Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

From The VA

Secretary Shinseki Addresses Veteran Homelessness

On Thursday, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan appeared before the U.S. Senate to talk about Veteran homelessness. Secretary Shinseki also addressed the issue recently in this short video.

Top Veterans Stories in Today’s News

1. Obama Homeless Veteran Agenda on Display at NCHV Conference Washington, DC – The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans will be celebrating 20 years of leadership in serving the nation’s veterans in crisis during the NCHV Annual Conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., June 21-23. Representatives of community-based service providers, federal agencies invested in their work and corporate partners will assemble to advance President Barack Obama’s and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s Five Year Plan to End Veteran Homelessness.
2. Washington State Calls for An End to Veteran Homelessness Its time to put a new face on the veteran homelessness issue. For years anytime someone would see a homeless vet, it was likely someone from the Vietnam War, holding a sign on some off-ramp – and typically male. That has changed. Today, veteran homelessness still hovers around 20 plus percent- impacting even those who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of our homeless vets now include moms and their children.
3. Great News! VA is Reducing Family SGLI Premiums Effective July 1, 2010, VA will reduce Family SGLI monthly premium rates for all covered spouses. This is the third time VA has reduced premium rates since the FSGLI program began. Members whose spouses are covered under the program will see an average 8 percent decrease in premiums deducted from their pay, based on the age of their spouse.
4. Time saving program for soldiers and families Fort Hood, Texas – Tuesday’s ribbon cutting celebrated the start of the Disability Evaluation System services. The program is geared towards helping soldiers get the care they need as soon as possible.
5. US Labor Department announces competition for $750,000 in cooperative agreements to assist in maintaining and improving homeless veterans program grants Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service today announced a $750,000 grant competition aimed at supporting Department of Labor grantees that provide employment services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless
6. U.S. veteran who fought for Canada in WWI finally laid to rest For more than 80 years, Donald Wylie’s ashes lay forgotten on a storage-room shelf in a St. Louis funeral home. With no known next-of-kin, the former soldier and journalist was denied a proper burial after he died of cancer in the Missouri city in 1928.
7. NRC finds apparent violations at 13 VA hospitals The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found the Department of Veterans Affairs in apparent violation of three federal regulations involving radiation use at 13 VA hospitals across the country, including the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. While the action could result in a fine, the bigger issue is that the commission could strip the VA of its ability to oversee radiation services at all 153 hospitals nationwide. The commission would then take on those duties or assign them to states such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey that have that capability.
8. Wrap our veterans’ benefits in yellow ribbon, not red tape By U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar There are nearly 24 million military veterans in the U.S., including more than 400,000 living in Minnesota. These men and women have served our country with honor. When they complete their active service and return home, they are due all the respect and support we can offer. Through the U.S. De­partment of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other federal agencies, veterans may be eligible for a broad range of benefits. These include health care, disability compensation, pensions, education benefits, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, life insurance and emergency assistance.
9. VA Security Compromised By Medical Devices At a congressional hearing last week, Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said during the past 14 months more than 122 medical devices have been compromised by malware. Baker, who testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said one of the “critical challenges” facing the department is protecting its medical devices from cyber threats.
10. Denham Veterans Day bill to go before committee The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday will consider a bill by state Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, that would require the Legislature and all state agencies to observe Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Senate Bill 1057 also would urge the University of California to observe Nov. 11 – the official date for Veterans Day — as the holiday.