Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

1.      VA Readies Homeless Prevention Program.  In continuing coverage, the Washington (DC) Examiner (1/4, Engle, 93K) reports, “A problem among veterans that has been talked about unofficially for decades is finally getting some official attention,” because the US Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that a homeless-prevention program called Supportive Services for Veterans Families is almost ready for implementation. The Examiner continues, “According to the agency the program will mark the first time that…VA will fund services not only for veterans but for their spouses and children who are at risk of becoming homeless.” The Examiner also points out that in a press release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said, “By putting more resources into intervention programs for people at risk of becoming homeless, we can reduce suffering and increase the opportunities for turning around these lives.”

2.      Malloy Reappoints Conn. Veterans Commissioner.  In a story carried by at least 31 publications, the AP (1/4) says Connecticut Gov.-elect Dan Malloy is “reappointing Linda Schwartz” as the state’s “veterans affairs commissioner.” On Monday, Malloy “said…that Schwartz’s ‘dedication to improving the lives of Connecticut’s veterans is admirable to say the least.'” Malloy, a “Democrat, is set to take office on Wednesday.” The Bristol (CT) Press (1/4, Collins, 8K), the New Haven (CT) Register (1/4), and the New London (CT) Day (1/4, McDermott, 28K) also note Schwartz’s reappointment.

3.      Mich. Governor Names More Staff As New Job Begins.  An AP (1/4, Hoffman) run by at least 25 publications reports, “Saying he’s ‘chomping at the bit’ to get his administration under way, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder named” Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Vadnais as the new director of military and veterans affairs for the state. Vadnais “retired in 2005 as commander of the Indiana Army National Guard’s 38th Infantry Division.” The Detroit News (1./4, Egan, 135K) and Crain’s Detroit Business (1/4, Lane) publish similar stories.

 4.      Kelley Dismissal To Be Protested At Inauguration.  The Framingham, Massachusetts-based MetroWest Daily News (1/4, Murphy) reports, “The celebratory mood” of the Massachusetts “governor’s inauguration Thursday could be disrupted by a protest being planned in support of Veterans Affairs Secretary Thomas Kelley.” The protest is being organized “by a loosely knit group of veterans and advocates furious over” Kelley’s recent dismissal, which “came with little explanation from the administration except to say that turnover is a ‘natural’ part” of second term revamping. The Boston Herald (1/4, 123K) runs the same story.

 5.      Vet-Owned Businesses Must Show Proof.  In its “Fedline” blog, the Federal Times (1/4, Johnson, 40K) reports, “Companies seeking preferential treatment as veteran-owned or small businesses will first have to verify their status” with the Veterans Affairs Department. After noting that under the 2010 Veterans Benefits Act, VA has “greater responsibilities to ensure that businesses competing for set-aside contracts are eligible,” the Times says the act currently “applies to companies…listed in VA’s Vendor Information Pages database.” The Times adds, “Companies have 90 days to submit documentation to VA upon notification, or they will not be listed in the database, VA announced Monday.”

 6.      Body Of Prominent Vietnam Vet Found In Landfill. NBC Nightly News (1/3, story 2, 2:30, Williams, 8.37M) broadcast that the recent discovery of a “body at a landfill in Delaware” has “stunned a lot of this nation’s veterans.” John Wheeler, a “prominent advocate for veterans,” served in Vietnam and for “three…Republican presidents.” He also “was one of the original driving forces behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.” CNN Newsroom (1/3, 4:02 p.m. ET) and Fox’s Fox Report (1/3, 7:22 p.m. ET) aired similar stories.
     Vet’s Death Ruled A Homicide. An AP (1/4) story run by at least 117 publications notes that the 66-year-old’s “death has been ruled a homicide,” a point also made in a Reuters (1/4) story published by at least 15 news sources. The New York Times (1/4, A15, Tavernise, 1.01M), meanwhile, points out that Wheeler’s “death remained a mystery on Monday,” with “police in Newark, Del., trying to determine where exactly the crime scene might have been. On Friday, a worker at the Cherry Island landfill in the Wilmington area saw Mr. Wheeler’s body being dumped from a garbage truck.”
     The Wall Street Journal (1/4, Gardiner, Yadron, 2.09M) also covers Wheeler’s death, as does the New York Daily News (1/4, Meek, 527K), which says Wheeler “was scheduled to be on an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington last Tuesday, but authorities say it’s not clear if he ever made that trip.”
     According to the Washington Post (1/4, B4, Duggan, 605K), which also reports Wheeler’s death, says his “civilian career included stints at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Pentagon and an array of nonprofit organizations.” The Wilmington (DE) News Journal (1/4, Livengood) and the Philadelphia Inquirer (1/4, Shifmann, Shea, 373K) also report Wheeler’s death.

 7.      Humble MoH Recipient Giunta Adjusts To Fame.  According to an AP (1/3, Cohen) story appearing in at least 144 publications, Afghanistan veteran Sal Giunta has “become a celebrity” since receiving his “Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration.” Giunta, however, has been “insisting he’s just an average soldier,” as he takes part in an ongoing publicity tour.
     Another Afghanistan Vet Receives Silver Star. The digital edition of the Army Times (1/10, 104K) notes that Spc. Nicholas Robinson recently received a Silver Star for valor, presented to him by “Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey.” The medal ceremony took place at “Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan.”

8.      Women Veterans Asked To Comment On VA.  In a story carried by at least 14 publications, UPI (1/4) reports, “Women veterans are being asked to participate in an online survey for the American Legion about the VA healthcare system, Legion officials say.” Jimmie Foster, the group’s national commander, “says the two-month, worldwide online survey, which begins Wednesday, will ask questions on 10 aspects of VA healthcare service quality: Reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, tangibles and understanding the customer.” In a statement, “Foster says” the survey will help his group “make specific recommendations for congressional appropriations, VA programs and facilities,” and help it “increase public awareness of issues facing women veterans.”

9.      Mystery Diagnoses.  The digital edition of the Army Times (1/10, Kennedy, 104K) reports, “From 2003, to 2008, more people were separated from the military within their first year of service for ‘pre-existing’ psychiatric conditions than for any other reason, military data show.” After noting that such discharges “do not qualify a service member for medical benefits or medical retirement pay after leaving” the military, the Times adds, “Two years ago, Congress refined the rules for discharging people for ‘personality disorder’ as a pre-exiting condition after it became clear that many troops in fact” had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or “symptoms of that disorder caused by their combat experience.” While personality disorder discharges “have since declined,” discharges for “other mental conditions have jumped.”
     Lawsuit Demands Personality Disorder Discharges. A separate article also appearing in the current edition of the Army Times (1/10, Kennedy, 104K) says Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has “filed a federal lawsuit demanding records for 26,000 veterans of the current wars whom the group says were ‘wrongfully discharged’ for personality disorders. The Defense Department’s ‘personality disorder designation prevents thousands of wounded veterans from accessing service-connected disability compensation or health care,’ said” VVA President John Rowan. The Times adds, “VVA hopes the lawsuit will convince Congress to mandate a review of personality disorder discharges and force the Defense Department to make reparations to service members who were wrongfully discharged.”
     Military Urged To Accept Responsibility For “Troops Deemed Fit To Serve And Deploy.” In an editorial, the digital edition of the Army Times (1/10, 104K) also takes note of VVA’s lawsuit, arguing it is “only fair that the military accept responsibility for those troops deemed fit to serve and deploy, rather than try to shortchange them.”
     Study: Effects Of PTSD May Be More Long-Lasting Than Those From Mild TBIs. HealthDay (1/4) reports, “Post-traumatic stress disorder may have long-term effects on troops — including physical, emotional and cognitive problems — while those who suffer from concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries don’t appear to encounter symptoms over the long haul, a new study suggests.” For the study, which is “published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry,” the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System’s Melissa A. Polusny “and colleagues surveyed 953 National Guard soldiers who were deployed to combat” in Iraq.
     Science Daily (1/4) says that while “there has been a focus by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration on early identification of concussion, little data exist on the long-term, functional effects of concussion on returning soldiers. To examine the associations between concussion and PTSD symptoms reported during deployment and long-term psychosocial outcomes,” Polusny and colleagues conducted their study. PhysOrg (1/4) publishes a shortened version of this story. The study is also noted by MedPage Today (1/4, Neale), “The Chart,” a CNN (1/4) blog, and in a report aired by WTAJ-TV Johnstown, PA (1/3, 5:51 p.m. ET).
     Polusny discussed the results of her study with the Minneapolis Star Tribune (1/4, Lerner, 319K), which reports, “‘What’s important is if a veteran is having difficulties in adjusting back to civilian life,’ she said, it’s probably not because of mild head injury. ‘If what’s driving these post-deployment problems is really PTSD, then we ought to treat the cause of it.'”

 10.    Vets’ Dental Needs Filled.  The Omaha (NE) World-Herald (1/4, O’Connor) says a “7,500-square-foot dental clinic…opened last month” on the Veterans Affairs hospital “campus in Omaha. Demand for dental services is growing regionally and nationally for two reasons: an aging veteran population and military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Combat can cause dental problems, whether it’s teeth fractured by a rifle butt or damaged when soldiers clench their jaw in battle, said Dr. Allan Hancock, chief of dental services for the regional VA health care system.” The Lexington (NE) Clipper-Herald (1/4, 5K) runs the same story.