Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 11-01-08

1. Iraq Veteran Matriculates At George Washington University.  
2. Therapist Applies Chinese Medicine Techniques To Deal With Trauma.  
3. Vietnam Veterans Eligible For Diabetes Compensation.  
4. VA Finalizing New Records Guidelines.  
5. Veterans’ Brain Injuries Studied.  
6. Veterans Help One Of Their Own.  
7. Honor Flight Delivers Memories For Vets.  
8. Funeral Home Certified For Veterans Services.  
9. Veterans Affairs To Hold Flu Shot Blitz On Veterans Day.
10. Bath VA To Host Human Services Open House.  

     1.                 1.     Iraq Veteran Matriculates At George Washington University.   The New York Times (11/2, Alvarez, 1.12M) runs a long Education Life piece on Iraq veteran Kevin Blanchard, now a student at George Washington University. The Times says his room "was unlike anybody else’s on campus. Crowded classrooms routinely sent him into a panic. Cubicles triggered tunnel vision. He felt alienated from the 18-year-olds around him and their antics. His leg throbbed as he wandered the campus, trying to remember where to go. His concentration whipsawed and the words he read in textbooks slipped easily from his memory, the result of a mild traumatic brain injury. A charismatic Marine Corps veteran, Mr. Blanchard, 25, could trace his difficulties to Iraq and the summer of 2005, when a Humvee he was riding in detonated a bomb buried under the sand. The blast claimed half his left leg and mangled his right leg. In short order, he endured numerous surgeries, months in a wheelchair, a titanium prosthesis and intermittent swirls of depression and pessimism. Until, as he tells it, he woke up one morning and decided to count his blessings. College was the first step in his plan to reshape his life. After four years in the Marines, one combat tour in Iraq and a life-changing injury, how tough could it be? ‘I thought, I’m so motivated, so intelligent — I am taking on the school,’ says Mr. Blanchard, who now leads efforts at George Washington and nationally to bridge the gulf between combat and campus. ‘It didn’t happen that way at all. I was so lost.’ Few students make their way to campus directly from an outpatient bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as Mr. Blanchard did. But with the passage this summer of a new G.I. Bill that offers a greatly improved package of education benefits, there will be more. When the bill goes into effect, in August 2009, a boom in post-9/11 veterans is expected at colleges and universities across the nation. And unlike the aftermath of the Vietnam War, when few colleges and universities welcomed military veterans, a growing number are taking steps to ease the difficult transition. Still in its early stages at many institutions, the effort is led in large part by a generation of student veterans who came to view their own struggles to adapt to academic life as dispiriting and unnecessary." The New York Times (11/2, Simon, 1.12M) also offers "a primer" on the new GI bill in the same section.

2.      Therapist Applies Chinese Medicine Techniques To Deal With Trauma.   The Arizona Daily Star (11/1, Alaimo, 119K) reports, "A Tucson-area therapist believes they can, and is offering free treatments for local Iraq vets to test an approach that involves tapping on the acupuncture points used in Chinese medicine. The Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, relatively little known and not widely embraced in traditional therapy circles, has been used to successfully treat crime victims, disaster responders and witnesses to the World Trade Center attacks, according to recent articles in psychology and traumatology journals. It also is being used to treat troops for combat stress at a handful of veterans’ hospitals around the country, though not in Tucson. Mary Stafford of Oro Valley is one of a dozen or so therapists nationwide taking part in a clinical trial of the method to assess its effectiveness on returning veterans. Stafford, who has used the technique for a decade, is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors to teach it to other therapists. ‘This is a counselor’s dream because of how quickly it works and how much you can help people,’ Stafford said. She and other practitioners say the technique takes the sting out of trauma memories, in some cases after years of traditional therapy could not."

3.      Vietnam Veterans Eligible For Diabetes Compensation.   The Treasure Coast Palm (11/1, Hiott) reports, "The occurrence of Type 2, or adult onset, diabetes is increasing, particularly for the Vietnam Era veteran. For veterans of Vietnam, there is a statistically higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes. Because of this, the Veterans Affairs Department declared a link between Vietnam service and the disease. This means that if you have served in Vietnam and now have Type 2 diabetes, you are eligible for service-connected disability compensation and health care connected with this condition through the VA. The term ‘service in Vietnam’ means that at some time between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, you were in Vietnam. Service in the waters offshore or in the air does not qualify you unless during that time you set foot in Vietnam and have some way to prove it. For most veterans who served in Vietnam, their service is clearly shown on their separation papers, the DD-214. If you have qualifying service, you should obtain a statement from your treating doctor that you are currently being treated for the disease. The more detail you provide, the easier it will be for the VA to handle your claim, so try to get a copy of your treatment records for the past year. A successful claim could entitle you to compensation for your diabetes."

4.      VA Finalizing New Records Guidelines.   The St. Petersburg Times (11/1, 335K) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs is finalizing a sweeping new records policy to prevent the destruction of claims documents in benefits offices around the nation. The policy comes as the VA continues to investigate improper shredding at a St. Petersburg veterans benefits office and 56 other regional offices in nearly every state. The policy calls for the appointment of a records control team in Washington, D.C., to oversee the handling of documents. It also would lead to the hiring of records officers in each benefits office to do the same on a local level. And before shredding any document, two VA employees, including a supervisor, would have to sign off, according to a draft of the policy obtained by the St. Petersburg Times on Friday. The VA said it also notified members of Congress on Friday about the pending policy, parts of which the agency said have already been implemented. ‘It’s a strong policy,’ said Jerry Manar, deputy director of national veterans service at Veterans of Foreign Wars in Washington. ‘It’s almost draconian.’ The policy comes after the discovery last month of nearly 500 veterans’ claims documents improperly set aside for shredding in 41 VA benefits offices. The documents, which had no duplicates in VA files, could have been crucial in deciding if an individual veteran received a pension or disability payment."

5.      Veterans’ Brain Injuries Studied.   The Charleston Gazette (11/1, Eyre) reports, "As a manager of rehabilitation centers that treat combat veterans, Robert Voogt knows what happens when the U.S. military ignores soldiers who return from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries. The ‘walking wounded’ wind up in nursing homes, state psychiatric hospitals, homeless shelters and jails, Voogt said. Some take their own lives. ‘We’re going to see a surge in homeless vets if the military doesn’t do something about the troops coming back with brain injuries,’ Voogt said Friday during a blast-brain injury conference in South Charleston. ‘I’m afraid our troops are going to disappear into the streets of our major cities.’ Recent surveys show that about 320,000 soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 14 percent of the total force, have sustained a possible brain injury. Roadside bombs and other ‘improvised explosive devices’ account for most of the injuries, which can range from mild concussions to severe head wounds. Only 43 percent of veterans say their doctors have evaluated them for head injuries." Voogt said the "U.S. military uses antiquated methods to diagnose brain injuries, and discharges soldiers to a Department of Veterans Affairs’ system that’s ill prepared to treat them."

6.      Veterans Help One Of Their Own.   The Janesville Gazette (11/1, Sullivan) reports, "John Henry Williams protected his fellow soldiers in the Vietnam War, but now his comrades are caring for him. Williams, 56, suffered a stroke in May, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. He’s been in the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah since May. … When John learned he needed a wheelchair ramp, his fellow veterans chipped in. A dozen men on Friday built a 17-foot ramp outside his south Janesville home. All the labor and materials were donated."

7.      Honor Flight Delivers Memories For Vets.   The Cincinnati Community Press (11/1, Backscheider) reports, "After more than six decades since the end of World War II, 40 area World War II veterans finally were given the opportunity to visit the war memorial dedicated to their honor and sacrifice. … Cheviot Mayor Samuel Keller started a fundraising campaign last fall to sponsor a trip for local veterans with Honor Flight Tri-State." The Honor Flight trip took place last Wednesday.

8.      Funeral Home Certified For Veterans Services.   The Springfield News Sun (11/1, Roberts) reports, "Jackson, Lytle & Williams Funeral Home, 2425 N. Limestone St., has become Springfield’s only certified Veterans and Family Memorial Care Provider. The VFMC is a national network of certified funeral, burial and cremation providers, and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs."

9.      Veterans Affairs To Hold Flu Shot Blitz On Veterans Day.   The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle (11/1, Conklin) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VA TVHS) wants veterans to take the time on Veterans Day to get their flu vaccination. VA TVHS is providing free flu shots for more than 85,000 veterans registered in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky."

10.    Bath VA To Host Human Services Open House.   The Elmira Star-Gazette (11/1, Mannon) reports, "The Bath VA Medical Center, the Steuben Rural Health Network and the Institute for Human Services 2-1-1 Helpline are offering a Human Services Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 in the leisure room of Building 92 at the Bath VA Medical Center."