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

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1. Cubs to salute Vietnam veterans, host replica of Vietnam Memorial Wall. The Chicago Cubs will salute Vietnam veterans and host a replica portion of The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC., at Wrigley Field July 14-17. The Cubs will honor Vietnam veterans in a special on-field salute prior to the Cubs’ July 14 game vs. the Florida Marlins.

2. Abilene Veterans Cemetery: Families decide religious content of services.  Abilene Reporter-News  In his office just next to the mural, cemetery director Clint Lynch offered a straightforward explanation of his policies, which mirror those of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The families of the deceased ultimately have the final say as to the …

3. PTSD blamed for war veteran’s suicide.  Seacoastonline.com  Other counseling services are available to veterans, he said, but post-discharge, they’re voluntary. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, post-combat stress includes long-term reactions to combat and operational exposure that can lead to …

4. Caribou Hospital to Offer Health Services to Maine Veterans.  MPBN News  Cary Medical Center is partnering with the VA to launch a pilot program aimed at helping Maine veterans get health care closer to home. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has contracted with a Caribou hospital to provide services to Maine veterans. …

5. Survey: Government Physicians Practice Less Defensive Medicine Than Private. DigitalJournal.com  Of those under contract with the federal government, their scope includes the US Department of Veterans Affairs, US Department of Defense, US Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Prisons), US Department of State, US Department of Health and Human …

6. Duckworth to file for congressional race.  Chicago Tribune  Duckworth, a disabled veteran of the Iraq War, lost a close race to Republican Peter Roskam for the 6th Congressional District in the western suburbs. She recently left her post as an assistant secretary for the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs. …

7. Kentucky News Summary, Wednesday 7/6.  Tristatehomepage.com  — Humana Veterans Healthcare Services has been awarded a contract by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The agreement provides services to eligible vets to improve access for those who must travel long distances to a VA medical …

8. State VFW commander apologizes to Fayette director.  Connellsville Daily Courier  At roughly 15 months, he’s been in the post longer than any other VA director since March 2005, when a predecessor resigned after three years on the job. “I stand firm,” Conner said. “I will continue to march forward and help every veteran — or …

9. Begley, O’Dell share lead at W.Va. Amateur.  USA Today  O’Dell is one of those state veteran amateurs still looking for a breakthrough win. It’s been 10 years since he was severely injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident at a camp along the Greenbrier River after the third round of the tournament. …

10. Training Begins For Caregivers Of Post-9/11 Vets. Washington Times “More than 500 family caregivers who applied for new services offered for post-9/11 veterans started their care-giving training June 9 and 10.” Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki commented on the training, saying, “There is no more valuable tool we can provide family caregivers than the knowledge and training needed to perform this highly demanding labor of love. This training we provided in partnership with Easter Seals will meet this need and support veterans and their family caregivers with services and benefits they have earned.” The Times adds, “Support for all caregivers is…available via the National Caregiver Support Line at 855/260-3274.”

Have You Heard?

Neither rain nor wind, nor heat and humidity dampened the enthusiasm of participants and volunteers during the first national VA2K, held on June 2 across VA. The purpose of the event was to encourage employees at all levels of fitness to join in a short walk/roll while benefiting homeless Veterans. One hundred fifty-five VA sites signed up to participate, including 145 medical facilities and clinics, 5 VISN offices, 2 business offices, a research center, the National Center for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention (NCP), and VA Central Office.  All 21 VISNs and 45 states (including Alaska and Hawaii) were represented.  In total, 16,847 employees, Veterans and community members donated over 25,935 items for homeless Veterans valued at approximately $172,000. Participating sites were encouraged to make the event unique, adding costume competitions, health fairs, music, and even karaoke!  Participants received visors and buttons from VA Health & Wellness and water from the Veterans Canteen Service and burned an estimated 2,092,376 calories. VHA’s Employee Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program (part of VHA Public Health) led the event, in collaboration with VHA’s Homeless Veterans Program, VA Homeless Programs Office, VHA Communications, VCS, VA Voluntary Service, Office of Nursing Service, NCP, and the VA H&W team.

In Other News

• Tribal Leaders Explain VA Needs. Bismarck Tribune “North Dakota tribal leaders want more Veterans Affairs services on the reservations. They told Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki Tuesday that there is a need for housing, health care and access to other VA services on the reservations.” Shinseki, who has started an Office of Tribal Government Relations within VA, heard these comments during a “listening session with tribal leaders and American Indian veterans” at United Tribes Technical College on Tuesday morning. Also on Tuesday, Shinseki visited the VA clinic at Gateway Mall in Bismarck.

• White House To Offer Condolences To Families Of US Soldiers Who Commit Suicide. CBS Evening News  “Most American families who lose a loved one in a war zone get a letter of condolence from the President of the United States.” That has not been the case, however, for families of soldiers who commit suicide. The White House, though, is changing its policy and will now recognize loss suffered by “all military families whose loved ones die in war zones regardless of how they died.” Greg Keesling, whose son, 25-year-old Army specialist Chance Keesling, took his own life in Iraq, told CBS that he and his family are “very pleased” by the change in policy. According to CBS, the change does not affect families of soldiers that die in state-side training accidents.

• Scientists: Pentagon Misleads On Dust-Risk Study. USA Today “The Pentagon is falsely claiming its research shows that airborne dust in Iraq and Afghanistan poses no health risk to US troops, say three scientists whose review of that research found it riddled with mistakes.” Mark Utell, Anthony Wexler, and Philip Hopke were “part of a team that reviewed a 2008 study at the request of the Pentagon.”

• Injured Soldier Steven Lawrence Fights To Regain Independence. Ocala (FL) Star-Banner When Iraq veteran Steven Lawrence was training in 2008 “for his second tour of combat,” he suffered a “horrific head injury” during an off-duty motorcycle accident. Currently a “patient in the brain trauma unit of the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Lawrence is focused on acquiring vocational skills while continuing speech and physical therapy. ‘I want to work with computers, but I will always care about veteran’s issues. Although my military career is ended, I still care deeply about serving my country. I hope to be an example and inspiration to wounded vets and to encourage others to volunteer,’ Lawrence said.”

• VA Addressing Modernization Goals With T4 Contract. Federal Computer Week “The Veterans Affairs Department hopes to provide veterans with seamless access to benefits and health information systems, from the time they join the military until retirement, through the $12 billion Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology acquisition program, known as T4. The 14 awardees of the contract will take part in developing a common joint platform for digital medical profiles with the Defense Department over the next six to 10 years.” Other goals of VA “to be addressed under the T4 procurement include reducing the backlog of benefits claims and fulfilling the Veterans Relationship Management and the Veterans Benefits Management System initiatives.”

• Baker: VA, DOD Working On Joint Packages For Integrated EHR. ExecutiveGov “On Oct. 1 the Veterans Affairs Department plans to allow employees access to a ‘particular set of very popular [mobile] devices,’ once they are secure and encrypted, said VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker during a June 30 press call.” During that call, Baker “also provided an update on the VA-Defense Department integrated electronic health record”  “Officials are currently focused on making decisions about joint packages–in other words, where VA will adopt what DoD is doing, where DoD will adopt what VA is doing and where a unique package will be selected and acquired to satisfy both parties, said Baker.”

• Custodial Agent For Updating VA’s VistA To Launch In August. FierceEMR “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected The Informatics Applications Group to design and establish the custodial agent that will act as the open-source community’s central governing body updating the use of VistA (Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture), the VA’s electronic health record (EHR).” According to FierceEMR, VA “said it expects the custodial agent to launch in August and begin full operation in the fall.” “Moving to an open source model will promote innovative ideas from the public and private sectors, according to the VA’s Secretary, Eric K. Shinseki.”

• Making Transition To Combat Zone Can Be Surreal, AMA Delegates Learn. American Medical News “Serving as a physician in a combat zone is harrowing yet rewarding, said” Dr. Raj S Ambay “and two other military physicians who spoke during a June 20 educational session” at the American Medical Association Annual Meeting. Dr. Ambay is a “plastic surgeon at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Fla.”

• More Homeless Veterans Getting Dental Care In Maryland. Baltimore Sun The Department of Veterans Affairs “has been stepping up a dental care program for homeless vets” in Maryland, as “is part of a larger effort” by VA to end veteran homelessness. The program involves a partnership between the VA Maryland Health Care System and the Maryland dental school. The Sun added, “The idea, VA officials say, is to alleviate pain, improve health and boost self-esteem. That could bolster job prospects, not to mention put a decent meal within reach.”

• Salt Lake City Court Program Aiding Military Veterans With Minor Legal Trouble. AP A “new Salt Lake City court program aims to help the state’s military veterans steer clear of serious legal trouble. The six-month-old Veterans Court program recognizes that veterans come home with war-related problems and tries to prevent small cases from growing into felonies that lead to jail or prison time, Judge John Baxter said.” The “program is a collaboration between the justice courts and the Salt Lake Veterans Administration.”

• Official: VA Working With Lawmakers To Help Students With New Payout Rules. Stars And Stripes The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee recently “approved legislation to guarantee that veterans attending private colleges will have the same tuition payouts until they graduate, despite changes set to go into effect Aug. 1.” After noting a similar initiative was passed in May by the House, Stars And Stripes points out that officials in the Senate said Congress may not get to either piece of legislation this summer. VA spokesman Drew Brookie noted in a statement that VA and lawmakers have been working together to handle any debt problems that could be brought on by the GI Bill’s new payout rules. At the “‘same time, we need to make sure that any change in law that would provide this relief doesn’t have the effect of disrupting the administration of the program for the larger group of GI Bill beneficiaries,’ he said.”

• VA Will Open New Outreach Clinic In Price. Price (UT) Sun Advocate “The Department of Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City health Care System will hold a grand opening for its new Price Outreach Clinic on July 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.” The facility is part of VA’s effort “to locate clinics closer to rural veterans instead of them having to travel long distances to get primary health care.”

• Vets: Get Driver’s License And Services Info At Same Time. San Diego Union-Tribune “California veterans can now renew their driver’s licenses and request a packet providing information about services and benefits at the same time. To receive the information, veterans will simply need to check a box on the license renewal form, or when applying for a license for the first time.” The Union-Tribune adds, “There are about 2 million veterans living in California.”

• Jindal Signs Bill Extending Benefits To Guardsmen. Monroe (LA) News Star “Calling it ‘a small thank you,’ Gov. Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law Tuesday that extends benefits to Louisiana National Guardsmen disabled in action and to the families of those killed in action, retroactive to 2001.” Lane Carson, “secretary of Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, said, ‘I am proud to live in a state that values the sacrifices made by our military personnel and supports their families in times of loss.'”

• Scott Touts Florida’s “Military-Friendly” Perks For Active-Duty Members And Vets. Palm Beach (FL) Post “Surrounded by war memorabilia on the day after the Fourth of July, Gov. Rick Scott held ceremonial bill signings at the Armed Forces Military Museum, showing ‘just a very small part’ of the state’s gratitude for veterans’ service to the country.” Scott highlighted “five new Florida laws giving property tax breaks to service member deployed outside of the United States; allowing health care professionals licensed in other states to begin working sooner in Florida when their spouses are assigned to military bases here; giving free park passes to parents of military vets killed or wounded in combat; created special hunting areas in state forests for injured war veterans; and creating the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame inside the Capitol.”

• Mountain Home Now A National Historic Landmark. Johnson City (TN) Press “Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Thursday the designation of Johnson City’s Mountain Home Veterans Administration Medical Center as one of 14 new national historic landmarks. Salazar said Mountain Home, or ‘Mountain Branch’ as it was originally known, is one of four national homes for disabled volunteer soldiers in 11 states and the District of Columbia that have played an integral role in the development of the country.” Salazar “said in a news release” that by “designating these sites as national landmarks, we help meet the goals of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to establish a conservation ethic for the 21st century and reconnect people, especially young people, to our nation’s historic, cultural and natural heritage.

• Black Hills VA Campus Made National Historic Landmark. Rapid City Journal “release of the list of 14 newly designated national historic landmarks last Thursday. One site on the list is what is being referred to as the ‘Battle Mountain Branch’ of the national homes for disabled volunteer soldiers in Hot Springs. Most people would recognize” that “as the Black Hills Healthcare VA campus.”

• Disabled Vets Go Skydiving. CNN Newsroom In Colorado on Monday, a group of disabled war veterans was taken on a tandem sky diving outing. The “event was organized by Operation Rebound, a nonprofit group that helps disabled war veterans.”