Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 10-14-09

What’s Inside Today’s Local News for Veterans

1. VA Planning To Give Presumptive Status To More Vets Exposed To Agent Orange. 
2. US Military, VA Reaching Out To Soldiers Potentially Exposed To Chemical In Iraq. 
3. Petzel Seen As VA’s New Undersecretary For Health. 
4. "Hispanic Business" Lists Two VA Officials Among "Top 100" D.C. Power Brokers. 
5. More Vets Returning To School In Oregon, Rest Of Country. 
6. Dorn VAMC Halts Child Visits Amid Flu. 
7. Former VA Nurse’s Aide Sentenced For Stealing From Vets. 
8. VA Awards Purchased Healthcare Claims Processing Contract To DSS. 
9. White House Official Criticizes Fox News, Takes Issue With Duckworth Fact Check.  
10. Veterans Burial Bill Now Law In California.

 1.      VA Planning To Give Presumptive Status To More Vets Exposed To Agent Orange.  In continuing coverage, the AP (10/14) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department said Tuesday it plans to make it easier for Vietnam veterans exposed to the agent orange herbicide who suffer from certain medical conditions to qualify for VA benefits. The conditions are B cell leukemias, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease," and "under the VA’s proposal," veterans suffering from such conditions "would have presumptive status, which would make it easier to obtain benefits. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki made the decision based on findings in a study by the Institute of Medicine, the VA said." The final story in the Washington Post‘s (10/14) "Nation Digest" column also ran the AP story.
      Meanwhile, in its online edition, Stars And Stripes (10/13, Shane) noted, "In a statement," Shinseki "said the additions bring to 15 the number of ‘presumed’ sicknesses linked to Agent Orange. Others include prostate cancer and Hodgkin’s disease." Meanwhile, in a separate "statement, Veterans of Foreign Wars national commander Thomas Tradewell Sr., a Vietnam veteran, called the additions a significant change and praised Shinseki for the move. ‘The VA is saying ‘we believe you,’ which will enable more veterans to receive the healthcare and benefits they earned and deserve,’ he said."
      Florida’s Treasure Coast Palm (10/14, Crankshaw) reports, "Veterans of the Vietnam War and duty along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea may now file for medical help for three new diseases that have been determined to be attributable to Agent Orange. The chemical defoliant," which was "used to deny enemy forces ground cover," has "now been connected to some 15 illness by the Department of Veterans Affairs. ‘This is huge news for our Treasure Coast veterans,’ said John Haddox, Martin County Veterans Service officer on Tuesday." The second item in Federal News Radio (10/13) website’s "Daily Debrief" also noted the VA’s announcement, as did various local TV stations in different parts of the country, including WICS-TV Champaign, IL (10/13, 10:09 p.m. CT) and WSB-TV Atlanta, GA (10/13, 6:41 p.m. ET). 

2.      US Military, VA Reaching Out To Soldiers Potentially Exposed To Chemical In Iraq.  In continuing coverage, the AP (10/14, Hefling) reports, "Six years after nearly 1,200" US soldiers "in Iraq were potentially exposed" to sodium dichromate, a "sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer," the "military and Veterans Affairs Department have been tracking them down and asking them to get a medical exam." The "military is also asking the soldiers potentially exposed to enroll in a registry that is tracking such health problems, according to a Sept. 19 letter sent by then-Army Secretary Pete Geren" to US Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND). The letter "spells out the efforts to reach the troops," who "were protecting or in the area of workers hired by a subsidiary of the contractor, KBR Inc., based in Houston, to rebuild the Iraqi water treatment plant Qarmat Ali near Basra, Iraq." Among "those potentially exposed were about 600 members of the National Guard, primarily from West Virginia, Oregon, South Carolina and Indiana, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told Dorgan in a separate letter dated Oct. 8. Shinseki said veterans potentially exposed will receive an annual exam, including a chest radiograph every five years." The AP adds, "KBR, which is facing at least five pending related lawsuits, denies wrongdoing."
      In a related editorial, the Fort Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette (10/14) says, "Sadly, too many times the government has been too slow to respond to the real illnesses that sickened current and former soldiers, much less to eliminate the conditions that caused them." But with the water treatment plant situation, the VA "seems to be at least providing information to soldiers." 

3.      Petzel Seen As VA’s New Undersecretary For Health.  In continuing coverage, Bob Brewin said in his "What’s Brewin’" blog for NextGov (10/13) that by "default, it sure looks like Dr. Robert (Randy) Petzel, director of the Veterans Affairs Department’s Midwest Health Care Network, has all but landed the job as VA’s new undersecretary for health." The agency "had eyed three candidates" for the job: "Petzel; St. Louis hospital executive William Schoenhard; and Dr. John R. Feussner, chairman of the Medicine Department at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston." Schoenhard, however, was "tapped…to serve as deputy undersecretary for health for operations and management, and on Oct. 9, Feussner sent VA Secretary Eric Shinseki a letter saying he was no longer interested in the top doc job. In that letter," Feussner "asked he not be considered for the job because during the past few years Veterans Health Administration management functions — such as information technology facilities planning and management and human resources — have become centralized in the secretary’s office." So, according to Brewin, that "leaves Petzel the last man standing. I expect an official announcement of his appointment by this month." 

4.      "Hispanic Business" Lists Two VA Officials Among "Top 100" D.C. Power Brokers.  In its October issue, Hispanic Business (10/13) magazine lists its 2009 "Top 100" Influential D.C. Power Brokers. Included in that list is Jose Riojas, the Assistant Secretary for Operations, Security and Preparedness at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and John Sepulveda, the agency’s Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration. According to the magazine, Riojas directs US VA "Emergency Management, Security, and Law Enforcement Programs," while Sepulveda "serves as principal advisor to the Secretary, executive staff and human resources managers in labor relations, diversity management and equal employment opportunity." 

5.      More Vets Returning To School In Oregon, Rest Of Country.  In continuing coverage, the Salem (OR) Statesman Journal (10/12, Daley) reported, "Increased benefits are inspiring more veterans to return to school, both locally and across the nation." The US Department of Veterans Affairs "anticipates as many as 440,000 students will participate under the new GI Bill in fiscal year 2010, compared with 305,000 participants with the old Montgomery Bill in fiscal year 2009, said Laurie Tranter, a spokeswoman" for the agency. The "new bill’s popularity," however, "has caused some delays. Shortly after applying, veterans were to receive their funding monthly. ‘What happened was the VA was overwhelmed,’" said "Tom Mann, public information manager" for the Oregon VA. But the Statesman Journal also pointed out that "make up for the lag time, the VA allowed all eligible students who applied to have a $3,000 emergency payment, an amount that will be cut from the students’ upcoming benefits. As of last Thursday, the Portland regional office had issued 293 emergency payments, Tranter said."
      The Deseret (UT) Morning News (10/12, Leonard), meanwhile, said John Hadfield, a 37-year-old graduate student "working on a Master’s of Public Administration degree at the University of Utah, is one of many military veterans who have come to rely on the monthly payment that the new Post-9/11 GI Bill provides. However, with the increasing number of veterans, due to ongoing situations across the globe, paperwork is piling up at government sites and veterans aren’t getting their money on time. Many veterans, already well into the school year, are still waiting" for the Federal "government to process payment for their educational benefits, but to alleviate financial issues, regional offices have received a go-ahead to issue emergency benefit checks. As of Friday," the VA regional office "in Salt Lake City has issued 193 checks for up to $3,000 to students who have applied for Post-9/11 educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment."
      Paper Praises VA Response To GI Bill "Crisis," Expresses Concern About Disability Claims Backlog.  In a related editorial, the Houston Chronicle (10/14) says Shinseki "responded smartly to the crisis, quickly authorizing millions of dollars in emergency funds…which became available Oct. 2 at the VA’s 57 regional offices and online. The Houston office responded well to the emergency action (as did many others), staying open later than usual, rearranging furniture to accommodate crowds and offering bottled water." The VA, however, "has many other problems that are not so easily fixed, including a backlog of almost one million disability claims, some over a year old, waiting to be processed. … The Associated Press quoted Shinseki as saying that he and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are working to create a unified electronic record system to eliminate that problem," but this "raises the question of why such a momentous issue – getting benefits to veterans disabled in the course of fighting their country’s wars – is only now being addressed."
      VA’s PTSD Proposal Sparks Debate.  The AP (10/14, Hefling) reports, "Female soldiers and others who served behind front lines have long complained about how hard it is to prove their combat experience when applying for disability" due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But that "could soon change," because the Veterans Affairs Department "has proposed reducing the paperwork required for veterans to show their experience caused combat-related stress. Even just the fear of hostile action would be sufficient." The agency, which is "accepting comment" on the proposal until October 23rd, "says the change would streamline claims and recognize the ‘inherently stressful nature’ of war service," but US Rep. John Hall (D-NY), "who chairs a subcommittee with oversight over the disability claims system, said he’s concerned that the proposed rule isn’t comprehensive enough." At a recent "hearing…on the issue," Hall "said he thinks that in addition to fear, if veterans could show feelings of helplessness or horror while at war caused their PTSD, they should also be eligible under the new rule. Bradley G. Mayes, director of compensation and pension service at the Veterans Benefits Administration, who attended the hearing, said the VA is considering all meaningful comments." 

6.      Dorn VAMC Halts Child Visits Amid Flu.  The AP (10/14) reports, "People who bring children to a South Carolina veteran’s hospital and its seven clinics around the state are being asked to stay out because of the risk of spreading the flu." On Tuesday, officials at Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in Columbia said…they first began restricting children under 18 in September. They say they must step up enforcement of the restriction because people are still bringing children with them. Volunteers at the doors are asking people to make another appointment," and officials "say the step protects both the children and vulnerable patients." Officials "at the Ralph A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston say they have no similar restriction." 

7.      Former VA Nurse’s Aide Sentenced For Stealing From Vets.  The Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail (10/14) reports 39-year-old Susan A. Watts, a "nurse’s aide who was employed" at the Veterans Affairs hospital near Martinsburg, West Virginia, "was sentenced recently to two years and six months in prison for stealing more than $50,000 belonging to two veterans receiving care at the facility." Watts, a resident of Martinsburg, "was ordered to pay $54,353.79 in restitution to the estate of one victim and $1,812.10 to a second victim, according to an announcement last week by acting US Attorney Betsy C. Jividen’s office." Chief Judge John P. Bailey "ordered Watts on Sept. 29 to also serve three years of supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber and investigated by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General in conjunction with the Martinsburg VA Medical Center’s police department, according to Jividen’s office." Meanwhile, in a "separate case also investigated by the inspector general’s office and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s police department, Jividen’s office announced that Carl D. Helton, 54, of Martinsburg was sentenced to nine years and one month in prison for his conviction on one count of possession of child pornography." 

8.      VA Awards Purchased Healthcare Claims Processing Contract To DSS.  Government Health IT (10/14, Buxbaum) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a contract potentially worth $60 million" to Document Storage Systems Inc. (DSS) "to help process claims for purchased healthcare," which is "healthcare obtained from commercial providers outside the VA healthcare system." After noting that DSS "specializes in developing clinical
and administrative programs for VistA, the VA’s electronic medical record system and develops VistA interfaces with commercial vendors," Government Health IT adds, "DSS worked with Complete Medical Systems, MEGAS, Unicor Medical, and VistA Revenue Solutions to create the solution it calls the Fee Basis Claims System." 

9.      White House Official Criticizes Fox News, Takes Issue With Duckworth Fact Check.  In his "Political Punch" blog, ABC News‘(10/13) senior White House correspondent, Jake Tapper, wrote, "It turns out last month’s decision by the White House to leave out Fox News Sunday" when the President "made the rounds of Sunday shows was part of a larger campaign launched against the cable news network. White House communications director Anita Dunn told TIME that FNC is ‘opinion journalism masquerading as news,’ and went on CNN‘s ‘Reliable Sources’ earlier this week to talk more about the White House’s view of the cable news network." During that appearance, Dunn "took issue with Fox News Channel conducting a ‘fact check’ of assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth a week after her appearance on the show."  

10.    Veterans Burial Bill Now Law In California.  In continuing coverage, the Contra Costa (CA) Times (10/13) reported, "Sen. Sam Aanestad’s bill to assist the families of veterans is now law." This past weekend, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "signed the Grass Valley Republican’s SB 469," which "will allow the California Department of Veterans Affairs to waive the $500 required for the burial of qualified veterans’ dependents at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery…and other state-run veterans cemeteries when the family or estate does have the resources to pay the fee. Funding for the measure will be covered by private donations." The sixth item in the Redding (CA) Record Searchlight‘s (10/14) "North state in brief" column also notes that the bill was signed by Schwarzenegger.