joint electronic health record for both departments." On Wednesday, Thomas Murphy, "director of compensation service at the Veterans Benefits Administration told a hearing of the House VA Committee today that language in the bill to 'transfer all responsibility for 'development, implementation, and sustainment of all electronic health record systems and capabilities' away from VA to the IPO would create disruption and uncertainty in the management of the most vital set of tools VA uses to deliver world-class care for our veterans.'" Brewin adds, "Hopefully the full VA committee will drive a stake through H.R. 2470."

33.                       Pot Does Not Cure PTSD.  NextGov There are plans "by an outfit called the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which hangs out in Santa Cruz, Calif., to conduct a clinical trial to treat vets with 1.8 grams of government-approved grass a day over a three month period, to see" if it marijuana works as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Brewin adds, "I can save the MAPS researchers the trouble -- after Vietnam I tried a variety of substances, including pot and alcohol, to manage PTSD, and this approach not only exacerbated the PTSD problem, but burdened me with a few new ones." That is "because there is a comorbid relationship between PTSD and drug and alcohol use."

34.                       Softball Team Of Amputee Vets Put Together By VA Employee. HBO  A story about the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, which aired on its most recent "Real Sports" program. Players on the team, made up of Iraq and Afghanistan vets, thought their injuries would keep them from playing sports, but that was before they met "softball nut" David Van Sleet, who has "been working with prosthetics for the Department of Veterans Affairs since 1981." Van Sleet told HBO that he felt the vets "needed something to elevate them back into normal life." According to HBO, the vets "only play able-bodied teams."

35.                       Vets' Hospital Gets Outpatient Child Care. Newsday

36.                       Legion: VAMC Child Care An Excellent Idea.  American Legion

37.                       Alabama Still Collects Tax For Confederate Vets; Pays For Memorial Park Where Rebel Flags Fly. AP

38.                       Hopes For Veterans' Homes Rest On Feds. Fresno Bee

39.                       AG Clarifies Disabled Veteran Tax Break.  Newport News (VA) Daily Press

40.                       Veterans Affairs Rep To Discuss Clinic Relocation.  Victoria (TX) Advocate

41.                       Renovated Housing Available For Veterans. Beloit (WI) Daily News

42.                       Vet Seeks Disability Claim.  Jackson County (FL) Floridan

43.                       Wounded Warriors Continue Healing Process On Local Waters.  Crawford County (MI) Avalanche \

44.                       County To Look Into Veterans Court Program.  News Of Delaware County (PA)

45.                       Law And Order. Government Executive

46.                       Three MIA World War II Soldiers Finally Laid To Rest.  CNN

47.                       Caregivers Program Delivers Benefits.  American Legion

48.                       Hinchey Working To Secure Benefits For Merchant Marine Veterans. WBGH-TV