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.    Pro-pot group draws criticism over use of VFW name, POW flag.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars does not support and is in no way connected with Veterans For Weed, even though both are using the VFW acronym. Now, officials from the traditional VFW are warning leaders of the stoner VFW they’ll sue if they don’t stop riding their coattails.
 
2.    Stars and Stripes duped by Army sergeant’s war claims.  An Army reservist in Afghanistan with the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion who told Stars and Stripes that he deployed during the Vietnam War has come under military investigation for apparently lying about his prior combat service.
 
3.    New leader, same old rhetoric from North Korea.  North Korea has issued a series of threats related to the U.S. military in recent days, putting to rest any thought the new regime might reduce the rhetoric coming out of the hermit kingdom.

4.    VA hospital opening delayed to mid-2013.  Orlando Sentinel  “We’d known for a while that there was a delay,” said Bob Neary, acting director of VA hospital construction for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. “Shortly before the holiday season, we became aware that delay was growing into more than had been …

5.    Parsippany group helps build homes for homeless veterans.  Dailyrecord.com  That partnership between Community Hope Inc. and Peabody Properties — approved by the US Department of Veterans Affairs — is one of many projects under way across the US as the Obama administration moves toward its goal of ending homelessness among …

6.    Entertainment Industries Council Conducts Creative Community Briefing in L.A..  PR Web  The Entertainment Industries Council, Inc.(EIC), in collaboration with and sponsored by the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), hosted Veteran Mental Health Challenges for Storytellers: A First Draft Briefing at the headquarters of the Writers Guild …

7.    American Well Drives Telehealth into Mainstream Healthcare.  Sacramento Bee  These included: Government—The US Department of Veterans Affairs selected American Well for a VAi2 Industry Innovation award marking the first deployment of American Well’s telehealth technology by the US government. The initiative will focus on …

8.    Veterans storm the General Assembly.  Progress Index  Cox has also submitted a bill to remove the veteran disability offset from the Virginia Retirement System computation of retired pay. This means that a veteran receiving a disability payment from the Veterans Administration will now receive his/her …

9.    Veterans Court: ‘It’s Not a Free Ride’.  Patch.com  For the cases that fit the bill, the new Veterans Court will be heard on the first Friday morning of the month in Washington County District Court in Stillwater. Before the hearing, members of the county attorney’s office, the defense, Veterans Affairs …

10.   Veterans Center: College benefits available for vets, relatives.  Visalia Times-Delta  This week, I would like to tell you about the California College Fee Waiver Program, an education benefit available to the spouses and children of US veterans through the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Once certain eligibility criteria are …

Have You Heard?

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for women and women Veterans. VA encourages all to recognize National Wear Red Day, Friday, Feb. 3, by sporting some red to help raise awareness of heart disease for all women. Learn about the connection between heart disease and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, diabetes, and obesity. Visit www.womenshealth.va.gov for tools and resources to help promote heart health for women.

More Veteran News

•    More Therapists Needed In US.  Manila Bulletin  Assessing this crisis, American Legion, a US veterans’ organization, urged the US Department of Veterans Affairs to step up their recruiting efforts in several areas, including physical therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, speech and language …

•   Counseling and Psychological Services reevaluates resources for military veterans.  CU Columbia Spectator  “The first year we were here, it was ‘stay away from it—just go to the VA,’” Baker said, referring to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. But, after the strides CPS has taken to accommodate veterans, “people are a little more encouraging of it,” he …

• Feds Search For Man Wanted In Vet Fundraising Scam.  AP  “Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in capturing a fugitive accused of running a scam that collected millions of dollars in donations from people who believed they were helping” US Navy veterans. A man who “uses the false identify of Bobby Thompson was indicted in Ohio in 2010 on theft, money laundering and other charges related to the Florida-based charity.” The suspect “disappeared in June 2010.”

• Troops, Vets Can Enlist Allies Against Scams.  Columbus (OH) Dispatch

•  Gov. Christie Nominates Michael Cunniff As Permanent Head Of N.J. Veterans Affairs.  Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has “nominated the acting head of the state’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the New Jersey National Guard to permanently lead the agencies. Brig. Gen. Michael Cunniff took over the duties of the cabinet-level post on Dec. 16.” Cunniff “replaced Maj. Glenn Rieth, who resigned after he was caught having an inappropriate relationship with a female aide

• Lottery Program Raises $150,000 For Washington Veterans.  Issaquah (WA) Press  “Washington’s Lottery contributed $150,000 to the state Department of Veterans Affairs after amassing the dollars through a special lottery program.” Ten dollar “raffle tickets benefited the state’s Veterans Innovations Program. The service provides crisis and emergency relief, plus education, training and employment assistance for Washington veterans returning from post-9/11 conflicts.”

•  Expanding Programs, Services In Rural Areas.  Army Times “Concerned that veterans living in rural areas receive less attention from the Veterans Affairs Department, Congress has ordered that a long-range strategy be developed to provide” healthcare in rural areas. The Times points out that VA “already is working on some initiatives such as expanding the number of mobile clinics, telemedicine and agreements with local providers. In an election year, however, lawmakers from states with many veterans in highly rural areas will push VA to do more.”

• Boise VA And BSU To Host PTSD Seminar.  Idaho Statesman The “Boise VA Medical Center and Boise State University will host a conversation with the community, ‘Connecting the Community to Veterans,’ from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Student Union Building. The event features a documentary movie ‘Private Combat – Police Intervention for Veterans in Crisis’ and a short presentation on the science behind post traumatic stress disorder.” The Statesman added, “Organizers hope to educate the community so they can effectively welcome veterans back after deployment.”

•   Retired General On The Frontlines Against PTSD.  KRIV-TV  Retired Army Major General Jerry Icenhower is the “director of the non-profit group Loyola Recovery Foundation, and he’s fighting for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,” who are “expected to bring with them a wave of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like this country has never seen.” Loyola Recovery “works closely with the Veterans Administration. The group is in the process of setting up a clinic in the Houston area.”

•  Helping Vets Readjust To Civilian Life.  Fort Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette  The “influx of veterans returning to northeast Indiana over the past decade – often after multiple combat tours – has changed the complexion of local colleges and universities, hospitals and service agencies.” The Veterans Affairs hospital in Fort Wayne has also seen changes. And “more are proposed, including a housing development for homeless veterans. Driving the increase in benefits sought by veterans, both medical and otherwise, is the increased knowledge by veterans of what’s available, said Allen County Veterans’ Service Officer George Jarboe.”

•   Backlog At VA Growing.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  “The Department of Veterans Affairs is facing a growing backlog of disability claims, fueled by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and a policy change making it easier for Vietnam veterans to file Agent Orange-related claims. The number of pending claims before VA stood at 853,831 on Friday, an increase of nearly 100,000 from last year and nearly 500,000 from three years ago.” While VA has “processed nearly a million claims over the past year, another 1.3 million new claims were filed during the same period.”

• Vets Groups, Lawmakers Worried About Pace Of VA’s Disability Compensation Review.  Army Times  “The slow pace and complex nature of an extensive review of veterans disability compensation is fueling growing concern among lawmakers and veterans groups.” The review is “part of an ongoing effort, expected to continue through 2016, to revise and update the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities, a move ordered by Congress in 2008.” Thomas Murphy, “director of VA’s compensation service, said the ratings review is taking longer than expected but said, ‘This…needs to be done right.'”

•    VA Preparing To Launch Electronic Claim Processing System.  iHealthBeat  “The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to launch an electronic claim processing system, the Washington Post reports. Officials say the new system will help them more efficiently manage a backlog of disability claims.” Murphy “said the only way VA will be able to reduce the backlog is by getting ‘out of the paper world and into the digital world.'”

•   Plan Would Help Military Families Take Leave.  AP  The Obama Administration “proposed new rules Monday to help military families care for service members when they are called to active duty or become injured.” The Administration’s “proposal expands eligibility under” the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), “which allows employees to take unpaid leave for certain medical or family reasons.” First Lady Michelle Obama “joined Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to announce the plan, which would allow caregivers to take leave to care for family members up to five years after they leave the military.”

•  For Soldier Disfigured In War, A Way To Return To The World.  New York Times Specialist Joey Paulk, who was badly burned in Afghanistan, “found his way to a program at U.C.L.A. Medical Center called Operation Mend that provides cosmetic surgery for severely burned veterans at no cost – and the operations fundamentally realigned his face, restoring not just the semblance of his former visage, but also a healthy chunk of his self-confidence.” Paulk’s story “underscores the difficulties of bringing private care into the military world. Though Operation Mend’s founder envisioned the program as a model for public-private cooperation in treating wounded soldiers, it remains one of only a few such ventures, which include Center for the Intrepid rehabilitation centers and Fisher Houses for military families.”

• WWII Vet Supplying Service Dogs To Wounded Soldiers.  NBC Nightly News  89-year-old World War II veteran Irwin Stovroff, who has “raised three million dollars to supply service dogs to wounded soldiers, including the newly wounded returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He began his group ‘Vets Helping Heroes,’ after learning there’s no government program giving soldiers canine help.” According to NBC, Stovroff has sponsored a working therapy dog named Bruce for the Veterans Affairs hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida.

•  Homeless Veterans: A Progress Report.  American Legion  “While attending the Winterhaven Stand Down for homeless veterans on Jan. 21” in Washington, DC, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki “took time out to speak with The American Legion about recent progress in his department’s five-year plan to defeat homelessness among America’s veterans.” During “his interview, Shinseki…emphasized the importance of job programs for veterans as a long-term solution to homelessness. The American Legion is working with the US Chamber of Commerce this year to co-sponsor about 100 career fairs this year for veterans and military spouses.”

•   Program Helping Reduce Numbers Of Homeless Oklahoma Veterans.  Tulsa (OK) World  “There were 475 homeless veterans in the state in 2009. Last year, agencies reported 356 homeless veterans, according to data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness” and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Local officials “said the decline is part of a culture change that puts the full force of the Department of Veterans Affairs behind the initiative to reduce the number, with the overall goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015, announced in 2009 by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki.” Greg Shinn, associate director of the Mental Health Association of Tulsa, which partners with VA to find shelter for homeless vets, said, “VA has put their money where their mouth is when it comes to them saying they want to end homelessness among veterans.”

•  Homeless Count Critical For Funding, Quality Of Life For Those On The Streets.  River Oaks (TX) Examiner  “Millions in federal funding for Houston’s homeless and the way community partners address homelessness may be affected by the Coalition for the Homeless’ Houston Homeless Count, which continues this week. After last year’s count of 8,528 homeless men, women and youth, the US Department of Housing and Urban Affairs awarded Houston $23,893,705 through a grant program.” The Examiner notes that this year’s count will “secure funds from the Veteran’s Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and private funding.”

• Some Deceased Veterans’ Parents To Be Accepted For National Cemetery Burials.  The Hill  “The parents of certain deceased veterans will soon be allowed to be buried in national cemeteries. The Department of Veterans Affairs will allow ‘biological or legally adoptive parents’ to be interred ‘if the deceased veteran is a hostile casualty or dies from a training-related injury,’ states the Federal Register’s final rule.” The Hill adds, “The action implements part of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010.”

•   Tech Franchise “Pays It Forward” To Get Veterans Back To Work.  FOX News Business  50-year-old veteran Mark Kelly “was given the unique opportunity to become his own boss as a franchise owner of TeamLogic IT, in Colorado Springs, Colo. this year. TeamLogic IT is a Mission Viejo, Calif.-based computer services company, that has more than 50 franchises across the country, and will waive its $40,000 franchising fee this year for 10 qualifying veterans across the country to open up their own TeamLogic IT franchise.” Chuck Lennon, president of TeamLogic IT, “found out through the International Franchise Association just how high the unemployment rate was for veterans and wanted to help lower the rate.”

•    Veteran Of Veteran Issues.  Pueblo Chieftain  64-year-old Vietnam vet Larry Alvarado, who was part of a lawsuit that got Veterans Affairs to “recognize Agent Orange exposure as the cause” of some service-related illnesses. The Chieftain added, “‘Today there are 16 illnesses the VA recognizes as service-related from exposure to Agent Orange,’ said Alvarado with satisfaction.” According to the Chieftain, Alvarado “speaks highly of the staff at the Pueblo VA clinic.”

•   VA Connects To Vets On FB.  Cibola (NM) Beacon  “Hundreds of New Mexico’s military veterans are taking advantage of a social media tool to keep abreast of VA programs. After its launch in late 2010, the fan base for the New Mexico VA Health Care System’s Facebook page continues to grow.” The Beacon adds, “The NMVAHCS Facebook page is part of a nationwide social media push by the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

•  VA Ceremony Honors Troops Returning From Iraq.  St. Cloud (MN) Times  “The St. Cloud VA Health Care System held a ceremony Monday to mark the end of the war in Iraq and to honor those who served in the conflict. The event included a scrapbook for veterans and relatives to place their thoughts and photos in; the scrapbook will be displayed at the medical center.” The Times adds, “More than 1.5 million troops were deployed to Iraq, and more than 32,000 were wounded.”