VA HQ Veterans News for Tuesday, September 13, 2011.  Thanks to Kevin Secor at VA HQ!

1. Medical clinic to remain open in Bingham.  Morning Sentinel  -- In a reversal that surprised local military veterans, the US Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday it will continue to operate a downtown mobile medical clinic that serves 400 veterans from a ...

2. Illness Persists In Gulf War Veterans.  Ivanhoe  It affects an estimated 25 percent of the 700000 military personnel deployed to the 1991 Persian Gulf War, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs' scientific advisory committee. There are three main syndromes associated with Gulf War ...

3. Buffalo Valley cuts ribbon on new housing for veterans.  Clarksville Leaf Chronicle  It took a multi-agency effort to secure funding for the facility, 65 percent of which was paid by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The rest was paid for with funds from groups such as the Tennessee Housing Development Agency and the city's Office ...

4. Nine Maxim Healthcare employees charged as company reaches $150M settlement.  The Star-Ledger - NJ.com  The total amount of the state and federal civil settlements is $130 million, of which approximately $121.5 million is allocated to the Medicaid program, and approximately $8.5 million to the Veterans' Affairs program. New Jersey's share of the more ...

5. Veterans get personal care in VA medical foster home program (video).  Plain Dealer (blog)  Janice Young cues up a little Etta James and dances with Air Force veteran Bill Eaton Jr. who is living at her house in Orange as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs' medical foster home program. ...

6. U.S. officials say 'Iraqi good enough' can contain violence after drawdown.  Although U.S. soldiers in Anbar still do intelligence-gathering and some Iraqi commando training, the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team's mission is focused on advising security force managers on how to run their units more efficiently. Soldiers say the Iraqis are getting it ' not to a U.S. Army standard, but to a level that they call 'Iraqi good enough.'

7. 'This is for real now'.  Caleb Eames will never forget where he was for what he calls our generation's 'JFK moment,' Sept. 11, 2001. Then a young Marine sergeant, Eames stood on the roof of 8th and I Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., watching smoke billow from the Pentagon

8. New Jersey to Announce Settlement With Home Health Care Provider Maxim.  Wall Street Journal  Agents from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Veterans Affairs took part in the investigation. A Maxim Healthcare spokeswoman said the company expected to issue a statement ...

9. Civil War Veteran's Tombstone Marks Grave After 120-Year Absence.  Yankton Daily Press  The headstone, issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs and inscribed “SERGT. JF KINNA, CO.C., 12OHIO.CAV.,” was discovered at a Warner home in 1979 and was eventually relegated to a basement, where it stayed for 32 years. ...

10. End Of VA Honor System Cuts 70 Percent Of Vendors With Veteran Status.  Washington Post   "Since 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded billions of dollars in contracts under a program to steer work to firms owned by veterans without requiring proof of their eligibility for the funding. A new mandate forcing companies to prove their ownership and management status has led to the removal of at least 18,800 companies from the VA vendor preference list, the government said." Until the "last year, contractors were able to self-certify their status as veteran-owned businesses."

11. Justice For Women Veterans. New York Times  Servicewomen in the US military "and veterans say they often struggle unsuccessfully to obtain health care and benefits related to sexual violence they endured while in uniform." The Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs "acknowledge that they have a long way to go to transform the culture and protect women. Making it easier for those suffering from sexual trauma to receive benefits is one step toward fairness."

12. New Data Show Difficulties In Controlling Patient "Rebound" At Care Facilities.  Washington Post  "The Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health care system in the country, has long employed many of the approaches Medicare is pushing on all hospitals to reduce unnecessary readmissions." However, "new data show VA hospital patients are just as likely to end up back in a hospital bed as are patients at private hospitals. The new statistics underscore how hard it may be for hospitals to stop patients from rebounding back through their doors, a major goal of Medicare as it seeks to curtail the nation's ballooning health costs."

13. A Reflection and Appreciation. Tampa Tribune "I am always so proud of the outpouring of support for our wounded heroes, more than 42,000 young men and women - including more than 2,000 from Florida - returning home after enduring so much pain and suffering.  Our nonprofit organizations-Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Fisher House, Operation Home Front, Operation Helping Hand and Embracing Florida's Wounded Heroes, to highlight just a few - provide a warm, supportive arm around the shoulder of our wounded brethren as they recover and to their families as they sit by their bedside." Diehl added, "Our James Haley Veterans' Hospital team continues its miraculous care for so many of our wounded."

14. VA Medical Centers Adapt To New Warfare In Wake Of Sept. 11. Alexandria (LA) Town Talk  On 9/11, "'My aim was to minimize risk and decrease panic to our patients and guests on the hospital grounds,' said" VA's Gracie Specks, "who has been director at the Alexandria Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville for more than a year." The Town Talk added, "VA medical centers across the country learned much that day and in the wars that followed. Today, they're equipped and trained to handle emergencies better, and provide better care for wounded soldiers."

15. Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center Holds Picnic, Thanks Veterans. Tuscaloosa (AL) News  "The Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center held a welcome home event Saturday for returning combat veterans." Picnic in the Park, the hospital's "annual recognition of the sacrifices made by veterans, included free food, music and information about benefits for veterans. 'We want them to understand how much we appreciate their sacrifice and their service and that we're here for them,' said Damon Stevenson, public affairs officer for the Medical Center."

16. A New Generation Of Veterans. Minneapolis Star Tribune

17. Sacramento Bugler In Demand For Military Funerals. Sacramento Bee

18. Honeymoon Period For New Feds: 3 Years. Federal Times

19. Veterans Find New Battle; Challenges Await As They Return Home. Redding (CA) Record-Searchlight