Military Fears Gains with Muslim Soldiers May Be Lost Nov 9, 2009
Hasan's religion "is immaterial," says Abdullah, deputy director of the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council. Since Sept. 11, Muslims in uniform have come under increased scrutiny and tested the ability of the U.S. military to balance its needs with the Islamic beliefs of a small number of its members. (Time.com)
Military Update: Senator puts hold on wounded vets caregiver bill Nov 7, 2009
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee acknowledges that money hasn't been found to cover at least $2. 8 billion of the bill's $3. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Tester chairs hearing on Indian veteran issues Nov 7, 2009
Jon Tester chaired a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee where two Montanan s testified about problems facing Native American military veterans in receiving health services, Tester announced in a press release ... Max Baucus listening sessions on health reform over the last two years Indian veterans being sent back and forth from Indian Health Services and Veterans Affairs trying to find health care. (Havre Daily News, MT)
Local events honor veterans Nov 5, 2009
Thursday 05 November, 2009. More than 4,000 marchers will step off at 1 p.m. near the Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford, proceeding for 1. (The Dolphin, CT)
Corey Shea Act gets House approval Nov 4, 2009
Corey Shea, was rejected by the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs last year ... Frank also read Anderson s moving speech from when she testified before the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee last month ... Following the vote, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. (Easton Journal, MA)
Smoke from Iraq burn pit may be making local soldiers sick Nov 2, 2009
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki spoke with reporters about burn pits in August, saying his department wants to avoid the missteps of the past ... John Resta, a scientific adviser to the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine, told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in October that burn pit smoke can cause temporary irritations ... Coffey suggested voicing Camp Murray's concerns through the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,... (Longview Daily News, WA)
Missouri Loses Millions in Federal Transportation Funds Nov 2, 2009
St. Louis Selected for Regional Veterans Day Observance ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), October 25, 2009 - Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced the designation of 41 regional Veterans Day observances ... Today, the committee is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and is comprised of representatives from 44 organizations dedicated to supporting military Veterans. (Saint Louis Front Page)
Electronic Privacy Information Center: Privacy Nov 1, 2009
Information about the 2006 information security breach by a Veterans Affairs employee resulted in the theft from his Maryland home of unencrypted data affecting 26. 5 million veterans and current service members and their families. (Yahoo News -- Online Privacy)
For these women veterans,a home to call their own Oct 31, 2009
Women last year accounted for an estimated 5 percent of all homeless veterans, or 6,500 former servicewomen, a figure that is 67 percent higher than the number reported in 2004, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs ... The Department of Veterans Affairs is working to address the problem, but public awareness is lagging, said Tom Hameline, senior vice president of HELP USA, a nonprofit group that develops housing and services for homeless and low-income populations ... On Tuesday,... (Boston Globe)
Panel seeks Rx for secure health data exchange Oct 30, 2009
Our greatest success may be the full implementation of care coordination via the NHIN, starting with federal partners like the Veterans Affairs Department and using the standards already recommended for meaningful use, Andrew Wiesenthal, associate executive director of the Permanente Federation, said on behalf of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. However, Wiesenthal also acknowledged frustrations in implementing standards for data exchange, including competition for resources... (FCW.com)
Vet takes fight to White House Oct 30, 2009
The IAVA notes the new law will provide "timely, predictable funding for veterans' health care by requiring Congress to approve a health care budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at least one year in advance." ... "We work most often with the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ... and now with the [House] Speaker," he said. (CNN)
News in brief Oct 29, 2009
Veterans Affairs meeting next week. The Commission of Veteran Affairs will meet on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors' room. (Forest City Summit, IO)
Top honor goes to isle soldier Oct 29, 2009
Re-examining examples of wartime valor has been a steady endeavor for Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ... Re-examining examples of wartime valor has been a steady endeavor for Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Alaska Rep. Tied to Corruption Probe Oct 25, 2009
Tied to Corruption Probe - CBS News. ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 24, 2009. (CBS News)
Specter touts himself as consensus-builder Oct 25, 2009
The party change has deprived Mr. Specter, former chair of the Judiciary, Veterans Affairs and Intelligence committees, of seniority within the caucus. Senate Democrats assigned him to spots among the more junior members of his committees: judiciary, veterans' affairs, environment and public works, appropriations and the special committee on aging. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Fears of health monopoly as Congress urges collaboration Oct 25, 2009
It sounds horrible in America - we hate to hear less competition is good, but it s all relative, said Austin Frakt, an economist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Boston. Even in areas where one or two insurers dominate the marketplace, influential providers have become skilled at winning concessions from them. (Boston Globe)
Negotiators Mull Public Option In Health Bill Oct 23, 2009
At 2:15 p.m. ET: President Barack Obama signs into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which guarantees a timely and predictable flow of funding for Department of Veterans Affairs medical care. On a 14-9 vote, the Senate Finance Committee passes a controversial health care reform plan. (Click2Houston, TX)
Senate bill may have public insurance plan Oct 23, 2009
and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais). (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
Veterans' health care needs better planning Oct 23, 2009
Each year, Congress decides how much money to give the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical services, and almost every year 20 out of the past 23 Congress has been late in approving funding. This ritual of tardiness leaves VA administrators unable to make informed decisions on hiring staff, paying for needed equipment or meeting performance goals. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Obama signs Akaka bill assuring timely funding for VA health care Oct 23, 2009
Daniel Akaka that aims to get services to veterans faster by stabilizing funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been plagued by top-heavy bureaucracy and budget swings ... It's considered a necessary first step for a raft of reforms in the works for the Veterans Affairs Department meant to eliminate the hurdles many veterans face as they seek care and benefits. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Obama Lauds Edwards As He Signs Veterans Spending Bill Oct 23, 2009
The bill is intended to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs advance appropriations to craft its health care budget a full year in advance. Mr. Obama said the bill would help the VA plan how to pay for its services as it cares for 23 million veterans, something that until now was difficult for the department to do. (KWTX.com, TX)
Akaka, Shinseki on hand as Obama signs VA funding bill Oct 23, 2009
Noting the Veterans Affairs Department is providing care for veterans without a Congress-approved budget right now, Obama said the new law would guarantee timely and predictable funding by laying out the VA budget ahead of schedule ... Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, who is from Kauai, was also at the signing ceremony ... Noting the Veterans Affairs Department is providing care for veterans without a Congress-approved budget right now, Obama said the new law would guarantee timely... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Flaherty is available Oct 22, 2009
Not only is the Supervisor candidate a proponent of keeping Pine Haven where it is and building a new nursing home on the same property, he says that along with the committee of Veterans affairs, he intends to try to turn the old facility into a home for veterans. Flaherty refrained from comment on the issue of using the St. Charles Hotel or the Charles Williams School for transitional housing, but did say that one third of the homeless people in the United states are Veterans, and that he has... (Hudson Register Star, NY)
Former Wyo. governor, US Sen. Clifford Hansen dies Oct 21, 2009
In the Senate, Hansen served on the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee and the Special Committee on Aging. He backed reservoir projects in Wyoming, designating national recreation areas and wilderness areas in Wyoming, and placing a ceiling on federal expenditures. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Bob Davis remembered for dedication to district Oct 21, 2009
Otsego County Commissioner Clark Bates noted Davis was instrumental in bringing the Veterans Affairs clinic to Gaylord in 1985. He ate, slept and drank his job, said Charlevoix resident Bill Huber, who was part of Davis staff for 16 years. (Gaylord Herald Times, MI)
Military Update: VA, lawmakers share blame for GI Bill payment delays Oct 17, 2009
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki got a bipartisan hug from the House Veterans Affairs Committee Wednesday as lawmakers accepted his plan to fix Post-9/11 GI Bill payment delays, and blamed their own rush to enact the complex education benefit last year for some of the challenges VA now faces. Many veterans using new GI Bill benefits for fall classes had not received their monthly living allowance or lump sum book stipend by early October. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Wis. vets secretary calls job meeting 'productive' Oct 17, 2009
Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos, whose agency has faced questions over its management and spending, met privately Friday with the board that oversees it to discuss his job performance. Both Scocos and board Chairman Marv Freedman declined to detail what was said during the meeting. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
41 regional Vets Day sites include 3 La, 1 Miss Oct 16, 2009
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Three cities in Louisiana and one in Mississippi are among 41 regional Veterans Day sites named by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. The Veterans Day National Committee recognizes observances around the country each year as fitting tributes to America's heroes. (KSLA.com, LA)
Meeting held on veterans' home here Oct 15, 2009
Meeting at the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center campus with area supporters of the veterans home were two representatives of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs: Pamela K. Barrows, senior director of veterans health care, and Everette Wright, facilities program director ... John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, helped set up the meeting with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
VA will ease way for vets to get stress disability, Shinseki says Oct 15, 2009
The Veterans Affairs Department has proposed reducing the paperwork required for veterans to show their experience caused combat-related stress ... Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told lawmakers today he's committed to improving trust in the claims process between veterans and the VA, and to helping veterans receive benefits they are entitled to ... Veterans Affairs Department. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Vt. health reform: manage chronically ill patients Oct 12, 2009
The electronic medical records system at the Department of Veterans Affairs' Kansas City Medical Center gives Sanders and his staff almost immediate access to medical histories, allowing them to seamlessly treat veterans from other states. But when patients aren't in the VA's system, it could mean hours or days before doctors have crucial information to properly care for patients. (Fresno Bee -- Business)
Mich. Legislature passes K-12 schools budget Oct 10, 2009
Granholm signed three bills that will fund community colleges, the judiciary and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for rest of the fiscal year. Many other spending bills either have not been signed or are being held by Senate Republicans, who fear she will veto portions of them. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard, MI)
Bill proposed to allow Mansfield mom to be buried with soldier son Oct 10, 2009
The law also allows the secretary of veterans affairs and the secretary of defense to designate other people who can be interred in national cemeteries such as other relatives of service members, but only on an individual basis ... who in turn contacted the local office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ask, on Anderson s behalf, if an exception could be made since Shea had no spouse or children ... After being introduced, H.R. 761 was referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs,... (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
Shingles Raises Risk Of Stroke By 30 Percent Or More In Adults, Study Finds Oct 10, 2009
(June 2, 2005) In one of the largest adult vaccine trials ever, researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs and colleagues have shown that an experimental vaccine against shingles prevented about half (51. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Fallen vet’s mother seeks relief in a bill Oct 9, 2009
After her son s burial in the National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne, Anderson, with the help of Frank s office, sought permission from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to be buried with her son when she eventually dies ... He has asked the Veterans Affairs Committee to consider Anderson s sacrifice ... Gural said the bill stands a much better chance of passing the House if it is first approved by the Veterans Affairs Committee. (Boston Globe)
Man with breast cancer blames Marine base Oct 9, 2009
Two North Carolina senators -- Richard Burr, the ranking Republican on the committee, and Kay Hagan, a Democrat who is not a panel member -- are pushing legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the medical costs of Marines and their families who were exposed to the contaminated water. The provision, which has passed the Senate, would amend the Defense Appropriations Bill to prohibit the Navy from "disposing of water-contamination claims before critical... (CNN -- Health)
The Confirmatory Trial in Comparative-Effectiveness Research Oct 8, 2009
From the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (A.M.G.) and Stanford University (A.M.G, M.A.H.) both in Palo Alto, CA.. This article has been cited by other articles. (New England Journal of Medicine)
A woman in space Oct 6, 2009
The authors of the study are Dr. Kathy Ryan of the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Dr. Jack Loeppky, formerly with Research Section of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albuquerque; and Dr. Donald Kilgore, formerly with the Lovelace Foundation for Medical Education and Research in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Loeppky has previously unpublished physiological aerobic capacity data collected by his former colleague, Dr. Ulrich Luft. (EurekAlert!)
More of this story Oct 1, 2009
Other nominees for the coveted award were Jeanne Abate, a mortgage officer at Westerly Community Credit Union who is active with the Chariho Rotary Club; Mary Jane DiMaio, the first female elected as president of the Westerly Town Council; Elizabeth Johnstone, president of Recovery Yoga and an independent yoga instructor; and Linda Spoonster Schwartz, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. The Athena scholarship winners were Stonington High School seniors Skylar... (Westerly Sun, RI)
Senate panel nixes health plan Sep 30, 2009
The votes are likely to deepen fissures in the Democratic Party over the shape of the legislation, and they proved what critics have long argued: Moderate Democrats are reluctant to expand the federal health-care role beyond the current boundaries of the Medicare, Medicaid and Veterans Affairs programs. Despite the setback for advocates of a public option, debate over such a plan is certain to continue. (AZCentral -- News)
Driscoll military bill receives hearing Sep 30, 2009
U. S. Army Col. Karl Reed came to the State House last spring at the invitation of Driscoll and briefed the veterans affairs committee regarding head traumas suffered by soldiers who were exposed to blasts in combat. From Reed s presentation, Driscoll filed legislation that adopted many recommendations for preventing and treating head traumas. (Holbrook Sun, MA)
Fresno Stand Down gives vets a 'thank you' Sep 26, 2009
What puzzles me is that in two years, while visiting the hospital, the president, vice president, secretary of defense, head of the Veterans Administration, Congressional Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and other oversight committees, veterans groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Paralyzed Veterans did not notice or speak out about these conditions. There have been reports over the last two years that some things were not as they should be at... (Fresno Bee)
* PROFILE: New defense chief raises hopes of military reform Sep 26, 2009
The former minister of the Veterans Affairs Commission has a reputation for being a disciplinarian and imposing rigorous standards on his subordinates ... He was chosen to head the Veterans Affairs Commission by then-president Chen Shui-bian () in 2004 and was reappointed to the post by Ma last year. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
House passes bill to prevent gov't shutdown Sep 26, 2009
Several other spending bills, including measures funding the departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs are in House-Senate talks. More from msnbc. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Blackford County high on state list for war memorials Sep 26, 2009
According to Mike Stump, Blackford County Veterans Affairs Service Officer, there are four monuments at the courthouse in Hartford City and another at the Hartford City Cemetery, with yet another in the works. They are. (Hartford City News-Times, IN)
Funds OK'd to build veterans home in Tucson Sep 24, 2009
On Tuesday, the Joint Committee on Capital Review approved spending $10 million on the project, which covers a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requirement that the state pick up 35 percent of the project's $28 ... The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has had the facility on its priority list since 2006, and money from the federal stimulus helped moved the project forward, said Dave Hampton, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services. (AZCentral -- News)
Health care issue Sep 19, 2009
Jon Tester, was in Little Rock Friday to drum up support for the bill, which has passed the House Veterans Affairs Committee and awaits floor. September 18, 2009 | DigTriad. (The Clarion-Ledger)
How Independent Can A DNR Secretary Really Be? (12) Sep 14, 2009
A Supermarket of Veterans Benefits, hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) and the Fort McCoy Retiree Office, is set for Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wisconsin Military Academy, 90 S. 10th Ave., Fort McCoy. Veterans can apply for a wide array of both state and federal benefits at this Supermarket event. (Agri-View, WI)
Electronic Medical Records Chart a New Course Sep 14, 2009
Charting a New Course - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS News. Charting a New Course. (CBS News)
Electronic Privacy Information Center: Privacy Sep 13, 2009
Information about the 2006 information security breach by a Veterans Affairs employee resulted in the theft from his Maryland home of unencrypted data affecting 26. 5 million veterans and current service members and their families. (Yahoo News -- Online Privacy)
Mother soldiers on Sep 13, 2009
June 28, 2007: Dan Fahey, Institute of Medicine Washington, D. C., provides information to the House Veterans Affairs Committee calling attention to "serious problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs study" related to the DU issue ... John Mica and other key VA (Veterans Affairs) people, would try" to get the belongings left behind in Iraq, she said. "One of the last people told me if the general she worked for couldn't find them, no one could and I should basically put it aside and that... (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Emdia named state dept. commander Sep 12, 2009
These are the highest awards given by the dept. for outstanding commitment towards veterans affairs. During the recent AMVET national convention in August, held in New Orleans, La. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
La. Senate panel to weigh soldier benefits law Sep 11, 2009
Robert Adley said the Veterans Affairs Committee meeting on Friday will include a discussion of whether the law could be expanded to benefit eligible guardsmen who were disabled since 2001. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. (KSLA.com, LA)
* Wu Den-yih announces Cabinet line-up Sep 10, 2009
The new Cabinet line-up includes outgoing Veterans Affairs Commission Director Kao Hua-chu (W), who will become minister of national defense, and representative to Indonesia Timothy Yang (iK), who will become foreign minister, Wu said. Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (FH) will become secretary-general of the Presidential Office, while Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Chairman Jiang Yi-huah (y) receives the interior ministry and Taipei City Deputy Mayor Wu... (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Military Update: Transition chief: Troop support nothing like Vietnam Sep 10, 2009
Meanwhile, the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs jointly established the Wounded, Ill and Injured Senior Oversight Committee (SOC), co-chaired by the deputy secretaries of VA and DoD. The SOC was to ensure that wounded warrior legislation was implemented properly and that key task force recommendations were adopted and resourced. The spotlight has dimmed, SOC survives but, within DoD, it's Koch's TPCC office, with a staff of 30 and rising, taking over day-to-day oversight of dramatic... (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Wis. veterans board requests broad audit of agency Sep 5, 2009
The board that oversees the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is asking for an exhaustive audit of the agency's finances and operations. In a letter to lawmakers on Friday, Board of Veterans Affairs Chairman Marv Freedman listed seven pages worth of pointed questions for the Legislative Audit Bureau to explore. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Does New VA Guide Encourage Veteran Suicide? Sep 4, 2009
WASHINGTON While Republicans are calling a Department of Veterans Affairs health planning booklet a "death book" that encourages veterans to kill themselves or forgo care, ethicists and legal and medical experts say it's a reasonable attempt to help America's veterans plan for the end of their lives. Jim Towey , the former director of President George W. Bush's White House office of faith-based initiatives, wrote in The Wall Street Journal last month that the VA's "Your Life, Your Choices"... (Newsmax)
States Veterans Commission looks to reaffirm its existence9:26 am | (No comments posted.) Sep 2, 2009
Unclear, for example, is the relationship between the commission and the state Division of Veterans Affairs ... But the division is part of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. (Watertown Public Opinion, SD)
Local American Legion post marks 90th birthday Sep 1, 2009
Tuesday 1 September, 2009. What do you think will be the result of the appointment of a federal prosecutor to look into harsh interrogation techniques used by the United States following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (Brookhaven Daily Leader, MS)
Fallen Heroes Banner display available Sep 1, 2009
y Jan. 15-30, at the Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Center in Fort Meade ... The banners must be picked up at and returned to the South Dakota Division of Veterans Affairs, Soldiers and Sailors Building, 425 E Capitol Avenue, Pierre, S.D. 57501 ... For more information on the display, call the South Dakota Division of Veterans Affairs 773-3269. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Van Buren County considers relinquishing trail responsibilities Aug 30, 2009
In other matters, commissioners gave the go-ahead to hire a veterans affairs counselor. Vice-chairman Donald Hanson said the county is interested in hiring a part-time counselor now working for Allegan County beginning Sept. 2. (St. Joseph Herald-Pallidium, MI)
Health Care Reform Could Tax Veterans Aug 29, 2009
Neither I nor the veterans service organizations have asserted that the proposed healthcare reform legislation would eliminate or directly change health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ... Of the two that were approved, one would ensure that veterans and service members could choose to have additional health insurance along with the healthcare provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense (DOD). (Townhall.com)
VA ends Gulf War illness research contract with Akaka's influence Aug 27, 2009
WASHINGTON The Department of Veterans Affairs has canceled a $75 million, five-year research contract with a Texas medical center studying illnesses suffered by veterans of the first Gulf War ... Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, a Democrat from Hawaii, has been pushing to end the sole-source contract with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Akaka says help needed for families of war vets Aug 27, 2009
Congress and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should do more to help the families of National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Sen ... "My underlying message to you, the bottom line up front, is that the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs need to work together to think outside the box, and find comprehensive strategies to reach, educate and serve Guard and Reserve units," Gabbard Tamayo said. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Private universities market new G.I. Bill Aug 26, 2009
The Dallas regional office for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates about 83,000 of post-9/11 veterans live in Texas. At Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the costs of many programs in the university s school of law, business, arts and humanities are covered through both programs, said Mitzie Goff, associate registrar for academic records at SMU. The university is putting together a task force to look at how to target more veterans. (Dallas Business Journal, TX)
