Veterans Administration into the 21st Century

Shelter to Veteran Women in Transition

2013-05-19T07:47:00.001-04:00

New York home gives shelter to veteran women in transition

05.18.2013 - When people hear the word “homeless shelter,” it’s easy to imagine a sterile building with long, narrow hallways and rooms filled with creaky, metal beds.
But as Kathy Dunlap, a resident and assistant house manager for the Guardian House, gave a tour of this New York shelter, the large home offered a different feel.
The rooms held beds with colorful linen, pictures along the walls and personal belongings on top of spacious dressers. The wooden steps climbing up the main stairwell are still held in place today by the square nails hammered down 200-plus years ago. The hardwood floors dip in places and groan beneath the weight of feet walking the hallways. One woman prepped a large, seasoned chicken inside a crock-pot sitting on the kitchen counter. Other women scurried between rooms and main-floor offices as they anticipated a visit from a group of honored guests. read more>>>

Care Packages?! To Help Senior Military Veterans?

2013-05-19T06:42:00.001-04:00

"If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

HEMET: Care packages to help senior veterans

May 18, 2013 - While sending care packages to troops overseas is a time-honored tradition, Emeritus at Hemet will be delivering them to local senior veterans or their surviving spouses during Memorial Day week in an initiative designed to assist them in staying safely in their homes.
The program is part of a national effort by Emeritus Senior Living to deliver more than 2,000 care packages and provide a helping hand with safety measures for seniors.

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The Heroes Emeritus care packages include nightlights, first aid kits, medication management containers, water bottles, healthy snacks and other items that make a senior’s daily life and home more secure. In addition to delivering the packages, the Emeritus team will perform a home safety check to ensure the living environment is free of any potential hazards. read more>>>

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!! The Whole Country Served, Not Just The Many Caring Groups, with handfuls of members and volunteers, Within!!

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice'!

2013-05-19T06:18:00.000-04:00

America's wounded warriors deserve better

May 19, 2013 - Americans are a deeply divided people on many things these days. But there is one issue on which virtually all agree, and that is the nation's enduring obligation, as President Abraham Lincoln put it so eloquently in his second inaugural address, "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan."
To that end, America spends hundreds of billions of dollars every year to provide our veterans with the finest medical care and a helping hand in pursuit of jobs, educations and homes. It is unlikely that any other nation has ever done so much to show its gratitude to those who have served in its military in war and peace. But serious injustices can still sometimes occur in the treatment of service men and women. Such an injustice has been found recently through the reporting of The Gazette's Dave Philipps. read more>>>

“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

Doctor responds to VA backlog

2013-05-18T07:57:00.002-04:00

Virginia worse than national average

16 May 2013 - While the government is handing out furloughs left and right, the Department of Veterans Affairs is now mandating overtime to help process the backlog of veterans claims.
The problem effects veterans nationwide, but even more so in Virginia. WAVY.com requested some numbers and look what was discovered:
Of the 846,223 total claims pending in the U.S., the regional office in Roanoke has 28,566 of them. It takes longer, on average, to complete a claim in the Commonwealth. It's 299 nationwide and 391 in Virginia. The percentage of claims pending over 125 is also higher in Virginia, 77 percent to 69 percent. read more>>>

Doctor responds to VA backlog

Link Between Concussions and Suicide in the US Military

2013-05-18T06:36:00.001-04:00

Concussion epidemic linked to underreported US military suicide – study

May 17, 2013 - New research suggests a link between concussions and suicide in the US military, two frighteningly common issues that the Armed Forces have struggled to explain and curtail since rates started soaring 12 years ago.
Earlier this year the military released data showing that active duty service members are taking their own lives more frequently than ever before. There were 349 suicides among active duty military personnel in 2012, averaging just fewer than one per day. There are now more suicides than combat deaths.
This was made more disheartening by a study from the US Department of Veterans Affairs reporting that, between 1999 and 2010, older veterans committed suicide at a rate of 22 each day, an increase from 18 per day in the years before. read more>>>

May 15, 2013 - Repetitive Traumatic Brain Injury, Psychological Symptoms, and Suicide Risk in a Clinical Sample of Deployed Military Personnel

The Young Student and the WWII Veteran

2013-05-17T18:41:00.001-04:00

8-year-old fights to get WWII vet recognition he deserves

Aired, on 17 May 2013, on the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley," Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" to show how a school assignment to interview a WWII veteran turned into a student's personal crusade to get the Navy sailor the recognition he deserved.

Whenever 87-year-old Charles Mowbray visits North Salisbury Elementary in Salisbury, Md., this World War II Navy sailor brings a boatload of stories -- like the one about how he helped rescue some men after a kamikaze attack.
"And he put himself in danger for others," said 8-year-old Leanna Morris. Asked if she thought Charles was scared, Leanna replied, "I don't think so."
But how can you be in a situation like that and not be scared? Leanna answered: "Because he's brave."
Leanna is Charles Mowbray's biggest fan. Every time he visits for a living history lesson, she hangs on every word and keys on every picture. But it's what he doesn't bring that has really affected her. read more>>>

Job Training Grants for Homeless Female Veterans, Veterans with Families

2013-05-17T06:46:00.001-04:00

Grants available from US Labor Department to provide job training, employment services for 1,900 homeless female veterans, veterans with families

WASHINGTON — 05/15/2013 - The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $5 million to fund 16 or more Homeless Female Veterans and Veterans with Families grants. Approximately 1,900 veterans will receive job training and related services to help them succeed in civilian careers.
"Much too often, those who have given so much to the nation face a difficult transition to civilian life and struggle to find a job that matches their talents," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "The grants announced today will help provide support and job assistance for veterans and their families, and open doors for career opportunities." read more>>>

Twitter Town Hall Assists Veterans Looking for Careers

2013-05-17T06:33:00.000-04:00

From Depart of Labor Newsletter 16 May 2013:

"Mr. Secretary, as an unemployed veteran, I sincerely thank you very much for this." That was one response to acting Secretary Harris near the end of a joint Labor Department and American Legion Twitter Town Hall on May 13. The chat covered a wide range of programs and services from across the federal government aimed at helping veterans find employment. Harris was joined by Joe Sharpe, national director of the American Legion's Economic Division, to discuss new investments in veterans hiring programs in the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service, online resources that connect employers to veterans, tools to help veterans translate military skills to civilian occupations, and services available to veterans at the 2,700 American Jobs Centers across the country. With the help of several federal agencies and veterans service organizations, the #VetsJobsChat hashtag was circulated widely, with hundreds of tweets sent throughout the day fostering the discussion.

• Read a Recap of the #VetsJobsChat

New Innovations during VA Research Week

2013-05-16T16:35:00.000-04:00

Local Research Center Unveils Innovations To Help Disabled Vets, Others

May 14, 2013 - A technology research center in East Liberty has taken the lead in producing adaptive devices for disabled veterans and others.
The Human Engineering Research Laboratories, or HERL, unveiled some if its new innovations during VA Research Week.
Occupational therapist Annmarie Kelleher showed off one of the lab’s newest innovations.
The Strong Arm device can easily lift a subject from wheelchair to shower chair. read more>>>

Defense and Veterans Affairs PSA's: Signs of Suicide Risk

2013-05-16T07:32:00.000-04:00

TV Announcements Illustrate Signs of Suicide Risk

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2013 – Officials at the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have produced three public service announcements to help families and friends recognize the signs of potential suicide in veterans and service members.
The television announcements have aired since April on the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Network, and are 15, 30 and 60 seconds in length, officials said.
“A veteran or service member returning from a deployment, [whether] at home or abroad, is subject to a certain amount of distress,” said Jacqueline Garrick, director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office. “Regardless of where they served, there still are challenges when they return home, and we want to encourage them to seek help.”
And the two departments want to avert suicide by making sure families, friends and communities that surround veterans and service members are aware of the signs and symptoms of suicide, to get those at risk into treatment right away, Garrick said. read more>>>

Watch: Public Service Announcements

The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan

2013-05-15T18:12:00.000-04:00

Each Injured US Soldier Will End Up Costing $2 Million On Average

May 15, 2013 - For every one of the 866,181 soldiers officially counted injured casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, the government is expected to spend some $2 million in long-term medical cost.
The total of $1.7 trillion is based on a widely cited March 2013 paper by Linda Bilmes at Harvard’s Kennedy School. It includes $800 billion already spent on injured veterans along with the cost of long-term care for an additional 50,000 current casualties counted by the Pentagon.
Since 2001, the VA has spent $134.3 billion to care for veterans. read more>>>

* * * The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan: How Wartime Spending Decisions Will Constrain Future National Security Budgets * * *

The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan

Tax cuts came with these wars, as the country abandoned the main missions for even sending our military into that region to invade another, told to go shopping, while the wealthy got huge cuts!

Yupper, The Wave Them 'patriotic' flags and 'support the troops', Realities

2013-05-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

On Victory Drive, Soldiers Defeated by Debt

May 15, 2013 - Seven years after Congress banned payday-loan companies from charging exorbitant interest rates to service members, many of the nation's military bases are surrounded by storefront lenders who charge high annual percentage rates, sometimes exceeding 400 percent.
The Military Lending Act sought to protect service members and their families from predatory loans. But in practice, the law has defined the types of covered loans so narrowly that it's been all too easy for lenders to circumvent it.
"We have to revisit this," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the defense appropriations subcommittee and is the Senate's second-ranking Democrat. "If we're serious about protecting military families from exploitation, this law has to be a lot tighter." read more>>>

Draft Gulf War Task Force Report Released

2013-05-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

Report Redefines How Care and Services Are Provided to Gulf War Veterans

WASHINGTON – May 14, 2013 - Today, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the Department’s Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force will publish a comprehensive draft report in the Federal Register for public feedback and comment. The report describes how the Department of Veterans Affairs has been, and will continue to address the concerns of Veterans who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.
“We know Gulf War Veterans are experiencing critical long-term medical issues that are complex and difficult to label,” said Shinseki. “VA has learned a great deal over the past 20 years about identifying, diagnosing and treating Gulf War Veterans, and we will continue to evaluate our research and clinical findings to ensure we keep providing world-class health care and benefits for Gulf War Veterans.”
Over the past several years, the Task Force has refined an integrated roadmap to better synchronize efforts and improve care and services to Gulf War Veterans. VA is working towards these efforts becoming a part of the culture and operations. read more>>>

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs: 15 May 2013

2013-05-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

Hearing: Pending Benefits Legislation Wednesday, May 15, 2013 10:00 a.m. Russell Senate Office Building, SR-418

WITNESS LIST
PANEL I
Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by:
Thomas Murphy, Director, Compensation Service
Richard Hipolit, Assistant General Counsel
John Brizzi, Deputy Assistant General Counsel
PANEL II
Jeffrey Hall, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
Ian de Planque, Deputy Legislative Director, The American Legion
Colonel Robert F. Norton, USA (Ret.), Deputy Director, Government Relations, Military Officers Association of America
Ryan Gallucci, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars

Visit site page for backlinks to opening statements.

Women Veterans Initiative to Boost Employment

2013-05-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

From DoL Newsletter

9 May 2013 - As part of a revitalized initiative to tackle unemployment among women veterans, representatives from the Veterans' Employment and Training Service attended two events in Chicago during the first week of May. Assistant Secretary of Labor Keith Kelly and VETS Women Veteran Initiative Special Advisor Jenny Erwin attended a Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship event to hear from women veterans who have successfully built businesses after leaving the military. VWISE, sponsored by Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management and the Small Business Administration, featured sessions such as "Business Planning 201: Behind Every Woman Is a Great Plan!" and "I Get By With a Little Help From My 'Government' Friends." Erwin also attended the National Summit on Women Veteran Homelessness, sponsored by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse, where she participated in roundtables to identify effective interventions that will prevent women veterans from becoming homeless.

• Learn About VWISE

The American Veteran - May 2013

2013-05-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

05.13.2013 - A video news magazine designed to inform veterans, their families and their communities about the services and benefits they have earned through their service to America.

Agent Orange and Deadliest Form of Prostate Cancer

2013-05-13T14:20:00.001-04:00

Agent Orange exposure linked to deadliest form of prostate cancer in Vietnam War vets

May 13, 2013 - Exposure to Agent Orange may be behind many cases of an aggressive form of prostate cancer being seen in Vietnam War veterans, according to new research.
Millions of gallons of herbicide Agent Orange was sprayed by the U.S. military on trees and other vegetation during the Vietnam War era, and has been linked to various health effects since. The combination of herb-killers was named for the orange identifying stripe used on the 55-gallon drums that stored the chemicals.
The authors of the new study say the herbicide was often contaminated with dioxin, a dangerous toxin that may cause cancer.
Veterans who served anywhere in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 may have been exposed to the chemical, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. read more>>>

"We are dealing with veterans, not procedure; with their problems, not ours." General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Agent Orange Link to Lethal Prostate Cancer Spawns Recommendations

Veterans' Trading in Their Combat Boots for Business Suits

2013-05-13T06:49:00.000-04:00

Succeeding As Civilians

May 12, 2013 - In January, Walmart pledged to hire any recent veteran who wanted a job - the company projects that could be 100,000 vets in the next five years. That's a big commitment at a time when it's needed.
There are three million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and they face a host of problems when they come home. It's not just unemployment, nearly half have a disability because of their service. Most tragically, more soldiers killed themselves last year than died at the hands of the enemy.

One veteran turned business school professor has an innovative solution to help them succeed as civilians: give the vets a new mission -- business ownership. Funded in part by Walmart, PepsiCo and other companies, he started a small business incubator, tailor-made to help disabled vets trade in their combat boots for business suits. read more>>>

These present wars have yet to be paid for! Rubber stamping and rapid deficits rising started before 9/11 and continued with same for the wars. But especially in the early some six years of extremely little being added to the Veterans Administration budgets by those Congresses, and since obstructed by same war rubber stampers, as to the long term results of War, DeJa-Vu all over again. Meanwhile the big money individuals and investment firms investors in the defense stocks reaped multi-millions in returns and added to the hoarded wealth, congressional reps were doing insider trading legally! Keeping the VA under budgeted causes problems and of many grow worse, which costs more to correct much more, which is the goal of those seeking to privatize Government Agencies as they attack the people of and which was created by their own incompetence and ideologies, but doing those served will!

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Joining Forces is dedicated to connecting our servicemen and women, veterans and military spouses with the resources they need to find jobs at home.

Military Moms, Gold Star Moms and Military Veteran Moms on Mother's Day

2013-05-12T07:38:00.001-04:00

Saluting Women Veterans on Mother's Day

05/10/2013 - Mother's Day began in the United States in the early 20th century and it's always been a very emotional day. Mothers are usually the first teachers of our children, as well as our first impression of how we view the world. Whether a sports figure is throwing a ball giving honor to his mother, or whether it's someone going off to war and waiting for that letter mom sends telling about what's happening back at home. As they say there's nothing like a "mother's love." Well, let me ask how do you think mothers who serve in the military feel during this time when they can't necessarily be at home with their children, or if you're a military wife and mother who has to care for the family alone. read more>>>

Military moms celebrate Mother's Day rebuilding family ties

05/12/2013 - Soon after Miriam Beg gave birth to her son, she was deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army, so she left baby Michael with her mother-in-law.
"I was really worried to leave my child so young," said Beg, 29, "just 4 months (old)."
In the combat zone, she received photos and e-mails documenting his milestones.
"I missed his first step, his first word, his first everything," she said. "By the time I came back, he was over a year old." read more>>>

Local military moms focus on giving comfort to others this week

May 12, 2013 - Three days before Mother’s Day, Fairfield County’s members of the Blue Star Mothers were getting together at Mills Memorial Church to nurture military members with boxes of goodies.
It’s a simple act of kindness these women have been doing since 2007. Most, including Rose Ann Elliott, Stella LeFever and Elaine Nixon, will be separated this Mother’s Day from their children, who are deployed around the world.
“It’s tough not being able to see them on Mother’s Day,” said Elliott, of Lancaster, who serves as president of the local chapter. read more>>>

A Mother's Day salute to Gold Star Mothers

May 12, 2013 - Mother's Day is one of those holidays committed solely to the joys of life. Every culture, in its own way, celebrates moms. Mother's Day is a holiday in which the simplest gestures have the greatest impact. Families will fumble to make breakfast in bed for their mother and children will give handcrafted gifts such as a finger painting or a special picture of the child framed with Popsicle sticks. These modest treasures are priceless to a mother, and that is just one of the things that make mothers so special.
But there is a group of mothers whose celebration this Mother's Day, and on all future Mother's Days, will be bittersweet. read more>>>

Alexandria Gold Star Mother speaks about sacrifice, military life

May 11, 2013 - One student at Louisiana State University at Alexandria shared her story of sacrifice at a pre-Memorial Day function on Wednesday.
Felicia Young-Wilkinson spoke at LSUA’s “Lunch’n Learn,” honoring veterans, military personnel and those who sacrificed with them — something Young-Wilkinson knows all too well.
Young-Wilkinson was a stay-at-home mom for most of her husband’s 25-year career in the U.S. Army. But during his deployment for Operation: Desert Storm, Young-Wilkinson volunteered as a case worker for the American Red Cross. read more>>>

America’s Finest Rewards Honors Gold Star Mothers Honoring Our Fallen partnership pampers some amazing mothers on Mother’s Day

May 03, 2013 - America’s Finest Rewards is proud to partner with Honoring Our Fallen, Inc. this Mother’s Day to host 10 Gold Star Mothers on a weekend getaway. The 1st Annual Honoring Our Fallen Inc. Gold Star Mother’s Retreat will be held at The Historic Santa Maria Inn from May 3-5th. A Gold Star Mother is a term used to refer to any woman in the United States who loses a son or a daughter in combat.
The women will be pampered with massages and wine tastings throughout the weekend and will enjoy some relaxing time with other women who understand what being a Gold Star Mother really means. read more>>>

Mums of fallen Australian soldiers tell of heartbreak on Mother's Day

May 12, 2013 - IN AMERICA they call them Gold Star Mums - mothers who lost sons or daughters in the war.
Our own military mums are less visible but their grief is no less binding - or heartfelt.
Today, mums around Australia will enjoy Mother's Day with their family but for the mothers of Australia's fallen soldiers it is a time of unspeakable sadness as they deal with a profound sense of loss and longing.
Since February 2002, a total of 39 young Australian men have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in far-off Afghanistan.
It is not uncommon for a dying soldier to call out for his mother and the relationship between mother and son is, in many cases, so deep that it is impossible to explain. read more>>>

"Thank you for all that you do": Military Mother's Day Tea with the First Lady and Dr. Biden

May 10, 2013 - Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a special Mother's Day tea to honor military mothers and show their appreciation and thanks for all the important work they do as well as the sacrifices their families have made in service of our country.
Dr. Biden spoke first and thanked the military moms in attendance: read more>>>

Final Resting of Alone and Forgotten Veterans at Arlington

2013-05-11T07:42:00.001-04:00

Columbarium Dedication Honors Military Veterans

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2013 – Though the six veterans whose service era spanned the Civil War to Vietnam had no known relatives to see them rendered full honors and final respects at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, they were not forgotten.
Hundreds of service members and senior military leaders came out for the mid-morning service under rain-threatening skies to pay tribute to the two Union Army brothers, a Marine, a Sailor, an Airman and a Coast Guardswoman.
Their unclaimed cremated remains were recovered by the Missing in America Project. The veterans are the first to be inurned in the cemetery's ninth and last columbarium.
Several weeks before yesterday’s dedication of Columbarium 9, Kathryn Condon, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, said, "The military traditions associated with burials at Arlington National Cemetery, the nation's premier military cemetery, are honoring these heroes who were identified by the Missing In America Project.
"I can't think of a better way to dedicate this hallowed ground,” she continued, “than by honoring these forgotten heroes who until now, did not have a resting place befitting their service and sacrifice.”
Part of the cemetery's three-part expansion program, Columbarium Court 9 allows for 20,296 niches for cremation urns. The $12.9 million project covers 2.35 acres -- the length of two football fields -- and is more than twice the size of the next-largest columbarium at Arlington.

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The committal service honored the following six veterans:
-- Army 1st Lt. Zuinglius K. McCormack (1843-1912), served with the Indiana 132nd Infantry Regiment in 1864 during the Civil War. He saw action with Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's Army of the Tennessee in such campaigns as Buzzard Roost, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain and the Battle of Jonesboro.
-- Army Pvt. Lycurgus McCormack (1845-1908), served with the Indiana 103rd Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He saw action in July 1863, helping to repel a Confederate force of 6,000 troops under the command of Brig. Gen. John Morgan in what would become the Battle of Corydon, the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana.
-- Marine Corps Pfc. Albert Klatt (1921-1999), served with the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific island-hopping campaign during World War II. He fought at the Battles of Guinea, Peleliu and Okinawa.
-- Air Force Staff Sgt. Dennis Banks (1943-2004), joined the Air Force in 1967 and served a combat tour in Vietnam. He left the service in 1971.
-- Seaman 2nd Class Peter Schwartz (1898-1986), served with the Navy during World War II from 1917-1919.
-- U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Seaman 2nd Class Virginia Wood (1923-2010), enlisted in 1944 during World War II as a SPAR, the nickname for the Coast Guard Women's Reserve. read more>>>

Families: Government needs to do more after military suicides

2013-05-10T18:17:00.001-04:00

That Government are the people served, the flag wavers calling themselves 'patriotic', those demanding of the military and their families then ignoring as the survivors of those demands return as veterans', and even before that!

'Suicide Survivors' Say Government Needs to Do More

May 10, 2013 - At the national headquarters for the Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) in Washington, D.C., a plaque reads, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln.
But some of those left behind say that support isn't there.
Kim Ruocco said whenever her husband, Jon, came home from work, he would “grab the kids” and flex his arms so “they’d hang off his arms. And he'd grab me in the kitchen and he'd dance. He was just lovable."
Jon Ruocco flew helicopters for the Marine Corps for 15 years.
But three months after his final deployment, he killed himself after a struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. read more>>>

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

"We are dealing with veterans, not procedure; with their problems, not ours." General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

“VA Research Inspires"

2013-05-10T17:56:00.001-04:00

National VA Research Week to Kick Off in DC May 13

WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 10, 2013 - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will kick off National VA Research Week on May 13, 2013, at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center. The national launch will be combined with the medical center’s own local kickoff event.
To mark this year’s Research Week, May 13 – 17, VA sites nationwide will host activities such as poster exhibits, forums, technology displays, and laboratory tours. The events recognize the achievements of VA researchers and the efforts of Veterans who volunteer for studies. The theme of this year’s Research Week is “VA Research Inspires.” Information about the week can be found at: VA Research.
“VA Research plays a key role in improving health and advancing health care for America’s Veterans,” said Joel Kupersmith, M.D., VA’s chief research and development officer, who will moderate the kickoff event. “Research Week is an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of our researchers and to showcase the partnerships that make this work possible.”
Among the highlights of the kickoff event, Kupersmith will recognize four VA researchers who recently won major awards for their work: read more>>>

Help for Veterans Who Own Businesses

2013-05-10T17:43:00.001-04:00

St. Louis to Host National Veteran Small Business Conference Aug. 6-8

WASHINGTON – May 10, 2013 - The National Veterans Small Business Conference, the government’s premier event for Veteran-owned small businesses, is coming to St. Louis’ America’s Center, on Aug. 6-8, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced today.
“VA is committed to bringing more Veteran-Owned Small Businesses into a public-private partnership to help them grow and succeed,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This event is a unique opportunity for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses to connect directly with government procurement decision makers and business partners.”
During the conference, Veteran-owned business owners will receive information, tools, tips, techniques and how-to instructions to start, build and expand a small business idea into a life-changing reality. read more>>>

Seeking to Keep Homeless Veterans {Standdown} Tent Open Year-Round

2013-05-10T09:14:00.000-04:00

Mayor Wants to Fund Veterans Tent Year-Round

May 9, 2013 - Mayor Bob Filner said Thursday he hopes to find funding to keep the city’s tent shelter for homeless military veterans open year-round, not the four months planned in his next year’s budget.
At an information session for the press, Filner invoked his common refrain about ending homelessness for veterans. So I asked him whether that means keeping the veterans tent open year-round next year. The mayor already plans to keep the city’s other tent shelter open year-round at a cost of $1.3 million next year.
The city’s independent budget analyst estimated adding the extra months to the veterans shelter would add about $600,000 to that tent’s budget next year.
Filner acknowledged that’s not in his proposed budget — “yet,” he said. read more>>>

10 May 2013 - Military Spouse Day

2013-05-10T08:45:00.000-04:00

President Issues Military Spouse Day Proclamation

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 – President Barack Obama has issued a proclamation declaring May 10 as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
Here is the text of the president’s proclamation:
As long as there have been courageous men and women willing to protect our Union and our ideals, there have been extraordinary spouses at their side -- patriots in their own right who serve and sacrifice in ways many cannot fathom. They are moms and dads who take up the work of two during deployments, shuffling their careers and packing up their lives whenever our nation calls. They are dedicated employees at our businesses, committed volunteers in our communities, and essential caretakers for our wounded warriors. America's military spouses are at the core of our Armed Forces, and on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we celebrate their contributions to keeping our country safe. read more>>>

Presidential Proclamation -- Military Spouse Appreciation Day, 2013