- Did you know:
- Army Approves Purple Hearts for Troops Wounded in Fort Hood Attack: Criteria for the Medal's Changed with the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.
- Army clears way for Purple Hearts for Fort Hood shootings.
- Obama budget points to fall i n federal pay compared with private sector.
- Health-Law Challenger's Standing in Supreme Court Case is Questioned.
- What happened with the GSA in Vegas stymies federal workers.
- King lawyers: Veterans coverage won't upend Obamacare challenge.
- Louisiana lawmakers question VA Secretary's Leadership.
- Congress Acts on Veteran Suicides.
- Dallas VA conference discusses clergy's role in suicide prevention.
- 22,000 pushups: Cal U brings attention to Veteran suicide rate.
- Overcoming nightmares from Iwo Jima, Town of Tonawanda Veteran recaptures 'good life'.
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System 1 of 10 to research equipment.
- Waco VA center has produced modest research, made dubious claims.
- Here's Another Reason to Drink Red Wine: It Prevents Memory Loss.
- Still more mixed messages on marijuana.
- Veterans Journal: MyVA's map reorganized to improve service.
- 'Hiring our Heroes' job fair helps military Vets.
- Veterans Choice confusion remains.
- A new Raleigh VA clinic will speed care.
- Editorial: We need a VA hospital in the RGV.
- Planned floodwall at VA medical center angers nearby residents.
- Veterans housing at Canandaigua VA Medical Center impresses American Legion Leaders.
- Incompetent VA is still flubbing care.
- Oklahoma online nursing program honored as one of the best.
- Senior Signals: Caring for a Veteran at home.
- VA program matches patients with foster homes.
- VA shows love for veterans.
- Muskogee VA encourages public to visit hospital for Veteran patients week.
- Volunteers at Madison hospital help elderly avoid confusion.
- Are Confederate soldiers eligible for Veterans 'Hall of Fame?
Did you know:
Each year, VA's Voluntary Service Office coordinates VA's National Salute to Veteran Patients. This year's observance will be held Feb. 8-14. National Salute is VA's way to honor the men and women we are privileged to serve in VA facilities nationwide, and highlight an opportunity for U.S. citizens to actively engage as VA volunteers. The National Salute chairperson for this year's celebration is film and television actor Dominic Chianese, best known for his role as Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos. In his role as National Salute chairperson, Mr. Chianese will visit hospitalized Veterans at VA medical facilities throughout the year, conduct media interviews, participate in any number of VA activities and outreach events, and lend his name to a public service announcement to encourage volunteerism on behalf of our nation's Veterans. For the 27th consecutive year, the Annie's Mailbox column (formerly Ann Landers' column) has published a letter from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in support of this national effort. Reaching out through more than 500 newspapers and to more than 50 million readers, this message informs hospitalized Veterans throughout VA that there exists a community of advocates that remembers their sacrifice and honors their service.
Reuters: Army clears way for Purple Hearts for Fort Hood shootings. The U.S. Army will make military personnel injured in the 2009 shooting attack at the Fort Hood base in central Texas eligible for the Purple Heart and civilians injured eligible for the Medal for Defense of Freedom, military officials said on Friday… [T]he award also confers additional benefits, from [VA] health care to combat related special compensation to burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Law Challenger's Standing in Supreme Court Case is Questioned. The lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court battle over the health law's insurance tax credits appears to qualify for veterans' medical coverage, raising questions about his ability to challenge the law. David King is one of four plaintiffs in a case before the court next month that could halt Affordable Care Act subsidies that make insurance cheaper for millions of Americans.
The Washington Post: What happened with the GSA in Vegas stymies federal workers. When federal employees get together for training and meetings, fancy lunches aren't on the menu anymore. In fact, food of any kind…can no longer be served by the government. Even coffee is off-limits... Amid the fallout of the GSA scandal and other excesses at conferences held by the [VA and the IRS] the White House hurriedly directed agencies in 2012 to slash most travel and conference budgets by 30 percent.
Politico: King lawyers: Veterans coverage won't upend Obamacare challenge. The attorneys challenging Obamacare's tax subsidies say that the lead plaintiff's potential eligibility for veterans health coverage won't derail their lawsuit in the Supreme Court. A Wall Street Journal story suggested late Friday that David King qualifies for veterans' health coverage, which could mean he doesn't have to comply with the health care law's individual mandate and might not have a legal right to pursue his challenge to Obamacare.
Modern Healthcare: Louisiana lawmakers question VA Secretary's Leadership. On behalf of Louisiana veterans, we express extreme dissatisfaction with Modern Healthcare's selection of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald as one of the "healthcare winners" in 2014 as part of the Year in Review feature.
The New York Times: Congress Acts on Veteran Suicides. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have found something meaningful they can agree about: strengthening the nation's response to the tragic wave of veteran suicides. On Tuesday, by a 99-to-0 vote, the Senate approved a bill to improve suicide prevention and mental health treatment programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Dallas Morning News: Dallas VA conference discusses clergy's role in suicide prevention. Reginald Robertson, an Army veteran, was at the lowest point in his life. He was angry about being homeless and dealing with a divorce, alcoholism, unemployment and [PTSD]… He is one of thousands of veterans nationwide who have turned to clergy. A 2013 report published by the Journal of Religion and Health found that 12 percent of veterans surveyed sought spiritual consultation.
The Buffalo News: Overcoming nightmares from Iwo Jima, Town of Tonawanda Veteran recaptures 'good life'. Ted Drews still has nightmares of fellow Marines he helped bury in temporary graves on the strategic Pacific island that provided crucial landing strips for Japan-bound American bombers... [Phyllis Drews, his wife] says. "About eight years ago, he went to the VA and got help. Since then, he rarely has the nightmares. I can't say enough good things about the VA."
TribLive (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review): VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System 1 of 10 to research equipment. A new research center in Oakland soon will test a variety of medical devices that doctors could use in veterans hospitals across the country, the [VA] announced last week. The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System on University Drive landed one of 10 Patient Safety Centers of Inquiry that the VA will finance for three years starting in October.
Austin American-Statesman: Waco VA center has produced modest research, made dubious claims. The [VA's] Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans in Waco, already under a congressional investigation related to its research failures, has claimed credit for scientific work with only a tenuous connection to the facility or its mission of helping veterans recover from the wounds of war, an American-Statesman investigation has found.
Tech Times: Here's Another Reason to Drink Red Wine: It Prevents Memory Loss. Researchers from the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine have now uncovered that red wine's benefits extend to preventing memory loss… The researchers worked with 344 male Fischer rats aged 21 months old following animal protocols that have been approved by the Durham [VAMC's] animal studies subcommittee.
U-T San Diego: Still more mixed messages on marijuana. The federal government's war against itself over marijuana policy continues. Three new fronts have opened, involving the military, the Congress and, of all places, the Securities and Exchange Commission… [A] group of House members, Democrats and Republicans, have introduced the Veterans Equal Access Act. It would…allow [VA] physicians in states where medical marijuana is legal to issue medical marijuana recommendations to their patients.
Providence Journal: Veterans Journal: MyVA's map reorganized to improve service. The Department of Veterans Affairs has reorganized its MyVA organizational maps into five regions, using state boundaries, as part of the agency's continuing effort to improve service to beneficiaries across the nation by the end of June 2015.
The Detroit News: 'Hiring our Heroes' job fair helps military Vets. More than 60 employers and 200 veterans participated in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and University of Phoenix's Hiring Our Heroes, held at Detroit VA Healthcare System on John R Street, in Detroit Saturday.
Union Leader: Veterans Choice confusion remains. More than 600 New Hampshire veterans have used a temporary new program that lets them choose care from private doctors instead of traveling out of state to a VA hospital. Now, with continued funding for the program uncertain, New Hampshire's two U.S. senators want to make Veterans Choice permanent for veterans here.
News & Observer: A new Raleigh VA clinic will speed care. The [VA] has been under warranted criticism for long wait times at its hospitals and clinics… In North Carolina, a new VA clinic in Raleigh should alleviate at least some of the long-term problems with care experienced by our veterans… Some of the criticism is misplaced. Most veterans give high marks to the care they receive.
The Monitor: Editorial: We need a VA hospital in the RGV. [T]he Clay Hunt [SAV] Act…demonstrates…that even a gridlocked Washington can rally when it comes to something significant such as the support of our veterans. That's why we were disappointed with the $4 trillion budget proposal for 2016 released by President Barack Obama last week; it did not contain a provision for the construction of a Veterans Affairs hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.
New York Post: Planned floodwall at VA medical center angers nearby residents. Mr. Obama, tear down this wall! Or at least make it prettier. The East Side may soon be more like the Eastern Bloc, thanks to a bleak — and pricey — $23.8 million federally funded floodwall being constructed around Veterans Affairs Manhattan Medical Center near Peter Cooper Village, critics raged.
AZCentral.com (The Arizona Republic) (Video): Incompetent VA is still flubbing care. Our View: The agency isn't fixing poor care for veterans. It's compounding the problems. The greatest fear among reformers of the Veterans Affairs hospital system has been that the behemoth bureaucracy simply will wait them out… It turns out, however, that there is something else to dread… And that is: incompetence. In some cases, as in the VA's vile attempt to scuttle Sen. John McCain's medical-voucher program.
The Oklahoman (AP): Oklahoma online nursing program honored as one of the best. An online program at the University of Oklahoma's College of Nursing has been ranked one the best online advanced degree nursing programs for 2015…[Lazelle Benefield, dean of the college] says 46 percent of the nurses at Oklahoma City's [VA] Hospital are eligible for retirement. At the same time, 79,000 qualified applicants were not admitted to nursing schools last year because there was no room for them.
The Bristol Press: Senior Signals: Caring for a Veteran at home. Dear Attorney Tully:… One of my military buddies just told me the VA laws are changing as they pertain to asset protection planning. Is this true?... Answer:… The proposed changes to the VA "Aid and Attendance" program will create big changes. However, because this is a proposal that is not yet effective, it provides a planning opportunity.
Citizens Voice VA shows love for veterans. For the past 38 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has used the ... talked about an increasing disconnect between the American military and the ...
Tulsa World (Video): Muskogee VA encourages public to visit hospital for Veteran patients week. The Muskogee VA Medical Center is seeking to combat the loneliness the coming holiday can bring with its weeklong "Visit a Vet for Valentine's Day" program. Medical Director James Floyd has personally extended an invitation to all Tulsa World readers to participate by calling the voluntary service office.
Oshkosh Northwestern: Volunteers at Madison hospital help elderly avoid confusion. Hospital Elder Life Program, or HELP, is designed to prevent delirium and related complications, such as dehydration, falls and bedsores. It can save more than $800 per patient per year in hospital costs, plus thousands more in nursing home costs, according to the Aging Brain Center in Boston, which oversees HELP.
Tampa Bay Times: Are Confederate soldiers eligible for Veterans 'Hall of Fame? The Florida Legislature could become the newest battleground in a war that officially ended 150 years ago. Lawmakers might have to decide if the men who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War are eligible for entry into the state's Veterans' Hall of Fame… Mike Prendergast, executive director of the [VA], told the governor and cabinet Thursday that the three don't qualify as "veterans" under Florida and federal law.
