Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – August 30, 2013

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.NEW: Plans for New RI Veterans Home Get Federal Approval.  GoLocalProv  Governor Lincoln D. Chafee has announced that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) has approved the design concept for the new Rhode …
2.Military retirees sue retirement home chain.  ConsumerAffairs  They claim Holiday’s high-pressure tactics are designed to “induce veterans and … the company said in the news release announcing the promotion with AMRA. … administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the ‘VA’) …

3.Ex-Marine charged in killings is new NC vets chief.  Westport-News  As director of veteran’s affairs, Pantano will oversee programs that assist North Carolina military veterans and their families with receiving federal benefits
4.Federal judge orders VA to obey Supreme Court ruling on same-sex.  NBCNews.com  The Department of Veterans Affairs can no longer rely on its unique reading of federal law to refuse to provide full …
5.Judge rules VA leases invalid.  Santa Monica Daily Press  Homeless veterans won a significant battle Thursday when a federal judge ruled in their favor, saying the Department of Veterans Affairs violated the law when it leased portions of its sprawling West Los Angeles campus to businesses and organizations, including UCLA and Twentieth Century Fox, for purposes unrelated to providing medical care or treatment for homeless and disabled vets.
 
6.   Congress tries to slow down Obama’s decision on US action in Syria.  With the U.S. military poised to carry out strikes to punish the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad for alleged chemical weapons use in his country’s civil war, President Barack Obama’s seeming readiness to act is running into efforts by legislators here and abroad to slow him down.
 
7.   With eye on Syria, Israel says it’s prepared to answer if attacked.  Along a battle-scarred border, the Israel Defense Force is bulking up as it prepares for any potential retaliation that could result from a U.S. or allied strike on neighboring Syria following the alleged use of chemical weapons.

8.   Hasan sentence shows military justice system works, some say, although appeals process remains.  While Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was sentenced to death Wednesday, it could be years before he faces execution by lethal injection — if ever. Still, former military lawyers say the court-martial shows that the military justice system works.
9.   50 years later, US-Moscow hotline still relevant.  The Washington-Moscow Hot Line is not just a Cold War relic. It’s a system for top-level crisis communications that remains a useful tool for U.S. and Russian leaders at odds over their relations with Syria and Iran, experts say, as U.S. officials mark the 50th anniversary of the hotline’s first transmitted test message.
10.  Military And Veteran Suicides Rise Despite Aggressive Prevention Efforts.  Hyperlink to Article  The Huffington Post:   Contrary to popular perception, there is no “epidemic” of military-related suicides — even though President Barack Obama used the word in a speech this summer at the Disabled American Veterans Convention. Among those few whose lives do spiral down toward darkness and despair, the vast majority never take that irrevocable step.
 

Have You Heard?

Patients Re-Learn Basic Living Skills at VA’s MyHome:  At VA’s MyHome, a simulation home near Pittsburgh, seriously injured Veterans learn independent living skills prior to being discharged from the hospital. The idea is to reduce hospital re-admissions.