Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 10-15-08

1. VA Cancels Outsourcing Plan For New GI Bill Claims.
2. UCLA Opens Veterans Center In Response To Bill.  
3. Join HHS, VA Program Will Assist Older Americans, Veterans.  
4. VA Offering Free Flu Shots.
5. VA Paying Millions To Orthopedics Manufacturer.  
6. MTV To Broadcast Concert For Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans.  
7. Welcome Home Celebration To Be Held In Oklahoma.  
8. State Hopes To Encourage Vets To Seek Help For Mental Health Problems.  
9. Grant Will Fund Self-Help Class For Troubled Vets.  
10. Traumatized Vet Praises Martinsburg VAMC.

HAVE YOU HEARD?
A successful pilot program between VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) is expanding to allow the electronic transfer of veterans’ medical records from any Army medical treatment facility to one of VA’s four polytrauma centers located in Tampa, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; Minneapolis; or Palo Alto, Calif. The patient information to be shared between DoD and VA involves electronic notes on the patient’s situation and background, an assessment of his or her condition, and recommendations for future care. This uniform, standard method of communicating patient information will ensure veterans receive high quality care immediately after being transferred and that the information is available and accessible at all times. The VA-funded project is the result of collaboration among VA and DoD nurses and information technology professionals to make all of their electronic patient records interoperable. VA and DoD completed a successful pilot project sharing patient information between Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Polytrauma Unit at the Tampa, Fla., VA Medical Center, which led expansion of the project

1.      VA Cancels Outsourcing Plan For New GI Bill Claims.   In continuing coverage, Federal Computer Week (10/14) reported, "The Department of Veterans Affairs is canceling plans to outsource claims management for the education benefits part of a new GI Bill because it couldn’t find any takers, according to Air Force Times." Contractors "were reluctant to bid because of ‘external misconceptions’ about the scope of the work involved, said VA Secretary James Peake. Outsourcing would have been faster and more efficient, VA officials had maintained, but now the VA’s own employees will take on the job, Air Force Times reports."
      Federal Daily (10/14) said the VA "announced Oct. 10 that it was rejecting all private bids and instead will use VA workers to set up information technology (IT) programs needed to implement the educational benefits of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill." In a press release noting the announcement, Peake said, "While it is unfortunate that we will not have technical expertise from the private sector, the VA can and will deliver the benefits program on time."

2.      UCLA Opens Veterans Center In Response To Bill.   UCLA’s Daily Bruin (10/15, Brown) reports, "UCLA has recently created a Veterans Resource Office at the Center for Women and Men." The office "is in response to the largest expansion to the GI Bill – another name for education assistance programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the GI Bill’s Web site – since World War II. The office was created so that student veterans have a place to go to for help with receiving their benefits and finding scholarships, housing and jobs."

3.      Join HHS, VA Program Will Assist Older Americans, Veterans.   The Lynn (MA) Daily Item (10/15, Liscio) reports, "Military veterans in Massachusetts having difficulty remaining independent and concerned about the possibility of moving into a nursing home may soon get some relief from a new federal grant program." The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "has announced a $36 million program will spread financial assistance over 28 states and provide Massachusetts with a total $2.1 million in combined state and federal funds." HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and US Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake "said the joint effort will deliver essential consumer-directed home and community-based services to older Americans and to veterans of all ages under the agency’s Nursing Home Diversion grants program."

4.    VA Offering Free Flu Shots.   The Killeen (TX) Daily Herald (10/14) reported, "The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System flu campaign begins Wednesday and continues through Dec. 19 with a free flu vaccination clinic for veterans enrolled in the health care system." During the week, shots "will be administered in the hospital lobby of Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center in Temple or in building 4" at the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The two flu clinics are Saturdays on Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 at the Temple facility." In addition, drive-through vaccination clinics "will be held at both the Temple and Waco VA campuses."
      The second story in the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger’s (10/15) "Health Briefs" column reports, "Enrolled veterans can receive free flu shots" at the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in Jackson and its community-based outpatient clinics in Hattiesburg, Meridian, Kosciusko, Columbus, Greenville, Meadville and Natchez. The shots will be administered during scheduled clinic appointments or on a walk-in basis."

5.      VA Paying Millions To Orthopedics Manufacturer.   The Fort Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette (10/14, Stockman) reported, "Federal agencies spent $121.2 million at Warsaw-based orthopedics manufacturer Zimmer Inc. in the last five years, with more than 85 percent of that coming from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Zimmer is best known for making implants to replace damaged joints," but the company "also has a division that makes a broad range of items used to treat trauma, such as tourniquet products and equipment to clean debris out of wounds." The Journal-Gazette added, "More than 30,000" US troops "have been wounded in Iraq since the war began."

6.      MTV To Broadcast Concert For Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans.   The AP (10/14) reported, "MTV’s Choose or Lose campaign and CNN have partnered to broadcast a concert supporting veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. ‘A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE’ will air Oct. 24" at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. The "show’s name alludes to a petition MTV and several veterans’ organizations created called the Bill of Rights for American Veterans (BRAVE)." The AP added that on "Oct. 25, CNN will air a special of ‘Anderson Cooper 360’ titled ‘Back From Battle’ that focuses on stories of young veterans."

7.      Welcome Home Celebration To Be Held In Oklahoma.   On its website, NewsOn6-TV Tulsa, OK (10/14) reported, "Men and women who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and their families, are invited to attend a Welcome Home ‘American Hero’ celebration" this Saturday at Tulsa Community College. At the event, veterans "will have the opportunity during the special event to learn more about Veteran Affairs health care eligibility and other VA benefits."

8.      State Hopes To Encourage Vets To Seek Help For Mental Health Problems.   The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger (10/14, Woolley) reports, "New Jersey military and mental health officials say they want to make it easier" for troubled veterans to ask for help. On Tuesday, "the Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma announced the start of a campaign dubbed ‘Life Doesn’t Have to Be a Battlefield … Don’t Let Stigma Stand in Your Way.’ The $24,000 effort aims to train nearly 400 mental health professionals from around the state to treat the veterans they may come across in their practices in every place from local health clinics to prisons. In many cases, they will refer the veteran to specialized counseling" offered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

9.      Grant Will Fund Self-Help Class For Troubled Vets.   The fourth story in the Billings (MT) Gazette’s (10/15) "Local Guide" column reported, "The Montana Mental Health Association has received a grant from the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust for a special program for veterans who believe" they may be "suffering from the effects of trauma related to military service." The grant funds "will be used to teach veterans Wellness Recovery Action Planning, a self-help and recovery program for people who have mental health difficulties." The "course will be offered at VA Clinics throughout the state." 10.    Traumatized Vet Praises Martinsburg VAMC.   The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (10/14, Grebenstein) profiled Vietnam veteran Al Tippett, who "has battled with post-traumatic stress disorder" for the past four decades. Tippett "credits his treatments at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center with helping him turn his life around."

10.    Traumatized Vet Praises Martinsburg VAMC.   The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (10/14, Grebenstein) profiled Vietnam veteran Al Tippett, who "has battled with post-traumatic stress disorder" for the past four decades. Tippett "credits his treatments at the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center with helping him turn his life around."