Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 2-11-09

1. Judge Approves $20 Million VA Lawsuit Settlement.  
2. County In California Operating Special Jail For Vets.  
3. Study Touts Effectiveness Of Artificial Arm Procedure.  
4. Gates Orders Review Of Ban On Military Coffin Photos.  
5. VA Hospitals Seek Assistance In Honoring Vets.  
6. Senate Stimulus Package Includes Compensation For Filipino Vets.  
7. Women Veterans Conference To Be Held In Guam.  
8. Committee Approves Santa Fe National Cemetery Land Donation Resolution.  
9. House Bill Would Increase VA Medical Salaries"  
10. Veterans Commission Praised For Opposing Pennsylvania School Closure.

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HAVE YOU HEARD?   Our returning OEF/OIF service members have a newly enhanced VA Web site just for them. Launched the week of the Presidential inauguration at http://www.oefoif.va.gov,  the returning service member’s site offers tailored information on VA services and programs, as well as Internet-savvy video features, stories… even a blog. Hello, Web 2.0! 

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1.      Judge Approves $20 Million VA Lawsuit Settlement.   In continuing coverage, the AP (2/11, Yen) reports, "A federal judge on Tuesday approved the government’s plans to pay a total of $20 million to veterans exposed to possible identity theft in 2006, calling it a welcome deal to settle lawsuits after" the theft of a Veterans Affairs employee’s laptop. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), "who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said the…theft offers an important lesson in ensuring the government upholds its promise to protect veterans’ data privacy." Meanwhile, new VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "has said he wants to push for greater use of electronic data as a way to reduce errors in medical care and speed processing of claims."
      The theft of the VA employee’s laptop was also covered by the New York Times (2/11, Kirk), at the end of a story noting, "Personal data belonging to more than 45,000 employees and retirees" of the US Federal Aviation Administration "was stolen after hackers broke into a computer server, the agency said Monday."

2.      County In California Operating Special Jail For Vets.   The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (2/10, Kaplan) reported, "Since July, the county has given veterans at Santa Clara County’s Elmwood jail the option of living in" one of the "nation’s few jail units solely for incarcerated" vets, as well as "enrolling in specialized classes to tackle their substance abuse and anger management problems. About 117 veterans so far have participated in what the jail terms the VETS program, or Veterans Educated to Succeed." Along with a special court, the "jail unit is one of two recent efforts in Santa Clara County to reach out to veterans in the criminal justice system." The News added, "Ten percent of the nation’s incarcerated population is now made up of veterans, including 3 percent from the current conflicts. But corrections officials are braced for more battle-scarred vets to break the law, said Jim McGuire, manager of the Veteran Administration’s Healthcare for Re-entry Veterans program."

3.      Study Touts Effectiveness Of Artificial Arm Procedure.   In a front page story, the New York Times (2/11, A1, Belluck) says a new procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation "is attracting increasing attention because it allows people to move prosthetic arms more automatically than ever before, simply by using rewired nerves and their brains." Researchers "reported Tuesday in the online edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association that" with the technique, it is now "possible to perform 10 hand, wrist and elbow movements, a big improvement over the typical prosthetic repertoire of bending the elbow, turning the wrist, and opening and closing the hand." The reinnervation method, which "has been performed on…eight soldiers injured in Iraq or Afghanistan," is "part of a recent explosion of new ideas and techniques being explored as scientists try to help people better compensate for missing limbs or paralysis. The drive is being fueled" in part "by increasing amputations from…military injuries."
      HealthDay (2/11, Dotinga) reports, "Dr. Gerald E. Loeb, director of the University of Southern California’s Medical Device Development Facility, was impressed by the study results but cautioned that more work is needed. ‘The Luke Skywalker [prosthetic] hand idea that’s been in science fiction will require a lot of technology to come together,’ said Loeb, who wrote a commentary in the journal accompanying the study." Loeb added, "We’re starting to see substantial advances in several of the pieces, but it’s going to be a very long process to integrate these pieces into products for patients." WebMD (2/11, Wilbert) and MedPage Today (2/11, Gever) publish similar stories. 

4.      Gates Orders Review Of Ban On Military Coffin Photos.   In continuing coverage, the AP (2/11, Jakes) says that on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates "ordered a review…of a Pentagon policy banning media from taking pictures of flag-draped coffins of military dead, signaling he was open to overturning the policy to better honor fallen soldiers." Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey "have called on President Barack Obama to" do just that, and on Monday, Obama "told reporters…he was reviewing the ban."
      The Washington Post (2/11, A8, Tyson) notes Gates "asked for the review after President Obama said Monday that the White House is looking into the policy," which critics "view…as a means for blocking images that underscore the human cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
      The New York Times (2/11, Seelye) reports, "The military has said the policy," which "was put into place in 1991 during the first Gulf war," is "meant to protect the privacy of the families of the dead soldiers and maintain dignity. But skeptics, who include some families as well as opponents of the war in Iraq, say that the bodies in the returning coffins are not publicly identified, so privacy is not an issue, and that barring photographers is a political maneuver meant to sanitize the war."

5.      VA Hospitals Seek Assistance In Honoring Vets.   In continuing coverage, the Hot Springs (SD) Star (2/11) says the Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Care System "will be conducting various activities in celebration of the 31st annual National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, Feb 8-14." Gwen Schroeder, the VA Black Hills Chief of Voluntary Service and Associate Director for Patient Care Services, commented on the activities, saying her organization welcomes "people of all ages to join us as we bring Valentine cheer to our patients." Schroeder also "said she hopes National Salute visitors will learn more about the important roles volunteers play at VA Black Hills throughout the year and perhaps pursue volunteer opportunities themselves."
      The Chillicothe (OH) Gazette (2/10) reported, "Local groups or individuals interested in playing a role in saluting injured veterans are being sought to take part in National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week activities" at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. The "national program was established 31 years ago to pay tribute to American veterans who have found themselves hospitalized." This year, actor James Reynolds "has been selected the national chairman of this year’s salute. As such, he will visit select VA medical centers during the week and promote VA programs throughout the year."
      According to the Los Angeles Daily News (2/10, Andres), Reynolds, "who for years has portrayed the character Abe Carver, the chief law enforcement officer on NBC’s daytime" soap opera, "served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War years." The Daily News added, "Locally, the Sepulveda VA in North Hills, the Lancaster VA clinic and the Westwood VA are the closest volunteering options for San Fernando Valley residents." The Indiana (PA) Gazette (2/10) published the same article.
      The KFBB-TV Great Fall, MT (2/10) website says the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week "purposely coincides with Valentine’s Day to emphasize the importance of caring for…veterans." In a letter to the editor of the Coatesville (PA) Daily Local News (2/10), Coatesville VAMC Director Gary W. Devansky stressed this importance before letting readers know that they can stop by the Coatesville facility this week "to visit with our heroes and remind them that their sacrifices are not forgotten."

      Similarly, in a Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle (2/11) op-ed, veteran Stacey Hopwood writes, "Taking part in the National Salute is a great way to find out about the many volunteer opportunities within" the VA, which "is always in need of citizens willing to donate their time and energy."
      Proclamation, Music Part Of Event In Oklahoma.   The Muskogee (OK) Phoenix (2/10, Purtell) said the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center marked the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week during a Monday event that "included a proclamation from Vice Mayor Robert Perkins and music by the Swon Brothers." The event was also "tied to the upcoming Concert for Heroes," which is scheduled "to be held later this month at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame."
      Food Served At VA Clinic In Georgia.   The Gainesville (FL) Times (2/10, Gill) reported, "Veterans groups served up coffee and cookies Monday morning for men and women waiting for medical services" at the US Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Oakwood, Georgia, "as part of National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week."
      Free Phone Calls To Be Provided To Vets At Togus VAMC.   The Portland (ME) Press Herald (2/10, Creamer) noted that US Cellular "will provide free phone calls for veterans at the Togus VA Medical Center from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday as part of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans." This "is the eighth year" the company has done so.

6.      Senate Stimulus Package Includes Compensation For Filipino Vets.   In continuing coverage, the San Jose (CA) Mercury News (2/11, McLaughlin) reports, "The stimulus bill approved" by the US Senate "on Monday night authorized the release of $198 million" to pay for pensions to be provided to approximately "18,000 Filipino vets who fought" in World War II "under the American flag." However, because "they have been disappointed before," Filipino vets "say they won’t celebrate until the allocation survives the committee now trying to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the $838.2 billion stimulus bill. But key representatives say they feel confident that the vets’ benefits will be in the final version of the bill, which President Barack Obama hopes to sign within days."
      Akaka Criticized For Including Filipino Vets Bill In Stimulus Package.   In a related story, the last item in Bruce Coulter’s syndicated GateHouse Media (2/11) column notes that US Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, added the bill which would provide World War II Filipino vets with pensions to the stimulus package being considered in Congress. Coulter agrees that the pensions should be provided, but says the stimulus package "is not the place for this legislation."

7.      Women Veterans Conference To Be Held In Guam.   Guam’s Pacific Daily News (2/11) reports, "The third Women Veterans Conference will be held March 24 at the Guam Marriott Resort & Spa in Tumon. The conference will recognize the numerous contributions women have made to the United States through enlistment in the armed forces, according to a press release" from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Attendees "will receive information on benefits and other resources, and discuss issues facing women veterans, the release states."

8.      Committee Approves Santa Fe National Cemetery Land Donation Resolution.   The Santa Fe New Mexican (2/10, Grimm) reported, "The city of Santa Fe would still donate land to the Santa Fe National Cemetery under a new resolution before the City Council, but a ridgeline that separates" the facility "from the adjacent neighborhood would be removed from the deal. Councilors on the Public Works Committee on Monday night unanimously recommended approval of a resolution to move the plan ahead." Over "25 people attended a public hearing to advocate for the city to turn over about 5 acres of land it promised to the cemetery about three years ago." The resolution "would require approval by the full City Council before it can be implemented."

9.      House Bill Would Increase VA Medical Salaries.   Federal Daily (2/11) says US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced a bill Monday "that would raise salaries for nurses, physicians, dentists and executives who work" for the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system. The "Veterans’ Medical Personnel Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009…is the House companion bill to S. 252, introduced in the Senate" by US Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI). In "addition to hiking salaries, the bill would streamline pay systems, provide incentives to retired employees to return to the VA system by removing annuity and salary offsets, and boost education benefits for new VA hires and current staff." The bill would also "clarify VA regulations regarding work schedules and overtime" and "make it easier for VA to hire and retain part-time nurses."

10.    Veterans Commission Praised For Opposing Pennsylvania School Closure.   In continuing coverage, the Chambersburg (PA) Public Opinion (2/10) noted that last week, the State Veterans Commission "agreed…to send a letter to the governor and to the General Assembly opposing the elimination of funding" to the Scotland School for Veterans’ Children. And on Monday, Pennsylvania State Rep. Russ Fairchild, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, "applauded commission members for their stance" on the school, which "is run by the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs."