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.    HASC passes defense bill with no mention of sequestration cuts.  Lawmakers tackled military pay raises, same-sex marriages, base closure plans and a host of other items in the $642 billion defense authorization bill approved by the House Armed Services Committee early Thursday morning, but they sidestepped the biggest issue facing the Defense Department this year.
 
2.    House panel votes to hike drug co-pays, require prescription refills by mail.  The House Armed Services Committee has voted to raise drug co-payments for Tricare beneficiaries who have brand-name prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies or through the Tricare mail order program.
 
3.    Amendment puts spotlight on Pentagon propaganda.  A member of the House Armed Services Committee threatened an amendment to block funding for Pentagon propaganda efforts, citing USA Today reports questioning their efficacy and management.
 
4.    USAFE commander Welsh tapped to replace Schwartz as chief of staff.  Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe, has been nominated to take over as the service’s chief of staff.

5.    Commission seeks input from NH vets as part of effort to increase resources.  The Union Leader  A state commission trying to improve care for New Hampshire’s veteran population has collected months of data and expects much more to come. But the numbers can only tell so much. Coordinating the data and matching various …

6.    Haslam Proclaims May 11 Military Spouse Day.  The Chattanoogan  Governor Bill Haslam and state Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder on Thursday announced May 11 is Military Spouse Day. The day of recognition for military spouses is observed throughout the country to include Tennessee.

7.    Oregon veteran seeks Supreme Court review of divorce court allocation of his …
OregonLive.com (blog)  He and his lawyer argue that federal law prohibits states from including VA disability benefits in such calculations, on the grounds that Congress intended such benefits to be for the welfare of the veteran. But the Oregon Court of Appeals and the …

8.    Feds want mental exam in Purple Heart fraud case.  SunHerald.com  An exam for Charles Welshans was first ordered in January 2011 at the request of his attorney and the plan called for the US Department of Veterans Affairs to do it. When that wasn’t done, prosecutors asked this week to have him detained and taken for …

9.    Civilians, Into the Breach.  TIME (blog)  The series is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program in collaboration with the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD. More than 4500 clinicians representing all 50 states and 10 …
 
10.   Facebook Offers Suicide-Prevention Lifeline For Military Families.  Los Angeles Times  “Facebook is connecting with military-support and service organizations to offer customized suicide-prevention services for veterans, active service members and their families.” In “conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families, Facebook has unveiled a literal lifeline within the site, with informational and response tools customized for service members and their families.”  PC Magazine Facebook has “announced a new partnership” with VA “and Blue Star Families to provide customized Facebook crisis services to military families at risk for depression and suicide.” Facebook “will host a live discussion about the plan on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, which will be webcast online. Reps from Blue Star Families, Facebook,” VA, “and the Wounded Warrior Project will be on hand to answer questions.”

Have You Heard?

Connecting Veterans to Vital Resources

In collaboration with VA, Blue Star Families and the Wounded Warrior Project, Facebook has announced the launch of powerful tools designed to connect military and Veteran families with mental health services like the Veterans Crisis Line. Learn more