Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

Veterans News from Around the Country

1.      Vet’s Lawyer Asks Supreme Court To Allow Claims Deadline Leniency. In continuing coverage, USA Today (12/7, Biskupic, 1.83M) notes that the lawyer for Korean War veteran David Henderson, “who suffered from schizophrenia and was barred from appealing a denial of benefits because he missed” a 120-day filing deadline, on Monday “urged the Supreme Court to allow vets some leniency” and rule that lower-court judges may bend the deadline for some wounded vets. However, “Justice Department lawyer Eric Miller, arguing on behalf of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, urged the high court to rule that the deadline in law is hard and fast.” Justices hearing the case, “by turns, expressed skepticism for granting an exception yet voiced concerns about veterans shut out of the system, arguably through no fault of their own.” A blog for USA Today (12/7, Jackson, 1.83M) called “The Oval” says, “Veterans’ benefits are a big issue for President Obama, so aides will keep an eye” on the Henderson case.
     The New York Times (12/7, A18, Liptak, 1.01M), meanwhile, points out that on Monday, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer “wanted to know whether it was possible that Congress intended to deny help to veterans who missed filing deadlines because of the very disabilities for which they sought help.” Miller told the court that “‘just about everybody’ agreed…some late filings would be allowed in a perfect world – but not under the current law. Indeed, he said, the Department of Veterans Affairs has asked Congress to add flexibility to the system.”
     According to the Washington Post (12/7, Barnes, 605K), the “Supreme Court’s sympathies collided with its precedent Monday.” In “order to help Henderson, the court might have to abandon a decision it made” in 2007, when a “slim majority said Keith Bowles, a convicted murderer, could not pursue his appeal because he had filed it two days late.”
     In a story run by at least 50 publications, the AP (12/7) reports, “Congress meant for the appeals system to be helpful to veterans, said Lisa S. Blatt, Henderson’s lawyer. ‘If your very disability prevents you from filing or you have been abused by the VA – the VA bureaucracy – you were out of luck and out of court,’ she said of the appeals system.” But Miller “pointed to other appeals systems that do not grant extensions even for worthy reasons.”

 2.      Wisconsin VA Board To Consider Search For New Secretary. According to the AP (12/7), the Wisconsin “Department of Veterans Affairs’ board will consider looking for a new secretary to lead the troubled agency. Two former…employees” of the agency “have accused Secretary Ken Black of forcing them out as part of his plan to purge the agency of old white men,” while former “Secretary John Scocos has filed a lawsuit against” the agency, “arguing the board improperly fired him last year.” The AP adds, “The board is set to consider launching a national search at its meeting Friday in Union Grove.”
     The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (12/7, Marley, 206K) notes, “Black did not immediately return a call” about the board’s plans. Meanwhile, “board chairman Daniel Naylor would not say if Black is planning on leaving on his own.” The Madison-based Wisconsin State Journal (12/7, Verburg, 97K) points out that “two members of the veterans board said that when the board hired Black last year, there was an understanding that eventually a national search would be conducted.” WKOW-TV (12/6, 10:07 p.m. CT) and WMSN-TV Madison, WI (12/6, 9:06 p.m. CT), both based in Madison, Wisconsin, also aired reports on this story.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Much of what our country and our lives are like today was shaped by the events that occurred 69 years ago during a quiet Sunday morning on Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At 7:55 a.m., the first wave of 183 Japanese planes raced across the mountains north of Pearl Harbor to begin bombing, strafing, and torpedoing the bulk of the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored in the bay.

At 8:45 a.m., a second wave of 170 planes intensified the attack. The assault claimed 2,403 American lives and left more than a thousand others wounded. When the last of the Japanese planes turned out to sea, the US Pacific fleet was left crippled. America responded in what has become typical US fashion – by uniting and then taking the fight to the enemy.

About 16 million fighting Americans would go on to drive the Japanese and Germans into surrender and end a war that reached every corner the globe. December 7 changed the course of our history and altered America and the rest of the world forever.

About 60,000 members of the military survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Today, a little more than 3,000 of those survivors remain with us as a living link that momentous event that spawned the greatest generation. These stalwart Pearl Harbor survivors are living examples of the great courage and resolve that continues to define those who served our Nation – Veterans of yesterday and our active duty force today. We salute their valor and sacrifice, and we honor their fighting spirit – a spirit that has motivated millions of Americans to follow their lead and live by their example.

Every December 7th, our nation remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor that occurred 69 years ago, the thousands of lives lost and those who continued the fight to victory. Read the story of one surviving Pearl Harbor Veteran at VA’s blog VAntage Point.

3.      Bill Passed In Senate Would Require Arlington Cemetery Report From US Army.In continuing coverage, at least 47 sources ran an AP (12/6) story that said a “bill passed by the Senate on Saturday requires the Army to report whether graves at Arlington National Cemetery are correctly marked and come up with a plan to fix any errors that are found.” The passage of the bill, which “also requires Army Secretary John McHugh to report to Congress on progress in reforming management” of Arlington, “follows a report earlier this year that found more than 200 graves had been mislabeled on cemetery maps.”
     House Could Move Soon On Legislation. CQ (12/7, Mulero) reports, “The House could move as early as this week to clear legislation to demand a full audit of the graves at Arlington National Cemetery.” The legislation, which has already passed in the Senate, “comes after a criminal investigation into the misplacement of remains launched last week after Army officials found the cremated remains of eight bodies in a grave marked ‘unknown.’ House leadership aides said the legislation could be considered during the lame-duck session and that they were speaking to committees about how to proceed on the measure.”

4.      Sources: Women Veterans’ Bill Of Rights Not Likely To Become Law This Year.The current issue of the Army Times (12/13, 104K) reports, “An innocuous bill requiring the Veterans Affairs Department to prominently display a 24-point ‘bill of rights’ for female veterans in hospitals, clinics and regional offices has run into controversy over whether its vague language might lead women to believe VA provides abortions.” The House passed the Women Veterans’ Bill of Rights Act after an amendment was added which “would require that the signs posted on the walls of veterans facilities clearly state that there has been no change in the federal law prohibiting VA from providing abortion services. … Still, the delay caused by the controversy virtually guarantees the bill will not become law this year, said congressional sources who asked not to be identified.”

5.      Stearns Expected To Be Named Veterans Affairs Committee Chair. In a story on the possibility that some groups are likely to be disappointed when House Republican leaders pick committee chairmen for the new Congress, CQ (12/7, Goldfarb) says the Republican Steering Committee “must decide who will chair” the Veterans Affairs Committee, “where Cliff Stearns of Florida is expected to prevail over Jeff Miller of Florida.”

 6.      Column: VA’s Child-Care Subsidy Program “In Shambles.” The “Federal Diary” column for the Washington Post (12/7, Davidson, 605K) says some agencies “don’t take advantage” of child-care subsidies offered by the Federal government. The Veterans Affairs Department “does participate, but in reality, its program has been in shambles” since the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund’s “administration of the program ended in January 2008, and VA moved it to another contractor, then took it in-house.” The column point outs, however, that VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts “said the VA child-care subsidy program office completed processing all qualifying retroactive subsidy benefit payments as of Nov. 26.”

 7.      VA Issues Final Rules For Dealing With Disruptive Patients. The current issue of the Army Times (12/13, 104K) notes that on November 16th, after “months of discussion, the Veterans Affairs Department issued final rules…for dealing with disruptive patients” at its “hospitals and clinics. When outbursts or behavior jeopardizes health and safety, a written order restricting access to the facility may be issued, but it would be narrowed for patients so that VA could still attempt to provide treatment.”

 8.      Study: PTSD An Independent Risk Factor For Heart Disease. The current issue of the Army Times (12/13, 104K) reports, “A new study shows that post-traumatic stress disorder more than doubles a veteran’s risk of death from any cause, and that PTSD is an in independent risk factor for heart disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2010.” The Times notes that Naser Ahmadi, a co-principal investigator of the study and a research scientist at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Medical Center, discussed his findings, stating, “If we focus on early detection and management of cardiovascular risk factors in veterans with PTSD, we might be able to delay the onset of cardiovascular disease.”
     Former Senate Candidate Pushing For National Recovery Center For Vets With PTSD. Radio Iowa (12/7, Danielson) notes that Bob Krause, a former candidate for the US Senate, is “leading an effort to acquire the buildings at the Knoxville Veterans home to turn the home into a recovery center for veterans.” Krause is the “chair of the effort to create the ‘Veterans National Recovery Center’ to help veterans who are suffering from ‘post traumatic stress disorder,'” or PTSD. Krause “says the application has to be into Washington by February 15th and they expect the Veterans Administration to make a decision in about 90 days.”
     VA Increases Prevention Efforts In Response To Rising Military Suicide Rates. Oklahoma State University’s The Daily O’Collegian (12/7, Silvy) reports, “Since troops were deployed to the Middle East in 2001, military suicide rates have risen exponentially each year,” which has led the Department of Veterans Affairs to “step up” its suicide prevention programs.

Great Falls Veterans Center To Reach Out To Troubled Vets. The KXLH-TV Helena, MT (12/6, Korslien) website said, “With centers already located in Billings, Missoula, and Kalispell, as well as the VA in Helena,” Great Falls, Montana, is “finally getting a place of its own.” The Great Falls Veterans Center will “employ four therapists to provide outreach to those suffering from conditions including depression” and PTSD.

 9.      Number Of Pearl Harbor Survivors Dwindling. According to USA Today (12/7, Barnett, 1.83M), there are a “dwindling number” of veterans “who can talk firsthand about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. As the 69th anniversary is marked” on Tuesday, “it coincides with a week-long meeting of the national Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The group’s numbers have dropped so low, the possibility of shuttering it was discussed at the Honolulu convention, which runs through Friday.” Reuters (12/7, Roig), the Boston Herald (12/7, 123K), the San Diego Union-Tribune (12/7, Rowe, 264K), and the Indianapolis Star (12/7, Higgins, 190K) also publish stories about the dwindling number of Pearl Harbor survivors, as does the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune (12/7, Cox, 92K), which put its article on the front page of the paper.
     Newsday (12/7, Spangler, 339K) discussed the Pearl Harbor attack with 90-year-old Mervin Decker, a World War II vet who “now lives in the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center.” Decker told Newsday that before the attack, “there were movies about the Germans and stuff in Europe, but this suddenly made it real.”
     WWII Vet Discusses Pearl Harbor Attack, Praises VA Clinic. The Whittier (CA) Daily News (12/7, Molina, 14K) notes that on Monday, World War II veteran Howard Payne discussed where he was when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Payne, 86, “told his story…as he waited in an exam room at Valor Healthcare, a medical provider contracted” by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The Daily News, which points out that the clinic opened on December 7, 2009, says Payne “called the clinic a godsend.”
     Lebanon VAMC Recalls Attack. The Lebanon (PA) Daily News (12/7, Long, 19K) notes that on Sunday, “some of those who recall” the attack on Pearl Harbor “and some who don’t, except through others” stories, “gathered in the chapel” of the Lebanon VAMC “to remember that day of infamy.” One attendee was attack survivor Charles Boyer, who was humbled “by the standing ovation he received.”
     Pearl Harbor Visitor Center To Be Dedicated Today. The Honolulu, Hawaii-based Pacific Business News (12/7) reports, “The Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum & Visitor Center at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument will be dedicated Dec. 7,” during a “ceremony commemorating the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.”
     Washington VA To Help Rededicate State’s WWII Memorial. The Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (12/7, Camden) says that on the “69th anniversary of the day the United States was pulled into that war with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Washington departments of Veterans Affairs and General Administration will rededicate the state’s World War II Memorial, which features etched images of servicemen and families on the home front.”

10.    Pittsburgh Ranked Among Best For Military Retirees. In continuing coverage, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/7, Smydo, 205K) reports, “Pittsburgh ranked eighth on a list of best cities for military retirees, according to survey results released” on Monday. Factors for the survey, which “was commissioned by United Services Automobile Association and Military.com,” included “access to Veterans Administration medical care.”