Veterans Administration into the 21st Century

Battlefield Tech Used in Oklahoma Search

2013-05-22T07:11:00.002-04:00

What a well regulated, trained and supplied, citizen militia actually does as per the founding fathers wishes!! And unless called for National Defense are under the command of State Governors as CiC's

Troops Use Battlefield Tech in Search for Oklahoma Survivors

05.21.2013 - National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are using thermal imaging and night vision gear to look for survivors of the Oklahoma tornado.

Special Report: Disaster Relief: Oklahoma Tornadoes

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2013 – Nearly 250 members of the Oklahoma National Guard are assisting with victim search and security in Moore, Okla., where a monster tornado left dozens dead. Learn more about recovery efforts and resources available for survivors through an American Forces Press Service special report at Disaster Relief: Oklahoma Tornadoes.

‘DOD Live’ Compiles Resources for People Affected by Disasters

FORT MEADE, Md., May 21, 2013 – A “DOD Live” blog post compiled by Ian Phillips of Defense Media Activity social media operations here provides a wide range of resources for people affected directly or indirectly by the deadly tornado that struck Moore, Okla., yesterday.
Links in the blog post include information or help related to: read more>>>

Senior Army Guard Leader Describes Tornado Response

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2013 – Some 250 Oklahoma National Guard members are helping with recovery efforts after a massive tornado pounded an Oklahoma City suburb yesterday, killing at least 24 people and leaving neighborhoods, homes and businesses flattened or twisted, a senior Army National Guard leader said today.
Brig. Gen. Emery Fountain is an Army National Guard member from Oklahoma, who normally makes his home a few miles from Moore, where the tornado struck. Fountain currently works in the national capital region as support special assistant to Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., but has been in close contact with his counterparts at home.
“They’ve established a perimeter around the location … that was most affected, [and] they’re managing traffic in and out of that area where the destruction was most significant,” he said. “They’re also providing clean, potable water to the first responders and the folks that are involved in the response.” read more>>>

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs: 22 May 2013

2013-05-22T06:41:00.000-04:00

Expediting Claims or Exploiting Statistics?: An Examination of VA’s Special Initiative to Process Rating Claims Pending Over Two Years House Committee on Veterans' Affairs | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC | May 22, 2013 10:00am

Witnesses
Panel 1
The Honorable Allison A. Hickey, Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by:
Ms. Diana Rubens, Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Submissions for the Record
The American Legion
AMVETS
Veterans of Foreign Wars
State of Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs
Robert J. Epley, Member of the Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Bergmann & Moore, LLC

“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

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

So who are these VA 'Aid and Attendance' pension poachers?

2013-05-22T06:28:00.002-04:00

V.A. Warns Aging Veterans Against ‘Pension Poachers’

May 21, 2013 - If you’ve applied for the Aid and Attendance benefit from Department of Veterans Affairs — which can provide as much as $2,019 monthly for a veteran and spouse for caregiving expenses — then you are all too familiar with some of the reasons for the typical 8-to-18-month delays in getting an answer from the V.A.
As The Times reported on Sunday, the V.A. is under increasing pressure to do something about its enormous backlog of disability claims — more than 600,000 in all. But the V.A. and its overseers say there is a special contributor to the backlog of A&A claims: the need to deter so-called pension poachers.
“The system is being clogged by pension poachers who are preying on veterans, who are submitting thousands of applications for people for whom this benefit was not intended,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said in an e-mail. Along with Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina and a ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Mr. Wyden introduced a bill last month aiming to help cap bogus claims.
So who are these pension poachers? read more>>>

Veterans Administration Claims Initiative to Reduce Claims Backlog

2013-05-21T18:17:00.001-04:00

"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 VA and Veterans Service Organizations Announce Claims Initiative to Reduce Claims Backlog

WASHINGTON – May 21, 2013 - Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and The American Legion announced a new partnership to help reduce the compensation claims backlog for Veterans. The effort—the Fully Developed Claims (FDC) Community of Practice—is a key part of VA’s overall transformation plan to end the backlog in 2015 and process claims within 125 days at 98% accuracy. VA can process FDCs in half the time it takes for a traditionally filed claim.
“VA prides itself on our ongoing partnership with organizations that represent Veterans throughout the claims process,” said Undersecretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “A Fully Developed Claim is the most effective way to ensure a Veteran’s claim never reaches the backlog—and is the basis for this new initiative between VA and what we expect will be an ever-increasing number of Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and others who represent Veterans at various points of the claims process. ” read more>>>

VA, DoD and HHS Partner to Expand Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members and Families

Inter-Agency Effort to Increase Access to Mental Health Services Responds to Executive Order
WASHINGTON – May 21, 2013 - Today, the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the progress made to date on initiatives called for in President Obama’s August 31, 2012, Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and their families.
“We have made strong progress to expand Veterans’ access to quality mental health services, and President Obama has challenged us to do even more,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Our ongoing, joint efforts reflect our commitment to the health and well-being of the men and women who have served the Nation.” read more>>>

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

Women Veterans' and Their Struggles

2013-05-21T08:37:00.002-04:00

Homeless Women Vets Face Tougher Struggles

May 21, 2013 - Homelessness among female veterans is on the rise in the United States, even as the overall rate of homelessness among veterans is going down.
Since 2009, there’s been a more than 2 percent increase in the number of homeless women vets in shelters, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Substance abuse and mental illness are often among the factors typically associated with homelessness. But neither of those applied to U.S. Navy veteran Javonni Harper. She and her two young children lived out of their car this past summer. Her struggles after leaving the Navy in 2008 included difficulty finding employment.

“It’s harder for us to get a job, it’s harder for us to get an apartment, because we have less money coming in, and our money has to stretch a lot farther than the average single vet, with no children, and no responsibilities,” she said. read more>>>

House Committee on Veterans Affairs: 21 May 2013

2013-05-21T08:11:00.001-04:00

Legislative Hearing on Draft Legislation, ‘The Veterans Integrated Mental Health Care Act of 2013;’ Draft Legislation, ‘The Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013;’ H.R. 241; H.R. 288; H.R. 984; and H.R. 1284 Subcommittee on Health | 334 Cannon HOB Washington , DC | May 21, 2013 10:00am

Witnesses
Panel 1
Honorable Dennis Ross, U.S. House of Representatives 15th District, Florida
Honorable Brett Guthrie, U.S. House of Representatives 2nd District, Kentucky
Panel 2
Mark Edney, MD, FACS, Member, Legislative Affairs Committee and Urotrauma Task Force American Urological Association
Michael O’Rourke, Assistant Director of Government Relations Blinded Veterans Association
Adrian Atizado, Assistant National Legislative Director Disabled American Veterans
Alex Nicholson, Legislative Director Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Alethea Predeoux, Associate Director, Health Analysis Paralyzed Veterans of America
Panel 3
Robert L. Jesse, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health Veterans Health Administration U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
accompanied by:
Susan Blauert, Deputy Assistant General Counsel U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Submissions for the Record
The American Legion
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General
Military Officers Association of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars
VetsFirst/United Spinal Association
Wounded Warrior Project

What??? 'Now' They Want to Know About the Missing War Records???

2013-05-20T17:36:00.000-04:00

Are they seeking out another scandal and congressional distraction from what they aren't doing, their jobs!?

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans

DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War.

Talk to daddy bush and his son, which is what you should have done long ago instead of rubber stamping these wars of choice!! How can voters think these they've hired have the intellect to be representatives of them let alone the country! Once in they run from the jobs descriptions hired to perform, blaming everyone but themselves, they and the staffs they hire, especially this Miller as majority leader of the House Veterans Affairs Committee!!

Congressmen to Hagel: Where Are the Missing War Records?

May 20, 2013 - The top Republican and Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs are demanding more information from defense Secretary Chuck Hagel about lost Army field records from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the subject of a ProPublica investigation last year.
In an unusually detailed letter sent Friday to Hagel, Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Michael Michaud, D-Maine, said the Defense Department’s response to an earlier request about why records are missing — and what the military is doing about it — didn’t go far enough.
“Congress must have a clear understanding of the extent of the lost records in order to safeguard the best interests of our service members and veterans,’’ the letter says. read more>>>

Meanwhile as they attack Gen Shinseki why aren't they following through with the early reports about Veterans Administration records while under the previous bush administration and these two present wars:

Army Times Oct. 16, 2008 - VA claims found in piles to be shredded

CNN iReport October 25, 2008 - House Vets' Committee To Probe VA Shredder Scandal

Tampa Bay Times Oct 27, 2008 - Hundreds of VA documents improperly shredded, review finds {Tampa Bay Times search page and series of articles}

CBS News February 11, 2009 - Veterans' Claims Found in Shredder Bins

Continued Help to End Veterans’ Homelessness

2013-05-20T13:17:00.001-04:00

VA Announces New Grants to Help End Veterans’ Homelessness

WASHINGTON – May 17, 2013 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced two new grants to support Secretary Eric K. Shinseki’s goal of ending Veterans’ homelessness in 2015. Under these new programs, homeless providers can apply for funding to enhance the facilities used to serve homeless Veterans, and acquire vans to facilitate transportation of this population.
“Those who have served this Nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope,” said Secretary Shinseki. “Homeless prevention grants provide community partners with the opportunity to help prevent and end homelessness on the local level. This is a crucial tool to get at-risk Veterans and their families on the road to stable, secure lives.”
Approximately $22 million in rehabilitation funds will be available to current operational Grant and Per Diem grantees as part of the effort to increase the useful life of the facilities previously funded under the program. read more>>>

Family members of missing military servicemen get status updates

2013-05-20T10:14:00.001-04:00

'I'm on fire, I'm on fire'

Jack Bradway kisses his son, Don Bradway, at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in southern California. Jack Bradway shipped out for the Korean War shortly afterward and died over North Korea when his plane crashed in September 1951.
May 20, 2013 - Hayden resident Don Bradway's father was on a night intruder mission when his Corsair fighter-bomber went down in the midst of the Korean War.
"He was in North Korea and he was making a bombing run on a truck convoy," Don Bradway said Saturday. "He was in an area that was known to be completely enemy territory."
U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Judson Jack Bradway, a pilot from El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in southern California, had been in Korea for months before his plane went down on Sept. 20, 1951. He was 29.

snip
Sledge said that, combined, there are more than 83,000 American servicemen missing in action from the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Cold War and World War II.
The department does about six to eight of the regional events each year, and it's been several years since one was conducted in Spokane.
The department has done monthly updates since 1995, reaching more than 14,000 family members in face-to-face meetings.
Don Bradway said he knows that if U.S. military officials ever receive cooperation from the North Korean government an effort will be made to recover his father's remains.
"I just pray that it will be in my lifetime," he said. "Given the circumstances in North Korea right now, they may never get in there." read more>>>

Not Wanted in American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans

2013-05-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder why you don't hear much, or fighting hard for, about the issues confronting our women military members and veterans of from the long established national, reactive not proactive, veterans organizations! They do same on many veterans issues, just like the country and it's representatives, federal congressional and state legislative!

Women Warriors have a POWWOW

May 19, 2013 - Diana Stevens wanted to join the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans after she retired from the Army.
The organizations didn’t want the Cheyenne native to join because she was a woman, she said, although she had served in the Army for 16 years in the 1970s and 80s.
“I had to fight to be recognized,” she said. “The mindsets are so strong about what a veteran is.”
Veterans are most often associated with one gender, she said. But after battling for the privileges she earned as a woman warrior, the veterans groups caved to pressure and included her in what were historically male clubs.
The female veterans of Wyoming have started a club and tradition of their own. Women with the Veterans Administration and other veterans organizations sponsored the second POWWOW, Promoting Our Women Warriors of Wyoming, on Saturday. The first POWWOW was in 2012. read more>>>

Though I do question their choice for the Keynote Speaker:

Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and a political analyst for Fox News, gave the keynote speech at the event. She addressed the hardships veterans must overcome when they return to civilian life.

Especially after these two recent wars, the abandoned so rapidly main missions for why we even sent our military into that region still winding down, and what very little her fathers administration and those congresses did for the veterans of both as well as the veterans of the previous decades and wars from, still obstructing and now going after Gen Shinseki. As well as the Military health care establishment, remember Walter Reed.

But it is Wyoming and isn't that where the family say they're from.

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

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.

snip
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>>>

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