VA HQ Veterans News for Saturday, October 8, 2011.

1.    Veterans celebrate groundbreaking of new cemetery for veterans (photo gallery).  Press-Register - al.com (blog)  The construction is being covered by a $7 million grant approved in August by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The project includes the development of roads, traditional in-ground burial sites, in-ground cremains sites, columbarium niches, ...

 

2.    Proposition 1 will ease burden on disabled veterans.  San Antonio Express  Texas veterans with a 100 percent disability rating or who are considered unemployable by the US Department of Veterans Affairs receive a 100 percent homestead exemption. Under current law, however, the 100 percent exemption does not transfer to

 

3.    VA mobile outreach in West Point.  Calaveras Enterprise  The US Department of Veterans Affairs Rural Health Mobile Medical Outreach Team will be in West Point from 11 am to 3 pm Thursday, Oct. 13. The team will be at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 202 Spink Road. No appointments are necessary.

 

4.    Task Force Hears Vets' Health Care Issues In Berkeley.  Patch.com  Raymond Zawacki, the state's deputy commissioner for Veterans Affairs, said quantifying how many veterans are using those services is an important piece of pushing both the VA and the state to establish a more local facility for veterans – whether it's

 

5.    Forum calls for better care for veterans.  Times Herald-Record  Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Baker said she has been working on veteran benefit awareness, to which a part of her website has been devoted. Some veterans also said travel would be unnecessary if the system were more efficient. ...

 

6.    Veterans Say Privatization Endangers Them.  Courthouse News Service  Lead plaintiff Anthony Spallone sued the State of Michigan Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs in Ingham County Court, on behalf of himself and more than 500 other veterans. Spallone says that in an ostensible quest to save money, the state ...

 

7.    Three from SE Conn. charged with prescription fraud.  Norwich Bulletin  This investigation was conducted by the FBI, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. The Drug Control Division of the Connecticut Department of ...

 

8.    Panetta says benefit changes shouldn't affect those serving.  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that he doesn't think the benefits of troops currently serving will be changed as part of defense budget cuts, but that those who join the ranks in the future may be affected

 

9.    Curfew put in place for all U.S. troops in South Korea.  The U.S. military on Friday issued a peninsula-wide curfew for all U.S. troops in South Korea, one day after South Korean authorities took custody of a U.S. soldier accused of raping an 18-year-old Korean woman.

 

10.                    Experts: Immunity dispute won’t end U.S.-Iraq cooperation.  Iraq and the United States remain at loggerheads over whether any U.S. troops who stay there next year will be subject to local laws ' and potentially to politically motivated prosecutions ' but experts predict it won't ultimately derail security cooperation between the countries.

 

11.                    USS George Washington gaining attention as possible budget casualty.  Could the USS George Washington be sunk by budget cuts'

 

12.                    State Official To Address Veteran-Owned Business Leaders.  Dayton (OH) Daily News, "Thomas Moe, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, will address an organization of small businesses owned by military veterans. VOB108, the local group of veteran-owned businesses, is hosting Moe for an Oct. 13 luncheon meeting at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center." The "lunch meeting is a networking event for leaders of veteran-owned businesses seeking contracts to serve the government or to learn about Ohio's programs for veterans."

 

13.                    Money For Veteran Housing Gets OK.  Santa Monica (CA) Daily Press "President Barack Obama signed a bill into law Wednesday that would release millions of dollars to retrofit and renovate several buildings on the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration campus. The law, called the Veterans Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act, is a $1.2 billion measure spread out over the next four years for construction and leasing of VA medical facilities." Buildings 207, 208 and 209 at the West LA campus "became the heart of controversy in June when the ACLU, in partnership with several private law firms and Santa Monica City Councilmember Bobby Shriver, sued the VA for abandoning homeless veterans with severe mental disabilities."

 

14.                    How Do We Know If Someone Has PTSD?.  Time  "According to a new paper in the Journal of Traumatic Stress," 138 "Veterans Affairs mental health professionals completed a 128-item Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Practice Inventory that asked about their practices and attitudes related to disability assessment of PTSD. Results indicate strikingly wide variation in the attitudes and practices of clinicians conducting disability assessments for PTSD." The "wide variety of PTSD-diagnosing tools represents 'a concerning finding' that 'fuels questions about adequacy of the disability examination,' the study concludes." Officials with VA, however, say the agency is "putting forth an enormous effort to understand, diagnosis and treat PTSD."

 

15.                    Local Vets Endure Long Line For Care.  Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review  "Patients of the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center often have to wait three weeks to see a mental health care provider – a wait that's longer than the national average. 'It is not acceptable to have veterans, who have stepped up and shown the courage to ask for help, be denied care,'" US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) "said in a letter this week to Dr. Robert A. Petzel, VA undersecretary for health. Murray, who is chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, called for improvements in mental health care delivery, the need for which was revealed in a survey of 272 VA mental health providers nationwide." Psychologist Quinn Bastian, head of behavioral health at the Spokane VA Medical Center, "cited a shortage of staff as a reason for the average 21-day wait time." Bastian also "cited VA improvements in care, including 24-7 emergency psychiatric coverage, a suicide risk management team, a suicide prevention coordinator and a national suicide hotline, (800) 273-TALK (8255)."

 

16.                    Hospice Savannah Uses Donation To Improve Treatment For Veterans In Coastal Georgia.  Savannah (GA) Morning News  Through partnerships with the US Department of Veterans Affairs "and the We Honor Veterans group, Hospice Savannah has committed to educating its staff about specific end-of-life needs for veterans. The partnerships were made possible through a gift from Jim Strickland and his wife, Polly, to Hospice Savannah - that serves Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty and Long counties - with the goal of furthering the abilities of its staff to deal with those specific issues." During a "ceremony to unveil a memorial honoring US Veterans at the Hospice House on Friday, VA Dept. Chief of Staff retired Army Col. John R. Gingrich spoke of his department's partnership with Hospice Savannah and similar organizations around the country." Gingrich stated, "I'm proud that Hospice Savannah and the VA are partners. There is an urgent need to address how we care about our veterans, and the staff, leaders and volunteers at this facility understand that we must treat our dying heroes with the honor and respect they deserve."

 

17.                    Brown Calls For Report On Alleged Bank Fraud Of Veterans.  Washington Post "Following allegations in a lawsuit that 13 major banks defrauded veterans out of hundreds of millions of dollars with illegal fees to refinance home loans, the chairman of a Senate consumer protection panel Wednesday called on the departments of Justice and Veterans Affairs to release any internal investigations related to the suit." The suit "alleges that the banks disguised unallowable attorney fees on refinancing loans guaranteed by the VA." According to the Post, US Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who chairs the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Panel and is a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, made his requests of VA and Justice in letters sent "to Attorney General Eric Holder and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki."

 

18.                    Vacant Homes At Perry Point To Be Turned Into Housing For Homeless Veterans.  Baltimore Sun  A "developer should be selected soon for an enhanced-use lease program" at the Perry Point Veterans Affairs Medical Center "campus that would house local homeless veterans. 'The Village,' unused property at the VA, will be turned into alcohol and drug-free housing units for veterans with the goal of improving their quality of life and decreasing the number of homeless veterans in Maryland." In a press release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said, "This initiative will significantly support our efforts to eliminate Veteran homelessness and improve the quality of life for veterans. We have a moral obligation to ensure that veterans and their families have access to affordable housing and medical services that will help them get back on their feet."

 

19.                    Poll Documents Gulf Between Post-9/11 Vets, Civilians.  PBS NewsHour  A "new Pew Research poll documents the gulf between" veterans who have served in America's two current wars and those who have not. Among both vets and non-vets, "Pew found great respect for those who fought: 96% of 9/11 era vets feel proud of their service, and 91% of the public, whatever their attitudes on the wars, feel proud of those who served. But 44% of this generation of vets report trouble adjusting to civilian life, far more than after past wars, and more than 70% of vets and non-vets alike agree that the American people don't understand the problems these modern era vets face."

 

20.                    DeBakey VA Eye Clinic Undergoes Expansion.  Lufkin (TX) Daily News The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in Houston recently completed a renovation of its nationally recognized eye clinic. Eight new examination rooms or eye lanes, four new procedure rooms and more space to provide care to veterans were added during this expansion project, according to a Veterans Affairs statement." The Daily News added, "An open house of the eye clinic will be held from 1-3 p.m. Nov. 18 at the center at 2002 Holcombe Blvd. in Houston."

 

21.                    Phoenix Home To Ariz.'s First Affordable Housing For Women Military Veterans.   KTAR-AM  "Mary Ellen's Place opened in May near 7th Street and Peoria (224 East Hatcher) to help our military women who have served this nation reintegrate into civilian life. According to a recent" Veterans Affairs report, the "lack of housing is cited as the No. 1 unmet need of America's veterans. Community Housing Partnership and Veterans First Ltd.", however, are trying to "address the lack of affordable housing for women veterans."

 

22.                    Mall Rats: Frank Weathers.  Washington Post  Vietnam vet Frank Weathers, who, along with other veterans, cleans the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Weathers told the Post, "Too often, I think, we do not give our veterans proper support, so that's why we do it. I mean, we do it because it's an honor, quite frankly."

 

23.                    McDermott Adds To Success In Wheelchair Games.  Clinton (IA) Herald  "Each year more than 600 novice and experienced athletes" participate in the "National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the largest annual wheelchair sports competition of its kind in the world." Gary McDermott of "Clinton competed in this year's National Veterans Wheelchair Games in early August in Pittsburgh and came home with three gold (first place) medals and a silver (second place) medal." McDermott, who is already planning for next year's games, said, "The big thing about the games is the camaraderie in making new friends and among the old friends one keeps."

 

24.                    Ames Man Takes Adaptive Sports Message To Congress.  Ames (IA) Tribune  "Mike Boone, director of Ames-based Adaptive Sports Iowa, told a Congressional panel Wednesday to continue to support programs that bring sport and recreation opportunities to disabled veterans." Boone "testified before the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on economic opportunity at a hearing where a number of advocates for disabled veterans also called for continued federal support of a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs" and US Paralympics. A bill that would reauthorize the partnership is "awaiting action from the full House Veterans Affairs Committee."

 

25.                    Program Offers Free Legal Aid For Rio Grande Valley Vets.  KGBT-TV  Veterans "can get free legal aid this month through Veterans Day to put" their wills together. The Hidalgo County Bar Foundation, "along with other organizations," has "teamed up with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to give Vets whose estates don't exceed $300,000 dollars, free help to get their wills and powers of attorney drafted." KGBT added, "Vets can apply for this free service online at www.hidalgobar.org, at the VA clinic at 2101 S. Col. Rowe Blvd in McAllen or the Hidalgo County Veteran Service office at 2816 S. Business Hwy 281 in Edinburg."

 

26.                    Nurse Takes Skills To New Heights To Honor Grandpa.  Lemont (IL) Reporter

 

27.                    Task Force Hears Vets' Health Care Issues In Berkeley.  Berkeley (NJ) Patch

 

28.                    Paraplegic Vietnam Vet Lives Full Life, Inspires Injured Troops.  Palm Beach (FL) Post

 

29.                    Progress Made On Veteran's Center Near Main Tribal Complex.  Cherokee Phoenix

 

30.                    Family Of First Soldier Killed In Afghan War Reflects 10 Years Later.  Tacoma (WA) News Tribune

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31.                    Shelter Aims To Give Female Vets Another Shot At Life After War.  KOTA-TV

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32.                    Volunteer Lawyers Reach Out To Veterans.  KUHF-FM