Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 Newsstories 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.   Veterans of recent wars running for office in record numbers.  Veterans from the recent wars are running for national office in record numbers, and an independent analysis group is predicting that Congress could see an increase in lawmakers with military experience for the first time in 32 years.
 
2.   Use of drones by Seattle police strikes a nerve.  For years, law-enforcement agencies, including several in the Seattle area, have used helicopters and airplanes for search-and-rescue missions, manhunts, SWAT-team operations, traffic control and car chases. So why have plans by Seattle police and other enforcement agencies to deploy unmanned drones drawn such intense fire?
 
3.   Mojave Cross to be re-erected on Veterans Day.  It’s been a long legal battle that lasted more than a decade, but now, Henry and Wanda Sandoz of Yucca Valley will finally be able to keep a promise they made to a dying friend and veteran nearly 30 years ago.
 
4.   Many decades later, a veteran seeks peace of mind.  At 90 years old and with his mind fading, Emmanuel K. Nicosia finds himself reliving moments from the Second World War that for decades he refused to revisit.

5.   VA to Expand Telehealth Services to Reach 825000 Veterans. ExecutiveGov  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed expansion plans for veteran telehealth services, reports Eric Wicklund for govhealthit. Over 460,000 veterans used telehealth last year and the VA wants to double that number through awareness campaigns …

6.   Innovation At VA: Collaboration, Data Aid Veteran Benefits Project.  AOL Government  … Department of Veterans Affairs. A collaborative effort to combine data previously scattered across multiple federal agencies has led to a single portal where veterans can access key benefits. … The Department of Veterans Affairs worked with the …

7.   Despite Injuries, Veterans Can’t Get In-Vitro Help.  AP Veterans Affairs does not cover the cost of in-vitro fertilization for severely injured veterans who cannot start families without the procedure. After noting that VA does cover some reproductive care, the AP says bills making their way through both the House and the Senate would require VA to begin doing so. The Senate bill is sponsored by US Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who “said…VA is slowly adapting to the needs of veterans and hopes to improve care through the bill, which would also create a pilot program to provide child care to veterans seeking counseling at the VA’s Vet Centers.”
 
8.   Jury Finds Iraq War Contractor Negligent For Soldiers’ Illnesses, Orders $85 Million Payment.  AP “A jury on Friday ordered an American military contractor to pay $85 million after finding it guilty of negligence for illnesses suffered by a dozen Oregon soldiers who guarded an oilfield water plant during the Iraq war.” The soldiers, who filed a suit against Kellogg Brown and Root, “said they suffer from respiratory ailments after their exposure to sodium dichromate, and they fear that a carcinogen the toxin contains, hexavalent chromium, could cause cancer later in life.” The contractor, which “has faced lawsuits before related to its work in Iraq,” said in a statement that it will appeal Friday’s ruling.
 
9.   Veterans Not Told Of Lung Cancer Risk.  WISH-TV US Marine Col. Mark Smith believes fumes from oil wells torched by Iraq during the Gulf War gave him cancer. WISH added, “While Veterans Affairs has been urged to offer CT screenings for veterans at high risk for lung cancer so far, the VA has not implemented it – relying solely on…less efficient X-rays.”
 
10.  VA To Pay Remaining Rehab Costs For Vet Who Suffered Three Strokes.  WSFA-TV  “It’s a long recovery for our wounded warriors, especially those waiting for help from the department of Veterans Affairs.” One such vet, according to WSFA, is 27-year-old Alabama resident Gary Reynolds. WSFA says Reynolds suffered a brain hemorrhage and three strokes as the result of an accident he had while in the Army. Reynold’s mother says she asked Congress to help her pay for his rehabilitation needs. According to WSFA, Veterans Affairs will “pick up the cost for the remaining seven weeks” of rehab.

 

Have You Heard?

VA Facility in Manhattan Evacuated Before the Storm, Now Assessing Damage

Before Hurricane Sandy made landfall, the Manhattan VA Medical Center safely evacuated its patients, but the damage done to the facility is still being assessed. Learn more at VAntage Point