Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

1.      Shinseki Pleased By Drop In Number Of Homeless Vets. In continuing coverage, KVII-TV Amarillo, TX (12/9, 5:47 a.m. CT) broadcast, “An 18 percent drop in the number of homeless veterans over about two years gives hope to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,” Eric Shinseki, “that he’ll be able to keep a pledge he made last year to end homelessness among veterans within five years.” Shinseki and “other Obama Administration officials spoke Tuesday with people who run homeless programs about interagency cooperation.” KVII added, “The VA spent $3.5 billion on homeless programs in 2010 and is asking for $4.2 billion for 2011, with 85 percent of the money earmarked for healthcare, Shinseki said,” while speaking this week “at a national symposium on homelessness.”
     VA Hospital To Open Transitional Facility For Homeless Vets. The Grand Island (NE) Independent (12/10, Schweitzer, 19K) says the VA hospital “in Grand Island will be opening a transitional home to serve homeless veterans.” Dean Warnke, “manager of the new service, spoke with neighbors at a public meeting Thursday night about the Compensated Work Therapy Transitional Residence, which will start in March.”
     VA Teaming Up With Charity To Assist Homeless Vets. The Windsor (CO) Beacon (12/9, Sokoloski, 7K) said Catholic Charities Mission “recently added new services,” including one that offers “transitional housing for veterans.” The program, funded mostly by the US VA, is part of a VA “push to end” veteran homelessness. 

2.      Besides ‘Don Ask, Don’t Tell,’ What Else Is In The Defense Bill?  In a story on congressional activity surrounding the National Defense Authorization Act, the “Federal Eye” blog for the Washington Post (12/9, O’Keefe, 605K) said the bill “includes…more than just an end to the ban on gays serving openly in the military.” For example, it “would provide more funding for the Defense Department to hire mental health providers and to provide enough money to screen every service member for the effects” of traumatic brain injury (TBI). After noting that the bill would also “provide more funding and guidance for the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to work on a seamless transfer of service member’s medical records, allowing for a faster health assessment once troops leave the service,” the Post added, “Improving health records sharing is a big goal of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates” and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, “who have been working together on the issue since the start of the Obama administration.” 

3.      Standing Up For The VA.  In a letter to the editor of the Roseburg (OR) News-Review (12/10, 18K), Douglas County Veterans Forum President Jim Little says that for the “past 16 months,” his organization “has waged a ‘Save Our Roseburg VA Hospital Campaign.'” Little adds, “We urge all to continue writing” to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki “and elected officials, urging that our hospital be returned to a full service hospital.” 

4.      Senator Concerned About Colleges’ Treatment Of Vets.  In continuing coverage, USA Today (12/10, Merklein, 1.83M) reports, “The chairman of the Senate education committee said Thursday he has ‘serious concerns’ that veterans and active-duty military members are being exploited by for-profit colleges, which he says use manipulative and misleading marketing campaigns designed to boost profits rather than educate students. ‘I want to make sure that our veterans…getting the education we promised them and that the taxpayers know their money is adequately safeguarded,’ said” US Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), “upon release of the latest report by his committee, which has been investigating the for-profit higher education industry.”
     An AP (12/10) story run by at least 127 publications says, “For-profit college companies are taking in enormous amounts of federal student aid money by recruiting and enrolling members of the military, veterans and their families, with questionable returns, according to a new report from a vocal Senate critic of the industry. Citing low student loan repayments and high dropout rates at for-profit schools, the report” from Harkin is “urging Congress and the federal agencies involved to ‘act now’ to make sure the aid programs are not being exploited.” The AP adds, however, that a “representative of for-profit colleges responded that the enrollment growth ought to be celebrated, and that active-duty military and veterans are choosing schools that serve their needs.”
     Money Includes VA Benefits. At least twenty sources publish a Bloomberg News (12/10, Lauerman) story that notes, “Twenty for-profit colleges reaped $521 million in US taxpayer funds in 2010, seven times more than in 2006, by recruiting armed-services members and veterans through misleading marketing, according” to Harkin’s report. Bloomberg points out that the “$521 million includes benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as tuition assistance from the Department of Defense.” Reuters (12/10) publishes a similar story, while the Washington Post (12/10, Anderson, 605K) says the “money represents a fast-growing source of revenue for an industry that has come under government scrutiny because of allegations that its students are often overloaded with debt and fail to obtain jobs whose salaries justify the tuition costs.” CQ (12/10, Smith) and UPI (12/10) also cover the controversy surrounding recruitment of veterans by for-profit colleges. 

5.      Veteran Suicides Increasing Over Time.  The KPBS-FM San Diego, CA (12/9, St. John) website said a “new analysis of veteran suicides in California shows older veterans continue to be more at risk than civilians, even decades after their combat experience is over.” KPBS discussed veteran suicides with Dawn Miller, a “suicide prevention coordinator” at the Veterans Affairs hospital in San Diego. Miller, “one of thousands of new mental health professionals hired by the VA nationwide,” said that while “younger veterans are definitely at risk for harming themselves,” what “we’ve noticed over the past fiscal year is that the older population has been more successful at taking their lives.”
     Birmingham VA Expanding Mental Healthcare Services. WVTM-TV Birmingham, AL (12/9, 10:10 p.m. CT) broadcast that for many US soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, “homecoming is just the beginning of a second war — fighting to get back to normal.” However, the “Birmingham VA’s expanding mental health center…means more resources” for such vets, as well as ones from previous wars. 

6.      Report Evaluates VA, DoD Disability Claims Pilot Program.  After noting that more than “40,000 servicemembers have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Federal News Radio (12/10) says the Department of Veterans Affairs is “facing a backlog in disability claims.” The Government Accountability Office (GAO) “has just published its assessment” of a pilot process that VA and the Defense Department have been “conducting…to speed up” the disability benefit claims “process. The Department of Veterans Affairs has improved its…process, but the agency can still do better, says” the GAO. 

7.      Vallejo Man To Join Others Placing Wreaths At VA Cemetery In Dixon.  The Vallejo (CA) Times-Herald (12/9, Raskin-Zrihen) notes that “Marston Watson, the national chairman of the Wreaths Across America Committee of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution,” says approximately 1,800 volunteers are expected Saturday at the national cemetery in Dixon, where they will place holiday wreaths on graves. The “Roger That” column for the Elmira (NY) Star Gazette (12/10, Neumann) says the “Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira” and the Bath National Cemetery “are scheduled locally” to have Wreaths Across America events on Saturday.
     WTimes: Wreath-Laying Effort A Way To Honor Vets. The Washington Times (12/10, 77K) editorializes, “Thousands of volunteers will gather at Arlington National Cemetery” on Saturday to participate in Wreaths Across America, a “solemn annual rite of remembrance” that places wreaths at vets cemeteries throughout the US. The Times says the volunteers will be renewing the “country’s bonds of gratitude for its fallen warriors.” 

8.      White House Details Sweeping Changes To Federal Computing.  NextGov (12/10, Sternstein) notes that on Thursday, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Vivek Kundra “detailed proposals for…sweeping changes” to Federal computing, mainly revolving “around trying to establish a so-called modular approach to launching new applications, in which system features are available” for Federal “personnel to use every six months instead of at the end of the current billion-dollar, multiyear development process.” Kundra “said the Veterans Affairs Department, one of the only agencies where the CIO has expansive budget authority, recently tried an incremental approach to modernizing its benefits system after unsuccessfully spending a decade on the project. Now, new functions are coming online every six months to ensure retired military members receive their disability compensation and education money in a timely fashion, he added.” 

9.      VA, Rhode Island To Host Information Session On Applying For Federal Jobs. On its website, WPRI-TV Providence, RI (12/9) reported, “The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training is teaming up with the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Health Administration) to host an information session on how to apply for federal jobs.” The session will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, December 13th, “at the Wakefield netWORKri Career Center, 4808 Tower Hill Road.”

10.    Local Vietnam Vets Could Be Eligible For Big Pay.  According to the KATC-TV Lafayette, LA (12/9, Kline) website, some Vietnam vets “could find checks for back-pay” of $200,000 or more, because the Department of Veterans Affairs has “released a new list of health conditions caused” by Agent Orange. VA officers “say there’s a long list of conditions to determine elibility for health coverage and even back-pay. They say the first step is contacting your area service office.”

HAVE YOU HEARD?
VA is launching a multi-year initiative called Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) to improve Veterans’ access to health care and benefits information. By the end of this year, VRM will deliver improved telephone services to enable Veterans to reach a call center agent faster. Recording and review of calls will ensure the quality of services provided to Veterans. VRM enhancements will be rolled out in six-month increments. An important component of VRM is the Internet site, which puts the Veteran in the driver’s seat for information. VA collaborated with the Department of Defense to provide a single sign-on capability for both Service members and Veterans. Single sign-on will quickly establish an individual’s identity and allow that person to complete transactions without having to re-enter information. Self-service access through the Internet site (www.ebenefits.va.gov) is already available in some benefit areas, including military personnel records, VA home loan eligibility certificates, and status information on compensation and pension claims. Once fully realized, VRM promises Veterans a “better experience” when they contact VA for assistance.

 Other Top Veterans News Stories of the Day

11.    Bittersweet Moment Today For Gold Star Parents.  The Manteca (CA) Bulletin (12/9, Rembulat, 7K) noted that on Thursday, Mike Anderson “and his wife, Angela,” who “lost their son…in the battle of Fallujah on Dec. 14, 2004,” were to “receive one of the first-ever Gold Star License Plates.” In “memory of his son,” Anderson “fought long and hard to bring the Gold Star plate program to California, working alongside Rep. Jeff Denham and former state Sen. Dave Coghill (R-Modesto, 21K).” 

12.    Smoke In VA Offices Forced Some Evacuations.  In continuing coverage, the Fayetteville (NC) Observer (12/10, 56K) notes that on Thursday, heavy “smoke from a failed power surge protector prompted the evacuation of patients and staff in the emergency room of the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center.” Earlier in the week, the hospital “had to close its emergency room and some clinics…after a water pipe burst on the second floor, flooding the radiology department and surrounding areas.” The WRAL-TV Raleigh, NC (12/9) website published a similar story, while WNCN-TV Raleigh, NC (12/9, 7:18 p.m. ET) aired a similar report. 

13.    VA Clinic To Occupy Ex-Big Box Store In Abilene.  The Abilene (TX) Reporter News (12/10, Adame) reports, “An expanded Veterans Affairs clinic will be moving into former retail space near Target on Ridgemont Drive in south Abilene. ‘This facility will give us a substantial increase in size,’ said Daniel Marsh, director of the West Texas VA Health Care System.” According to the Reporter-News, while Abilene has a VA clinic, the new one – “scheduled to open by August – will have about 13,000 square feet, about double the size of the current clinic.” 

14.    A Holiday Treat For Stark County Veterans.  The Canton (OH) Repository (12/10) notes that on Thursday, “hundreds of…local military veterans” attended the annual holiday luncheon put together by “Louis Stokes Department of Veterans Affairs’ Canton Outpatient Clinic.” Held in the “McKinley Room of the Canton Memorial Civic Center, the affair” provided attending veterans with a “ham to take home and a chance to participate in a raffle.” 

15.    The VA Saved My Husband’s Life.  In her column for the Frazee (MN) Forum (12/10), Cally Nundahl says her veteran husband, who suffers from sarcoidosis, which he “acquired during the first Gulf War,” was “grateful for all the attention and concern” he recently received at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. Nundahl, who points out that the hospital installed a pacemaker in his husband’s heart, also praises the hospital’s staff, saying they “took great care” of her husband.

16.    Wrench Thrown In City’s Effort To Renovate, Relocate Homes In VA Footprint.  On its website, WWL-TV New Orleans, LA (12/9, Hernandez) reported, “After spending 40 years making sure her home on N. Villere Street is well maintained, Juanita Ellis-Dunn says she’s afraid to walk outside because the new house next door has been left open and unsecured since it arrived last week,” after being relocated from an area of New Orleans where a new Veterans Affairs hospital is to be built. The move was “part of the city’s effort to relocate historic homes that would have otherwise been demolished to make way for the VA hospital.” WWL added, “According to a city spokesman, the city is in the final stages of procuring funding” to pay for securing the relocated homes. 

17.    Free Rides Offered For Veterans To Wilmington Clinic.  On its website, NEWS14-TV Charlotte, NC (12/9, Walden) reported, “Veterans in Brunswick and surrounding counties now have a free ride” to the Veterans Affairs clinic in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Veterans Transportation Assistance Program, offered by the VA clinic in Fayetteville, “debuted in Brunswick County on Monday.” There are “future plans to offer veterans a free ride” to the Fayetteville clinic, as well as a super clinic “in Wilmington, once it opens.”

18.    New Program Seeks ‘Foster’ Families For Veterans. In a letter to the editor of the Pottstown (PA) Mercury (12/9, 19K), Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center Director Gary W. Devansky writes, “Many of VA’s medical centers, including Coatesville VAMC, offer Geriatrics and Extended Care services, including residences in their Community Living Center.” Devansky adds, “I am pleased to announce another initiative that strives to provide the most positive environment possible for veterans – it’s called the Medical Foster Home Program,” which “can…provide a real home for many deserving veterans.”

19.    Children Of Vets Feel Impact Of Wartime Trauma. An op-ed in the Providence (RI) Journal (12/10, Fritz) by Dr. Gregory K. Fritz, “director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Brown Medical School.”

20.    Transition Tough From Combat To Home Front. A letter to the editor of the Escondido, California-based North County Times (CA) (12/10, Brett, 71K) by Brigid Brett, a “resident of Valley Center.” 

21.    VA To Begin Tracking Lejeune Water Claims. The Jacksonville (NC) Daily News (12/10, Hodge). 

22.    Are Female Veteran Suicides A Hidden Epidemic? The Escondido, California-based North County Times (CA) (12/10, Rogers, 71K). 

23.    Search On For New Veterans Clinic. The Lewiston (ME) Sun Journal (12/10, Adams, 4K). 

24.    Program’s Homeless Veterans Treated To Holiday Celebration. The Killeen (TX) Daily News (12/10, Scott, 20K). 

25.    Spread Some ‘Comfort & Joy.’ The Grand Junction (CO) Free Press (12/10, 15K). 

26.    Nixon Library Releases 265 Hours Of White House Tapes. The CNN (12/10, Martinez) website notes, “The latest release of White House tapes from the Richard Nixon Presidential Library shows how Watergate increasingly consumed Nixon as his second term was getting underway, the library’s director said Thursday.” CNN says that in a 1973 memo, “current anchor and former Nixon aide Diane Sawyer…says she understands that a decision is forthcoming on the ‘fate’ of Donald Johnson as administrator” of the Veterans Administration. Johnson “resigned…under pressure from Congress and veterans’ groups for alleged mismanagement.” 

27.    Saluting Our Veterans. The Marco Island, Florida-based Marco Eagle (12/10, Garza) reports, “The Christmas Island Style’s Salute to Veterans was held Tuesday at Marco Charter Middle School in honor of those who served in years past and those currently serving.” As the event’s featured speaker, retired Lt. Col. Bill Howey of the United States Marine Corp, “began to leave, a small woman came up to thank him for his service, giving a handshake and a slight bow before saying goodbye. Rajani Thangavelu, an almost 30-year employee at the Veterans Hospital in Naples, said she came out to give her salute to veterans.” 

28.    Family Salutes Move To Midlane Country Club. The Chicago Tribune (12/10, 488K) reports, “After decades of frequent moving because of their careers” with the US Navy, “first-time homebuyers James and Rebecca DeShazor are eager to celebrate Christmas at their new home in Lake County.” James “works in the mental health department at the North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lake County.”

29.    World War I Soldier Killed In France 92 Years Ago Is Buried In Pennsylvania. The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News (12/10, Fishlock).