Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

Veterans!  Here’s your Top 10 News stories of the day compiled from the latest sources

We encourage you to browse our list so that you can take what you want and keep what you need….

1. SGT. SHAFT: Brother asks how to help incarcerated veteran.  Washington Times No apportionment may be made to or on behalf of any person who is incarcerated in a federal, state, or local penal institution for conviction of a felony. An apportionment of an incarcerated veteran’s VA benefits is not granted automatically to the

2. Barrar: final state budget will likely change.  The Unionville Times “We made a commitment to pay these college costs,” said Barrar, the new chair of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee. “The fund went dry and it’s good to see Gov. Corbett do something to keep our word.

3. Mr. Gross goes to Washington.  Spring Grove Herald  “The incident was, we were trying to get some information (from the Department of Veterans Affairs) and the hoops we had to jump through, the privacy laws, to get that accomplished… “I sent what I consider a professionally-worded, yet heated,

4. Director of Veterans Affairs visits Jacobetti Home. Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Northern Michigan – Powered by WPBN TV 7&4 … “Given the state of Michigan and the overall budget, it’s not good at all … Jason Allen, the Michigan Director of Veterans Affairs,

5. Tax exemption for disabled veterans to be considered by Jefferson Parish. NOLA.com The US Department of Veterans Affairs designates a veteran’s level of disability to manage compensation. Capella said he didn’t have an estimate of how many fully disabled veterans owned homes in Jefferson. He also wasn’t sure what effect the exemption

6. Landry Praises Decision to Approve a Veterans Super Clinic in Southwest Louisiana. KLFY “I am thrilled to share the news that a super clinic for Veterans is coming to Southwest Louisiana,” proclaimed Landry. “The Veterans in Acadiana have been in dire need for this facility for a long time. I am glad the Department of Veterans Affairs has

7. VA picks spot for outpatient clinic.  Fredericksburg.com The US Department of Veterans Affairs has chosen a location for its new Fredericksburg community-based outpatient clinic, and construction on the facility should start soon. The VA signed a lease to occupy a new,

8. Abandoning Veterans – Drastic Reductions Proposed in Texas Veterans Commission. Texas Insider  Note the following direct impact of TVC efforts: • 170795 benefit cases filed, resulting in over $2 billion in monetary benefits from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to Texas veterans and their families; • 34038 jobs found for veterans

9. Homeless vets get reinforcements in form of expanded center in Grand Rapids.  MLive.com  Among them are 45000 to 90000 veterans whose symptoms persist and warrant specialized care. “We are beginning to see women veterans as well,” she said. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, there are more than 100000 homeless veterans on

10. Veterans Affairs program focuses on female veterans. Veterans Affairs estimates that women will make up 10 percent of all veterans by 2020 … Local & StateNational & World. New Search and Rescue Craft

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Dr. Kathleen Castles had an amazing accomplishment on Saturday, Feb. 19 – winning the Myrtle Beach Marathon in South Carolina. In doing so, she became the first woman in the history of the event to finish as the overall winner, meaning she finished ahead of all of the top males in the race. Castles, a psychologist at the VA New Jersey Health Care System, finished the marathon in 2:40:11. This time qualifies her for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This marks the second time that Dr. Castles has qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials. What is even more remarkable is that as a full-time professional, she is competing against athletes who devote most of their time to training. Castles is the coordinator of the Dual Diagnosis Program as well as the MOVE Coordinator at the medical center. She also is the captain/coach of the VA New Jersey Health Care System’s Running Team, ROVE (Runners of Veterans Everywhere).  CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Castles!

IN OTHER NEWS

• Boston Conference Focuses On Military Suicides. AP “Hundreds of troops, veterans and caregivers are gathering in Boston this week for a conference on preventing military suicides.” The gathering, sponsored by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, is “designed to share practical tools and clinical practices to support veterans and their families.”

• Family-To-Family Education Program Helps Caregivers Of Veterans. Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard Later this month, the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center will host a “free ‘Family-to-Family Education Program’ for family caregivers of veterans with severe mental illness. The 12-week …

• Disability Resource Fair Includes Veterans. Jacksonville (NC) Daily News “For those with disabilities, it’s ‘one stop shopping’ for information and resources – and this year, organizers of the Disability Resource and Information Fair are reaching out to veterans.”

• Young, Skilled And Jobless. Army Times “Unemployment for young veterans has risen steadily since the Labor Department started keeping statistics on post-2001 troops in 2008.” There are plans an “April 14 hearing on whether” Transition Assistance Program (TAP) “classes and other resources offered by the government to separating and retiring troops provide enough help.”

• Tracking System For Those Receiving TAP Training Urged. Army Times “officials and advocates are concerned that the federal Transition Assistance Program, designed to help separating troops find jobs, is not fulfilling its mission. TAP is a …

• Tricare Target Of Pentagon Cuts As Health Care Projected To Reach $65B. Washington Post With “two wars and serious budget constraints,” the Pentagon “says it needs to charge higher” Tricare fees. With congressional hearings on Tricare opening Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates finds himself pitted against retired service members, and  …

• Veterans Affairs Program Focuses On Female Veterans. WLUC-TV As “women continue to play a prominent role” in the US military, “they are beginning to rely more and more” on Veterans Affairs “when they finish serving.”

• VA Opens Clinic For Women Veterans. WTAP-TV “Female veterans…in the Mid-Ohio Valley” will no longer “have to go to Clarksburg” for Veterans Affairs medical attention, because VA has “opened a

• Women Veterans Symposium. Dover (DE) Post “The Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs will conduct a Women Veterans Symposium III and Expo on Saturday, April 16, at the … topics include” understanding post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma.

• Md. Health Agency Expands Search But Still Finds No Sign Of Cancer Cluster Near Fort Detrick. AP “Maryland’s public health agency says it has found no statistically significant evidence of a cancer cluster near Fort Detrick in Frederick after expanding its investigation.”

• Parties Split On Expansion Of Voucher Program For Homeless Veterans. CQ “As lawmakers continue to debate how to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal 2011, one emerging point of contention involves funding for a program to provide more assistance for chronically homeless veterans. But

• Vets Battling VA For Disability Benefits. WHDH-TV “Local veterans are coming home from war only to find themselves in a new fight” to obtain benefits. Such vets are “getting medical treatment” at Veterans Affairs hospitals and turning to the Boston office of the US VA for …

• Facial Prosthetics Made For Wounded Vets. WXOW-TV “facial wounds caused” by improvised explosive devices are “not uncommon among troops coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan. Losing a nose or ear from these blasts…can be devastating.” But …

• Veterans Deserve Better Care. St. Louis (MO) Beacon It is “clear that inspector general investigations, congressional hearings and strong statements from the secretary of veterans affairs have not changed the realities that veterans face” at the John Cochran VA Medical Center. “As a community, we cannot stand by …

• Ontario Man Went To Guam, China In WWII. WWII Vet Praises VA.Mansfield (OH) News Journal 84-year-old World War II veteran Bob Henry, who recently “received hearing aids from the Veterans Administration.’I can’t say enough for the VA,'”

• New Efforts To Simplify End-Of-Life Care Wishes. Wall Street Journal An increasing number of states are using Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, which are meant to help doctors arrange for end-of-life care provided to patients. Dr. Rebecca Sudore, who is affiliated with the Veterans Affairs hospital in …

• Boise VA Medical Center Gets Grant To Train More Doctors. Idaho Statesman “Idaho is last in the nation when it comes to doctor-to-patient ratios, but an expanded program” at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center “will bring more doctors in more disciplines to the state.” The “program will …

• More Services, Space Proposed For City’s New VA Clinic. Spartanburg (SC) Times And Democrat “Design work on a new, expanded Orangeburg Veterans Affairs clinic is ready to begin, an official with the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center told about 20 local veterans Friday morning.

• Deputies Arrest 2 In VA Hospital Drug Sting. KOAT-TV “For the past three weeks, narcotics investigators with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve been watching drug deals go down around the Veterans Affairs hospital on San Pedro Drive.”

• Arlington Cemetery Updates Call Center Data. Federal News Radio The US Army’s Information Technology Agency (ITA) has “finished an initial update of the systems supporting Arlington National Cemetery.” Along with upgrading the cemetery’s “call center, ITA also improved …