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, DOD promise online, lifelong military medical records by 2017.  Test sites in Texas and Virginia for the new shared systems are set for 2014. Officials said the new joint system would provide seamless care for troops becoming veterans.
 
2.    GAO auditing Pentagon information operations campaigns.  The top members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have called for a federal audit of the Pentagon’s “military information support operations” in light of concerns about their growing cost and questionable merit, according to their offices and documents obtained by USA TODAY.
 
3.    Recap of the Twitter town hall on female veterans.  The Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs hosted a Twitter chat Tuesday to answer questions on care and resources for female vets
 
4.    Leaked memo: Afghan ‘burn pit’ could wreck troops’ hearts, lungs.  An 8-year assessment of the air quality at one of the largest military bases in Afghanistan reveals that servicemembers’ and civilians’ exposure to air contaminants from the “burn pits,” used for disposing of trash, could pose long-term respiratory problems, according to an Army memo.

5.    White House picks RHS grad to work with veterans.  The Rolla Daily News  Tommy Sowers has been chosen for a top post in the US Department of Veterans Affairs. By RD Hohenfeldt The nomination of 1994 Rolla High School graduate Tommy Sowers for a top post in the US Department of Veterans Affairs has been sent by President …

6.    SGT. SHAFT: Veteran’s widow wants to renew military ID.  Washington Times  The letter, signed by OMB Deputy General Counsel Steven D. Aitken to Julia C. Matta, GAO assistant general counsel for Appropriations and Budget, clearly states that “all programs administered by the VA, including veterans’ medical care, …
7.    Veterans Deserve Executive Order Without Implementation Concerns.  Huffington Post  I had the privilege of speaking to the members of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs on Wednesday, May 16. I discussed our proud yellow ribbon past and future and the concerns the Executive Order raises for …

8.    NFL reviews support for ex-players in wake of Seau’s death.  USA TODAY  Last week, NFL officials met with experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and US Department of Veterans Affairs. The league also has enlisted former US Surgeon General David Satcher, whose address to owners Tuesday emphasized difficulties …

9.    Coming Home: Canandaigua VA Expanding to Stop Suicides.  WROC-TV  Older veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. And an army of local responders is leading the nation’s fight to save their lives and get them help. When a United States Veteran anywhere in the world calls the VA’s Crisis Line it rings here …

10. War veterans commission named.  Pryor Daily Times  The War Veterans Commission is the controlling board of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. It administers veterans programs in Oklahoma through a director appointed by and responsible to the commission. It is composed of nine members …

Have You Heard?

VA, DOD Continue Collaboration

On May 21, VA Secretary Shinseki and Defense Secretary Panetta toured the Federal Health Care Center in Chicago, named after Capt. James Lovell (pictured). DOD and VA have developed a joint record-sharing program that will be rolled out at medical centers in Virginia and Texas. Learn more

More Veteran News

•     New VA program helps veterans threatened with homelessness.  North County Times  “Interfaith, they’ve been a major blessing,” William Bennett, a 54-year-old Navy veteran living in San Marcos, said this week. Announced by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs in July 2010, …

•  Wounded warriors have a team working for them while going through IDES.  The Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) is the joint Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) process to determine fitness for duty and disability rating for Service members. DoD determines whether wounded, ill and injured Service members are fit…

• Service Secretaries Reflect on National Military Appreciation Month. My father, a retired Army officer and Vietnam veteran, is fond of saying that the profession of arms is the most noble of callings –that there is no other act as selfless as service to our nation.  As we observe…

• Defense Secretary Panetta Visits Lovell Federal Health Care Facility In Lake County.  Chicago Daily Herald “Panetta visited Lake County after the NATO summit closed Monday to tour a one-of-a-kind health care facility serving active Navy personnel and military veterans since 2010. Panetta said the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago is an example of how the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs can work together to improve medical coverage for those in the military, veterans, retirees and their dependents.” This “‘facility is helping us chart the course for the future,’ said Panetta, who was joined by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki on the tour.”

•  Georgetown Duo Become Research Entrepreneurs.  Washington Post  Mark H. Chichester and Ryung Suh of Atlas Research “were awarded the Small Business Administration’s 2012 Persons of the Year award for the District of Columbia.” Chichester and Suh have focused “largely on initiatives supporting veteran health and wellness, and while they have added a commercial business division, roughly 80 percent of their contracts still come from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services . In the past few years, for instance, they have worked on a program that supports veterans on the brink of homelessness and another that trains family members on how to care for disabled veterans.”

•   Antibiotics Prevent UTIs Better Than Probiotics. Reuters  A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that while antibiotics are better than probiotics at preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs), probiotics do not add to a person’s antibiotic resistance. In a commentary in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Barbara Trautner of the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center said the new findings are “exciting and compelling.” She called for further exploration of the benefits of probiotics for people with UTIs.

•   Cutting-Edge Technologies Offer Improvements In Screening And Gastrointestinal Surgery. PhysOrg  “Studies of technological innovations being presented for the first time at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) showed increased accuracy coupled with decreased cost, time or invasiveness of gastrointestinal procedures.” One of the studies, which will be presented on “Sunday, May 20 at 4 p.m. PT in Room 3 of the San Diego Convention Center,” was “jointly conducted by the Veterans Affairs of Kansas City, MO; Palo Alto, CA; and San Francisco, CA.” The research found that a “new high-definition, dual focus colonoscope, which allows close-up detailed examination of the colon, may help doctors more confidently diagnose polyp growth.” The research was led by VA Palo Alto’s Dr. Tonya Kaltenbach, who stated, “By reducing the number of polyps sent for pathology analysis, we can significantly reduce unnecessary spending.”

•  Initiative Tries To Find Financial Service Jobs For Vets. PBS Nightly Business Report  “The unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-old vets is currently 18.6%,” which is “much higher than the rate for all people in that age group.” PBS noted that a few years ago, “Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsch Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America came together…to form Veterans on Wall Street.” The banks taking part in the initiative “work to mentor and hire former military men and women for jobs in financial services.”

•   GVCH, State Gov. Announce Plans To End Homelessness In 10 Years. KCCO-TV “The Grand Valley Coalition for the Homeless and state government announced their” 10-year “plan to end homelessness on Monday.” KCCO adds, “The Grand Valley Catholic Outreach, Grand Junction Police Department, Homeward Bound homeless shelter and the VA Medical Center are just a few of the many organizations hoping to make this plan a reality and make Grand Junction a place where everyone has a home.”

•  Veterans Deserve Executive Order Without Implementation Concerns. Huffington Post