Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 News stories of the day compiled from the latest sources

We encourage you to browse our list so that you can take what you want and keep what you need

1. VA defends its Houston cemetery staff.  Houston Chronicle  The US Department of Veterans Affairs has denied allegations of religious censorship at Houston National Cemetery — accusations that have sparked calls for investigations from members of Congress — according to a new document filed in …

2.  Video: Special Episode of “Covert Affairs” Inspires PSA for Veterans.  The Futon Critic As a companion to the special episode and part of USA’s Characters Unite public service campaign to promote unity and acceptance, the network partnered with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Association of People with Disabilities …

3. Hero’s Reception for Returning Soldier — and His Vietnam Veteran Father.  Patch.comPete and his wife Rosemary, a nurse at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, say doctors with the US Department of Veterans Affairs don’t know if the source is the Agent Orange that blanketed the Central Highlands of Vietnam or the ammonia fumes that …

4.  Fair Offers Assistance to Hundreds of Bay Area Veterans.  Patch.com  “It takes months, if not years, for them to find out about opportunities,” said Retired Marine Sgt. Nathan Johnson of Concord, who is a counselor with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Concord Vet Center. Johnson who was recently named Veteran of …

5.  Counselors came and went.  PolitiFact  As of June 13, he said, the teams had pulled together 16771 claims and presented them to the US Department of Veterans Affairs “for final decision or award action,” reducing the backlog cited by Perry. McGhee said the 2011 Legislature did not approve …

6.  Veterans receive special care at job fair.  Loudoun Times-Mirror  McElroy would like to be employed by the Air Force, but said it is difficult to find employment answers from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He said the department needs a branch in Loudoun. The lack of a VA office in the area leads to a lack of

7.  Mobile veterans center offers free services at Hays County Courthouse.  Newstreamz San Marcos  The county invites veterans, their families and the general public to stop by the van. The van travels throughout Central Texas to inform veterans and their families about US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and readjustment counseling …

8. Veterans groups gear up for new structure.  Wisconsin Rapids Tribune  Wisconsin Act 36 makes several changes to the composition of the state Veterans Affairs Board and to the appointment and duties of Veterans Affairs secretary. » Size of the board increases from seven to nine members, with at least one board member who …

9. Monday Matters: Retired Military Officer Finds Heroes.  Fort Smith Times Record Steve Gray, military and veterans affairs adviser for US Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., consoles Joanne Dempsey of Fort Smith in 2004 after reading a letter describing the tribulations her father, Glen Dempsey, faced while serving as an infantry rifleman …

10. States Struggling To Pay Medicaid Bills Shift Programs. Kaiser Health News  A growing number of states are shifting health care costs to the federal government by finding military veterans who receive Medicaid and signing them up for medical benefits through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Arizona, California and Texas …

Have You Heard?

Calling all Women Veterans

In June, VA’s Women Veterans Call Center started to contact women Vets to educate them on VA health care and gender-specific services available at VA facilities. In the first month, the Call Center reached over 1,000 female Vets. Read more at the White House Blog

More Veteran News

• Blue Star Families Walk So Disabled Vets Can Compete.  Patch.com  “We decided to donate $500,” said Jenny Rosetti of the Blue Star Families, who also serves as Women Veterans Coordinator with Readjusting Counciling Services at the US Department of Veteran Affairs. “But we also wanted to raise the remaining about …

• South Sound Among 3 Sites In Nation For VA Child-Care Pilot Program. Tacoma News Tribune “Veterans in the South Sound will be among the first in the country to take advantage of a new Department of Veterans Affairs child-care program, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced Saturday” at a Washington, DC-based summit on female veterans. According to the Tribune, the VA “hospital at American Lake was chosen as one of three pilot sites offering free, drop-in child care. It’s intended to ensure female veterans don’t skip doctor visits because they’re tied up with their children,” but men can also use the child care services.

• Brain Injury Raises Dementia Risk, US Study Finds. AP “A large study in older veterans raises fresh concern about mild brain injuries that hundreds of thousands of American troops have suffered from explosions in recent wars. Even concussions seem to raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia later in life, researchers found.” The research, funded by the US Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health, was led by Dr. Kristine Yaffe, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at the Veterans Affairs hospital in San Francisco. Researchers working on the study “reviewed medical records on 281,540 veterans who got care from Veterans Health Administration hospitals from 1997 to 2000 and had at least one follow-up visit from 2001-2007.”

• Coming Together To Fight For A Troubled Veteran. New York Times Iraq veteran Brad Eifert was helped by a veterans court and that “80 jurisdictions around the country…have adopted the veterans court model.” According to the Times, a “growing number of legal and law enforcement experts argue that when a veteran’s criminal actions appear to stem from the stresses of war, a better solution than traditional prosecution and punishment is called for. The society that trained them and sent them into harm’s way, they say, bears some responsibility for their rehabilitation.”

• Vet Died From Wounds That Did Not Heal. Albany (NY) Times Union Iraq veteran Joseph Scorza, who “suffered from debilitating migraines as a result of brain injuries,” appears to have committed suicide. His mother “said her biggest frustration is not knowing what kind of follow-up care her son received from the Veterans Administration. She said she tried to find out information from VA officials in Hawaii, but got little help before her son’s death.” The Times Union quoted the mother, who said, “VA has to try and incorporate family into their care.”

• Pilot Program Brings Expanded Health Care Access To Local Veterans, Communities. Billings (MT) Gazette “Montana veterans are now able to receive VA health care at Humana Veterans Healthcare Service Network Providers through a Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program.” Project ARCH “stands for Access Received Closer to Home.” The “program is part of the Veteran’s Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 and will be managed through the VA Montana Health Care System in Fort Harrison.”

• Project Assists Homeless Veterans In Casper. Billings (MT) Gazette “The Casper Housing Authority has received a federal grant aimed at assisting homeless veterans. Housing Authority Executive Director LuAnn Allhusen said $110,685 in project money has been made available through a cooperative effort” of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The “local project will involve the Casper Housing Authority and the Sheridan VA Medical Center, and will be run through a veterans outreach center at Sunrise Shopping Center.”

• Homeless Veterans In Lorain County Area To Get Real “Home.” Lorain (OH) Morning Journal “An estimated 80 members of Lorain County veterans’ organizations attended an awareness dinner meeting yesterday to learn more about the present and future of a facility for homeless veterans to open this coming winter at St. Joseph Community Center.” Earlier “this year, the Ravenna-based Family & Community Services Inc., received a grant of $469,948 to create a 30-bed shelter at St. Joseph Community Center.” The “money comes as part of federal grants announced last year” by US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

• Man Overcomes Obstacles To Compete In Wheelchair Olympics. Panama City News-Herald Veteran Melvin Henderson “had a positive outlook long before he started to compete in the wheelchair olympics, but through the games he has found an outlet and parlayed his success into a source of inspiration for others.” After noting that the 31st annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games take place from Aug. 1-6 in Pittsburgh, the News-Herald says the event is “sponsored by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Department of Veterans Affairs.” Henderson is “hoping for donations to cover the final $1,500 of the $3,500 to $4,000 cost of attending this year’s games.”

• PTSD Symptoms, Therapy, Cautions And Causes. Des Moines Register During an interview with Dr. Steven Hagemoser of the Des Moines Veterans Affairs Medical Center, he is asked about what it means to have post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Many Veterans Use Pharmacy Mail Program. St George (UT) Spectrum

• Patriotism Thrives Along Fallen Soldier’s Funeral Procession. Chicago Daily Herald

• Guard Struggles With Member Suicides.St. Joseph (MO) News-Press