VA HQ Veterans News for Tuesday, September 20, 2011.  Thanks to Kevin Secor at VA HQ!

• 1.    Obama deficit plan would re-examine military retirement.  Included in the president's deficit reduction plan unveiled Monday are plans to re-examine the military retirement system, calling the current 20-year requirement 'out of line with most other government or private retirement plans.'
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• 2.    Navy regulations force young couple to start married life apart.  Under a longstanding Navy policy sailors stationed overseas and in Hawaii cannot gain command sponsorship for their spouse or children until they achieve the rank of E-4. Phillips is a seaman apprentice, or E-2.
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• 3.    On eve of DADT repeal, it's business as usual for military.  The military's controversial 'don't ask, don't tell' law ends Tuesday, allowing openly gay troops to serve for the first time and marking one of the most dramatic personnel changes in U.S. military history.
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• 4.    Recovers thousands for veteran.  Wink News  We made a mistake," Collette Burgess with the US Department of Veterans Affairs admitted. The VA issued Malcom a check for thousands of dollars. The department urges other veterans who think they have been overcharged to contact the VA to review their ...
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• 5.    VA Center closed for relocation.  Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune  Additionally, they provide key access links between the Veteran and other services in the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The Vet Center phone, 304-263-6776 and fax, 304-262-7448 remain the same. The Martinsburg VA Medical Center mission is to honor ...
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• 6.    Building of new Wilmington veterans clinic gets under way.  StarNewsOnline.com
  Veterans sat under a large tent in the empty space of land near the airport's entrance, listening to US Department of Veterans Affairs officials and US Rep. Mike McIntyre tout the project and ceremoniously turn over dirt. The real construction is ...
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• 7.    Mobile Vet Center changing locations.  Cache Valley Daily  The Utah Vet Center says it wants to acknowledge and thank the generous support of USU and USU Parking Service. Vet centers are a division of the US Department of Veterans Affairs that provide readjustment counseling to combat veterans and their
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• 8.    Small Business Summit/Expo set for Sept. 27–28.  Louisiana Weekly  ... Army Corps of Engineers, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, US Department of Labor, US Department of Transportation, US Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, NASA, ...

9.    Study Links Gulf War Vets' Illnesses. USA Today  "New research to be released Monday shows that veterans with Gulf War illness faced different toxins depending on where they were served: anti-nerve-agent pills and Scud missiles for forward-deployed troops and pesticides for support personnel in the rear. There's also no correlation between anthrax shots, depleted uranium and psychological issues and Gulf War illness, said the study by the Midwest Research Institute." The study will "appear in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal." Stars And Stripes (9/19) runs a similar story.

10.Retiree Benefits for the Military Could Face Cuts. New York Times Current budget pressures could mean that military benefits might be cut despite traditional political opposition to touching the programs. The Times notes Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently told PBS, "We've got to put everything on the table."

11.Relatives Doubt Inquiry In Medal Of Honor Battle. AP  "Relatives of several US troops killed during a 2009 Afghanistan battle that led to" former Marine Dakota Meyer receiving a Medial of Honor "are questioning whether some Army officers got off too easy for mistakes that led to the deaths of five American military personnel." An inquiry concluded two Army officers' "poor pre-mission planning led to delays in adequate support fire," and the relatives argue the two should have received more than reprimands.

12.Shinseki Meets Sports Clinic Participants, Discusses Ending Veteran Homelessness. KGTV-TV  US Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki was in San Diego on Sunday to "personally meet and encourage the 117 wounded veterans" taking part in the "four-day National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic," which is an "annual sports competition among wounded veterans." Shinseki was shown saying, "These athletes inspire all of us with their preparation, their discipline, and determination to set new personal goals." Shinseki also spoke about veteran employment, noting that President Obama has "challenged the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or spouses by the end of 2013." KGTV added, "Shinseki says the VA's resources in California are extensive." KGTV asked Shinseki if that is so, why is the number of homeless veterans going up? Shinseki replied, "We have to be at the top of our game there to be able to end homelessness. So it's jobs, it's education, it's medical treatment."

13.VA Reaches Out To Courts To Help Veterans With PTSD. Watertown (NY) Daily Times  "The Department of Veterans Affairs is reaching out to local courts to help veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Kynna L. Murphy, veterans justice outreach coordinator" for VA, "works with veterans in Northern and Central New York who are in jail and screens them to see if they have issues related to combat trauma that aren't being addressed properly. If the veteran does, she coordinates a treatment plan and works with judges and lawyers to accept behavioral health treatment as an alternative to jail time if it fits the situation."

14.Scuba Diving May Benefit Those With Spinal Cord Injuries. Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reported that a study "presented Saturday at the Paralyzed Veterans of America conference in Orlando, Fla.," found that "scuba diving may help improve muscle movement, touch sensitivity and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in people with spinal cord injuries." The study "involved 10 wheelchair-dependent disabled veterans who had suffered spinal cord injuries an average 15 years earlier and who underwent scuba diving certification."  HealthDay  "Psychologically, participants...experienced a drop in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder." In comparison, "the healthy divers" who served as controls "experienced no improvement of any kind."

15.Veteran Stand Down Event Is Slated For This Weekend. Prescott (AZ) Daily Courier "The 2011 Northern Arizona Veteran Stand Down till take place Sept. 23-24 at the Prescott United Methodist Church, 505 W. Gurley St." Transportation "will be provided periodically throughout the day by the Salvation Army, VA Medical Center and Northern Arizona Council of Governments."

16.Veterans Clinic Expected To Open In October In Martinsville. Martinsville (IN) Reporter-Times  "A US Veterans Affairs representative says the long-delayed Martinsville clinic for veterans will open in October, with a grand opening celebration planned for Nov. 9." The new location at 2200 Wooden Drive was selected after Martinsville was identified as an ideal location to improve access for veterans in the Indianapolis area. The site "is expected to serve 1,200 veterans in Morgan County and surrounding communities," although "that number is a fraction of the 6,600 estimated veterans living in the county."

17.RR To Get VA Clinic. Rio Rancho (NM) Observer  "A plan in the works for about three years to bring a Veterans Affairs clinic to Rio Rancho is finally coming through." Julie Drieke, an "administrator for the regional Veterans Affairs office in Albuquerque, told the Rio Rancho Governing Body on Wednesday that the VA outpatient clinic is on its way." The Observer added, "'We really are excited to have you here and even more excited for the veterans in this area,' Mayor Tom Swisstack told Drieke," who "couldn't give a date" for the clinic's opening.

18.350 Homeless Vets In Sacramento Attend Stand Down 2011 Camp. Sacramento Bee "A ragtag army of about 350 homeless vets broke camp along the Garden Highway on Sunday, carrying with them the spoils of war: sleeping bags, coats, underwear, shoes and socks." After "three days under the tall trees at Stand Down 2011 – a homeless veterans' boot camp in its 20th year here – many were better-equipped to confront the demons that have haunted them since Vietnam, the first Gulf War and other conflicts." There "will be another Stand Down at the Placer County Fair Grounds in Roseville on Wednesday through Friday...said" Stand Down director Barbara Ross.

19.Wounded Iraq Vet Raises Money For Families Of Fallen Soldiers. ABC World News   Mark Little, who lost "both legs in Iraq" to a roadside bomb. With "help from family and friends and a fine set of prosthetic legs," Little is "now walking, running and even playing hockey." ABC added, "Instead of dwelling on his own injuries, Mark has put himself through grueling workouts to raise money for the families of those 22 Navy SEALs and special operations troops killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan this summer."

20.From The Edge Of Death To Rehab: A Soldier Fights Back. Des Moines Register

21.Older Utah Military Vets Befriend, Help Each Other. Salt Lake Tribune

22.Groups Concerned About Oil Plans Near Cemetery In Natchez.  AP

23.Sinise Lends A Hand To Injured Veterans. AP

24.VA Seeking Caregivers For Medical Foster Home Program. Ironton (WV) Tribune