Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – November 15, 2013

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.   Veterans and the Affordable Care Act.  The national debate over health insurance has added a layer of complexity for veterans seeking medical care, so it pays to know your options.
 
2.   Military Update: New budget cut options include military pay, veterans.  The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday released a report of more than 100 options for reducing budget deficits. It’s a timely product as House and Senate conferees strive to negotiate by mid-December a new debt-cutting deal to replace automatic budget cuts of sequestration.
 
3.   Caregiver homicides: Case touches a sadly familiar nerve.  A red flag rises whenever a caregiver kills a son or daughter with disabilities. Such cases often involve minor children and parents who deem the young lives not worth living, or the burdens of care too great.
 
4.   US Navy carrier arrives in Philippines, more help on the way.  The George Washington carrier group arrived Thursday in the Leyte Gulf vicinity, signaling the start of full-scale typhoon relief operations in the Philippines by the U.S. military.
 
5.   Senators jockey on opposing bills to curb military sexual assault.  Three senators opposed to the idea of removing prosecutorial decisions from the chain of command on Thursday announced new amendments to their bill aimed at reducing sexual assault in the military.
 
6.   Air Force officer acquitted of groping; could face military punishment.  The former head of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office was acquitted in civilian court Wednesday of assault and battery against a woman who said he had grabbed her buttocks, but Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski could still face military discipline.
 
7.   DOD Seeks Value, Quality in Modernizing Health Records System.  The Defense Department’s senior official leading the competitive acquisition to modernize its health care management system has said he’s committed to ensuring the best value for taxpayer dollars while safeguarding quality of care.  Speaking yesterday at an Armed Forces Communications and …
8.   VA, DoD climb the stairs to interoperability together.  Hyperlink to Story Federal News Radio:  Leaders in the healthcare community are thinking of ways they can use data to improve the quality of health care. The departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense have joined forces to create VistA Evolution, a system that allows the exchange of electronic health records information between the two.
9.   VA should keep Battle Mountain Sanitarium.  Hyperlink to Story Rapid City Journal:  A new report from the National Trust for Historic Preservation says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t care for the historic buildings it owns and wastes money constructing new facilities to replace them. One of its examples is the Battle Mountain Sanitarium in Hot Springs.
10.  Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud.  Brooklyn VA Psychiatrist Admits To Falsely Billing Medicare, Agrees To Forfeit $1.2M in Illegal Payments

Have You Heard?

U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2010-2012 ACS 3-Year Estimates
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2010-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 3-Year Estimates, the most relied-upon source for up-to-date socioeconomic information every year. The release covers a three-year period from 2010 to 2012 and more than 40 topics, such as educational attainment, income, health insurance coverage, occupation, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs.
The estimates are available in detailed tables for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 20,000 or more.
Visit the Census Bureau’s American FactFinder to find statistics for your area.  For more information about the ACS Data Release Schedule, new ACS products, documentation, and a list of new tables for the 2010-2012 ACS 3-Year release, please visit: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2012_release/ .
In addition, the Census Bureau released a brief titled Home Value and Homeownership Rates: Recession and Post-Recession Comparisons From 2007-2009 to 2010-2012, which uses the ACS 3-year estimates to focus on homeownership rates and home values for smaller areas.
The ACS provides reliable statistics that are indispensable to anyone who has to make informed decisions about the future. These statistics are required by all levels of government to manage or evaluate a wide range of programs, but are also useful for research, education, journalism, business and advocacy. If you have questions about this survey, please call our Customer Services Center on 1 (800) 923-8282.