Tag: Veterans’ News

In this centennial year of her death, nurses around the world recognize Florence nightingale as the founder of modern nursing and as a visionary who emphasized that nursing practice should be measured by outcomes through evidence-based practice and that nurses should be “educated,” not “trained.”

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Camden, New Jersey, Louisville, Kentucky, Sacramento, California, Anchorage, Alaska, Kittery, Maine, Salt Lake City, Utah, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Gilmer, Texas, Roanoke, Virginia, and Urbana, Illinois.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Amarillo, Texas, Cincinnati, Ohio, Hagerstown, Maryland, Rockford, Illinois, Durant, Oklahoma, Lakeland, Florida, Panama City, Florida, Dayton, Ohio, Kankakee, Illinois, and Lebanon, Oregon.

Sixty-five years after the May 8, 1945, liberation of the Ebensee concentration camp in Austria, the images remain fresh in Heslop's mind. Even if they were not, they have been secured, for posterity, in his photographs.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Demopolis, Alabama, Palo Alto, California, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Bristol, Tennessee, Pleasanton, California, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Columbus, Ohio, Vinton, Iowa, Cape Coral, Florida, and Saginaw, Michigan.

VA has shown that health information technology provides improved quality of health care and substantial cost savings, according to a study in the public health journal Health Affairs. The use of technology lowered costs while producing improvements in quality, safety and patient satisfaction. The study covered a 10-year period between 1997 and 2007 and found that VA’s health IT investment during the period was $4 billion, while savings were more than $7 billion.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from

National Nurses Week (May 6-12) reminds us of the important contributions made every day by VA nurses. Talented VA nurses meet Veterans’ needs with compassion and skill in a time of rapid changes in technology, knowledge, and approaches to health care. This year’s Nurses Week theme, Nurses: Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow describes the excellence and the mission of more than 77,000 VA nursing staff, across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Conroe, Texas, Shreveport, Louisiana, Hillsboro, Illinois, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Yakima, Washington, Mason City, Iowa, Las Vegas, Nevada, Yakima, Washington, Bristol, Connecticut, and Amarillo, Texas.

From The VA VA has conducted studies evaluating the potential use of renewable fuels in energy plants supplying 38 VA medical centers around the...

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Anniston, Alabama, New London, Connecticut, Des Moines, Iowa, Tallahassee Florida, Augusta, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Tyler Texas, Santa Barbara, California, Boulder, Colorado, and Boston, Massachusetts.

The U.S. Army Women's Museum is hosting a Museum Homecoming at Fort Lee just outside Petersburg, Va., May 13-15, 2010 for all former and current Army women, their friends and families. "Come Home to Your History", is the theme of the event, which promises to be a fun and interesting opportunity to participate and learn how a 21st century museum shares and teaches Army women's history to thousands of people every year. Most of all, it is a great time to reconnect with old friends and celebrate your Army service, then and now. Check the Museum Homecoming Web at for the invitation, schedule of events, registration form and other information.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Gallstone Spa, New York, Stockton, California, West Lafayette, Indiana, Medford, Oregon, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Augusta, Georgia, Swannanoa, North Carolina, Edinburg, Texas, and Sausalito, California.

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry only had a week left in Iraq when he injured his hand. He could have gone home with a Bronze Star. Instead, he volunteered for one last run to defuse bombs. After working seven hours, Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry was killed March 8, 2006 by an improvised explosive device. Now, a new scholarship program named after Fry will allow his three small children and those of other service members who died on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan to apply for benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Yuma, Arizona, Washington, DC, Pocatello, Idaho, St Paul, Minnesota, Brighton, Michigan, Cohasset, Massachusetts, North Platte, Nebraska, and Juneau, Alaska

Elko, Nevada, Wausau, Wisconsin, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Holyoke, Massachusetts, Dover, Delaware, Buffalo, New York, Maxwell, Nebraska, Salisbury, Maryland, and Austin, Minnesota.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Mission Viejo, California, Montgomery, Alabama, Smithfield, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, Kansas City, Missouri, Columbia City, Indiana, Palm Springs, California, Dayton, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida, and Bethel, Alaska.

Kat Larson recently stood with several Vietnam War veterans on the site of what was once Camp Evans, an installation that served as a base camp during the war. “They’d see these places as battlefields, and as they talked about their experiences, you could tell in their eyes and their emotions that they were going back there,” the 22-year-old college student recalled.

As he enters his second year as head of VA, Secretary Shinseki is focused on reducing the disability claims backlog. "We are going to break the back of the backlog this year," Secretary Shinseki said during a news interview last week. He's counting on four pilot programs designed to identify and overcome obstacles that slow the claims process.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Portage, Wisconsin, Bend, Oregon, Hartford, Connecticut, Redding, California, Bristol, Virginia, Toms River, New Jersey, Tallahassee, Florida, Gillette, Wyoming, Baltimore, Maryland, and Smyrna, Tennessee.

VA honored three facilities on Earth Day for their efforts in ensuring a healthy and sustainable environment for current and future generations. VA’s Chief of Staff John R. Gingrich presented the 2010 VA Green Routine Awards to Martinsburg VA Medical Center’s “Waste Watchers” Program; Portland VA Medical Center’s recycling education program; and to the Oscar H. Johnson VA Medical Center for innovative recycling.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Ottawa, Illinois, Coldwater, Michigan, San Antonio, Texas, Panama City, Florida, York, Pennsylvania, Shakopee, Minnesota, New Orleans, Louisiana, Montrose, Colorado, Lynchburg, Virginia, and Rapid City, South Dakota.

From The VA Federal stimulus funds are being used for more than bricks and mortar at VA. The department is putting Americans to work...

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from

Do you demand to understand what you sign; or do you take the salespersons’ word for what’s on the page of “small print”? If you just roll your eyes and sign, you’re not alone. Check out the short public service videos produced by the Center for Plain Language to remind you why you need to stand up for yourself and demand to understand what you sign. The Center for Plain Language has been working to fix brain-numbing language by supporting laws that will make Plain Language the law of the land, and by training writers who want to be understood.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from White River Junction, Vermont, Coos Bay, Oregon, Columbus, Ohio, Edmonds, Washington, Wichita Falls, Texas, Columbia, Missouri, El Paso, Texas, Newton, Iowa, Marco Island, Florida, and Washington, DC.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from New London, Connecticut, Grand Island, Nebraska, Topeka, Kansas, Escambria, Alabama, Lakewood, Washington, Swannanoa, North Carolina, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Ohio, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Alamogordo, New Mexico.

This week, we salute VA research achievements through the decades. Research Week 2010 recognizes the tremendous accomplishments of VA researchers, and salutes the Veterans whose willingness to participate in VA studies make medical advances possible. But this year’s celebration is unique as it hails the distinguished accomplishments of the past, as well—starting with the program’s inception in 1925.

Created in the wake of the scandal in 2007 over serious shortcomings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Warrior Transition Units were intended to be sheltering way stations where injured soldiers could recuperate and return to duty or gently process out of the Army. There are currently about 7,200 soldiers at 32 transition units across the Army, with about 465 soldiers at Fort Carson’s unit.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Macon, Georgia, Fort Riley, Kansas, Dickinson, North Dakota, Vero Beach, Florida, Tacoma, Washington, Jefferson City, Missouri, Ovid, New York, Palo Alto, California, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Mount Clemens, Michigan.

New Disability Benefits Could Soon Be Available to Vietnam Vets Parkersburg, WV - April 24, 2010 -- According to attorney Jan Dils, Vietnam veterans who have developed diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, B cell leukemia and ischemic heart disease should have an easier time obtaining disability benefits under a recently proposed change in veterans benefits. In March, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs published a proposed rule change that will add these three illnesses to the list of health problems presumed to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Sarasota, Florida, Montpelier, Vermont, East St Louis, Illinois, Richmond, Virginia, Pahrump, Nevada, Oregon City, Oregon, Clarksville, Tennessee, Sedalia, Missouri, and Nogales, Arizona.

BACKGROUND ON NATURALIZATION CEREMONY FOR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Today, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members. This ceremony recognizes the contributions made by immigrant members of the U.S. armed forces who choose to join the American family as citizens.

VA's Plan for Open Government Government should be transparent, allow for citizen participation, and encourage collaboration among organizations. And that's what VA aims to accomplish through our new Open Government Plan. At our site, you can read the just-released plan and learn more about the process. Get started!

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Oroville, Callifornia, Westport, Connecticut, Manila, Philippines, Montpelier, Vermont, Livermore, California, Jacksonville, Florida, Davenport, Iowa, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, San Francisco, California, and Selma, Oregon.

During National Volunteer Week, VA salutes Joyce Brown, the Voluntary Service Chief from the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) in San Antonio, Texas, who is the latest winner of the Award for Excellence given by VA Voluntary Service’s National Advisory Committee. Brown and her staff pursued numerous community outreach avenues to obtain programs and donations improve Veteran’s quality of life under VA care.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Wentzville, Missouri, Watertown, Connecticut, Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, Fort Richardson, Alaska, Columbus, Georgia, Houma, Louisiana, French Camp, California, Beaufort South Carolina, Dayton, Ohio, and Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

VA salutes June Valdivia during National Volunteer Week. She is the recipient of the Female Volunteer of the Year Award, given by VA Voluntary Service’s National Advisory Committee. Valdivia, who will be 89 years old in June, serves as the American Gold Star Mothers representative at the VA Medical Center of the Miami VA Healthcare System. Her first job at the hospital was filing, but she soon gravitated to the nursing home unit where she was a dedicated volunteer for years.

Regional stories on veterans' health, education and other benefits and issues today from Kalama, Washington, Silver Bay, Minnesota, Madison, Wisconsin, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Ohio, Kinston, North Carolina, Clovis, New Mexico, Destin, Florida, Greenville, South Carolina, and Dayton, Ohio.

Repeated calls to the Charitable Law Division of the Ohio Attorney General's office have yielded little in the way of information about the US Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) and its enigmatic director "Commander" Bobby Thompson.

An army sergeant who had received 22 honors including a Combat Action Badge prior to being wounded in Iraq by a mortar shell was told he was faking his medical symptoms and subjected to abusive treatment until he agreed to a "personality disorder"(PD) discharge.

Major League baseball players are honoring the sacrifices made by our nation's wounded warriors by launching an exclusive line of military-themed licensed products to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, it was jointly announced today by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the Wounded Warrior Project. Major Leaguers are also contributing an additional $100,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust to the Wounded Warrior Project, to support their efforts in ensuring this generation of wounded warriors is the most successful and well-adjusted in our nation's history.