Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 10-14-08

1. Decides Not To Use Contractor For New GI Bill Benefits.
2. Push Still On For "Veterans Village" In New York.  
3. VA "Ramping Up" PTSD Services.  
4. Private Program Treats Iraq Vet Suffering From PTSD, TBI.  
5. Studies Find TBI Frequently Leads To Vision Problems.  
6. University Of Idaho Program Helps Disabled Vets Pay For Education.  
7. VA Reports "Wave" Of Veterans Suffering From Effects Of Sexual Trauma.  
8. VA Clinic Opens In Florida.  
9. Continuing Appropriations Package Includes Full-Year Amount For VA.  
10. New Veterans Residence To Open In Eighteen Months.

1       VA Decides Not To Use Contractor For New GI Bill Benefits.   The Marine Corp Times (10/14, Maze) reports, "Ambitious and controversial plans to use a private contractor to receive and pay claims for a new GI Bill education benefits plan that takes effect Aug. 1 have been canceled because the Department of Veterans Affairs could not find a contractor." In a statement, VA officials "said…that they will rely on their in-house work force to set up the new GI Bill program because VA ‘did not receive enough proposals from qualified private-sector contractors.’" VA Secretary Dr. James Peake "said the controversy over the program might have been a reason for a lack of interest." In the "Our Voice" section of its website, the American Legion (10/13) applauded Peake’s "decision to retain control of the new GI Bill rather than" outsource services.

2.      Push Still On For "Veterans Village" In New York.   The Westchester (NY) Journal News (10/14, Liebson) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs will solicit proposals for the private development of pristine Hudson River property at its Montrose site" this week, but Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano "said local officials and veterans groups are continuing to fight for the creation of a ‘Veterans Village’ there. ‘We’re working to make sure that whatever is done is done for veterans,’ Spano said after meeting Friday with VA Secretary James B. Peake in Washington." Spano added, "Secretary Peake assured us that our proposal will receive due consideration."

3.      VA "Ramping Up" PTSD Services.   In a profile of troubled Iraq veteran Debbie Camicia, the Roanoke (VA) Times (10/13, Macy) reported, "Across the country," Veteran Affairs centers "are ramping up services for post-traumatic stress disorder in anticipation of the younger generation of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many, including Debbie, were citizen soldiers, part-timers with the National Guard or Reserve who report an even higher incidence of mental-health problems than their active-duty comrades."
      Mullen Wants All Returning Combat Troops To Be Screened For PTSD.   USA Today (10/13, Brook, 2.28M) reported Adm. Michael Mullen, the "Pentagon’s top uniformed officer," is "calling for all returning combat troops…to undergo screening for post-traumatic stress with a mental health professional, a move aimed at stemming an epidemic of psychological issues among veterans." Currently, troops "fill out questionnaires after combat tours that help determine if they have suffered psychological damage," but they are not examined by mental health experts. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "said there’s a reluctance to acknowledge psychological problems for fear of showing weakness," but he added that he believes a mental health screening must be given "to everybody to help remove the stigma of raising your hand." USA Today added, "Mullen’s proposal is in its infancy, and there are no estimates about its potential costs or when it would start."

4.      Private Program Treats Iraq Vet Suffering From PTSD, TBI.   The Houston Chronicle (10/13, Feldman) profiled Iraq vet Scott Carruthers, who this past summer "received intensive treatment for traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder" in a privately funded "program called Project Victory." The Chronicle noted that the program is based in Texas.

5.      Studies Find TBI Frequently Leads To Vision Problems.   WPTV-TV West Palm Beach (10/12, Stein) reports, "About 1.7 million American men and women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan," and "up to 340,000 of them suffer from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI)." In addition to numerous other effects of TBI, "preliminary studies [reveal] that as many as 70 percent of severely-wounded soldiers treated for TBIs also complain of double vision, difficulties reading and blindness." As a result, "this year, the Veterans Health Administration is spending $40 million to add 55 outpatient vision-rehabilitation clinics nationwide and to increase staff at existing facilities."

6.      University Of Idaho Program Helps Disabled Vets Pay For Education.   The AP (10/12) reports on "a program at the University of Idaho that helps severely and permanently wounded Iraq veterans enroll and graduate without debt. The Operation Education program was created at Idaho in 2006 and replicated this fall at Adrian College in Michigan." According to the AP, the program was created "to make up for the financial shortfalls veterans face after they’ve exhausted state and federal financial aid and benefits under the GI Bill." One school official said, "There’s no way that a student who has only the GI bill can go to school and live on it."

7.      VA Reports "Wave" Of Veterans Suffering From Effects Of Sexual Trauma.   The Oregonian (10/12, Sullivan, Pope, 309K) reports, "As the nation grapples with the aftershocks of two long wars, the Department of Veterans Affairs is confronting a quiet wave of veterans with mental health problems linked to sexual misconduct. … The VA reports that between 2002 and 2007, 59,345 male veterans and 57,637 female veterans screened positive for some sexual trauma during military service." And in April, "clinical psychologist and retired Navy Reserve Capt. Connie Lee Best warned US senators that sexually traumatized veterans will further swell the wave of mental health needs that will hit in years to come."

9.      Continuing Appropriations Package Includes Full-Year Amount For VA.   CQ Weekly (10/13) reported, "The fiscal 2009 continuing appropriations package, which was signed into law Sept. 30 (PL 110-329)," contains "three full-year spending bills, including one for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

10.    New Veterans Residence To Open In Eighteen Months.   McClatchy (10/12, Fontaine) reports that the VA’s American Lake facility, a "$32 million, 79,000-square-foot" veterans residence, "should open in about 18 months. It will include 83 beds, including a 19-bed unit for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. ‘It’s about giving back to those who gave so much through their military service,’ said Stan Johnson, the director of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System." The groundbreaking ceremony for the facility was held on Friday.