Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 2-20-09

1. Filipino Veterans From WWII To Receive Benefit Payments.  
2. CU, UCH Representatives Say They Have No "Official Position" On VA Hospital.  
3. VA Urged To Update VistA.  
4. Vet Hopes To Drum Up Support For "Village" Plan At Montrose.  
5. VA Hospitals Reaching Out To Veterans From Iraq, Afghanistan.  
6. Togus VA Hospital Said To Be Making Improvements.  
7. Valentines For Veterans Event Held In Tennessee.  
8. US Army Base, Hospital Recommit To Wounded Soldiers.  
9. VA Operating National Suicide Prevention Hotline.  
10. Proceeds From Concert Will Benefit Jack C. Montgomery VAMC.

     1.      Filipino Veterans From WWII To Receive Benefit Payments.   In continuing coverage, CQ (2/20, Johnson) says that during World War II, the "Veterans Administration, precursor to the Department of Veterans Affairs, ruled that scouts and soldiers in the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines called into service" by the US military "were eligible for full veterans benefits in recognition" of that service. But it was not until this week, when President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, that a total of $198 million was arranged to be paid out to "roughly 18,000 surviving Filipino veterans." CQ, which notes that several lawmakers, most notably US Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), played a key role in getting the Filipino vets provision included in the act, adds that while VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "has yet to give a formal announcement, indications are the department is already preparing to administer…benefit payments."
           Hundreds Of Vets Line Up Outside Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.   A separate story in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (2/20, Uy) says "hundreds of veterans" in the Philippines "went home Thursday clutching slips of official paper promising them…longed-for cash. The veterans, with their relatives, began flocking" at the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) in Quezon City "as early as 4 a.m." By noon, over "200 of them were waiting to meet with representatives from the United States Veterans Affairs." The PVAO "made sure that only veterans classified as members of the United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE), the Philippine Scouts or Recognized Guerillas went past the entrance hall. Only those belonging to either of the three categories stand to benefit from the US compensation package." The Manila Standard Today (2/20, Pilapil) publishes a similar story.

2.      CU, UCH Representatives Say They Have No "Official Position" On VA Hospital.   The Aurora (CO) Sentinel (2/20, Goldstein) reports, "Top officials" from the University of Colorado (UC) and the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) "are backing away from their original plans for a shared hospital tower with the incoming Veterans Affairs hospital on the former Fitzsimons Army Hospital site. In a letter dated Feb. 17" and "addressed to James Bobick, president of the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, CU President Bruce Benson and UCH President and CEO Bruce Schroffel stress that their organizations have no ‘official position on the type of inpatient VA hospital or facility that may be built at the Fitzsimons site.’" In the letter, Benson and Schroffel also "said that they wouldn’t rule out support for a stand-alone facility." Politicians like US Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) "have supported a stand-alone facility and urged quick progress." The Sentinel notes that in a statement, Leslie Oliver, spokeswoman for Perlmutter, said, "Ed has met with Secretary of VA (Eric) Shinseki, and is hopeful this project will move forward in the near future."

3.      VA Urged To Update VistA.   In his Lincoln (MA) Journal (2/20) column, Rob Stuart-Vail says new Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki "has President Obama’s mandate to ‘build a 21st-century VA.’" At the VA, "the ‘IT’ (Information Technology) you hear so much about these days, drives" VistA, "a system that is more than 20 years old. It’s inefficient, doesn’t meet current day standards in a lot of ways, and the 2009 VA budget has moved toward replacing it." But Stuart-Vail says a better option is to put "some money into…tweaking VistA…and do it in open source code." Of "course, this doesn’t sit well with all those designers and programmers who would love to get the highly lucrative contracts for writing a whole new system for the VA. I think we’re talking billions of dollars here. I can’t afford it – can you?"
4.      Vet Hopes To Drum Up Support For "Village" Plan At Montrose.   In a letter to the editor of the Westchester (NY) Journal News (2/20), Dan Griffin, the executive director of Westchester Chapter 49 of Vietnam Veterans of America, asks readers to please "call, write, fax or e-mail Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, and let him know that" a "’veterans village’ plan" for the VA hospital in Montrose "is what the people want for our veterans. Also, please sign the Internet petition found at: Ipetitions.com/petition/saveourvahospital."

5.      VA Hospitals Reaching Out To Veterans From Iraq, Afghanistan.   The Meadeville (PA) Tribune (2/20, Bywater) reports, "The message from the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center is simple, but its impact on veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, their families and their communities will be far reaching. ‘When you come here we have a program set up for you with people who understand where you’ve been,’ explains Jim Miller, manager of the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Program. In recognition of the fact that each conflict leaves behind a distinct set of physical and mental wounds, and that help is often most easily accepted from people who have served in those conflicts," VA hospitals "like Erie have established OEF/OIF programs and are working to staff them with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."

6.      Togus VA Hospital Said To Be Making Improvements.   On its website, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network (2/19, Sharon) reported, "Changes are underway for Maine veterans who want medical care" at the Togus Veterans Affairs Hospital. The facility’s director, Brian Stiller, "says he’s doing everything he can to improve access, facilities and medical staffing." Meanwhile, US Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) "says more money and support are on the way," and local veterans "say they’re noticing the difference." The MPBN added, "Stiller and Togus hope to build a new residential treatment unit at Togus to handle between 20 and 50 veterans, many of them formerly homeless, with mental health needs. Stiller says it will be important to have" as younger Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seek VA care.

7.      Valentines For Veterans Event Held In Tennessee.   The Newport (TN) Plain Talk (2/20, Abramson) reports, "At the invitation of the Cocke County Democratic Party, the Democratic Women of Cocke County and state Rep. Eddie Yokley, local veterans were treated to a ‘Valentines for Veterans’ program at the Community Center last Saturday." Tennessee Commissioner of Veterans Affairs John Keys, who spoke at the event, reminded those in attendance that America is currently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keys also "said his responsibility for helping returning and older veterans has never been more important than now" because of economic difficulties in the US.

8.      US Army Base, Hospital Recommit To Wounded Soldiers.   McClatchy (2/20, Hill) reports leaders at Fort Lewis Army base and the Madigan Army Medical Center "signed a covenant Wednesday reaffirming their commitment to deliver the best possible care to wounded soldiers." The "signing occurred on the second anniversary of The Washington Post’s publication of the first in a series of stories exposing the shoddy living conditions and bureaucracy facing soldiers receiving

outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center" in Washington, DC. The "fallout from the stories prompted a transformation in how the Army cares for its wounded, including at Madigan," which has "activated its Warrior Transition Unit," one "of about 40" such units that have been "activated throughout the Army" since the Post stories were published.

9.      VA Operating National Suicide Prevention Hotline.   In a related story, the second item in Ron Seman’s syndicated "Veteran’s Beat" column, appearing in the Bedford (OH) Times Register (2/19), pointed out that the "Veterans Health Administration has founded a national suicide prevention hotline to ensure veterans in emotional crisis have free 24/7 access to trained counselors." To operate the hotline, the VA "partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline."
      Agency Is Also Part Of Suicide Prevention Initiative.   The hotline is also mentioned in the second story in Justin Palk’s "Military Intelligence" column in the Frederick News Post (2/19). According to Palk, the VA, "Army and National Institute of Mental Health recently started a five-year initiative to research into the causes of suicide and better means of suicide prevention."

10.    Proceeds From Concert Will Benefit Jack C. Montgomery VAMC.   In continuing coverage, the third story in the Muskogee (OK) Daily Phoenix’s (2/20) "Concerts and Live Singing" column notes a Concert for Heroes will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Proceeds from the event "benefit Voluntary Service" at the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The McAlester (OK) News-Capital (2/19), which published a similar story, said the concert is being held "in honor of National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week."
      Fort Leavenworth Soldiers Visit Hospitalized Vets.   The Fort Leavenworth (KS) Lamp (2/20, Bower) reports, "Although service members from Fort Leavenworth celebrated ‘Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week’ by visiting with local hospitalized veterans" at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Veterans Affairs Medical Center on February 11th , "most agreed it was a tradition that should continue beyond one week." The Lamp notes that the hospital "includes the Community Living Center, a modernized nursing home." Adrian Bankowski, "recreation therapist, said the nursing home had gone through a recent cultural transformation to provide a more homelike atmosphere for the veterans."
      Health Center In Arkansas Participates In National Salute Program.   Local hospitalized veterans recognized at National Salute. The Sherwood (AK) Voice (2/20, Rayburn) reports, "Honoring hospitalized veterans was the theme" recently "when the Eugene J. Towbin Health Center in North Little Rock hosted a local version of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans," an annual VA program that "began in 1978." During the program, "VA volunteer service staff plan and execute local events and activities at VA medical centers, including the one in North Little Rock. ‘The National Salute is observed annually during the week of Valentine’s Day, a day of caring and sharing which underscore the Salute’s expression of honor and appreciation to inpatient and outpatient veterans,’ said Doug Bowers, chief of the VA’s Volunteer Service program."

      Various Groups Contribute To Salute Activities In Georgia.   Georgia’s Fort Gordon Signal (2/20) reports, "Churches, school groups and veterans organizations showed their support for area veterans during last week’s observance of the VA’s National Salute to Veterans. For years, the second week of February" has been "known as the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, but the name was changed this year to reflect the VA’s care to all veterans, according to Laura Balun, director of Voluntary Services for the VA, in her February newsletter." The Signal adds, "At Augusta’s two VA hospitals, there were activities each day of the week" devoted to the Salute.
      Valentines Distributed At VA Facilities.   In continuing coverage, the Kalona (IA) News (2/20, Fortune-Welsh) reports Ken Smalley "received more than just a check-up when he arrived for his scheduled appointment" last Friday at the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System. He "and his wife…also received several handmade valentines from Highland Elementary 5th grade students as they distributed valentines made by their classmates from Riverside and Ainsworth Elementary Schools to veterans, their spouses and families, and VA staff." Jane Kent, the Highland area guidance counselor, "arranged the visit" to the VA hospital "to assist with their Valentines for Veterans campaign, through the VA’s Volunteer Services Office. Both Riverside and Ainsworth schools have participated in the program for several years."
      The Garner (NC) News (2/20) reports, "Members of Isaac Hunter’s Tavern Society, Children of the American Revolution made 131 Valentines for veterans" at the Durham VA Hospital in North Carolina. Members "also sent handmade Veteran’s Day cards, Christmas cards and Christmas stockings along with a cash donation for comfort items for the veterans at the hospital."