Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 12-08-08

1. Government Suing Insurance Company For Failure To Pay For Veteran’s Care.  
2. New Cemetery To Make Burials, Visits Easier For Families.   
3. News Veterans, Those Serving Can Use.    
4. Sec. Peake Announces New Out-Patient Clinics.  
5. US Army Said To Be Taking Steps To Prevent Soldier Suicides.  
6. Scientists Work To Develop Improved Prosthetics.  
7. DoD-VA Records Transfer Improvements Expected To Ease Transition.  
8. VA Hospital Workers Simulate Disaster Response.  
9. Local VA To Replace Healthcare Provider.  
10. New Hampshire Medical Center To Open End-Of-Life Care Unit.  

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HAVE YOU HEARD?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated this week, December 8-14, 2008, as National Influenza Vaccination Week. The purpose is to highlight the importance of continuing influenza (flu) vaccination, as well as foster greater use of flu vaccine through the months of November, December and beyond. To emphasize the importance of vaccinating special populations with awareness activities, CDC has designated: Tuesday, December 9, Children’s Vaccination Day; Thursday, December 11, Seniors Vaccination Day; and Friday, December 12, Health Care Workers Vaccination Day. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw/index.htm for more information on National Influenza Vaccination Week. For additional CDC flu resources, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/flugallery/index.htm#nivw. 

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1.      Government Suing Insurance Company For Failure To Pay For Veteran’s Care.   The Sioux Falls Argus Leader (12/7) reports, "The US government sued an insurance company last week in federal court, alleging it refused to reimburse a Veterans Affairs hospital for a Custer veteran’s care." The veteran was injured in an automobile collision, and "was treated for his injuries during the next 11 days at the VA Hospital in Fort Meade. According to the complaint, American Family Insurance Group has refused to pay the government for [the veteran’s] stay, maintaining that ‘the care and treatment provided…was not proximately related to the motor vehicle accident.’"

2.      New Cemetery To Make Burials, Visits Easier For Families.   The Fresno Bee (12/7, Jimenez) reports, "A new national cemetery is coming to Kern County, and local veterans say having a site closer to home will make it easier for family members to attend burials and to visit. A groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday Pearl Harbor Day will commemorate the Bakersfield National Cemetery," a 500-acre site "scheduled to open in summer 2009, [which] will make national cemetery burials more readily available for area veterans, especially those in the southern San Joaquin Valley."

3.      News Veterans, Those Serving Can Use.   In his weekly column, published by the Everett (WA) Herald (12/7, Philpott), Tom Philpott provides "a roundup of important news items affecting a lot of military people or veterans." According to Philpott, "more service members might now qualify for Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance following a Veterans Affairs review of operations and complaints that eligibility qualifications were too restrictive." He also notes that the VA raised the reimbursement rate for veterans travelling to receive care.

4.      Sec. Peake Announces New Out-Patient Clinics.   The Marion (IL) Daily Republican (12/7, Wilkins) reports, "Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James Peake announced that a community-based outpatient clinic will be opening in Carbondale in mid-2009. The new clinic will offer primary care, mental health, laboratory and telehealth services and will make referrals for other medical services. The clinic will employ 16 people." The Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot (12/7, Sage) also reports on the announcement of 31 new outpatient clinics, noting that two will be located in North Carolina.
      New Hampshire Congressman Questions Clinic Decision.   The Brattleboro (VT) Reformer (12/7, Weiss-Tisman) reports, "As details are emerging about a veterans health clinic that has been proposed for Brattleboro, a New Hampshire Congressman is asking for a full accounting of how the decision was made, and has vowed to keep fighting to have the clinic located across the Connecticut River." In a letter to Sec. Peake, Rep. Paul Hodes argues that "New Hampshire is the only state in the nation without a full service veterans hospital," and while "the Brattleboro clinic will be an improvement for vets in the Monadnock region, a clinic in Keene would better serve other regions of New Hampshire."

5.      US Army Said To Be Taking Steps To Prevent Soldier Suicides.   The National Journal (12/6, Miller) reported, "The number, and rate, of Army suicides have risen almost every year since American troops started deploying to Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. According to a recent Army report, 117 soldiers committed suicide in 2007, the highest number in more than 25 years." The Army "is aware of the problem it faces" and "is funding a $50 million epidemiological study of soldier suicide. The National Institute of Mental Health will conduct the study in partnership with the Army and a selected group of outside investigators. The project, which researchers say is unprecedented in size and scope, will examine the frequency and distribution of suicides across various Army subgroups, and scrutinize the Army’s extensive health and personnel files to identify risk factors and treatments, said Robert Heinssen, a senior researcher at NIMH who helped draft the memorandum of agreement with the Army."

6.      Scientists Work To Develop Improved Prosthetics.   Newsweek (12/7, Ellison) reports on efforts to design more advanced prosthetics for disabled service members. At a meeting with the inventor of the Segway, one DoD official said, "At the end of the Civil War, we gave [amputees] a hook on a stick. Now we give them a hook at the end of a plastic tub." The official asked the inventor, Dean Kamen, to work on a more advanced solution, and Kamen’s prototype may be available for use "within the year." Newsweek also notes that "restoring functional limbs isn’t just a question of compassion. Some amputees want to remain in service, and the military can use them."

7.      DoD-VA Records Transfer Improvements Expected To Ease Transition.   The Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise (12/7, Muckenfuss) reports, "Military personnel moving from active duty to veteran status should find a smoother transition in terms of health care now that the medical computer systems of the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are able to communicate. The announcement of the improved flow of information was made last week by the Department of Defense. Officials say it is a major step in overcoming a longtime obstacle to comprehensive care between the two agencies."

8.      VA Hospital Workers Simulate Disaster Response.   The Amarillo Globe News (12/7, Pittman) reports, "On Friday, VA hospital workers simulated their response to a potentially catastrophic event a high-explosive detonation at the Pantex Plant that could contaminate workers with radioactive materials." According to the Globe News, "the Departments of energy and veterans affairs have an agreement to send those injured from radiation to the VA hospital. The hospital conducts such training about once a year."

9.      Local VA To Replace Healthcare Provider.   The Ventura County (CA) Star (12/7, Kisken) reports, "In a move sparking complaints from healthcare providers and patients, the US Department of Veterans Affairs appears ready to end its relationship with the four-clinic system that provides care for veterans in Ventura County. Officials of the clinics operated by Community Memorial Health Systems say they were told they’ve been disqualified from competing for a new contract because some of their facilities lack separate waiting rooms and entrances for veterans." But according to the Star, "some veterans worry the change will affect their care and say they have no problem waiting with other patients if it means clinics in the cities where they live."

10.    New Hampshire Medical Center To Open End-Of-Life Care Unit.   The AP (12/7) reports, "The VA Medical Center in Manchester will open a new unit specializing in end-of-life care by late summer." The project "includes $786,000 in federal funding to cover 15 new employees. VA spokesman Jim Thompson says there are only three other such units in New England for veterans.